Hell Bent

Hell Bent is a 2022 contemporary dark fantasy novel by American author Leigh Bardugo. It is the sequel to the 2019 novel Ninth House and the second part of the Alex Stern series. It is set at Yale in an alternate version of the real world where the University’s secret societies perform occult rituals to gain power. It follows the same protagonist as the previous novel, Galaxy Stern, or Alex, a medium with a troubled past. The book chronicles her journey to rescue her mentor, Daniel Arlington V, nicknamed Darlington, from hell. As with the prior entry in the series, it includes flashbacks, a few chapters from Darlington’s point of view, and excerpts from texts in the created world that provide additional context to the main story.

This study guide refers to the 2022 hardcover edition by Flatiron Books.

Content Warning: This guide references suicide, enslavement, drug use, sexual assault, racial injustice, and animal cruelty.

Plot Summary

Hell Bent picks up with Alex Stern following through on her promise from the end of the previous book to find a way to rescue her former mentor, Darlington, from hell. Alex and Darlington are both Yale students and members of the Lethe, the most prestigious of the secret Yale societies that oversees all others. Dawes, another Lethe who also wants to save Darlington, has done her research and come across references to a Gauntlet, a portal to hell, somewhere on Yale’s campus. When they have no luck finding it, Alex and Dawes go with their second plan: to perform the same ritual from the last book. However, it goes awry due to their lack of preparation. At the last moment, they hear Darlington calling out for them to wait. Their attempt has mixed success: at Darlington’s former home, named Black Elm, Alex and Dawes find a transformed Darlington inside the ritual circle. He says he is trapped for the moment but does not know how long he can keep himself restrained. He states the consequences will be dire unless they retrieve his soul from hell.

The failed ritual also heralds more murders on campus, this time of two faculty members. Despite their rocky relationship, Detective Turner asks Alex to assist in the investigation because he believes the societies might be involved again. One victim is unnaturally aged, and the scene of the second murder appears theatrically staged. Both are found with linked Bible quotes in their possessions. Meanwhile, Alex and Dawes discover that the Gauntlet is located at Sterling Library and that, for the ritual, they need four murderers. To round out the group, they recruit Detective Turner and Tripp Helmuth, a hapless former member of Skull and Bones. Alex confides in Mercy, her roommate, about secret societies, Darlington, and the past year’s events, leading to a heartfelt conversation about their experiences. Mercy also becomes part of the ritual, guarding their bodies while the four enter hell.

In addition to dealing with the search for Darlington and the new murders, Alex is also extorted into being a part-time enforcer for Eitan Harel, a drug kingpin connected to Alex’s past in Los Angeles. She follows his instructions to retrieve a debt from Linus Reiter, only to discover the man is a powerful vampire. She barely escapes with her life. Upon doing more research, she finds that Reiter is connected to the original Gauntlet ritual performed in 1933. The vampire Alex encounters is a demon that consumed the original Reiter and took his place.

On Halloween, Alex, Dawes, Mercy, Turner, and Tripp gather at the library and begin the Gauntlet ritual, marking doorways with their blood and encountering unsettling changes in the library’s artwork. As they submerge themselves in the courtyard’s basin, they experience a surreal journey through their memories of the murders that led to their ability to participate in the ritual. The perspective shifts through each member’s unique experience of making a hard moral choice during the ritual. Once the characters fully pass into hell, they find Darlington trapped in a cycle of rebuilding the ruins of Black Elm. A trio of demonic wolves attack before they can leave with his soul, and Darlington stays behind to give them a chance to escape. Back at the library, they find one of the Lethe board members, Anselm, who accuses them of endangering Lethe and Yale, then banishes them from the organization.

Afterward, Alex struggles with guilt and her uncertain future. She experiences an attack from a demon that looks like her former roommate and best friend from LA, Hellie, who died during an overdose with Alex. Alex warns the others, and together they try to find a way to stop the demons that followed them out of hell. Despite their efforts, the demons continue to target them. As they grapple with the threat, Turner contacts Alex with information about a suspect in the professors’ murder cases. She learns that the suspect was manipulated by a mysterious figure he calls the “ram,” whom she suspects is Darlington. She leaves Turner and goes to Black Elm, concerned that Darlington might be playing a complex game with them.

At the house, she finds the Grays (the book’s term for ghosts) of Darlington’s parents in the basement, who reveal that their son killed them and left behind the drained husk of another victim. Alex frees the Grays and encounters Anselm in the house. Their argument is interrupted by the ceiling collapsing as a freed Darlington arrives. Anselm is revealed to be the demon Golgarot, and he discloses his manipulative role in preventing Darlington’s return and the recent murders. Using her powers as a Wheelwalker, or a powerful spiritual warrior who can travel between the world and hell and capture Grays’ power, Alex fights Anselm off and returns Darlington’s soul to his body. After regrouping at Il Bastone, the Lethe headquarters, they plan to use the Gauntlet again to trap the remaining demons. Darlington questions his identity and newfound desires after returning from hell while warning Alex about the price they might have to pay.

The group makes their final descent into hell. There, Alex faces Golgarot again, who seeks her as the price to keep her friends safe. She outwits him, using Mercy as a ploy and returns with the others to the mortal world. They clean up the supernatural aftermath, disposing of evidence and dealing with the consequences of their actions. They also find that Tripp’s demon succeeded in consuming him, but they decide to spare the resulting vampire. However, they also realize they were not as successful as they assumed: Golgarot used some of Alex’s blood to keep open the door between the worlds. The book closes with the group resolving to stop the demonic forces for the last time.