Rachel Aaron brings the Tear Down Heaven sequence to its epic halfway turning level in Hell to Pay, and the time of secrets and techniques and teasing is formally over. This third instalment is greater, bolder and admittedly a bit bumpier than ever earlier than, however at its coronary heart it’s nonetheless simply pleasantly good paranormal city fantasy enjoyable!

Very like firstly of Hell of a Witch, our favorite wayward witch and insurgent crew of demons is having a suspiciously good time after dealing their newest large blow to Heaven. Bex continues her mission of releasing as many wrath demons as she will from Gilgamesh’s chains to assist in her insurrection, whereas Adrian positive aspects assist from a shocking new ally who helps him faucet into unexplored harmful powers that might change the tide for all of them. However as tenuously peaceable as issues might sound, the clock remains to be ticking, and the person who killed the gods will guarantee that there will likely be hell to pay.

Now, I’ve at all times actually appreciated and admired how Aaron has balanced the exhilarating motion with the heartfelt, quieter character moments on this sequence, even when I’ve personally been extra in it for the characters reasonably than the plot. Nonetheless, Hell to Pay actually had loads of floor to cowl as a pivotal center e book within the sequence, and I believe all of the formidable set-up and surprising reveals got here barely on the detriment of the elements I personally take pleasure in most about this story.

Don’t get me flawed, I’ll at all times love spending time with these (literal and figurative) chaos demons, however I can’t sit right here and fake that the primary half of Hell to Pay didn’t have me a bit nervous and annoyed. See, regardless that Bex and Adrian are each very robust and compelling major characters on their very own, it’s when they’re collectively that the true magic occurs for me. And particularly after all of the teasing of their romance that we received in Hell of a Witch, I used to be SO able to see their uniquely highly effective relationship totally come to fruition right here… just for them to be separated for your entire e book.

All that stated, the second half of Hell to Pay roughly shed that dreaded ‘center e book syndrome’ vibe, and I actually suppose it contained a few of my favorite scenes in your entire sequence to this point. A number of the facet characters that received sidelined within the first half of the e book actually received their time to shine once more (NEMINI! Take a look at her slay on this attractive cowl!), and as soon as I had accepted that Bex and Adrian weren’t going to get collectively right here, I might take pleasure in their separate storylines for what they have been.

In the end, I’m nonetheless extra invested within the particular person character journeys and all of the messy however heartfelt interpersonal relationships reasonably than the macro ‘warfare in opposition to heaven’ plot, however there isn’t any denying that the nuanced commentary on warfare may be very poignant and that the long-awaited (or surprisingly sudden) reveals in Hell to Pay have been extraordinarily intriguing. Particularly the truth that we lastly come head to head with Gilgamesh after two books of him being a obscure ‘background’ menace was very satisfying to me, because it actually rekindled my funding and made the stakes really feel a lot extra tangible and actual.

Aaron’s imaginative and prescient for the Tear Down Heaven sequence is clearly above and past what I had initially given it credit score for, and I’ve full religion that the final two books are going to stay as much as the potential that’s promised in Hell to Pay. Carry on the chaos, emotional turmoil, meddling gods, depraved witchery, and diabolical demons, I’m right here for it!

Thanks to the creator for offering me with an eARC in alternate for an sincere overview. All opinions are my very own. Hell to Pay is scheduled for launch on February 28, 2025.