
Narrator: Nicholas Cain
Series: Tear Down Heaven #2
Published by Self-Published on September 30, 2024
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Length: 11 hours, 34 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible, Libro.fm





One month ago, Bex, the demon Queen of Wrath, and Adrian, witch of the Blackwood, pulled off the upset victory of the century. Now, they find themselves facing the question all unexpected champions must what next? They’ve declared war on Heaven, but how do you actually bring down a divinely powerful tyrant when your army’s still in the single digits and your magical fortress is an illegally modified Winnebago?
It seems like a hopeless situation. As always, though, Adrian Blackwood has a plan, and this time, he’s going big. He’s got an idea to take down the Seattle Anchor, the giant magical fortress that houses the Anchor Market and every other bit of critical infrastructure that connects Heaven to Earth.
How the Anchors work is a closely guarded secret, and getting to the good stuff will require going deep into the heart of Gilgamesh’s power. There’s a reason even the Queen of Wrath has never attacked one directly, but now that Adrian’s on her team, Bex thinks they can do it. She’s finally got the power she needs to actually move the needle on this war, and she’s going to hit that Anchor with all the fire she’s got.
But the enemies of Heaven aren’t the only ones making plans. After the fiery return of his most persistent annoyance, Gilgamesh has ordered his princes to take care of the demon queen problem personally. It’s time to roll out the big guns and show these rebels what divine wrath really means, starting with the Hell of a Witch who made it all possible.
Hell of a Witch, the second book of the Tear Down Heaven series, picks up a month after the event in Hell for Hire. It has a slow burn romance, underdog fight against the big bad and a found family that is amazing. The Queen of Wrath is out to thwart the Princes of Heaven and while you might think we would be on the Prince’s side we definitely are not since they, and their master, took over heaven millennia ago and our Heroine is trying to save her people, rescue her sisters and take down the wizard that tore down heaven.
Bex, Demon Queen of Wrath, finally has enough allies to try and do something big in the resistance against Gilgamesh. Adrian has come up with a plan to deal a devastating blow to the all powerful wizard. With some of the coolest witchy tricks I’ve read about, he and Bex sneak into the heart of enemy territory to see what they can learn about one of the anchors to Heaven. However, when things don’t go quite right it puts a huge strain on their budding relationship. Bex must make some difficult choices between being a Queen and head of a rebellion or the personal wants she has in her life. It doesn’t help that her ring/sword, Drox, is talking in her head and only cares about fighting.
Rachel Aaron has come up with a fantastically interesting and original world, with a extraordinary backstory. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything quite like this and love the world she has created. Hell of a Witch is more action packed and faster paced than Hell for Hire and also sprinkles in more worldbuilding and backstory to flesh out the characters and the world. I enjoyed how the reader is fed some of the information and shown some of the concepts that help make this story feel like a real place. Bex and Adrian both shine in this book, but Adrian stole the show a little with his potential parentage reveal and new dealings with a pretty powerful crow.
I love found families and Bex has a great one with the core group of demons who follow her. Nemini, a void demon, is hilarious to me when she is one the page. Her quips and dialogue remind me of the sad robot in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Having a lust demon and a war demon on your side doesn’t hurt either. They didn’t quite as much page time as Adrian and his feline familiar were the stars of the book. But they brought some good comic relief and badass fighting skills to the story.
Overall this is an entertaining a easy read and great for when you want a slow burn romance and a fight against all the odds.
“But I’m happy to hear you say we’re friends. I was worried you only stuck with me out of pity.”
Nemini looked as close to insulted as Bex had ever seen. “How could you doubt? We value each other’s well being despite knowing that life is meaningless and everything will well end. There is no name for that folly other than friendship.”
Narration:
Nicholas Cain is a solid narrator. He captured Adrian and Bex well in the story and I was able to distinguish the other characters well throughout. His voice worked for an unusual witch of the body and he added some mystical charm to Adrian’s character. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.
Performance: ★★★
Character Separation: ★★★★
Diction: ★★★★
Pacing/Flow: ★★★★
Sound Effects: limited at the introduction
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I really should read more by this author. I’ve loved her other stuff.
This is the first book I’ve read outside of the world of the Heartstrikers and I am really enjoying seeing something different that is just as cool.
Sounds like you enjoyed this one! Great review!
This series has been fun so far. Loving the play on Heaven and Hell that isn’t really steeped in religion.