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stelladallas's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Shocked by how much I enjoyed this. With the branding of it as "lesbian necromancy" I got kinda worried it was gonna be one of those tropey Tiktok books that seems to start from a piece of branding and work backwards to a novel-shaped thing. But, no! A real book! And a good writer! Gnarly, edgy, disgusting, creepy, smart, judicious. Knows when to let us wonder, which is a CRITICALLY ABSENT ELEMENT in a lot of books these days. I thought the interjections of 2016 internet humour would bother me and they would have if this wasn't so good otherwise. God help me I never thought I'd say something like this about interjections of 2016 internet humour but it actually kinda works. Will read the rest of the series with great interest.
wanderlustlover's review against another edition
3.0
Winter 2020 (December);
A 3, because it would bother me to put it in the 2's.
Everyone who was everyone in my life kept saying last year that I should read this book. I wonder if that built it up too much in my head (or if I really owe Muir an apology because all I've been reading is Sanderson for basically the last month and a half's or longer 90% of my books, and trying to read a novice first-publication with that bulwark to compare itself to is nye on cruelty).
This book was true to it's selling points. It was a space story full of sword fights, children playing at politics, and lesbian necromancers. I definitely leaned toward Harrow more than Gideon, basically from the beginning of the book almost, so I'm a little relieved that I'll get to have another book with her. I think my greatest lingering disappointment with the novel is that I predicted who the main villain/culprit was long around 25% into the book and kept trying to convince myself I was wrong, especially as each red herring was used, except I wasn't.
That said, I stilled vaulted right into [b:The Mysterious Study of Doctor Sex|53465671|The Mysterious Study of Doctor Sex (The Locked Tomb, #0.5)|Tamsyn Muir|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1590235572l/53465671._SY75_.jpg|83475080] & [b:Harrow the Ninth|39325105|Harrow the Ninth (The Locked Tomb, #2)|Tamsyn Muir|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1602323622l/39325105._SY75_.jpg|60943273] (and, yes, I have already gotten the warning that a lot of people were super put off by the confusion of how the second book starts before it settles out, so I'm prepared). Thus, more reviews to come soon.
A 3, because it would bother me to put it in the 2's.
Everyone who was everyone in my life kept saying last year that I should read this book. I wonder if that built it up too much in my head (or if I really owe Muir an apology because all I've been reading is Sanderson for basically the last month and a half's or longer 90% of my books, and trying to read a novice first-publication with that bulwark to compare itself to is nye on cruelty).
This book was true to it's selling points. It was a space story full of sword fights, children playing at politics, and lesbian necromancers. I definitely leaned toward Harrow more than Gideon, basically from the beginning of the book almost, so I'm a little relieved that I'll get to have another book with her. I think my greatest lingering disappointment with the novel is that I predicted who the main villain/culprit was long around 25% into the book and kept trying to convince myself I was wrong, especially as each red herring was used, except I wasn't.
That said, I stilled vaulted right into [b:The Mysterious Study of Doctor Sex|53465671|The Mysterious Study of Doctor Sex (The Locked Tomb, #0.5)|Tamsyn Muir|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1590235572l/53465671._SY75_.jpg|83475080] & [b:Harrow the Ninth|39325105|Harrow the Ninth (The Locked Tomb, #2)|Tamsyn Muir|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1602323622l/39325105._SY75_.jpg|60943273] (and, yes, I have already gotten the warning that a lot of people were super put off by the confusion of how the second book starts before it settles out, so I'm prepared). Thus, more reviews to come soon.
alexilse's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
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? N/A
5.0
solari's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-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
4.25
darlingkate_24's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
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? No
5.0
rhyzkneez's review against another edition
5.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Gideon the Ninth is an extraordinarily well-written story. Several times during this read, I paused, and reread a sentence (even a paragraph!) because of how masterfully Tamsyn Muir weaved her words together.
The dialogue was also on another level, too - each character (there were 10+!) had a distinct voice that made it easy to keep up with who was who, and really added depth to their personalities. Also, Gideon is hilarious. She is uniquely sarcastic and crass, and it was a joy seeing the world through her emotional & physical observations.
Overall, amazing read - I laughed, I cried, I reflected, I tried to solve an interesting puzzle.
Note, while I gave this book 5 stars, meaning I think it’s absolutely great, I would not necessarily recommend this book to just anyone — read the TWs.
Gideon the Ninth is an extraordinarily well-written story. Several times during this read, I paused, and reread a sentence (even a paragraph!) because of how masterfully Tamsyn Muir weaved her words together.
The dialogue was also on another level, too - each character (there were 10+!) had a distinct voice that made it easy to keep up with who was who, and really added depth to their personalities. Also, Gideon is hilarious. She is uniquely sarcastic and crass, and it was a joy seeing the world through her emotional & physical observations.
Overall, amazing read - I laughed, I cried, I reflected, I tried to solve an interesting puzzle.
Note, while I gave this book 5 stars, meaning I think it’s absolutely great, I would not necessarily recommend this book to just anyone — read the TWs.
thedadsie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
biagiomineo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
slow-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
4.25
chrissiewithanie's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0