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Yale University
Lethe
The titular Ninth House, responsible for monitoring the other eight Houses of the Veil and containing their power.
Alex Stern
The main character of the novel; the story is primarily experienced through her point of view. A high school dropout, she jumps at the opportunity to attend Yale—a privilege Dean Sandow offers because of her medium abilities.
- Ambiguously Brown: The text describes Alex as having olive skin, black hair, and dark eyes. Her mother told her that her Disappeared Dad was "brown", but that she doesn't know exactly where he's from. Mexican or Peruvian were stated possibilities.
- Betrayal by Inaction: How Alex views her reaction to Darlington being sucked into the portal. Darlington also notes this in his final thoughts before he disappears.
- Big Eater: Because of her past, Alex tends to eat bigger portions than a girl her size would allow you to believe. Granted, juggling her Dante responsibilities and schoolwork also takes a lot out of her.
- Blessed with Suck: While it does have its uses, a large reason why Alex’s life has been so difficult is because she can see ghosts.
- Call to Adventure: Sandow comes to her hospital bed, asking her to join Lethe in exchange for a free ride at Yale. Despite the whole thing clearly being an invitation to join a magical organization, Alex treats this as an offer to normalcy instead, hoping to figure out a way to get her gifts under control and escape her drug-dealing past.
- Can't Catch Up: Alex is sharp, quick-thinking, and has clear street smarts because of her past. However, despite her wit and attempt to pick supposedly easy classes, she quickly finds out that "being intelligent" is not the same as "having the skills needed to succeed in college" (writing essays, for example, needs to be taught; Alex doesn't know how). She also happens to be at Yale. As expected, she very quickly ends up on academic probation.
- The Cynic: Given Alex’s backstory, she’s pretty jaded. This turns out to be a bit of an asset, as she’s used to the criminal elements of the world and can look past the pretension at Yale.
- Disappeared Dad: Her father is never seen nor mentioned and her mother never gives Alex a straight answer when she asks about him. Alex suspects she might have gotten her abilities from him.
- Fire-Forged Friends: Alex and Dawes initially act cold towards each other. However, the danger they go through solving Tara’s murder changes this. It also helps that halfway through, Alex realizes that Dawes is just socially awkward and not trying to be actively snobbish towards her. By the end of the first book, Dawes has thawed out enough that she actually kills Blake Keely to protect Alex.
- Fish out of Water: Alex at Yale, initially.
- Foil: Darlington is Alex’s foil. Darlington is Northeast Old Money, a gentleman scholar, and an overachiever. Alex, who is from the West Coast, grew up in relative poverty, doesn’t have a high school degree, and is an ex-drug dealer. Darlington uses drugs to see ghosts. Alex abused drugs to stop seeing ghosts. In his youth, Darlington would do anything, including putting his life in harm's way, just to prove that magic was real. Alex does everything she can to avoid seeing ghosts. Both are effective at being Dante in their own way.
- Friendless Background: Besides Hellie, Alex had no real friends until Yale. She eventually finds some in her roommates, Lauren and Mercy, and Dawes.
- Haunted Heroine: It's been mentioned several times now, but Alex absolutely loathes the fact that she can see ghosts. She spends most of her life trying to avoid them, only fully embracing her powers when she comes into her own at Yale.
- I Just Want to Be Normal: A large reason why Alex goes by a nickname as opposed to her given name, Galaxy.
- I See Dead People: Alex’s skill. She eventually figures out that she can also allow them to possess her, a technique she employs whenever she needs to borrow their supernatural strength or access their memories.
- Interspecies Friendship: 'Friendship' might be an overstatement, but Alex forms a bond with The Bridegroom after he saves her from a gluma. For the rest of the story, he serves as a sort of protector towards the obviously human Alex, lending her his strength—albeit unexpectedly—when Lance Gressang attacks her. He is also mentioned as being visibly distressed when he is unable to help her during Blake Keely's murder attempt on her life, thanks to the wards surrounding Il Bastone.
- Ivy League for Everyone: Justified. Alex's powers are highly sought-after, which leads her to be invited to Yale. However, considering she doesn't have much going for her in terms of formal education, she almost immediately ends up on academic probation.
- Jade-Colored Glasses: While occasionally impressed, Alex has a much more cynical view of Yale than other undergrads. She doesn’t get caught up in the self-aggrandizement of Yale, unlike much of the rest of the cast.
- The Lancer: Serves as this to Darlington, as his Dante.
- The Lost Lenore: Hellie to Alex, platonically. The two girls were each other's saving grace during their time at Ground Zero, and it's implied that Hellie allowed herself to be brutalized by Ariel, just so the younger Alex wouldn't have to endure any of it.
- Magnetic Medium: Multiple incidents of ghosts threatening Alex are the main cause of most of her trauma.
- Occult Detective: Acts as this throughout the first book.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The red to most characters' blue (e.g.: Darlington, Dawes, Turner, etc.). Alex is extremely stubborn, has a sharp wit, and tends to leap before she looks most of the time.
- Sketchy Successor: Alex fears she’ll be viewed as this once Darlington leaves. She's right.
- Starving Artist: Part of Alex’s cover story for Lethe. She supposedly got into Yale because she’s a great artist. Lethe provided her with a portfolio of art she "made". At Yale, she uses Lethe magic to make images in her head real so she can get by in art class. However, her story is she’s not good enough at art to make money off of it; thus, she's been taking up other subjects to find something else.
- Stranger in a Strange School: This is initially Alex's role in the magical secret societies of Yale. She eventually proves she belongs.
- Survivor's Guilt: Twofold. She has a lot of guilt over Hellie’s death. She also feels guilty for Darlington being lost, not because she had a hand in it, but because she froze.
- Trauma Conga Line: Alex’s backstory. As a child, she lived with a strange and absent mother, and experienced food insecurity, all while she could see multiple terrifying ghosts no one else could. She is sexually assaulted by a ghost at ten, which makes it almost impossible for her to tell anybody else about her experience, and is then bullied because of it. She escapes the bullying and ghosts by using drugs and joining up with a drug dealer, who grooms and abuses her. She finally finds a friend and confidante in Hellie, only for Hellie to experience heavy sexual assault and overdose herself.
- Untrusting Community: Alex certainly thinks this is happening with Darlington gone. However, it’s nowhere near as bad as she thinks.
- You Can See That, Right?: Interesting inversion. When she was younger, Alex abused drugs because it prevented her from seeing ghosts, rather than the opposite.
Daniel Arlington
The deuteragonist of the series. Parts of the story are told from his point of view. He is a senior at Yale and Alex’s mentor at Lethe. By the time the main timeline starts, Darlington has been missing for a few months and is only seen in flashbacks.
- The Ace: Known as the ‘Gentleman of Lethe,' Darlington became a magic and occult expert at a young age, so much so that he brewed elixirs even before joining Lethe. Additionally, he performs extremely well in his classes at Yale and is well-respected by seemingly everybody on campus.
- Ancestral Name: His full name is Daniel Tabor Arlington V. Unsurprisingly, Darlington doesn’t seem to be a huge fan of going by his neglectful father’s name, Daniel, and he’s never referred to as Daniel in the books. As a kid, he goes by Danny. In college, he goes by Darlington, likely to express individuality from his father and grandfather.
- Badass in Distress: Darlington is generally The Ace in flashbacks. However, by the Winter timeline, he’s trapped in a portal and the team is waiting for the New Moon to rescue him. In reality, he’s in hell, and has turned into a demon.
- Badass Bookworm: In a world where gaining arcane knowledge gives you access to magic, Darlington uses this to the best of his ability and is quite adept at magic.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: It’s clear that Darlington’s resentment of Alex stems from jealousy and that he wishes that he was magical, rather than just another normal person. It’s revealed in his backstory that Darlington’s Fatal Flaw is that he’d do anything for magic to be real, even risking his own life for a taste of it. By the end of the first book, he has been turned into a demon and sent to Hell.
- Bookworm: In a world where knowledge can give you magic, this is the very thing that makes him Lethe's golden boy. Given his many literature references, though, it’s clear that he doesn’t just read books on magic and is also extremely well-versed in the classics.
- Broken Ace: On campus, Darlington is well-respected, well-liked, and admired for being an expert at magic and the occult. He‘s also pretty messed up due to his parents' neglect and his grandfather’s abuse.
- Call to Adventure: After a life-threatening mishap with a home-brewed elixir, Sandow came to his hospital bed and offered him a chance to join Lethe. Darlington saw it as his entrance into the world of magic.
- Cultured Badass: Darlington is extremely capable when it comes to fighting monsters and solving magical problems. He can also speak multiple languages, some of which were self-taught, is a wide reader, and can play several musical instruments.
- Demon of Human Origin: He is revealed to have been turned into a demon when Sandow tried to kill him.
- Distressed Dude: During the winter/spring timeline of the first book, one of the main aims of the characters is to rescue Darlington.
- Experienced Protagonist: Darlington is the deuteragonist, and is highly skilled at magic by the time the story starts.
- Fate Worse than Death: Darlington barely escapes this. He was nearly eaten alive by a Hellbeast, which means his soul would’ve been consumed as well. He opts to turns into a demon instead.
- Foil: Alex is Darlington's foil. He's from Northeast Old Money, a gentleman scholar, and an overachiever. Alex, who is from the West Coast, grew up in relative poverty, doesn’t have a high school degree, and is an ex-drug dealer. Darlington has to use drugs to see ghosts. Alex abused drugs to stop seeing ghosts. In his youth, Darlington would do anything, including putting his life in harm's way, just to prove that magic was real. Alex does everything she can to avoid seeing ghosts. Both are effective at being Dante in their own way.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Part of the initial friction between him and Alex was because he was jealous of her abilities. This is justified in-story, as Darlington has to work hard to do what Alex does naturally.
- Hands-Off Parenting: When he was younger, Darlington's parents were so focused on their projects that they left the task of raising him to his grandfather. By the time our story starts, he has been missing for months and his parents, who are presumably still alive, haven't even reached out to Sandow or Alex to ask about their only son's whereabouts. Sandow probably knew about this when he decided to murder Darlington, considering he essentially replaced Darlington's grandpa as his parental figure. While Darlington has a few distant friendships on campus, he doesn't really have anyone who truly cares about where he goes or what he does, making his disappearance even more tragic.
- He Who Fights Monsters: A rare literal example.
- Hypocrite: Darlington initially resents Alex because he didn’t get to pick out his own Dante and had Alex foisted onto him by Sandow instead. However, based on Darlington’s backstory, his Virgil, Michelle Alameddine, likely didn’t pick Darlington either, considering Sandow also visited him in the hospital after a life-threatening experience.
- He’s also annoyed that she doesn't fit the requirements for Lethe candidates, despite him not meeting two of the requirements either (having no prior interest in the arcane, and having no history of mental illness). And yet, he gets an offer to join Lethe after literally risking death to see the arcane. In a way, he is very much like Alex, who was also an exception to the rules.
- Jumped at the Call: When Sandow asked Darlington to join Lethe, he was thrilled at the opportunity to use magic and help people with it.
- Lonely Rich Kid: Darlington’s childhood was very lonely. His narration repeatedly talks about him and his cold grandfather living in their big rotting mansion. It's implied that part of the reason Darlington is so attached to the house is because he lacks personal attachments to people.
- Married to the Job: Lethe is his main focus and passion. Alex even mentions off-handedly that her bedroom at Il Bastone has barely been lived in, while Darlington's bedroom has tons of evidence of him constantly being in there.
- Mentor Archetype: To Alex. As the Virgil to her Dante, Darlington is expected to show her the ropes before he graduates.
- Mentor in Sour Armor: He's a little pissed at first about not being able to pick his Dante, but he quickly warms up to Alex when he sees how capable she is.
- Relegated Mentor: Not by his choice, but by becoming a demon.
- Omniglot: Speaks English, Latin, Greek, Dutch, French, Mandarin, and ‘passable’ Portuguese.
- Parental Neglect: Darlington’s parents are too self-centered to be involved in his life. As mentioned above, neither of them attempts to search for him when he goes missing. Granted, Sandow did cover it up, but the fact that they weren't even alarmed by his lack of communication with them speaks volumes.
- Raised by Grandparents: Darlington’s parents are very immature, so they dumped him on his grandfather.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The blue to Alex's red. Even in life-threatening situations, he manages to keep his calm, which makes him the perfect Virgil for the impulsive and stubborn Alex.
- Renaissance Man: Darlington is a magic expert, extremely polite, speaks a decent amount of languages, and plays five instruments.
- The Resenter: Darlington is initially very jealous of Alex’s powers. After she opens up a little about the trauma she has experienced because of her powers, he starts being nicer.
- Too Clever by Half: While he’s usually practical and prepared, Darlington’s downfall has shades of this. Darlington notices all the nexuses are where various murders have occurred, all of them women. The first thing Darlington does is tell Sandow, and only Sandow, wanting to show off how smart he is. However, he fails to recognize that this is the type of information people in the societies would pay a lot of money for. He doesn't realize that Sandow isn't the parental figure Darlington wants him to be, and is, in fact, desperate for money, due to the amount of debt his divorce has put him in. In the end, it is this act that seals Darlington's fate, seeing as Sandow quickly realizes that if he were to do anything with this information, Darlington would implicate him.
- Like Alex, Darlington sees past the pretensions of the societies and is extremely aware of how easily power can corrupt people. However, he views Lethe with very rose-colored glasses, and it's highly implied that he didn't think anyone associated with Lethe would even think to be anything but honorable.
- Tragic Monster: Revealed to have been turned into a demon when Sandow tried to kill him.
Pamela Dawes
A graduate student, research assistant, and the current Oculus for Lethe.
- Affectionate Nickname: Darlington, and eventually Alex, call her "Pammie." Otherwise, she is referred to by her last name by almost everybody in-story.
- Aloof Ally: Initially, she isn't super warm or involved towards Alex when Darlington disappears.
- Beware the Nice Ones: While it was to protect Alex, her murdering Blake lands her firmly in this category. She also isn't afraid to talk back to the Dean when he tries to turn the blame back on Alex after she is attacked by a gluma in broad daylight.
- Fire-Forged Friends: Alex and Dawes initially act cold towards each other. However, the danger they go through solving Tara’s murder changes this. It also helps that halfway through, Alex realizes that Dawes is just socially awkward and not trying to be actively snobbish towards her. By the end of the first book, Dawes has thawed out enough that she actually kills Blake Keely to protect Alex.
- Mission Control: Her role of Oculus to the other members of Lethe. At least until Darlington disappears and she starts taking on a more active role by going on-site with Alex, albeit by force, at first.
- Nice Girl: Underneath the awkwardness, Pamela is consistently kind and helpful to Alex.
- No Social Skills: Pamela is extremely uncomfortable with strangers, struggles to hold conversations, and has been said to prefer the company of her thesis over actual human beings. She gets better as the story progresses.
- Security Blanket: Her headphones. She is rarely seen without them and has a habit of clutching them whenever she's anxious.
- Supreme Chef: Dawes' meals are praised by every member of Lethe and usually wind up being the only good Alex can find in the world as she struggles with her classes and duties as Dante after Darlington disappears.
Dean Sandow
The dean in charge of Lethe.
- The Chessmaster: Influential at Yale, and kicks off the plot. He came up with complex plots to cover what his crimes (murdering Tara). However, it’s a bit of a subversion, as many of his plans fail.
- He chose Alex as Dante because he didn’t think she’d be smart enough, given she’s not traditional Yale-material, to catch him. He also thought that she’d be bribe-able. His elitism caused him to completely misjudge Alex, because she was much more used to dealing with liars, violent men, and crime than the average Yale student, and ultimately caught him.
- He sent Alex and Darlington to the hellmouth, so he could murder Darlington without getting caught. Then, he pretended to be working to ‘save’ Darlington, knowing that Darlington was actually gone. Except he misjudged Darlington, not expecting he’d turn into a demon to live.
- Despite all his scheming, he wasn’t the greatest evil on campus, and he certainly wasn’t prepared to deal with her either. Belbalm was, and she doesn’t have any issue obliterating him.
- Dean Bitterman: Bitter after his divorce.
- Evil Mentor: To Darlington. He was the adult most involved in Darlington’s life. Darlington tells Sandow how the tombs are created, trying to look smart. Sandow tries to murder him for it, so he can use the information and not get caught.
- Fair-Weather Mentor: Dean Sandow takes this trope next level. He tries to murder his mentee for money just because his divorce ate up his savings.
Houses of the Veil
The Secret Societies at Yale that leverage dark occult magic and rituals for the gain of students and alumni. They are named after Real Life Secret Societies on Yale's campus.
Yale Students
Mercy
One of Alex's two roommates.
- Asian and Nerdy: Highly accomplished and academic, as you'd expect a Yale student to be.
- Brainy Brunette: Helps Alex out with academics.
- Nice Girl: She’s consistently a kind and thoughtful friend.
- Rape as Drama: Sexually assaulted while under the influence of Merity, a magical drug.
Yale Faculty
Professor Marguerite Belbalm
A sympathetic professor for Alex.
- Accidental Misnaming: She's under the assumption that Alex is short for Alexandra and as such, calls her that in every one of her appearances.
- Karmic Death: Killed by Alex and the women she murdered.
- Big Bad: Belbalm reveals herself to be this.
- Life Drinker: Belbalm achieves immortality by consuming souls and inhabiting their bodies.
- Your Soul Is Mine!: Her modus operandi.
New Haven
Detective Abel Turner
A police detective and contact for Lethe.
- By-the-Book Cop
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Initially rude and unhelpful to Alex, he eventually becomes her ally after he recognizes she genuinely is trying to help.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: While he’s a bit rough around the edges at first, his reservations are quite fair and he’s reasonable to work with.
Bertram Boyce North
The Bridegroom.
- Ghost Amnesia: He doesn't remember the circumstances of his or Daisy's deaths. All he knows is he didn't do it.
- Lost Lenore: His murdered fiance, Daisy, is this for him.
- Unfinished Business: Why he keeps coming back to the living world.
