Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - Het Negende Huis

I nearly DNF. I got 100 pages in and nothing had happened, it was slow and complicated but I am so so glad I stuck it through. There are multiple trigger warnings that I’ll attach down below.

Content Warnings

egurgens's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious reflective 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

5.0

I am now in desperate need of book two. I listened to the audiobook, so when I saw 30 min left, I assumed there was more story. Nope. There was an author interview, so I was left on an unexpected cliffhanger. However, this story is so interesting, that I had no issues paying attention and keeping up with what was happening. There are two points of view, there are 3 different time frames, and is just so good! I can imagine that the time skips would be confusing to some, but the book is complicated and interesting enough to keep the reader engaged. When I began the book, I didn't realize it was part of a series, so its safe to say my heart broke when the book ended, but the story continued.

I definitely recommend reading this book, but be warned there are several difficult topics. Drug use, sexual assault, graphic death, bullying, and more. However, the cast of characters is pretty diverse; not perfect, but definitely better than other books I have read. The magic is pretty realistic, as its use is modern, and takes place in the modern world. No hidden world, just a secret society of magic users, that can use it for good or bad.

So many plot twists, you end up hanging onto every word. Friends are enemies, enemies are your greatest allies. No one is who you think they are. Bardugo does POV and time changes well, as each is labelled at the beginning of the chapter. Highly recommend reading this book. Realistic fantasy, secret societies, magic, ghosts, monsters, just so many good things.

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claudiamacpherson's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging 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

3.0

Beneath the polished veneer of old money and colonial brick and academic success at Yale lies something much darker. Eight secret societies harness different branches of magic to further their own interests: social and political success, monetary gain, and anything else they can think of. The Ninth, called Lethe House, was created to oversee and prevent the others from going too far. Enter Galaxy “Alex” Stern, dropout and troubled kid, given the chance to go to Yale because of her rare ability to see ghosts, or grays. Lethe’s golden boy, Darlington, begins training her in the rites and procedures of the Ninth House...until his mysterious disappearance. Then a dead body turns up, and Alex must figure out what to do without Darlington’s mentorship.

<i>Ninth House</i> was totally unlike any other Bardugo books I’ve read, and not entirely in a good way. While I am okay with some violence, the gore in this book was too much for me, not to mention sexual assault (definitely check out the trigger warnings before you pick this up!). I’m also generally not a big fan of heavy themes of drugs and addiction. But there were some good points, namely, the main characters. Darlington, Dawes, Turner and even Alex made me love them despite their (many) flaws. I also liked that it was continually pointed out that no one should have the kind of power that exists in this world, especially not a bunch of college students. Most YA/NA brushes over that, but it felt especially necessary to acknowledge here. I like a lot of the magical systems Bardugo created: the rites and rules for ghosts were super interesting.

I didn’t think that the explanation for the nexuses—created when a wheelwalker consumes another soul (I think? Honestly, the explanation was unclear to me)—made much sense, though.

Happy ending meter (no specific spoilers, just the general vibe of the ending):

Like...sort of happy? I guess? Probably as close as it was going to get, minus one loose thread that will (presumably) be tied up in the sequel.

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caecilliadheandraa's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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crowfolio's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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