Reviews with content warning for Sexism - La nona casa

The Six of Crows duology was one of my favorite reads a few years ago, but as I read Ninth House, it was hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that it was written by the same author. I shouldn't have been; all of the things that worked for me in that duology were present here: interesting magic systems, compelling characters, complex and interesting plots. So I commend Bardugo for being able to go such a different direction in her first adult book and still work the magic she's known for.

Ninth House was mysteries on mysteries on mysteries. So many overlapping storylines that we were slowly given answers to over the course of the book. And with so many moving pieces, I was worried that the ending would fall flat for me. And at first, it did. After a specific scene towards the end of the book, I went..."that's it?" No ma'am, it was most definitely not it.

I liked how the crux of the mysteries reflected on the way that powerful people wield their power to stay in power. How there are groups of people that are consistently taken advantage of in order to maintain existing power structures, and the way that opposing voices are silenced. Which was made especially poignant given that the magic existed across these historical societies, not freely available for anyone and everyone to access. There was also a lot of interesting discussion on how we as a society write people off as lost causes, without trying to understand the factors that led them to their situation.

I also appreciate so much that Alex was not your standard, cookie-cutter main character for a fantasy series. Especially with her being in her first year at Yale, it would've been so easy to write the "perfect, straight-A young student gets dragged into a world she didn't know existed" type of character. But Alex brought a completely different type of character, one that pushed the bounds of morality that was needed to move much of the plot forward.

The story was definitely confusing at first and slow to build. As I mentioned, there's a lot of different overlapping stories, which means that there was a lot of groundwork that Bardugo needed to lay. I spent much of the book being confused, but still intrigued enough to read on. And, like with the Six of Crows duology, I appreciate that the Alex Stern duology looks like it'll be two separate, yet interconnected stories.

Content Warnings

booking_along's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

this had a very slow start for me.

it took way over half the book until i finally started to enjoy it and actually get interested in what was going in.

part of that was definitely the alternating time jumps with each chapter. i didn’t really think it did the entire story a huge favor in sprinkling in the understanding and knowledge of how this magic and ghost stuff was possible in small little doses in between other things.

i also HATED that the book took a jab at dyslexics go no reason at all and in the most unnecessary situation as well.
there was no reason to put that in. non at all.
<blockquote> “you’re dyslexic, yes?” “yes,” alex lied, <b>because she needed a reason for how far behind everyone else she was.</b>”</blockquote>
excuse me?
okay sure. that was personal to me because i am dyslexic and i HATE when people do exactly that.
i never ever heard or meet another dyslexic person that was behind anyone else in anything if they could somehow control that.
dyslexic people are some of the hardest working ones around because we had to figure out how to do something our own way that everyone else somehow just understand without issues.
reading? learning to write of someone dictates or just talks to you and you are supposed ti know how to write what they are saying? learning from books filled with texted which could have easily been cut down to 1/3 of what’s being said?
dyslexic people have ti wade through that and work around that and find ways to do all that while keeping up.
dyslexia has absolute nothing to do with being slower or stupid or unable to keep up or learn something.
so excuse me!
but using being dyslexic as a reason because you don’t really give a fuck about your academics?
not okay,Bardugo!
dyslexic people everywhere already have to fight enough to be seen as anything but stupid, so just don’t include that! especially if it’s so easily avoidable and unnecessary to do it in the way bardugo did here!

was it just a very small thing overall?
yes! sure!
but it bothered me a hell of a lot.
especially because it was utterly unnecessary.

leaving that behind:

already mentioned 2/3 of the book are very slow and drag until it finally builds momentum and starts to go somewhere.
and once it does it picked up speed fast and didn’t stop until the last page.
the mystery aspects where very well done, i give Bardugo a point for that.
how she interwove and spun all those different things and people together and actually made it make sense?
well done.

could it have been done a bit faster and less dragged out? yup.

i am surprised to say that i liked alex.
she’s one of those characters that i think readers either enjoy going on that crazy train with or dislike her a lot because she’s not a typical character.
i think what i liked most about her was that she tried hard to not connected to people because she knew it would hurt her to loose them because she already experienced that but at the same time she graved people that would want to connect to her.
<blockquote> “i know you’re used to dealing with people who <b>can’t just</b>, but i can….let’s get square so we can forget all a lot this.”
….
“you can’t just-“
“salome,” Alex said, shaking her finger. “those words again.”
…”you can’t just do things like that. you’ll go to jail.”
“probably,” said alex. “but you’ll still look like a brother-fucking hillbilly.”</blockquote>

she’s a survivor and a fighter in the best ways that i enjoy a lot- she’s a scratcher and biter and doesn’t care how she survives as long as she’s alive in the end.
who cares about looking good or manners when someone wants you dead or already thinks you’re crazy?
<blockquote>”what’s wrong with you?” Dawes spat as alex joined her at the nondescript door ...
“i’m a bad dancer and i don’t floss. what’s wrong with you?” </blockquote>

she’s snarky and not surprisingly someone that’s good at reading other people and using that to her advantage.
she’s a rather brilliant character.

the side characters.
Mercy and Dawes.
they added something to the story that it needed desperately to balance a character like Alex out a little - but at the same time they were their own characters and that worked very well.

the overall plot- it was good.
i liked the idea of the Grays and that there are some that can just see them and some that seems to be able to be taught to do so.
i kind of wish we would have gotten more of how that entire thing actually works.
how exactly do grays come to be and why? sure we learn a few unhelpful details throughout the story about them, but i would have liked a better understanding of how it all works.

are grays the same as ghosts? can they be helped and “desolve” or “move on” once they are done or helped? is a gray always a gray once they became one? can they become violent or harmful on their own simply by being in this in between space too long?
or if they can move on if they wish and/or want how they like it why aren’t there more overall?
and why would a gray choose to stay if they can move on? and what would that mean for the afterlife -if there is such a thing which i feel like is hinted at in the book as long as there is a soul in tact?
sure those things get mentioned but never actually explained.
there is a pretty short little mention -something Darlington says relatively early on in the book about how just a specific number of grays can pass through or something similar- but it never is really expensively explained why or how.

just as the rest of the magic isn’t.
if you can teach it -as it technically is in this book- does that mean everyone could learn it not just those elite few mentioned in the book?
and if that’s the case is the only reasons it’s all kept so secretive and hush hush because it’s a power play of the rich that can use it to their advantage and dont want others to learn to do the same or at least not make it a tool to be used exclusively by the rich?

but if that’s the case why -as also asked by alex herself and never answers throughout the book- dont the lethe help kids like alex as soon as they learn about them? if they can make coming to a Uni appealing to someone not interesting in academics i am sure they could find ways to assure a desperate parent they can help their troubled child.
and wouldn’t that guarantee a more successful lethe and partnership between them and the houses of the veil? because the kids like alex would feel thankful and/or indebted to them for helping them when nobody else could or would….

am i overthinking this?
possible.

but that happens if i read a book like this and there are just too few answers and no promise of them in the next book of the series.

all in all?
for me the ending made it worth the read overall.
and i am excited to read the next book in this , thankfully not having to wait 2 years like many others that read this book when it came out.

do i think this book was forth the hype and extreme praise it gets everywhere and that everyone should read it?

eh.

depends on what you want out of it.

so you want a slow build with a very different but interesting main character, lots of open questions, a bit of a murder mystery and all that with supernatural elements and people that believe they are better and can get wa way with everything because they can tell daddy and he makes the problems disappear?
go for it!

if you want fast paced, getting into the action and figuring stuff out, dealing with creatures left and right and a kick ass heroine main character?
not really the book.

you want mostly dark academia, heavy focus on school itself in a way, study sections and talk about academia?
wrong book.

you want an intriguing idea that you don’t mind waiting for to get explained and expanded on?
this might be a good choice.

for me it was a good story overall.
wasn’t my favorite of this authors works nor in my option her best overall in characters, plot and story telling itself.
but it was definitely her most interesting and most intriguing idea and thought out plot.

i would recommend it.
but know going in it takes a while until it makes sense and get going, but once it starts be read to read until your done.

Content Warnings

jadehusdanhicks's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

This is honestly a masterpiece of a book.
With a unique magic layout with the eight ancients and the house of Lethe overlooking them.
I couldn’t put this book down at all and I am yearning for the next book already.
Every tiny aspect was connected and every revelation made your jaw drop. Couldn’t reccommend more

Content Warnings