Hell to Pay is the third novel in the urban fantasy series Tear Down Heaven, written by Rachel Aaron. An instalment set one month after the events of Hell of a Witch, and which is a bigger novel that sets a definitive turnpoint in the saga, starting to finally reveal what was hidden from the reader, and putting in motion the wheels for a new arc in this epic urban fantasy saga.

This novel is particularly heavy in terms of character development, especially regarding our main duo of Bex and Adrian; despite they are an excellent duo and their chemistry is absolutely fire, Aaron puts them in separate paths on this occasion. Bex is still fighting to fit into her role of demon queen; freeing more demons from Gilgamesh chains, but tensions are also rising in the group she's trying to lead. Her obligations are also an obstacle to spend more time with Adrian, and having to put fight over her own wellness is also making a dent in her.
Adrian is desperate for finding a way to help Bex, and a new mysterious ally will appear; with this new character, Adrian will unlock a new source of power, but all it's too convenient. While he's learning more about these powers, we will also see how many secrets about Adrian's origins will be revealed.

We have two differentiated parts in this novel, especially in terms of pacing: in the first part, Aaron takes the opportunity to continue fleshing the characters while giving us more chances to empathize with them, to understand more about their motivations and ideas, in an exchange of a slower pacing, especially in comparison with what we were used from the first two books. In comparison, the second part is absolutely memorable and spectacular; not only we have great action scenes, but also some of the twists were just jawbreaking, increasing the epicness of this saga (and seriously, it might feature my favourite moment of the whole series).

I personally appreciate how each new novel in the series expands the worldbuilding: not only about how Gilgamesh reached the power, but about those powers that still exist and how all worked before the rebellion.
The writing is sharp, and shines especially when the pacing finally picks up, when the great avalanche happens.

Hell to Pay is another great instalment in this epic urban fantasy saga, a book that puts many wheels in motion while humanizing more its character. Seriously, you should give Tear Down Heaven an opportunity, because it's an excellent series.