Reviews tagging 'Classism'

La Neuvième Maison by Leigh Bardugo

177 reviews

emilywemily6's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I’ve never read a book like this before, and it’s so refreshingly different than Bardugo’s YA novels (which I also loved!). I loved the sinister magic/dark academia vibes and how the multiple storylines unfold throughout the book. Lots of great plot twists I didn’t see coming and made me gasp out loud. I wish I understood more about the history of the houses/general world-building, but I think the book is written intentionally vague with a trickle of information as you are thrust into this world within our world, which adds to the mysterious, sinister feel. It kept me hooked and I can’t wait to read the next book. Apparently, lots of this book (not the magic lol) is true too, and now I want to go to New Haven.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Vomit, Police brutality, and Stalking

sashdb's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

a gruesome peek behind the veils of classism, prestige, and power. imagry was violent and vivid. the  twists and turns of a magical whodunnit kept me guessing til the end. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Vomit, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Classism

itsheyfay's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Racism and Vomit

stephliljazz's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This is a great book. I feel like the first chapter starts off a little slow but still good and then it just keeps picking up from there. Inside this world of dark magic controlled by students a lot can and will go sideways quick. The characters are built up perfectly and the plot was twisty just how I like it. To wrap up im really glad this is a series. Now on to book two!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Self harm, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

orlafitz14's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Really enjoyable, dark academia meets ghosts, kind of scary but I loved it.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

alyxbeau's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

I am clearly not the target audience for this book, but I stuck through it anyways even though I should have DNFd this one and almost did on multiple occasions. 

I will put the reamainder of my review in spoiler tags to avoid people glancing at trigger warnings, but it will also contain actual spoilers. 

There was an absolutely massive amount of sexual assult covered in this book, and in graphic detail. There is a minor in an abusive and sexual relationship with an adult, rape, and drugging with substances to allow seeming consensual acts recorded on a phone. There is gory and detailed descriptions of pried open bodies as well. Honestly, those first pages after the initial chapter should have been enough for me to quit then and there, but I didn't. I thought it might get better after about 25 percent of the book, but the sexual descriptions of uncomfortable situations just got more frequent from that point on. 

At first I didn't think sny of it was for the shock factor. It seemed like the experiences our main character went through were described to us to explain her total fear at being touched by a ghost again after being raped as a middle schooler by one. But then her reaction to humans doing the same to her or trying to do the same to her, we're not as intense. They should have been. This is why I think it is all there for the shock factor now, and not included to show why her reaction was intense. Her reaction was intense only once. The trauma forgotten after that first incident at Yale.

This book is not for me. I stayed to solve the mystery of Darlington and got no satisfactory answer. I will not be continuing the series except to read a synopses of books 2 and 3, MAYBE.


 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

panic_at_the_bookshelf's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I highly enjoyed the take on ghosts and the afterlife in this book. It's a take I haven't seen that much. I also love how the tension was slowly build up and how in the end loose stories merged together into one. The very ending of the book even made me want to pick up the next book. 

The characters felt realistic for they weren't described as the perfect heroes we often see in books. The mystery was revealed slow enough, meaning I was kept on edge throughout the whole story. 

Some things did feel a bit too convenient for the story. For example;

the mom buying the main chraracter a dress while this character never wears a dress and then a little bit later she needs to wear a dress so she can filter into an event...

I do think the plot twists were well found. Some truly came as a surprise which is really nice when reading a mystery. Not the biggest fan of mysteries where you know from the first few chapters what's up... Which was not the case in Ninth House. 

I'd recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of darker mysteries in an academical setting with paranormal touches. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

isabellemay14's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This book was such a fun mix of fantasy (dark academia and supernatural vibes) and murder mystery (multiple). There were various major plots unfolding from various perspectives/timepoints in a way that kept you so engaged and wanting to keep unfolding the secrets hidden in plain sight at Yale University. The obvious research and planning that went into fleshing out the Ancient Eight Houses of the Veil created such an immersive reading experience. Such a well written and enjoyable read!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Moderate: Body horror, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Medical trauma, and Murder

Minor: Death, Blood, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

themdash's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Stalking, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

subtlyfurious's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.0

Never before have I read a book that so utterly fails to live up to its spectacular beginning. 

The first few chapters are excellent (and the only reason I’m giving this book any stars). Bardugo weaves the character’s personalities and worldviews and backgrounds into the action flawlessly while also setting up a number of compelling topical themes. 

It’s all downhill from there. 

To me this feels like a YA book made “adult” by throwing in a bunch of disturbing content in for shock value alone. At first, I tried to give Bardugo the benefit of the doubt, believing she’d be able to give us a reason for why things weren’t just graphic, but borderline (or maybe fully) pornographic. But no. She fails to explore anything on a  deeper level, speaking about complex issues such as classism, racism, and sexism without doing any work to ever dip below the surface. In fact, her ability to swerve away from actually choosing a side and stating an opinion is almost impressive. 

Still, I pressed on thinking “surely Bardugo will find a way to wrap this up in a somewhat satisfying way.”

No.

The last 15% is a slog and (spoilers) the who that dunnit turn out to be both the most boring who-you-expect and the most throwaway character. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Excrement

Moderate: Bullying, Drug use, Medical trauma, Murder, and Classism