Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Jan 2023
496 pages
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Speculative, Alt. History
Publication Information
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.
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.
"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)
"Vivid, intelligent, and funny at just the right moments, but best of all are the complex characters." - Kirkus Reviews (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)
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Photo Credit: Christina Guerra
Leigh Bardugo is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ninth House and the creator of the Grishaverse (now a Netflix original series) which spans the Shadow and Bone trilogy, the Six of Crows duology, the King of Scars duology—and much more. Her short fiction has appeared in multiple anthologies including The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy. She lives in Los Angeles and is an associate fellow of Pauli Murray College at Yale University.
Link to Leigh Bardugo's Website
Name Pronunciation
Leigh Bardugo: lee bar-DOO-go
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