Hell’s Belle by Marie Castle

As a young adult who identifies as part of the LGBTQ+ community, and enjoys reading urban fantasy novels, something that has been hard to find growing up are stories that feature characters who are not only part of the LGBTQ+ community but also are portrayed in a down-to-earth and realistic way. Books like Hell’s Belle by Marie Castle give me hope that the scarcity of well-written LGBTQ+ urban fantasy is coming to an end. 

Enter Cate, a badass witch who works as a sort of bounty hunter for humans in her state of Mississippi, but is beginning to branch out into supernatural cases. What follows is a whirlwind ride of plot-twists and introductions to a cast of very interesting characters spanning mortal and immortal races alike. Filled with both epic supernatural battles as well as some impressive character growth and development, Castle works to make every voice in the novel a three-dimensional one. 

I’m giving this novel 4 out of 5 stars because there were points towards the end of the novel where the plot seemed to speed up a little unnaturally and loose ends were tied up a bit in a hurry, but in my opinion this didn’t detract from the novel as a whole. In general, Castle’s rich world-building and style were easy to read, and enjoyable to live in for the duration of the novel. 

Perhaps the most fun part of the book? Cate’s southern sass. Slight spoiler alert: if you like novels where alpha males order women around, this is not the story for you. Cate never lets herself be walked over whether it be by an old flame, or an undead sorcerer. Oh, and the gay stuff of course *winks*. Can’t wait to see what comes next in her journey! 

Happy Reading :)