Below is the complete list of Leigh Bardugo’s Alex Stern books in order. For this series, the chronological reading order is the same as the order of publication.
Publication Order of Alex Stern Books
About Alex Stern
The Alex Stern series is an adult dark fantasy and supernatural mystery series by American author Leigh Bardugo. Beginning with Ninth House (2019) and continuing with Hell Bent (2023), the books follow Galaxy “Alex” Stern, a young woman whose unusual ability to see ghosts brings her into the secretive world of Yale University’s occult societies. Combining dark academia, murder investigations, and supernatural horror, the series explores privilege, trauma, institutional corruption, and the dangerous consequences of seeking power.
The story begins in Ninth House, which introduces Alex as an unlikely recruit to Yale. Having survived a troubled childhood and a traumatic past, she receives an unexpected opportunity to attend the prestigious university despite lacking the academic background normally required for admission.
Her acceptance comes with an unusual responsibility. Alex is recruited by Lethe House, an organization tasked with monitoring the supernatural activities of Yale’s eight powerful secret societies. These societies practice dangerous forms of magic, using rituals that can influence wealth, politics, careers, and other aspects of the ordinary world.
Unlike most people, Alex can see ghosts, known as Grays, without the assistance of magical substances. This rare ability makes her valuable to Lethe, but it also exposes her to supernatural dangers that others cannot perceive.
At Yale, Alex is mentored by Daniel Arlington, commonly called Darlington, a knowledgeable and privileged student who understands the university’s occult traditions. Their contrasting backgrounds create an uneasy relationship, with Darlington representing the institutional world that Alex has never fully trusted.
When Darlington mysteriously disappears, Alex must navigate Lethe’s responsibilities largely without his guidance. At the same time, the death of a young woman near campus raises troubling questions about the activities of Yale’s secret societies.
As Alex investigates, she uncovers connections between supernatural power, institutional protection, and the exploitation of vulnerable people. Bardugo contrasts the university’s prestigious public image with the disturbing practices concealed behind its traditions.
Hell Bent continues Alex’s story as she becomes determined to rescue Darlington from a supernatural fate. Accompanied by allies who possess their own knowledge and abilities, she undertakes a dangerous mission that requires confronting forces beyond the ordinary boundaries of life and death.
The sequel expands the supernatural mythology introduced in Ninth House, exploring demonic entities, forbidden rituals, and the consequences of crossing between worlds. Alex’s determination to save Darlington places her in increasingly dangerous situations, forcing her to weigh personal loyalty against the risks faced by those who help her.
Important supporting characters include Pamela Dawes, a Lethe researcher whose intelligence and knowledge of occult history prove invaluable, and Detective Abel Turner, whose investigations bring him into contact with mysteries that ordinary police work cannot easily explain.
The relationship between Alex and Darlington remains central to the series. Their differences in upbringing, privilege, and experience create tension, but their shared encounters with supernatural danger gradually deepen their understanding of one another.
One of the series’ most distinctive features is its use of Yale University as a setting. Bardugo attended Yale herself, and her familiarity with the institution contributes to the atmosphere of hidden passageways, historic buildings, exclusive organizations, and traditions that appear mysterious even without supernatural elements.
The novels use these surroundings to examine how powerful institutions protect themselves. Wealth and social connections provide certain characters with extraordinary opportunities, while others experience the consequences of decisions made by people who rarely face accountability.
Alex’s personal history gives these themes additional emotional significance. She understands exploitation and vulnerability from experience, making her especially sensitive to the suffering concealed beneath respectable appearances.
Although the books contain elaborate magical systems and occult mysteries, they are also character-driven stories about survival and belonging. Alex is neither a conventional academic heroine nor an effortless supernatural investigator. Her determination, suspicion, and willingness to challenge authority are shaped by the experiences she has endured.
The recommended reading order begins with Ninth House, followed by Hell Bent. The second novel directly continues the events and relationships established in the first, making publication order essential for understanding the developing storyline.
The Alex Stern books are separate from Bardugo’s Grishaverse novels, including the Shadow and Bone trilogy and Six of Crows duology. Readers can begin the series without any familiarity with her earlier fantasy world.
Through its combination of occult suspense, dark academic atmosphere, and morally complicated characters, the Alex Stern series demonstrates Leigh Bardugo’s ability to bring supernatural fantasy into a recognizable contemporary setting while examining the power structures that operate beneath its surface.