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bluestjuice's review against another edition
- 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
Nona is so, incredibly, real. This is one of Muir's great talents - despite writing a series that is utterly over-the-top space melodrama with gothic elements and skeletons and necromantic flourishes all over everything, they nevertheless create people that feel and act utterly peopley. Many authors can't convincingly write youthful characters even in ordinary circumstances; Muir portrays Nona's uncomprehending childishness in a way that is genuine and feels both true to the experience of the young without being the least bit saccharine. I loved Nona, entirely, and her protagonism resonated with me vigorously despite the twisty, adult, machination-y web of deceit and plotting that surrounded her nearly every step of the way.
This is the third book in the series, which I have waited for a long time, and which I should clearly have bothered to do a re-read of previous to this because the lore here is deep and the references are layered in as thickly as Griddle's skull makeup back in <i>Gideon the Ninth</i>. On the other hand, having now skidded out the other side (I'm not kidding: I read the last 100 pages in a rare frenzy of <i><b>you don't understand I cannot put this down until I know what happens</b></i>), I have a burning desire to go re-read everything through again, to line up pieces and notice all the many things I'm sure I missed or didn't realize the significance of at the moment they were deployed.
Anyway, I don't even feel qualified to review this really because my emotions are leaking out all over the place and I don't know what to say to explain how enjoyable I find this series and this installment. In all its infuriating circuitous mystery. I can't believe I have to keep waiting to find out what happens next.
Graphic: Chronic illness, Body horror, Gun violence, Cursing, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Death, and Genocide
Moderate: Grief, Violence, Mental illness, Dysphoria, War, Panic attacks/disorders, and Colonisation
Minor: Religious bigotry, Eating disorder, Cannibalism, Toxic friendship, and Child death
rory_o_rama's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Violence and Death
mikariah's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
I enjoy complicated, mind-bending, incomprehensible mystery stories. Complexity and confusion have never been an issue for me, so long as I can trust the author to deliver a satisfying kick by the end and give us a protagonist we can follow for the ride. Gideon the Ninth mostly accomplished this. I felt that Harrow the Ninth absolutely accomplished this. It doesn't feel as if Nona the Ninth even tried.
Nona had a tough job for sure. There's an expectation by the third book that we finally get some answers, especially if it's the third book out of a planned four, where the fourth was this book plus some more. I didn't assume we'd get many here, but I did expect they'd be tied within a tightly woven narrative.
Unfortunately, Nona is bogged down by an utterly inactive protagonist and an opening 70% that not only refuses to meaningfully connect with the ending in a way that made me look at it any differently (unlike the previous two novels) but is taken up by slice-of-life filler that is just not personally up my alley. And my tolerance was dialled up pretty high for it because I enjoyed the character interactions between Nona and her foster family. I only wish that it felt like it mattered more for anything by the end, rather than feeling tacked on to pad the ending out into a full-length novel. I also wish it hadn't dragged out for hundreds of pages, but here we are.
As a side note:
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Eating disorder
black_rainbow's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Grief, Genocide, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Gun violence, War, Eating disorder, and Dysphoria
iane_reads's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Chronic illness, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Medical content, Terminal illness, Suicide, Confinement, Blood, Violence, Xenophobia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Murder, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, Racism, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Cursing, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mass/school shootings, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Car accident, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, Genocide, Vomit, Trafficking, and Addiction
Minor: Cannibalism, Alcohol, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Animal cruelty, and War
balina_elah's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Grief, Death, Body horror, Violence, and Cursing
Moderate: Police brutality, Kidnapping, Eating disorder, and War
Minor: Bullying, Addiction, and Colonisation
alanfollowsagraph's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Medical content, Body horror, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Death, Medical trauma, Gore, Gun violence, and War
Minor: Cursing
kierank's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Blood, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Suicide, Colonisation, Genocide, Gore, Grief, and War
narsere's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Eating disorder
carrrissa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Death and Violence