When they finally reach him, he has been partially consumed by his time in hell, becoming something more (and less) than human [2].

Despite being forbidden by the Lethe board and the university, Alex is convinced that Darlington—the "Gentleman of Lethe"—isn’t dead, but trapped in purgatory [1]. She assembles a motley crew of "trash-bridge" allies, including: The scholarly Oculus. Turner: The cynical New Haven detective.

In Leigh Bardugo’s , the sequel to Ninth House , Alex Stern faces the ultimate occult heist: breaking into hell to rescue Darlington [1, 2]. The story follows these major narrative arcs: The Impossible Rescue

Alex’s roommate, who is dragged into the secret world of Yale’s societies [4]. The Gauntlet of Trials

As Alex descends, she has to reckon with her own "Hell-Bent" nature. The rescue comes at a staggering price: