Hell Bent
Wealth. Power. Murder. Magic. Alex Stern is back and the Ivy League is going straight to hell in #1 New York Times bestselling author Leigh Bardugo's Hell Bent.
Find a gateway to the underworld. Steal a soul out of hell. A simple plan, except people who make this particular journey rarely come back. But Galaxy “Alex” Stern is determined to break Darlington out of purgatory―even if it costs her a future at Lethe and at Yale.
Forbidden from attempting a rescue, Alex and Dawes can’t call on the Ninth House for help, so they assemble a team of dubious allies to save the gentleman of Lethe. Together, they will have to navigate a maze of arcane texts and bizarre artifacts to uncover the societies’ most closely guarded secrets, and break every rule doing it. But when faculty members begin to die off, Alex knows these aren’t just accidents. Something deadly is at work in New Haven, and if she is going to survive, she’ll have to reckon with the monsters of her past and a darkness built into the university’s very walls.
Thick with history and packed with Bardugo’s signature twists, Hell Bent brings to life an intricate world full of magic, violence, and all too real monsters.
Leigh Bardugo
Leigh Bardugo is a name that echoes through the fantasy world, a master of weaving dark, intricate tales filled with unforgettable characters, high-stakes drama, and worlds where magic is both a gift and a curse. Born in Jerusalem and raised in Los Angeles, Leigh’s journey to becoming one of the most celebrated voices in contemporary fantasy is as fascinating as the worlds she creates. With a background in journalism and a love for storytelling that began at an early age, she has always been captivated by the idea of bending reality, crafting new worlds, and exploring the complexities of human nature—traits that have shaped her unique writing style.
Alex Stern
In the Alex Stern series, the boundary between life and death is thinner than you think—and for Alex, it’s a line she’s learned to walk.
Set in a world where the supernatural lurks just beneath the surface, Leigh Bardugo’s Alex Stern novels weave a gripping narrative of magic, mystery, and the complicated morality of a universe brimming with secrets. At the heart of the series is Alex, a flawed and fierce young woman with a gift she never asked for: the ability to see ghosts. This extraordinary power thrusts her into a world of hidden societies and arcane secrets, where the line between right and wrong is constantly shifting.
Alex Stern consists of two books and series is set to expand with the upcoming release of two more books. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.