Hell Bent

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2023

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1, Interlude 1-Chapter 5

Part 1, Chapters 6-10

Part 1, Chapters 11-17

Part 1, Chapters 18-23

Part 1, Chapter 24-Interlude 2

Part 1, Chapters 27-34

Part 2, Chapters 35-41

Part 2, Chapters 42-47

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

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Discussion Questions

Part 1, Interlude 1-Chapter 5Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1: “As Above”

Part 1, Interlude 1 Summary: “November”

Galaxy Stern, nicknamed Alex, the protagonist Yale student and powerful magical member of the Lethe society, approaches Black Elm, the Lethe faculty liaison Darlington’s house. Inside the kitchen, she notices an open door to the basement. Alex debates whether to investigate or call for help but decides to go herself. As she descends the stairs, she is pushed to the basement floor. The door locks, and she is left in the dark. Alex finds two terrified Grays, the book’s version of ghosts, in the basement with her. She discovers their bodies in the basement, covered in fresh blood. She realizes that she recognizes these people, although she does not provide their identities. The chapter ends with the male Gray warning her they are not alone.

Part 1, Chapter 1 Summary: “October, One Month Before”

In Chapter 1, set a month prior, Alex waits for her friends in a club and reflects on the events from the previous novel. She spots a Gray at the bar who silently signals for help. Despite wanting to hang out with her roommates, Mercy and Lauren, she receives a text that changes her plans; it is from Eitan, the cousin of the drug dealer she killed the summer prior. A police cruiser passes by, making Alex anxious about the police presence.

After the cruiser departs, Alex goes to Oddman’s apartment, a debtor of Eitan’s. The Gray from the bar follows her. She uses a magical glamour to disguise herself, but quickly drops it. She confronts Oddman about his debt, giving him a week to repay it and warning him of consequences if he fails. During their conversation, the Gray briefly takes control of her voice. Alex regains control, emphasizing Oddman’s debt while feeling unsettled by the experience.

Part 1, Chapter 2 Summary

Returning to campus, Alex is troubled by the Gray’s odd behavior and ponders how to prevent it. She also yearns for her friend from LA, Hellie, whose overdose the previous summer caused Alex to kill the dealer and become entwined with Eitan. Alex wonders about Hellie’s burial place. Dawes, a fellow Lethe, contacts Alex about selecting a new Lethe Praetor, their faculty liaison, since in the events of the previous novel the soul of their old Praetor, Daniel Arlington V, or Darlington, was trapped in hell. Alex expected more time and requests a delay for their meeting. They discuss their ongoing quest for the Gauntlet, a portal to hell, to rescue Darlington’s soul, but have not found it in any local churches.

Dawes and Alex decide on a ritual to discover how to help Darlington using one of the other society’s resources, In her role as Lethe’s “Virgil,” Alex oversees the ritual at the Book and Snake tomb. The ceremony involves a recently murdered man’s corpse, with a general seeking espionage information. The corpse moves, and a scribe records its responses.

Part 1, Chapter 3 Summary

After the Book and Snake ritual concludes, Alex helps wrap up the ceremony and hears that the corpse spelled out strange phrases related to the Milky Way. Upon leaving the tomb, Alex meets with Dawes and suggests an alternative plan to the search for the Gauntlet: visit Scroll and Key, another society, and open a portal to hell there. Dawes is hesitant, but eventually agrees to the idea. She also notes that the Greek name for the Milky Way is “Galaxias.” “Galaxy” is Alex’s full name, and Dawes thinks that it might be Darlington trying to contact them. As they discuss their options, Alex reflects on her precarious position. She knows that Darlington knows about her involvement in the previous year’s events and that he can expose her. Despite the uncertainty that looms over her, Alex remains determined to set things right.

Part 1, Chapter 4 Summary: “Last Summer”

Chapter 4 jumps back to the summer a few months prior. Alex planned to stay in New Haven, but plans change when Eitan, the cousin of the drug dealer she killed when Hellie died, contacts her. He believes she is still in LA and insists on a face-to-face meeting at his house. She agrees to meet him. Later, Alex contacts Michael Anselm, a Lethe board member, to request assistance with her trip home. Anselm agrees to help her with the fare. Despite her hesitation and fear of the impending meeting, Alex prepares to leave, promising Il Bastone, the Lethe society headquarters, she will return.

Part 1, Chapter 5 Summary: “October”

Chapter 5 returns to the school year. Alex attempts to focus on her academic and social life but is preoccupied by Eitan and her mother’s safety. Despite planning to stay in, she joins her roommates at a party and sends her mother a cheerful picture.

The next day, she meets Dawes at the Scroll and Key tomb to reach Darlington. Their makeshift ritual worries them, but they proceed with protective measures using salt and oil. They use a toy trumpet, a note, and Armagnac to open the portal, but things go awry. Hellish horses storm in as the portal opens, and Darlington’s voice pleads with them. As the portal closes, a powerful explosion throws Alex off her feet.

Part 1, Interlude 1-Chapter 5 Analysis

These opening chapters serve as a setup for the rest of the novel. Through the lens of the protagonist, Alex Stern, the chapter sets the stage for the story’s central conflict: Alex’s attempts to rescue her mentor, Darlington, from hell. From the beginning, readers are introduced to Alex Stern’s troubled past, marked by self-destructive behavior. While concerned with her survival on a broader level, she cares little for her safety at the moment.

As with Ninth House, Bardugo begins the book in medias res. It does not start from the beginning but rather partway through the story before returning to the events that led up to the scene in the basement. The mystery genre frequently uses this technique to achieve tension and intrigue. Hell Bent is both a fantasy and a murder mystery. It also establishes the tone for the rest of the novel. By dropping the reader into the middle of the issue with the promise of death and supernatural danger, Bardugo draws them into the story. She also continues the trend she used in the last book of swapping between the past and the present. This section is between the present in October at Yale and over the summer in Los Angeles after Eitan calls Alex back. While this occupies a comparatively minor subplot in the novel, it does establish Alex’s character and motivations.

The themes of Seeking Redemption and Moral Duality emerge in this early section. From the outset, Alex’s arc focuses on her desire to atone for her mistakes, have a fresh start with a normal life, and escape the shadows of her past. Her determination and resourcefulness are evident as she takes charge of the ritual, even if it ends in chaos, and her willingness to confront her past actions reflects the complexity of her character. Alex comes from a background of hardship and has experienced the harsh realities of the world, both “normal” and magical. While she desires normalcy she has never experienced, her role as “Virgil,” a reference to the guide through hell in Dante’s Inferno and caretaker of the passage between realms, in Lethe pulls her deeper into the supernatural, forcing her to balance this desire for normality with the responsibilities of the magical world.

The complicated salt knot used in the ritual at Scroll and Key is an early establishment of the recurring motif of puzzles and their connection to demons. It allows the human characters to manipulate or protect themselves against demons. However, as will become clear later, demons can also use tricks and puzzles to manipulate in return, often to devastating effect. Finally, while Grays are still critical to the function of Alex’s powers and make frequent appearances throughout the story, they have less narrative importance than in the previous book in the series. Instead, demons come to the forefront, representing an increase in the stakes of the series as they are more threatening creatures than Grays.