Reviews

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

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ketreads's review against another edition

5.0

Soooo, this is my second read of this book, and if (by some miracle) you've seen my previous review, you'd know I gave it a solid 3 stars.

BOY, do I love this on a reread. Somehow, knowing the twists and turns (and often forgetting the majority of them) let me truly enjoy the work Muir has put into this book. Rewatching Gideons and Harrows relationship develops, the world being slowly built up while still having an air of mystery to it, the magic system being barely explained yet still somehow working for me this time around.

The setting of Canaan House, an old decrepit mansion filled with locked rooms and mysterious staff who inhabit it, made for a fantastic introduction to the series. The confusion of settings, keys, murders (?!), big scary ghosts (???!!!), and whether or not Gideon can truly talk to the others made for endless entertainment.

I mostly reread this as I'm starting on book 2, but I'm more than glad I did. I pretty much regret donating my original paperback copy and may have to go out and buy a new one now that I love it. DAMN IT!!

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annineamundsen's review against another edition

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3.0

Everyone I know who has read this loved it, but I just....didn't. The plot felt a little too slow and I didn't really connect with any of the characters

CW: murder, suicide, death

pbkuo's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny 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

5.0

spacey_gracie's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious slow-paced

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

3.75

I think that this book is overrated but still good! I enjoyed it and the very strange and specific writing style of the author. The world building is fun though a bit confusing. I recommend reading the bits in the back of the book before you read the whole story- they give you a bit more context that I felt would have helped me enjoy the book a little more had I read them first.

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