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.

Amazon.com Review

An Amazon Best Book of January 2023: Murder, magic, secret societies, a gauntlet to hell—Bardugo is a fantastic storyteller who knows how to keep the reader both guessing and completely transfixed. Hell Bent seamlessly picks up the thread of Ninth House, with Alex Stern trying to find a way to get her friend and mentor out of hell. Literally. Obscure texts, magical artifacts, puzzle-loving demons—Alex has her hands full, plus a murderer on campus and her “job” as enforcer for a dangerous thug. And let’s not forget the monsters (real and otherwise), ghosts, and supernatural events that she seems to draw like a dark magnet. The second book in the Alex Stern series (which will make you want to go back and read the first all over again) is cinematic, surprising, and unputdownable. —Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor

Review

Praise for Hell Bent

A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2023 by The New York Times , The Week , Kirkus Reviews , PopSugar , Distractify , Booklist Queen , The Nerd Daily , and more!!

"[T]he return of protagonist Alex Stern and her mystical version of the Ivy League is very welcome... Watching this damaged loner bring together a squad of ride-and-die friends is endlessly fun, and Bardugo finds new depths to most of her supporting cast." ― The Washington Post

"Gut-wrenching and deeply human, this book will tug at your heartstrings even as it chills you to the bone.... Standing head and shoulders above the already impressive Ninth House, Hell Bent is one of the best fantasy novels of the year.." ― BookPage (starred reviewed)

"Thrilling ... fascinating supporting players ... The taut plot, often grisly magic, lavish scene-setting, and wry humor combine to make this just as un-put-downable as the first installment. Readers will be wowed." – Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Bardugo doesn’t flinch from the dark sides of magic and human nature….This portrait of a survivor’s dogged determination to accomplish her goal will appeal to readers of dark academia, urban fantasy, and horror.” ― Booklist (starred review)

“Vivid, intelligent, and funny at just the right moments, but best of all are the complex characters.” ― Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

" Hell Bent is a taut, complexly plotted headrush, stocked full of complicated monsters, entitled academics, and grifters big-time and small." ― Book of the Month

About the Author

Leigh Bardugo is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and the creator of the Grishaverse (now a Netflix series) which spans the Shadow and Bone trilogy, the Six of Crows duology, The Language of Thorns, and the King of Scars duology―with more to come. Her other works include Wonder Woman: Warbringer and Ninth House (Goodreads Choice Winner for Best Fantasy 2019). She lives in Los Angeles and is an Associate Fellow of Pauli Murray College at Yale University.