Genre Fiction
![Leigh Bardugo - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B005ZZ8XQS.jpg)
Hell Bent: A Novel (Alex Stern, 2)
#1 New York Times Bestseller
From the author of Shadow and Bone, now a hit NETFLIX series
"Readers will be wowed." –Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Wealth. Power. Murder. Magic. The Ivy League is going straight to hell in the sequel to the smash New York Times bestseller Ninth House from #1 bestselling author Leigh Bardugo.
"Bardugo's imaginative reach is brilliant." –Stephen King
A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2023 by The New York Times, The Week, Kirkus Reviews, PopSugar, Distractify, Booklist Queen, The Nerd Daily, and more!!
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.
From the author of Shadow and Bone, now a hit NETFLIX series
"Readers will be wowed." –Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Wealth. Power. Murder. Magic. The Ivy League is going straight to hell in the sequel to the smash New York Times bestseller Ninth House from #1 bestselling author Leigh Bardugo.
"Bardugo's imaginative reach is brilliant." –Stephen King
A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2023 by The New York Times, The Week, Kirkus Reviews, PopSugar, Distractify, Booklist Queen, The Nerd Daily, and more!!
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.
Editorial Reviews
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!!
"A tour de force of suspenseful pacing and empathetic writing... The beauty of Hell Bent is that for all the bleakness, the sense of wonder somehow still remains." ―The New York Times
"[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
A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2023 by The New York Times, The Week, Kirkus Reviews, PopSugar, Distractify, Booklist Queen, The Nerd Daily, and more!!
"A tour de force of suspenseful pacing and empathetic writing... The beauty of Hell Bent is that for all the bleakness, the sense of wonder somehow still remains." ―The New York Times
"[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
Readers Top Reviews
Amazing from start to finish! I wasnt intrigued with the first part. I dont even like contemporary horror, but this book kept me awake at night. I just needed to know, what happened next.
Robin
I love this book just as much as i did the first book, i love the twists in this book :)
lynRobin
Love the book and the writer, so I pre-ordered the book. To get one asap. But instead the delivery was delayed and was a 2nd edition... no happy with the seller .. disapointed ... will buy dirext from now on.
mBook-addictedlyn
Ninth House was outrageously entertaining. Fantastic characters, plot twists, and world building. To have waited this long for the sequel and to be left wanting is disappointing. This is a good book in part, but never a great one, and there are whole sections that are bordering on tedious. Wanted to love it, and just about liked it.
JordanmBook-addic
Hell Bent was one of my most anticipated new releases of 2023. I read Ninth House a year and a half ago, and I was so intrigued by the story and the characters. I loved the non-linear storyline, the history, the paranormal craziness... and I was DYING to know what happened to Darlington. Because the story was so complicated, I reread Ninth House a few weeks ago to prep. Definitely the right decision, as otherwise I'm not sure I would have been able to keep anything straight. In any case, Hell Bent was an excellent read overall, perfect for those who LOVE dark academia and thrillers. The story centers around Alex and her friends trying to bring Darlington back from Hell. Of course there are SIGNIFICANT obstacles, with the fact that Darlington is now part demon being a BIG one. Many of the minor characters in Ninth House step into major roles in Hell Bent - Dawes has more of a starring role, Turner comes back, Alex recruits Mercy and Tripp to get involved. And I LOVE having Darlington back, even though he's not really on the same plane of existence for most of the book. It's kind of amazing to me how he made such an impression on these people that they (and especially Alex) will risk their lives to bring him back. The flashbacks to the backgrounds of the "4 murderers" were super hard to read, but also so interesting to see what makes them tick. And the descriptions of Hell were so cool and trippy. I again couldn't wrap my head around some of the things going on in this book. It's got a crazy combination of Yale/New Haven history and paranormal fantasy, along with very complicated, nuanced characters that just cries out for a reread. I'll definitely be at least rereading Hell Bent before the next release, if not Ninth House too. This is my own personal issue, but I was DYING over the unresolved sexual tension between Darlington and Alex. I think I've been reading far too much romance lately, because I was constantly complaining about them secretly pining for each other (or at least appearing to do so) and doing nothing about it. Maybe there will be something in Book 3? Besides keeping demons from streaming into Yale, that's what I want to happen in the next book more than anything else. Finally, I could read Darlington's highbrow quips and Alex's hilarious comebacks all day. I need to post some out of context quotes from this book at some point, because their conversations are infinitely quotable.
