Hellbent

Hellbent was still a fun read, but I have to admit I'm starting to feel a bit of franchise fatigue with the Orphan X series. This one opens strong and doesn't waste much time rehashing the whole backstory, which I appreciated after the previous book spent way too long on that. It gets right into the action, which makes it feel more fluid and less like it's trying to onboard new readers at the cost of annoying the loyal ones.

That said, I'm not finding myself getting more invested in the series as it goes on. The plot holes are starting to stand out more, the tech is often borderline ridiculous, and the “surprises” aren't all that surprising. Some scenes felt like they were written just to keep the story going, not because they made sense for the characters. Also, if I never read another detailed description of vodka distillation again, I'll be okay. Still, it's kind of like a decent popcorn movie—fun while it lasts, but not something I feel the urge to continue right away. I'll probably take a break before picking up the next one.