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mjspice's review
Pretended to be a POC for YEARS while writing under several pen names such as:
Taylor Barton
Taylor Brooke
Brooklyn Ray
Jupiter Wyse
Hunter Taylor/Stacey Anthony
Bailey Greene
Cordi/Cordelia Lynne
Saint Harlow
Freydis Moon
Hunter Llewellyn
Taylor Barton
Taylor Brooke
Brooklyn Ray
Jupiter Wyse
Hunter Taylor/Stacey Anthony
Bailey Greene
Cordi/Cordelia Lynne
Saint Harlow
Freydis Moon
Hunter Llewellyn
mochacci's review
5.0
I am absolutely dead. This book completely shredded me. Taylor B. Barton knows how to put words together to maximize heartbreak and anguish in the same way that a financial analysts knows how to maximize profit. The entire first chapter had me ugly crying in the dead of night. Almost every chapter gripped my soul and ripped it in half at the seams. I'm pretty sure I have more horcruxes lying around than a soul at this point.
I regret requesting The Ninth Life as an ARC on Netgalley and giving myself the responsibility to review this book becAUSE HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DESCRIBE IN WORDS HOW U T T E R L Y AMAZING THIS IS?
(I received an ARC of The Ninth Life through Netgalley and Inkyard Press in exchange for an honest review. So, yes, I honestly do think this book is amazing, and you all need to read it NOW.)
I remember hyping myself up for this book so much that by the time I got around to reading it I was scared. I was scared that it wouldn't live up to my expectations. I was wrong. It SURPASSED my expectations. Unfortunately, that also means that I now have the pre-book hype with the after-book hype putting my heart into cardiac arrest.
This book left me so shook. I literally feel like one of Austin’s past lives. I feel like I finished a LIFE reading this book. And now I gotta move on to the next one, but this book will always be with me no matter how many lives I live after this.
So, buckle up because in this essay I'm going to tell you how much I love The Ninth Life and why you should too.
My ABSOLUTE favorite part of the entire story is Austin's past lives. He's lived eight previous lives as wild cats in various shapes and sizes. And he remembers all of them. He carries the memories of his past lives as a personified piece of his soul from each lifetime. He carries them like they're still a part of him even though he's no longer a tiger or a cheetah. Throughout the story I can see and feel the spirits of a tiger, leopard, lion, cheetah, Bombay, and his other past lives watching over Austin's shoulder, giving him their wisdom and strength to navigate his ninth life.
I love all the kitties. I love the concept. I love everything about it! I love the imagery so much that if The Ninth Life was an animated show, then I already mentally animated the entire opening song around Austin with his kitty spirits and his messed up human squad. The only thing missing is the actual song.
Austin is just so PROUD of his memories and past lives. And it shows. We get to see them in flashes here and there. In thunder and lightning. In the way that everyone is "padding" across the floor or "pawing" their face. In the teahouse. In Ophelia.In his face. LOOOOL. no but seriously. He's just a nostalgic little piece of crap like me. His memories have always helped him and served him well. Well, until those very memories start messing up his life like angry spirits.
The original plan was to use his ninth life to go back home to the love of his eighth life, Ophelia. But he can't do that anymore. Cooper unexpectedly became his ninth life's everything. His first love, his first friend, his home (quite literally, he lives with the guy). He's learned to live a life outside of Ophelia. He's learned to live his ninth life as Austin with Cooper. And he has no idea how to reconcile his love from his eighth life with his newfound love in his ninth life. For the first time ever, his two lives are colliding against each other, and he wants to live BOTH lives even though he knows he can't.
Before he can live the life he wants, he must untangle the mess created by living two lives at once. In order to move forward, he must let go of his past. It's what makes the ending feel so tragic (for me anyways).
As for the love triangle, well, y'know those love triangles where person A loves person B, but person B loves person C, and person C loves person A? Their love actually forms a triangle if you're playing dot to dot. The AustinOpheliaCooper triangle is kind of like that. Except Austin's got two arrows leaving his dot. One to Ophelia. One to Cooper. Ophelia's dot is just a dot and has no outgoing arrows. Cooper's dot has an arrow that just goes RIGHT THROUGH Austin's dot and just keeps going. Cooper seems to think that if he can just keep going, then maybe he'll reach the old Austin. It's not even a triangle. It's a mess. It's like a 3D animation gone wrong the moment you click play.
The AustinOphelia ship felt like trying to thaw ice sometimes or like two people sitting in comfortable silence at other times. That's because on one side, we have Austin who is irrevocably and unconditionally in love with Ophelia. On the other side, we have Ophelia who is closed off to everyone. Friends? Love? What's that? She only knows Juilliard. Just as Austin would follow her to the ends of the Earth, Ophelia will do anything to achieve her dreams. But on occasions when Ophelia lets her guard down, they're just two people trying to figure out who they are. Personally, I like Ophelia more as a person than AustinOphelia together (and he worked so hard to earn her love a second time too).
Then there's Cooper. Their relationship alone created a whole horcrux from my soul. And then my love for Cooper created another one. Austin may think that AustinOphelia are star-crossed lovers, but the REAL tragedy is AustinCooper. Cooper is in love with OLD Austin. CAT!Austin is in love with THIS Cooper. They were a sinking ship the moment Austin and his kitty entourage jumped on it. And their entire relationship is just the two of them shoveling water out of their ship and slapping flex tape at all the holes. The best part? NONE OF THEM ARE WILLING TO JUMP SHIP. THEY ARE GOING DOWN WITH IT TOGETHER.
If you couldn't tell by now, it's also SUPER queer. Lots of queer. It is completely baked into the story. I'm not sure if there's a single straight person in this book. Your best bet is to just assume the character is queer. Austin is nonbinary (just like the author!) and bisexual. (I believe he's also polyamorous.) Ryan and Cooper are gay. And I suspect Ophelia is grayromantic.
This book is by no means perfect and at times requires you to suspend your disbelief. It's more of a story about love, friendship, and a bond between people so strong that it transcends lifetimes than a story about lore and magical science. And with any romance-centered story, you have to love the characters for maximum feels and enjoyment. Even with all its flaws (listed below), I still love it. I came for the magical queer cats, and I was not disappointed.
----------------------------------------—-
Disclaimer: All quotes are from an unpublished version of the book and are subject to the change.
----------------------------------------—-
Minor complaints:
- The idea that Austin's life started because he fell in love. This is just a personal dislike of mine. I always try to imagine that there was more to the story than just love even if love is the catalyst for everything else. Even so, it still bugs me. I mean, this is a romantic love story after all. I can't really expect anything different.
- The lack of danger from dangerous illegal activities.
- Austin not caring that Ophelia and Cooper might compare notes about the facts of Austin Price. So, he just gonna tell Ophelia facts about his past kitty lives and pretend that they were always the facts of the body of Austin Price. Luckily, he doesn't have this problem with Cooper otherwise it would've turned into an interrogation. And I understand it's only a problem with Ophelia because he's lived a whole life with her, so it's harder not to mess up. But c'mon, Austin. Pull yourself together.
- The elusive Fate knocking on Austin's door and demanding payment for granting his wish. Zosma, the goddess of cats and the constellation of Leo, keeps saying that Fate demands something. And Fate this and Fate that. When really, the one calling all the shots is actually Zosma herself. Unless Fate is their boss and is making the gods collect. Then again, I never really felt like Fate was a real thing either. The only higher beings present are the astrology gods.
- The ending. I liked the atmosphere of the ending. I liked that I could feel that the story has truly ended. I just didn't like how everything was resolved. Or in this case, it was all supposedly resolved. There was still so much emotional stuff to get through that their dynamic felt more like a happy front for the gang than a permanent resolution. It felt like the moment they get back to their lives, all hell is going to break loose. Although, I'm pretty sure all that permanent resolution was most likely done off page.
Extra love:
- Phnom, the tiger from Cambodia. My heritage. My people. The place of my family's birth and grave. The land of my family. I internally screamed when I saw the word Phnom. Is it sad that I felt represented by a tiger?
- Missy the dog. My love for her was so strong it created another horcrux.
- The astrology gods roasting Austin for his life choices through their crystal ball from outer space.
- Talking animals! I didn't think I would like it at all. It's the reason why I was never able to read the Warriors series or anything like it. But I was pleasantly surprised, and now I can't get enough of talking animals!
- Austin is so soft and such a cinnamon roll. I can't. Sometimes, I feel like he's truly a cat in a human body, which I mean. That's exactly what happened.
- Austin learning how to human and using his opposable thumbs. The true antagonist of the story is his phone.
- The book cover screaming BISEXUAL.
I regret requesting The Ninth Life as an ARC on Netgalley and giving myself the responsibility to review this book becAUSE HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DESCRIBE IN WORDS HOW U T T E R L Y AMAZING THIS IS?
(I received an ARC of The Ninth Life through Netgalley and Inkyard Press in exchange for an honest review. So, yes, I honestly do think this book is amazing, and you all need to read it NOW.)
I remember hyping myself up for this book so much that by the time I got around to reading it I was scared. I was scared that it wouldn't live up to my expectations. I was wrong. It SURPASSED my expectations. Unfortunately, that also means that I now have the pre-book hype with the after-book hype putting my heart into cardiac arrest.
This book left me so shook. I literally feel like one of Austin’s past lives. I feel like I finished a LIFE reading this book. And now I gotta move on to the next one, but this book will always be with me no matter how many lives I live after this.
So, buckle up because in this essay I'm going to tell you how much I love The Ninth Life and why you should too.
My ABSOLUTE favorite part of the entire story is Austin's past lives. He's lived eight previous lives as wild cats in various shapes and sizes. And he remembers all of them. He carries the memories of his past lives as a personified piece of his soul from each lifetime. He carries them like they're still a part of him even though he's no longer a tiger or a cheetah. Throughout the story I can see and feel the spirits of a tiger, leopard, lion, cheetah, Bombay, and his other past lives watching over Austin's shoulder, giving him their wisdom and strength to navigate his ninth life.
I love all the kitties. I love the concept. I love everything about it! I love the imagery so much that if The Ninth Life was an animated show, then I already mentally animated the entire opening song around Austin with his kitty spirits and his messed up human squad. The only thing missing is the actual song.
Austin is just so PROUD of his memories and past lives. And it shows. We get to see them in flashes here and there. In thunder and lightning. In the way that everyone is "padding" across the floor or "pawing" their face. In the teahouse. In Ophelia.
"Was it possible to take pieces of a person with you into the afterlife?"
The original plan was to use his ninth life to go back home to the love of his eighth life, Ophelia. But he can't do that anymore. Cooper unexpectedly became his ninth life's everything. His first love, his first friend, his home (quite literally, he lives with the guy). He's learned to live a life outside of Ophelia. He's learned to live his ninth life as Austin with Cooper. And he has no idea how to reconcile his love from his eighth life with his newfound love in his ninth life. For the first time ever, his two lives are colliding against each other, and he wants to live BOTH lives even though he knows he can't.
Before he can live the life he wants, he must untangle the mess created by living two lives at once. In order to move forward, he must let go of his past. It's what makes the ending feel so tragic (for me anyways).
"Being human called for a certain kind of courage he simply did not have—not even King's courage. This life called for the courage to leave, to say goodbye."
As for the love triangle, well, y'know those love triangles where person A loves person B, but person B loves person C, and person C loves person A? Their love actually forms a triangle if you're playing dot to dot. The AustinOpheliaCooper triangle is kind of like that. Except Austin's got two arrows leaving his dot. One to Ophelia. One to Cooper. Ophelia's dot is just a dot and has no outgoing arrows. Cooper's dot has an arrow that just goes RIGHT THROUGH Austin's dot and just keeps going. Cooper seems to think that if he can just keep going, then maybe he'll reach the old Austin. It's not even a triangle. It's a mess. It's like a 3D animation gone wrong the moment you click play.
The AustinOphelia ship felt like trying to thaw ice sometimes or like two people sitting in comfortable silence at other times. That's because on one side, we have Austin who is irrevocably and unconditionally in love with Ophelia. On the other side, we have Ophelia who is closed off to everyone. Friends? Love? What's that? She only knows Juilliard. Just as Austin would follow her to the ends of the Earth, Ophelia will do anything to achieve her dreams. But on occasions when Ophelia lets her guard down, they're just two people trying to figure out who they are. Personally, I like Ophelia more as a person than AustinOphelia together (and he worked so hard to earn her love a second time too).
Then there's Cooper. Their relationship alone created a whole horcrux from my soul. And then my love for Cooper created another one. Austin may think that AustinOphelia are star-crossed lovers, but the REAL tragedy is AustinCooper. Cooper is in love with OLD Austin. CAT!Austin is in love with THIS Cooper. They were a sinking ship the moment Austin and his kitty entourage jumped on it. And their entire relationship is just the two of them shoveling water out of their ship and slapping flex tape at all the holes. The best part? NONE OF THEM ARE WILLING TO JUMP SHIP. THEY ARE GOING DOWN WITH IT TOGETHER.
"I have given you a heart that matches your soul"
If you couldn't tell by now, it's also SUPER queer. Lots of queer. It is completely baked into the story. I'm not sure if there's a single straight person in this book. Your best bet is to just assume the character is queer. Austin is nonbinary (just like the author!) and bisexual. (I believe he's also polyamorous.) Ryan and Cooper are gay
Spoiler
(and hella gay for each other)This book is by no means perfect and at times requires you to suspend your disbelief. It's more of a story about love, friendship, and a bond between people so strong that it transcends lifetimes than a story about lore and magical science. And with any romance-centered story, you have to love the characters for maximum feels and enjoyment. Even with all its flaws (listed below), I still love it. I came for the magical queer cats, and I was not disappointed.
"Will I see you again?"
"Of course, you will. In this life or the next."
----------------------------------------—-
Disclaimer: All quotes are from an unpublished version of the book and are subject to the change.
----------------------------------------—-
Minor complaints:
- The idea that Austin's life started because he fell in love. This is just a personal dislike of mine. I always try to imagine that there was more to the story than just love even if love is the catalyst for everything else. Even so, it still bugs me. I mean, this is a romantic love story after all. I can't really expect anything different.
- The lack of danger from dangerous illegal activities.
- Austin not caring that Ophelia and Cooper might compare notes about the facts of Austin Price. So, he just gonna tell Ophelia facts about his past kitty lives and pretend that they were always the facts of the body of Austin Price. Luckily, he doesn't have this problem with Cooper otherwise it would've turned into an interrogation. And I understand it's only a problem with Ophelia because he's lived a whole life with her, so it's harder not to mess up. But c'mon, Austin. Pull yourself together.
- The elusive Fate knocking on Austin's door and demanding payment for granting his wish. Zosma, the goddess of cats and the constellation of Leo, keeps saying that Fate demands something. And Fate this and Fate that. When really, the one calling all the shots is actually Zosma herself. Unless Fate is their boss and is making the gods collect. Then again, I never really felt like Fate was a real thing either. The only higher beings present are the astrology gods.
Spoiler
Like stop lying, Zosma. You just wanted your tiger back.- The ending. I liked the atmosphere of the ending. I liked that I could feel that the story has truly ended. I just didn't like how everything was resolved. Or in this case, it was all supposedly resolved. There was still so much emotional stuff to get through that their dynamic felt more like a happy front for the gang than a permanent resolution. It felt like the moment they get back to their lives, all hell is going to break loose. Although, I'm pretty sure all that permanent resolution was most likely done off page.
Extra love:
- Phnom, the tiger from Cambodia. My heritage. My people. The place of my family's birth and grave. The land of my family. I internally screamed when I saw the word Phnom. Is it sad that I felt represented by a tiger?
- Missy the dog. My love for her was so strong it created another horcrux.
- The astrology gods roasting Austin for his life choices through their crystal ball from outer space.
- Talking animals! I didn't think I would like it at all. It's the reason why I was never able to read the Warriors series or anything like it. But I was pleasantly surprised, and now I can't get enough of talking animals!
- Austin is so soft and such a cinnamon roll. I can't. Sometimes, I feel like he's truly a cat in a human body, which I mean. That's exactly what happened.
- Austin learning how to human and using his opposable thumbs. The true antagonist of the story is his phone.
- The book cover screaming BISEXUAL.
murderpigeonsgobump's review
1.0
At about 3/4 of the way through the book I was going to give it 3 stars, but then I learned about the author being an asshole and took a star off for that. And then I took another star off for the line "Her voice was feminine and familiar" which just felt weird, and speaking of that i took the last star off for him ending up with fucking Ophelia who is basically just a manic pixie dream girl, but fleshed out a bit more and I still can't get over the creepiness of him being her fucking cat. And then I took a final star off FOR MISSY ENDING UP AS A LITTLE GIRL. THAT WAS SO WEIRD AND WHY COULDN'T SHE JUS BE A WHALE LIKE SHE WANTED DO THEY JUST HANG OUT WITH A RANDOM LITTLE GIRL NOW?
Conclusively I rate this book -1 stars for the author being an asshole and the ending sucking, also looking back on it the book just generally being quite boring.
Conclusively I rate this book -1 stars for the author being an asshole and the ending sucking, also looking back on it the book just generally being quite boring.
cynsworkshop's review
3.0
Originally reviewed on Cyn's Workshop
The Ninth Life is an interesting enough novel that deals with plenty of issues regarding sexuality, life, death, and the complexities of being a human.
A Story of Reincarnation
The Ninth Life follows Caesar, a cat who wishes to be reincarnated as a human to be with the girl he has grown to love. He gets his wish, going into the body of Austin, a boy with a troubled life. Barton did an excellent job of developing the novel's tension, delving into the complexities of what it means to be a human.
Caesar has so much to learn to be a human and the range of complex emotions that come with it. Caesar struggles with the relationship Austin had with his roommate and his feelings for Ophelia.
There are some issues with the dynamics mainly because the relationship Austin had with Cooper was both unstable and toxic. There are mentions of previous abuse between the two, a mutually abusive relationship that Caesar has no intention of repeating. It does make the reader slightly uncomfortable to see Caesar navigate the turbulent relationship Austin had with Cooper.
Dynamic Shift
While some parts of the novel may make the reading uncomfortable, the relationships grow and develop healthily. The novel deals with sexuality, physical abuse, and drug usage, and these topics create tension between the characters.
The challenging issues also allow the reader to see the struggles in life that some people face. It is not far fetched to fall into drug dealing or the like, and the way Barton handles the drug usage is mature and realistic. Barton takes the tough subjects and allows the reader to connect to the story and connect to that tension. Yes, it does still make the dynamics frustrating and uncomfortable, but life is like that. Life is not always clean or perfect, but Barton brings it to life and gives the story its realism to ground the reader.
Final Thoughts
The Ninth Life is not a novel without issues. However, it humanly deals with real issues. This novel offers readers a look at humanity, a look at the complexities of emotions, of love. The Ninth Life is not a novel all will love or even life, but it is thought-provoking at the end of the day.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify Podcast | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
The Ninth Life is an interesting enough novel that deals with plenty of issues regarding sexuality, life, death, and the complexities of being a human.
A Story of Reincarnation
The Ninth Life follows Caesar, a cat who wishes to be reincarnated as a human to be with the girl he has grown to love. He gets his wish, going into the body of Austin, a boy with a troubled life. Barton did an excellent job of developing the novel's tension, delving into the complexities of what it means to be a human.
Caesar has so much to learn to be a human and the range of complex emotions that come with it. Caesar struggles with the relationship Austin had with his roommate and his feelings for Ophelia.
There are some issues with the dynamics mainly because the relationship Austin had with Cooper was both unstable and toxic. There are mentions of previous abuse between the two, a mutually abusive relationship that Caesar has no intention of repeating. It does make the reader slightly uncomfortable to see Caesar navigate the turbulent relationship Austin had with Cooper.
Dynamic Shift
While some parts of the novel may make the reading uncomfortable, the relationships grow and develop healthily. The novel deals with sexuality, physical abuse, and drug usage, and these topics create tension between the characters.
The challenging issues also allow the reader to see the struggles in life that some people face. It is not far fetched to fall into drug dealing or the like, and the way Barton handles the drug usage is mature and realistic. Barton takes the tough subjects and allows the reader to connect to the story and connect to that tension. Yes, it does still make the dynamics frustrating and uncomfortable, but life is like that. Life is not always clean or perfect, but Barton brings it to life and gives the story its realism to ground the reader.
Final Thoughts
The Ninth Life is not a novel without issues. However, it humanly deals with real issues. This novel offers readers a look at humanity, a look at the complexities of emotions, of love. The Ninth Life is not a novel all will love or even life, but it is thought-provoking at the end of the day.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify Podcast | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
tepidgirlsummer's review
2.0
I read this before I was made aware of the authors behavior. I liked the first bit of it well enough, but it became very convoluted and dysfunctional around the 40% mark, and the ending was less than stellar given the way the characters interacted throughout the book.
kathytrithardt's review
4.0
Incredibly imaginative premise, with a myriad of internal conflict and passionate characters.
lu3's review
4.0
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.
TW: animal death, mention of animal being abused and killed, torture in circus, eating disorder, drugs, assault, parent death (in the past)
Caesar is a feline who is living his eight life, after being born as Phnom and reincarnate through time in different bodies and animal species. After being saved and loved by the Matherson's family, Caesar doesn't want to leave his Ophelia, his owner, so when he's dying he makes a wish to coming back to her and the goddess Zosma hears and grants it.
But waking in the body of the seventeen years old Austin Price isn't easy and he discovers how hard is to live an human life, to adapt to it, to feel all their feelings and confusing emotions. Neither is easy meeting Austin's roomate, the handsome and intense Cooper, best friend and lover. It isn't easy either he doesn't and can't remembering things about Austin's life and having to deal with a body he's not used to. Feeling and want he's not used to, feelings for Cooper.
Coming back for Ophelia, getting to know her as human, gets Austin into a friendship that is complicated and full of lies and secrets, finding himself torn between his love for Cooper and his love for her.
But Fate and his own helpless heart have other plans for him.
The ninth life is a beautiful, heartbreaking and original story, with unforgettable, flawed and impossibly human and realistic characters. The prose is intense, evocative and lush.
Austin, living is ninth life as human, is forced to adapt and learn how to be a human being. Inhabiting the body of the last Austin Price isn't easy and he warred with that Austin for most of the book, with the memories Cooper cherished and loved of him, with their mistakes, with their love, with the complicated and complex human beings they were and the love and want this Austin feels for him.
Right away Austin is torn between Cooper and Ophelia, Cooper with his sarcasm, want, desire, love and laugh, their relationship spontaneous and Ophelia with his memories from his last life and the Ophelia he gets to know in his ninth.
Ocean and sun. Red and blue in a complex triangle, even more complicated by the fact Cooper is in love with past Austin and Austin is in love with this Cooper.
Complicated by Ophelia, flirting, dancing, laughing and maelstrom Ophelia who doesn't want to believe in love, doesn't want to be hurt, to commit, shielding her heart, protecting herself, focusing on her dance, her diet, her family. And complicated by Ryan, Ophelia's cousin, sarcastic and cheeky, who is attracted by Cooper and decided to try to win him over.
What I loved the most in this book are the relationship between the characters, above all the one between Cooper and Austin.
Being reborn into a body already "lived", grown and with memories he can't have access to complicated Austin's ninth life and his relationship with Cooper is intense, painful and beautiful.
Cooper is in love with past Austin and, after the incident, he loses him and he won't have him back, finding himself with another Austin to know, an Austin who is different, more caring, less violent, but not the person he fell in love with in a complicated and intense relationship.
He's in mourning, he lost his best friend and lover and he has to getting to know this Austin. Their love is full of ghosts and unspoken things, memories Austin don't have access to, but Cooper does, a life lived together, mistakes and love made. And unspoken things like those Austin can't say about his past lives, about Zosma and his past with Ophelia.
Their relationship, their love and friendship is strong, full of love and hurt, confusing and both of them are torn between people they love and loved. Cooper is torn between past Austin and his memories of them, memories this Austin don't share and he's grieving. And he's torn between this Austin and Ryan, who doesn't do casual, but falls for him anyway.
The bond between Austin and Cooper is one of the most beautiful and raw things I've ever read. Austin loves Cooper and loves Ophelia, he wants both, he doesn't know what to do, how not to hurt or lose one of them. There's jealousy, love, anger, pain in every characters, while they move in their relationship with one other. Cooper is one of my favourite character, because it was impossible not to want to hug him and love him. His pain, his loss, his losing his Austin is intense and raw, so is his love for him, his caring, protecting and loving his best friend. His pain is palpable and raw, his realizing his Austin is gone and having to move on, while having this new Austin as best friend. Their love and bond is beautiful and so strong, their family, the family they created with one other, supporting, loving and being there for one other.
Austin's relationship with Ophelia is peculiar, since he got to know her into another life and now as human, finding himself to come back to the house that was his home for years, to meet her father, her dog, getting to know her and them all over again. Cute and sweet are the interactions between Austin and Missy, the dog, who shared with him insights about Ophelia's life and feelings. Ophelia is complex, the reader get to know her through Austin's POV and her pain, her eating disorder, her grief and need to be perfect, to have a plan is clear and her meeting Austin changes a lot of things. Their messages about planets and stars are really cute.
Ryan's relationship with Austin is weighted down by his knowing of past Austin and his dealing, his feelings for Cooper, even though, slowly, all four of them become friends, starting an unique friendship, full of flirting, unspoken things, sex, lies and secrets.
Interesting is the POV of Zosma, who observes Austin's life and choices with Thusia, watching him from afar and, sometimes, meeting and advising him.
Above all Austin has to understand what he is, since his past lives, male and female, are still part of him, memories he remembers, feeling and past lives and deaths. Slowly he's helped to understand his love, his feelings, his identity, but even when he's trying to learn how to understand his helpless heart it turns against him, pushing him to make difficult choices, trying to say goodbye to the people he loves.
In a "game" of hurting, friendship, lies, secrets, confusion and love, Austin and Cooper, Austin and Ophelia, Cooper and Ryan move, trying to understand their feelings, one other.
Their heartstrings, desires, wants and loves intertwined during all the book, overlapping, pulling one other, while Austin learns how to be human, how to love, how to live.
TW: animal death, mention of animal being abused and killed, torture in circus, eating disorder, drugs, assault, parent death (in the past)
Caesar is a feline who is living his eight life, after being born as Phnom and reincarnate through time in different bodies and animal species. After being saved and loved by the Matherson's family, Caesar doesn't want to leave his Ophelia, his owner, so when he's dying he makes a wish to coming back to her and the goddess Zosma hears and grants it.
But waking in the body of the seventeen years old Austin Price isn't easy and he discovers how hard is to live an human life, to adapt to it, to feel all their feelings and confusing emotions. Neither is easy meeting Austin's roomate, the handsome and intense Cooper, best friend and lover. It isn't easy either he doesn't and can't remembering things about Austin's life and having to deal with a body he's not used to. Feeling and want he's not used to, feelings for Cooper.
Coming back for Ophelia, getting to know her as human, gets Austin into a friendship that is complicated and full of lies and secrets, finding himself torn between his love for Cooper and his love for her.
But Fate and his own helpless heart have other plans for him.
The ninth life is a beautiful, heartbreaking and original story, with unforgettable, flawed and impossibly human and realistic characters. The prose is intense, evocative and lush.
Austin, living is ninth life as human, is forced to adapt and learn how to be a human being. Inhabiting the body of the last Austin Price isn't easy and he warred with that Austin for most of the book, with the memories Cooper cherished and loved of him, with their mistakes, with their love, with the complicated and complex human beings they were and the love and want this Austin feels for him.
Right away Austin is torn between Cooper and Ophelia, Cooper with his sarcasm, want, desire, love and laugh, their relationship spontaneous and Ophelia with his memories from his last life and the Ophelia he gets to know in his ninth.
Ocean and sun. Red and blue in a complex triangle, even more complicated by the fact Cooper is in love with past Austin and Austin is in love with this Cooper.
Complicated by Ophelia, flirting, dancing, laughing and maelstrom Ophelia who doesn't want to believe in love, doesn't want to be hurt, to commit, shielding her heart, protecting herself, focusing on her dance, her diet, her family. And complicated by Ryan, Ophelia's cousin, sarcastic and cheeky, who is attracted by Cooper and decided to try to win him over.
What I loved the most in this book are the relationship between the characters, above all the one between Cooper and Austin.
Being reborn into a body already "lived", grown and with memories he can't have access to complicated Austin's ninth life and his relationship with Cooper is intense, painful and beautiful.
Cooper is in love with past Austin and, after the incident, he loses him and he won't have him back, finding himself with another Austin to know, an Austin who is different, more caring, less violent, but not the person he fell in love with in a complicated and intense relationship.
He's in mourning, he lost his best friend and lover and he has to getting to know this Austin. Their love is full of ghosts and unspoken things, memories Austin don't have access to, but Cooper does, a life lived together, mistakes and love made. And unspoken things like those Austin can't say about his past lives, about Zosma and his past with Ophelia.
Their relationship, their love and friendship is strong, full of love and hurt, confusing and both of them are torn between people they love and loved. Cooper is torn between past Austin and his memories of them, memories this Austin don't share and he's grieving. And he's torn between this Austin and Ryan, who doesn't do casual, but falls for him anyway.
The bond between Austin and Cooper is one of the most beautiful and raw things I've ever read. Austin loves Cooper and loves Ophelia, he wants both, he doesn't know what to do, how not to hurt or lose one of them. There's jealousy, love, anger, pain in every characters, while they move in their relationship with one other. Cooper is one of my favourite character, because it was impossible not to want to hug him and love him. His pain, his loss, his losing his Austin is intense and raw, so is his love for him, his caring, protecting and loving his best friend. His pain is palpable and raw, his realizing his Austin is gone and having to move on, while having this new Austin as best friend. Their love and bond is beautiful and so strong, their family, the family they created with one other, supporting, loving and being there for one other.
Austin's relationship with Ophelia is peculiar, since he got to know her into another life and now as human, finding himself to come back to the house that was his home for years, to meet her father, her dog, getting to know her and them all over again. Cute and sweet are the interactions between Austin and Missy, the dog, who shared with him insights about Ophelia's life and feelings. Ophelia is complex, the reader get to know her through Austin's POV and her pain, her eating disorder, her grief and need to be perfect, to have a plan is clear and her meeting Austin changes a lot of things. Their messages about planets and stars are really cute.
Ryan's relationship with Austin is weighted down by his knowing of past Austin and his dealing, his feelings for Cooper, even though, slowly, all four of them become friends, starting an unique friendship, full of flirting, unspoken things, sex, lies and secrets.
Interesting is the POV of Zosma, who observes Austin's life and choices with Thusia, watching him from afar and, sometimes, meeting and advising him.
Above all Austin has to understand what he is, since his past lives, male and female, are still part of him, memories he remembers, feeling and past lives and deaths. Slowly he's helped to understand his love, his feelings, his identity, but even when he's trying to learn how to understand his helpless heart it turns against him, pushing him to make difficult choices, trying to say goodbye to the people he loves.
In a "game" of hurting, friendship, lies, secrets, confusion and love, Austin and Cooper, Austin and Ophelia, Cooper and Ryan move, trying to understand their feelings, one other.
Their heartstrings, desires, wants and loves intertwined during all the book, overlapping, pulling one other, while Austin learns how to be human, how to love, how to live.
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