Hell-Bound by B.E. Francis
“You are utterly remarkable. Though you would never allow yourself to admit it, we are similar. Beauty covering the heinous beast inside.”
A big thank you to Tales & Teacups and B.E. Francis for this ARC!
Synopsis:
Hell-Bound is the first book in the ‘Packs of the Infernal’ series. It revolves around Ren, who wakes up with no recollection of her life except how to play her favourite instrument, the piccolo. She comes across a powerful society devoted to Nainaur, the God of the Heavens, and they send her on a journey into the Hells to retrieve an ancient relic for them. Throughout her travels, she encounters and becomes fully aware of the God of the Hells in her presence, a High Devil who knows where she comes from and steadily becomes infatuated with her. Torn between the past and the present, Ren must decide whether to remember the past or live her life without it.
My thoughts:
Oh my god, I absolutely NEED the next book as soon as possible because the world-building in this is insane and I need answers! The lore behind this is a little similar to Norse mythology (with each God and Goddess creating and overseeing their realms), but it is so fleshed out and unique that I want to know more about it and how they will contribute to the following books in the series. The world-building is interwoven beautifully with the narrative too, which enriches the storytelling and enables everything to come together seamlessly.
I love Ren as the FMC — she’s insanely feisty, skilled, and ambitious to fulfill her goals. Although she suffers from amnesia, she comes into her own with her current self and identity. She isn’t afraid to stand her ground and defend herself (usually verbally) if she notices something isn’t fair or right. Also, her chemistry with the High Devil is: 🔥🥵😍! It’s playful, otherworldly, and so, so sinful!
Jester is probably my favourite character in the book. He reminds me of Loki — he’s cunning, mischievous and deceptive, but also humorous, spunky and laid back. He’s Ren’s friendly companion and has her back when things go south. He’s a shoulder for her to lean on and does whatever he can to lift her spirits. These two are seriously friendship goals, and I love that for them!
I need to take a moment to talk about the plot twists in Hell-Bound because they were unexpected and took me by surprise! Each one had me going: “Wait, WHAT???”, and got me flipping the pages even quicker than the last. By the end, I was an absolute mess (in a good way!) and couldn’t believe how the story concluded (my heart broke for the two main characters).
Hell-Bound is a 5-star read for me, and I highly recommend all of you to check it out when it comes out! It’s definitely one of my favourite books of this year!
Tropes you will find in Hell-Bound:
✨ Enemies to lovers
✨ Slow burn
✨ Forgotten Past
✨ Demon MMC
✨ Defiant FMC
✨ Shadow daddy
✨ Forced proximity
✨ Gods & goddesses
✨ Touch her and die
✨ Who did this to you?
Hell-Bound is published on June 30th, and you can pre-order your Kindle copy on Amazon. Be sure to follow B.E. Francis on Instagram and check out her website here to stay updated on her newest works!
