Alex Stern Series

The Alex Stern series by Leigh Bardugo follows Galaxy "Alex" Stern, a woman with the rare ability to see ghosts who is recruited to attend Yale University and monitor its secret societies. After surviving a multiple homicide, Alex is offered a full ride to Yale to join Lethe House, the organization that oversees the magical activities of Yale's eight elite secret societies (known as the "Ancient Eight"). The first book, "Ninth House" (2019), introduces Alex as she investigates a murder connected to the societies while dealing with her own dark past and learning to navigate both the supernatural and academic worlds of Yale. The second book, "Hell Bent" (2023), follows Alex as she attempts a dangerous journey into the underworld to rescue her mentor, while uncovering more secrets about the societies and facing escalating supernatural threats. The series combines elements of dark academia, supernatural mystery, and contemporary fantasy, with themes of power, privilege, and trauma. Bardugo's take on Yale's secret societies reimagines them as centers of different types of magic, from divination to necromancy.