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arimcmi's review against another edition
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, and Rape
alexijai98's review against another edition
dark
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? It's complicated
4.0
Heed trigger warnings!
Bardugo’s venture into adult fantasy was a good read! Weirdly predictable in the end, but still enjoyable. I’ll be reading Hellbent!
Bardugo’s venture into adult fantasy was a good read! Weirdly predictable in the end, but still enjoyable. I’ll be reading Hellbent!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
katmindae's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
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
4.25
Going to sleep on it because I loooved reading this but I have gripes
- I almost gave up on the intro because I could not get my bearings for maybe 50-100 pages. Seeing that in a lot of reviews now I kind of hate the time jumping but I also kind of love it.. but it was too much at the beginning for a first book in the series. I went back to the first chapter once the timeline caught up and only then did it make sense. Definitely need more time to slowly give introductions when I think a character like Alex (like Harry Potter or a similar “omg what there’s this whole hidden world character) should be such an easy vehicle for excusable exposition - I liked the chapter breaks of the Lethe book but I didn’t even understand what Lethe was until chapter 3. The atmosphere was there but also with the writing style being atmospheric I couldn’t figure out what was real or a metaphor for a long time. I thought the first chapter was an apocalypse situation.
- idk I haven’t seen in other reviews but it felt kind of 2015 feminism to me IDK !!!!! loved parts of the callouts to frat and rape culture but some of it felt heavy handed and tripe. Last sequence especially had me disappointedbecause why have Daisy be the Big Bad when the greedy old white man was right there!!! I get the callout to white feminism but idk felt way more like a book 2 kind of theme.
- last 50? (Ebook so not sure) pages and the final climax left me super disappointed. One too many twists. Wrong Big Bad.
Still can’t wait to get a library card so I can devour hellbent tho
- I almost gave up on the intro because I could not get my bearings for maybe 50-100 pages. Seeing that in a lot of reviews now I kind of hate the time jumping but I also kind of love it.. but it was too much at the beginning for a first book in the series. I went back to the first chapter once the timeline caught up and only then did it make sense. Definitely need more time to slowly give introductions when I think a character like Alex (like Harry Potter or a similar “omg what there’s this whole hidden world character) should be such an easy vehicle for excusable exposition - I liked the chapter breaks of the Lethe book but I didn’t even understand what Lethe was until chapter 3. The atmosphere was there but also with the writing style being atmospheric I couldn’t figure out what was real or a metaphor for a long time. I thought the first chapter was an apocalypse situation.
- idk I haven’t seen in other reviews but it felt kind of 2015 feminism to me IDK !!!!! loved parts of the callouts to frat and rape culture but some of it felt heavy handed and tripe. Last sequence especially had me disappointed
- last 50? (Ebook so not sure) pages and the final climax left me super disappointed. One too many twists. Wrong Big Bad.
Still can’t wait to get a library card so I can devour hellbent tho
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Vomit, and Sexual harassment
rhimineecat's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Loved the pacing of the book, haven't had a nice pacing like this in quite a while.
Also the characters were so fucking cool. Alex was so badass and even the side characters were so loveable. Also please read the trigger warnings for this one, this was a heavy book with very serious topics.
The "magic" system was really interesting and it's always telling to see how these kind of powers are used and who uses them.
Also the characters were so fucking cool. Alex was so badass and even the side characters were so loveable. Also please read the trigger warnings for this one, this was a heavy book with very serious topics.
The "magic" system was really interesting and it's always telling to see how these kind of powers are used and who uses them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Murder
sofiaaaaa'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I’m struck by how beautifully written this was!! Super slow to start and a little confusing, about midway through is when I finally got a grasp of the world-building and magical elements with the different houses. After that, I was HOOKED and completely immersed in the secret societies. Galaxy Stern is a force to be reckoned with (literally!!); I was rooting for the main cast of characters the entire time and loved how they played off of each other. The twists at the end and ongoing murder-mystery were a great way to pull this altogether; I’m completely spellbound. Can’t wait for Hell Bent!!
My only critique is the lack of trigger warnings as there’s quite a bit of graphic violence/sexual assault depicted throughout the book.
My only critique is the lack of trigger warnings as there’s quite a bit of graphic violence/sexual assault depicted throughout the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Violence
metaphorical_disaster's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
2.5
I don’t even know how to feel after finishing this book.
I definitely liked it. The story itself was unique and could be interpreted many ways to reflect the world today. The characters (most of them, anyway) had been pretty fleshed out and easy to understand their choices and actions.
My only gripe is that the first bit of the book was so very confusing. I had to reread the first 5 chapters twice because it felt like I was losing my mind.
The story does pick up and, while there are still very confusing bits in the middle, it’s beautiful and clever and dark and hopeful all at once.
This is DEFINITELY one of those books I would have to give a second read through to fully appreciate the story. Until I give it another go, I’m leaving it at a 3⭐️ because it’s still worth the read.
I definitely liked it. The story itself was unique and could be interpreted many ways to reflect the world today. The characters (most of them, anyway) had been pretty fleshed out and easy to understand their choices and actions.
My only gripe is that the first bit of the book was so very confusing. I had to reread the first 5 chapters twice because it felt like I was losing my mind.
The story does pick up and, while there are still very confusing bits in the middle, it’s beautiful and clever and dark and hopeful all at once.
This is DEFINITELY one of those books I would have to give a second read through to fully appreciate the story. Until I give it another go, I’m leaving it at a 3⭐️ because it’s still worth the read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
paperbacklyds's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
overbookedmama's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Alex is a 20-year-old HS dropout who gets plucked from her hospital bed as the sole survivor of a vicious murder to become a member of Lethe, a prestigious watchdog organization set up to keep Yale’s eight secret societies (houses of The Veil) in line. Most students at Yale are selected for their academic achievements. Alex can see ghosts (Grays) and the higher-ups have decided this particular gift is useful to exploit. If you strip back the dark academia setting, secret societies, occult, and paranormal, Ninth House is a murder mystery at its core. If you get wrapped up in conspiracy theories, you could have a lot of fun with this book. Or it might keep you up reading all night trying to put the pieces together and guess who’s to blame. It took me the first four chapters to figure out the structure of the novel but once I got used to the world-building and flashbacks, I found a good rhythm with the book. I don’t think it’s for everyone, though. Alex is an outsider and she’s the real highlight of the story. Her grit made so many aspects of the story feel raw. The entire story is dark and unsettling but in a way that you just can’t look away. You’ll be fighting for a resolution alongside the whole cast of characters. I did not see the twist at the end coming. I never do. I’m eager to pick up Hell Bent next! Psst… Check the content warnings and be wary of any scene with a bathroom.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Vomit, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
cosmoscryptid's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Vomit, and Alcohol
mackenziebh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Murder