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illuminatedspace's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Honestly one of the best books I've ever read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Body horror, Cannibalism, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Vomit, Grief, and Self harm
rowanbg's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
Reading this book with the knowledge that friends of my friends personally clashed with Tamsyn Muir when she was in the Homestuck fandom is very weird. Also, you can tell she was a homestuck because there are times when it reads like she ate a thesaurus, and I found myself frequently flipping back to the cast of characters to keep everyone straight
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Self harm
Minor: Slavery
relin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Cancer, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Medical content, Murder, Self harm, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, and Mental illness
Moderate: Cursing, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
Minor: Cannibalism, Eating disorder, and Physical abuse
Due to how necromancers work in this world, there is a lot of detailed descriptions of death, blood, and gore. Sometimes the blood/flesh of other people, most frequently their own in order to interact with bones and spirits. There is one description of a character that tied power to an eating disorder, but mentioned in passing. Medical trauma, terminal illness and cancer go together in one charactergwooby's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Terminal illness, Self harm, Murder, Gore, and Cannibalism
avadore's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.5
Not for the faint hearted, and I admittedly skimmed some of the action/fighty business because I just don't care about that kind of thing nearly as much as learning more about this world, its magic systems, and all the great emotional (and gay) stuff between characters. I want to jump straight into the next one but I will literally fail the uni subject I am doing atm if I do so it will have to remain a reward for finishing this last assignment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Toxic relationship, Suicide, and Self harm
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Medical content
bookcapybara's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
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
4.0
I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that reads quite like this one.
The story’s voice was wonderfully novel, and the world was original in a way that continued to surprise me. It took a while for the plot to get going, but once it did, I was hooked. I adored the dynamic that developed between Gideon and Harrow as the book progressed.
I’ll run through the reasons that kept me from rating this five stars, but keep in mind that none of these issues were enough to stop me from thoroughly enjoying the book.
First off, while the book was very funny, I feel like there were a few points where this humour undermined the tone of a scene.
The way the world building was introduced made me feel like not only had I been thrown in the deep end, but someone was holding my head underneath the water. While I do prefer this over the other extreme - a slow and tedious introduction to the world - I was regularly being pulled out of the story to puzzle over some unfamiliar terminology or title, trying to remember if this was something I was meant to understand at this point.
On top of figuring out the rules of the world, I struggled to keep track the numerous secondary characters that were introduced in quick succession. The story seemed to expect me to quickly pick up on their first name, last name, which house they came from, and who their corresponding necromancer/cavalier was. I was able to get the hang of it by the end of the book, but until then I spent a lot of time getting characters confused for one another.
I also found I had trouble following the descriptions for a fair few scenes. I honestly can’t specify why, but I had to read over several paragraphs multiple times to try and figure out what the layout of a room was. At least once I just gave up and read on, hoping it would become clear as the characters began to interact with it.
Overall, this is a very good book. If the premise at all intrigues you, I recommend it, and I will definitely be picking up the sequels.
The story’s voice was wonderfully novel, and the world was original in a way that continued to surprise me. It took a while for the plot to get going, but once it did, I was hooked. I adored the dynamic that developed between Gideon and Harrow as the book progressed.
I’ll run through the reasons that kept me from rating this five stars, but keep in mind that none of these issues were enough to stop me from thoroughly enjoying the book.
First off, while the book was very funny, I feel like there were a few points where this humour undermined the tone of a scene.
The way the world building was introduced made me feel like not only had I been thrown in the deep end, but someone was holding my head underneath the water. While I do prefer this over the other extreme - a slow and tedious introduction to the world - I was regularly being pulled out of the story to puzzle over some unfamiliar terminology or title, trying to remember if this was something I was meant to understand at this point.
On top of figuring out the rules of the world, I struggled to keep track the numerous secondary characters that were introduced in quick succession. The story seemed to expect me to quickly pick up on their first name, last name, which house they came from, and who their corresponding necromancer/cavalier was. I was able to get the hang of it by the end of the book, but until then I spent a lot of time getting characters confused for one another.
I also found I had trouble following the descriptions for a fair few scenes. I honestly can’t specify why, but I had to read over several paragraphs multiple times to try and figure out what the layout of a room was. At least once I just gave up and read on, hoping it would become clear as the characters began to interact with it.
Overall, this is a very good book. If the premise at all intrigues you, I recommend it, and I will definitely be picking up the sequels.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Gore, Blood, Body horror, Suicide, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Murder, Cursing, Cancer, Death of parent, Child death, and Self harm
chaotic_neurotic's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
I love everything about this book. Anything that can make me whisper "oh no oh no oh god why what the hell" is a book to keep forever.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Self harm, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit
emarie_stone's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-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
“Lesbian Necromancers explore a haunted gothic palace in space!”.
TW: Lots of blood. In-depth descriptions of bones, body parts, body horror (because necromancy). Death. Death of a child. Death of a parent. Suicide. Cancer.
The cover quote both overestimates and underestimates this book, leaving the reader wholly unprepared for the reality that is Gideon the Ninth. It’s graphic, violent, and told through the eyes of the most badass, hearthrobbing, buff lesbian I have seen to date in fiction.
Let’s start with the first and most important point: this book is not gonna be for everyone. Neither characters nor locations are introduced slowly; rather, the reader is air-dropped into a story that’s already 10,000 years old and expected to figure it out along the way. The prose is thick as molasses, often intentionally confusing, but like an hourglass, the pieces gradually fall into one cohesive piece. By the end, I was excited, I was invested in the story, and the ending itself hit me like a freight train.
If given the option, I would suggest listening to the audiobook over traditional reading. The names of the characters are long and similar, but the narrator gives an excellent variety to their voices to distinguish them. Honestly a delight to listen to, and I’m not sure I would have gotten through it without her.
If you’re the kind of person who wants to understand the book while you’re reading, this is probably not the book for you. If you want a sarcastic, asshole lesbian to punch whatever’s pissing her off, maybe give Gideon the Ninth a try.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Cancer, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Violence
mweis's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Body horror, Self harm, and Murder
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Cancer
sagesapphire's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-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
4.5
Being thrown neck deep into this new world as someone who hasn't read intense fantasy or sci-fi in a very long time, it was hard for me to grasp what was happening, and the prose kind of confused me. This is what stopped it from being an easy 5 stars for me. But I was intrigued by the world and the characters enough to continue, and the more the book continued, the deeper and deeper I became wrapped in its glorious bone tendrils.
This was super good and I'm so fucking READY to dive into the next book! The mysteries and how everything was slowly revealed was just super satisfying for me.
This was super good and I'm so fucking READY to dive into the next book! The mysteries and how everything was slowly revealed was just super satisfying for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death of parent, Murder, Self harm, Suicide, and Suicide attempt