Hell Bent

Galaxy Stern, better known as Alex, is the novel’s protagonist. She is an undergraduate student at Yale and a member of Lethe, the organization overseeing the rest of the secret societies. In Darlington’s absence, she serves as “Virgil,” the student in charge of assisting in the rituals of the other societies.

Alex has Jewish and Latinx parents, and is described as having straight black hair and numerous tattoos, including snakes and the tarot card “The Wheel.” The latter ties in with her status as a “Wheelwalker,” something that she does not fully understand but that gives her the powers she uses throughout the story. These include the ability to communicate with the Grays, channel their strength, and travel between the other world and the mortal world. Alex is characterized by moral ambiguity, with her decisions based more on achieving what she thinks is necessary than adhering to ideas of right and wrong. For example, she tries to protect Mercy from the dangerous world of the Lethe, but uses her as bait to trap Eitan in hell. This cements her position as an antihero rather than a traditional heroic figure.

She is also a haunted character in more ways than one.