Reviews with content warning for Suicide - Gideon the Ninth

Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

557 reviews

sunshinemoth's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious

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

5.0

God. Why did I wait. Why did I wait an entire year after buying it to read this book.
I am very easy to please when it comes to fiction; give me loveable characters and an easy to follow narrative and I'll be perfectly content. However with sci-fi and fantasy it's not so for me. I get bored easily, or the sheer amount of worldbuilding confuses and baffles me to the point I spend half of my time reading flipping back through the pages to remind myself of who a character is or what the hell is going on. I am, admittedly, not very smart when it comes to these things.
This is not the case with Gideon The Ninth. I followed everything that was going on for the most part, was able to keep track of characters easily (their numbered names did help), and was given just enough information as the story went along to understand twists and connections in the story without feeling like I was being handheld by the author. Just mysterious enough to have me excitedly developing theories, but not so vague that dramatic twists in the story were lost on me because all I could think was "hah?"
And though the plot was as compelling, action-filled, and suspenseful as I was hoping—as I said I almost always go in for the characters, and Muir delivered. Gideon Nav is as tragic as she is hilarious. The lush, atmospheric narration interspersed with her blunt colloquial way of speaking was incredibly refreshing and amusing for a novel of this genre, but was also careful to never overstep into Joss Wheadon territory where I ever felt like it was ruining the tone of the story. Gideon is as charming and gutsy and sarcastic as she is caring and genuinely decent in a way that isn't so much shiningly heroic as it is warmly down-to-earth. Another refreshing aspect of this story: a character that felt real but still undeniably fit into their world.
Harrowhark is a perfect, perfect secondary character. You understand from the start why Gideon hates her so much, but when her character begins to unfurl like the most jagged and severe rose bud you've ever seen you are just as intrigued by and softened to her as Gideon becomes over the course of the story. Also, I love women who are macabre little freaks with immense issues, so she's easily a new all-time favourite character for me.
I won't go into my feelings on each and every one of the side characters we get to see over this story, specifically each necromancer/cavalier pair we meet, because this review would go on for pages. But rest assured I smiled and cheered and sobbed disgustingly over some of them just as much as I did for Gideon and Harrow. Each were distinct and memorable in their own right, which is difficult with fifteen unique characters, but it was executed quite well for the most part. I could nitpick if I wanted to (like the Second House feeling a little bit hollow compared to the rest), but this review is long enough.
All-in-all, Gideon The Ninth was a complete ride in the best way possible, and I CONSUMED all near-500 pages of it in just under five days. Up until the end I was gasping and urgently flipping each page, eager to find out what would happen next. Again, a massive feat for me, as with books of this length and density I tend to lose steam easily. I also spent the last 150 pages pausing frequently to put my hands over my face and scream bloody murder. I cannot wait to start Harrow the Ninth.

Content Warnings

essentialnpc's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark funny lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

I feel like Gideon the Ninth has a lot of potential, but I just couldn’t connect with the story. However, I know a lot of people I know have absolutely loved it.
To me, it felt like Muir was trying to cram too much into one story and that led to the story’s detriment.
I think the strongest part of the story was the “whodunnit” in the last half. Even though this was a large part of the second half, it felt like the plot was attached as an afterthought rather than an intentional plot. I thought the characters were interesting but they weren’t fleshed out enough for me to be too incredibly invested in their wellbeing.

Content Warnings

readingrainbowroad's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Honestly rude

Content Warnings

sigrids's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.5

This book really had me happy for killing lesbians, bc I couldn't stand what I assume was to be the main couple. Also from the start it took very long for me to actually enjoy this one. But by the end I was hooked and now I have to start the second part.

Also I love how useless the main character is in face of any women she sees. Very relatable.

Content Warnings