‘Hell Bent’ Review: Alex Stern Suffers From Sequelitis

College sophomores have it the worst: navigating new housing, mind-numbing general education classes, and, in Leigh Bardugo’s most recent novel, fighting the demons of hell. “Hell Bent,” a sequel to Bardugo’s much-loved adult fantasy novel “Ninth House,” follows the struggles of Yale’s strangest sophomore, Galaxy “Alex” Stern. Not much has changed since “Ninth House”: Yale’s class reading lists are grueling, secret magic societies are performing rituals that transform the world, and Alex’s mentor Darlington is still missing somewhere in hell. Throughout the novel’s fast-moving plot, Bardugo weaves Alex’s world of magic into more contemporary experiences of trauma, elitism, and regret. Not every aspect of this combination is successful, and “Hell Bent” suffers from a mild case of second-book slog, but overall, Bardugo has again created a wildly entertaining magical world.

Magic works in the “Alex Stern” trilogy because it seems entirely realistic. The fantastical magic system exists in the underbelly of the modern world. It is not grandiose or idealized in any way, but instead grimy, creepy, and sometimes even vile. Alex, who possesses the magic ability to see ghosts, ponders why the members of Yale’s secret societies seek out strange magic rituals. She sees people do the strangest things for a trip of power — like a famous pop singer eating the feces of a magic bird to regain her chart-topping voice. Instead of being decorative background information, magic is a crucial part of the novel’s themes and plot. Magic and its repercussions become a representation of many things in the novel — greed, power, control — all of which Alex must continually fight against.

But at almost 500 pages,“Hell Bent” is quite lengthy, and lots of this time feels wasted. There are seemingly random side characters that Alex deals with, including an old rival from California, a rich drug-dealing vampire, and a cranky professor who oversees her work in one of Yale’s secret societies. These can tire the reader and even feel quite repetitive, since some of Alex’s foes have returned from “Ninth House.” These attempts to expand Alex Stern’s world feel a little like filler, and much of it could have been cut down to liven up the novel’s pace.

The biggest weakness of “Hell Bent” is the fact that it truly feels like a sequel. It lacks its own identity, riding in the shadow of the first book, and doesn’t begin to take its own shape until its final act. A sizable chunk of the third act also wastes time setting up the third novel. It feels as if the overarching “Alex Stern” series could easily be adjusted to be a duology, eliminating the strange liminal space that “Hell Bent” seems to reside in. While the novel attempts to delve deeper into Alex’s traumas revealed in “Ninth House,” it feels more like a rehashing of events than a deep dive.

However, the last third of the book ricochets back into Bardugo’s signature gripping style. This last section was impossible to put down as all of the worldbuilding and character studies finally clicked into place. As Alex juggles fighting demons, saving Darlington, and facing her past trauma, the results of her earlier side quests suddenly come into fruition. In this final section, Bardugo is at her best.

It is remarkable that Bardugo is able to infuse what first appears to be a typical young adult fantasy series into something much more striking. It goes beyond surface-level displays of magic and romance to reflect upon pressing social problems. As Alex tries to save Darlington from hell, she grapples with the meaning of who is and isn’t redeemable. Heavy themes, such as drug abuse, murder, and self harm are all treated with care amidst the swirling drama of Yale. Magic is more than magic — it is a way to reflect on events from the past and misuses of power.

Overall, “Hell Bent” does exactly what it should do. It is funny, gripping, and deeply melodramatic in the endearing way that only modern fantasy novels can be. However, it is not perfect, with its biggest weaknesses lying in its inconsistent pacing and grueling length. The overall success of the “Alex Stern” series will hinge upon the highly awaited third novel.

—Staff writer Hannah E. Gadway can be reached at hannah.gadway@thecrimson.com.