Alex, who possesses the magic ability to see ghosts, ponders why the members of Yale’s secret societies seek out strange magic rituals. It is not grandiose or idealized in any way, but instead grimy, creepy, and sometimes even vile. The fantastical magic system exists in the underbelly of the modern world. Magic works in the “Alex Stern” trilogy because it seems entirely realistic. 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. Throughout the novel’s fast-moving plot, Bardugo weaves Alex’s world of magic into more contemporary experiences of trauma, elitism, and regret. 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. “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. 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.
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