Summary

• Leigh Bardugo confirmed a third Alex Stern book will follow Hell Bent, which set the stage for a high-stakes story with its ending.
• The sequel will be the final book, tying up loose ends and taking the characters outside New Haven.
• While no release date is set, Bardugo's meticulous research and other projects may delay Alex Stern 3 until 2026 or later.

Hell Bent offered a gripping follow-up to Leigh Bardugo's Ninth House in 2023, but its ending may leave readers wondering if another Alex Stern book is on the horizon. Ninth House marked the author's first foray into adult fiction, and it took several years to craft and publish the sequel to the dark academia story. Both Ninth House and Hell Bent follow Galaxy "Alex" Stern, a student at Yale with the ability to see and possess ghosts, also known as Grays. During her freshman year, Alex gets drawn into a murder investigation she believes is tied to the university's secret societies and their interest in the occult.

While trying to solve the mystery of a student named Tara's death, Alex is also faced with a missing mentor. The quest to find him consumes Ninth House's sequel, Hell Bent, which brings Alex all the way to Hell to save Darlington. There are more mysteries to solve as well, and Hell Bent's conclusion presents an even greater challenge for Alex and her friends to overcome. Needless to say, readers are eager for another Ninth House sequel. But with Bardugo releasing an unrelated book in 2024 — The Familiar — they may be wondering whether the Alex Stern series is officially continuing (and when).

There Will Be Another Alex Stern Book After Ninth House & Hell Bent

Leigh Bardugo Has Already Confirmed A Third Installment

Although Bardugo is releasing The Familiar first, the author will release another Alex Stern book after Ninth House and Hell Bent. The latter sets the stage for a follow-up, and Bardugo has already confirmed that she's planning a third installment. Information about the Alex Stern sequel is sparse, but its predecessors offer some insight into where the story is going. Bardugo's interviews have also teased future developments, as well as her overall plans for Alex and Darlington.

The Third Alex Stern Book Story: What Hell Bent Sets Up

It Establishes A High-Stakes Conflict That Will Take The Characters Out Of New Haven

Hell Bent sets the stage for Alex's wildest adventure yet in the next Ninth House sequel, as the ending of the book sees the gates to Hell opening and demons infiltrating the human world. This will undoubtedly be the major conflict Alex and her friends deal with in the third Alex Stern book, so readers can count on high stakes. There are other threads from the first two novels that must be tied up, including Alex's revenge on Reiter, the potential romance between Alex and Darlington, and any mysteries surrounding Wheelwalkers. The third Alex Stern novel should also address whether Yale's Lethe must be dismantled, a question looming over the previous books.

The third Alex Stern novel should also address whether Yale's Lethe must be dismantled, a question looming over the previous books.

These are all things set up in the previous installments, but Bardugo has offered a hint about what's coming in the next Ninth House sequel as well. In an interview with Collider, Bardugo revealed that the world of the Alex Stern series will expand in book three, suggesting that the characters will "spend some time outside of New Haven in that book." With demons running amok, it's probably no surprise that the characters will need to venture off campus. It'll be exciting to see some new settings, but it could be a while before the Ninth House sequel debuts.

How Long Could The Next Ninth House Book Take To Release?

It Could Be A While Before Alex Stern 3 Arrives

There's no release date for the third Alex Stern book as of this writing, but the author noted in response to a Goodreads inquiry that these novels "take a tremendous amount of time to research and write." She itted that she'd like the next book to have a faster turnaround than Hell Bent, which came out four years after Ninth House. However, with Bardugo releasing and promoting The Familiar in 2024, it could still be a while before the next Ninth House book arrives.

Speaking to Audible (via TikTok), Bardugo also shared that she's working on "another couple of projects," including a picture book. As such, Alex Stern 3 probably won't hit shelves until 2025 at the earliest. Judging by Bardugo's comments and the wait for Hell Bent, 2026 seems more realistic. Watch a clip of her interview below:

Will There Be More Than 3 Books In The Alex Stern Series?

Only 3 Books Are Planned (But Leigh Bardugo Could Return With Spinoffs)

The next Alex Stern book is supposed to be the last, something Bardugo confirmed on Goodreads. The author initially considered writing far more books set in this world — as many 12 — but the amount of time that goes into each one has made her envision Alex Stern as a trilogy instead. As she put it in her Q&A response, "12 became five, and then five became three."

That means the follow-up to Hell Bent will bring Alex and Darlington's story to a close, likely tying up any loose ends that still exist. Of course, those familiar with Bardugo's Grishaverse books know that she's returned to seemingly completed series before. More than three Alex Stern books isn't impossible, and Bardugo did tell Collider that her approach to such projects is "never say never." However, that's all she's got planned for now — and any future adventures in this world would likely set off an all-new narrative rather than continue the one started by Ninth House.

Source: Collider, Goodreads, TikTok