Dead Beat is the third and final book of the Ninth House trilogy by Leigh Bardugo and in it, Bardugo continues her theme of “yes, demons are bad, but have you met humans?” And once again she makes valid points that it’s a toss-up on who is worse.
The book begins with Alex Stern and her friends monitoring for, and hunting, demons that cross into New Haven from hell through the door left cracked in the last book. The demons prey on the emotions, fears, tears, and sometimes blood of the people of New Haven. So Alex uses her Wheelwalker powers to capture the demons’ souls until their group can figure out a way to fully close the door to hell. Which they need to do sooner rather than later so that Alex and Darlington aren’t forced to slave an eternity under the demon prince trying to overrun the human world.
Yes, that’s right, girlie-pops, Darlington is back, half-demon and hotter than ever. (This is not a spoiler because he came back last book, not this one). Alex and Darlington continue to be assisted/propped up/coddled and cared for, by their friend, Dawes. But Dawes is a witchier, more confident version of herself this time around. She really comes into her own in this book, which I love. I also love that Dawes and Tripp, the baby-vampire frat boy, are essentially best friends. And New Haven police detective Turner is also back, bringing his good suits, his magical skepticism, and his religious fervor.
As with the first two books, there are mysteries on mysteries on mysteries in “Dead Beat.” Some are magical, some are human, and some are both. And while I didn’t love this book as much as “Ninth House,” I think Bardugo does a pretty good job with this one. Certainly better than “Hell Bent,” in my opinion. The author definitely leaves herself room to come back to Leith, or Alex and Darlington, in future books, and as a result, the ending was a bit squishy. But all in all, a fast-paced, magic-filled, enjoyable read.
Rating: 4 stars
CBR18 Bingo Circle: “Bird” because the cover has an owl on it and owls play a never-fully-explained role in the book (like I said, squishy).
