Reviews

Gideon la Novena by Tamsyn Muir

dearhoof'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? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

emrodav's review against another edition

5.0

I HAVE SO MANY FEELINGS ABOUT ALL OF THESE CHARACTERS AND ABOUT THIS WHOLE BOOK.

logolepsy_e's review against another edition

5.0

https://www.instagram.com/p/CmPH7PbI9Br/

___________________________________

Alla seconda rilettura, sono ancora più innamorata di prima.
AAAAAAAAH.

ashley_elizabeth's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.75

A strong first book, but certainly not what I expected. I've wanted to read Gideon since the moment I saw the book (I mean what's not to love about that cover? ) but I put it off bc I was terrified of the hype and my own expectations. I can firmly say two things - 1) I did very much enjoy it, and 2) it does not deserve the hype it received. 

The story itself is pretty cool - different planets (Houses) each functioning with their own cultures and peoples and styles of magic & necromancy. A mysterious summons to join a challenge at a crumble mega-mansion, all to become part of a special force that directly serves the ruling emperor/god. Hijinks and crazy times ensue.
The problem, though, is that our MC is barely an adult, and absolutely talks & acts like they're barely an adult. Gideon talks like she's virtually a middle schooler, and half the supporting cast isn't much better. The dialogue was at times completely off-putting and took away from this super interesting and different universe we're supposed to be in. My other biggest criticism is how

Gideon is just cool to forgive - and even maybe love? - Harrow,  after all the terrible shit she's done to her all her life? And all bc Harrow is mad at how things happened when her parents died? Absolutely not. Being shitty to someone your whole life doesn't just get absolved after one conversation.

That's at least how I feel about that issue. And I don't particularly care for Harrow in general, so the ending is a bit of a bummer.

Aside from these points, I genuinely did enjoy the book. I was very intrigued by the magic system; I loved the crumbling Canaan House as a setting; I enjoyed the competition type storyline and meeting all these members of the other Houses... I'll be very interested to see where we go from here.

savannahgege'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? Yes

4.0

chellski's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.75

slowmojo00's review against another edition

5.0

This is beautifully written and I was fully immersed, but TAMYSN MUIR WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU DO
THAT??

NOT EVEN A SMOOCH?? AND YOU DO THAT??

seriously though I was so incredibly invested in all of the characters as much as it pained me to read the ending (no book has ever made me cry like that)

I couldn’t put this book down. I’m nervous to read the next one but I feel like I have to finish the series because of how much I enjoyed this one.

Thank you Tamysn, but also fuck you ❤️

poppyedition's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

projectazar's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny fast-paced

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

5.0

c_ab_bage's review against another edition

5.0

this book is the most 5 star read to ever 5 star. oh my god. just grabbed me by the balls and dragged me along behind it.

in a technical sense, the world building and plot are beyond compare. honestly on a level i haven’t read in a long time. they also are just.,. so enjoyable to read, objectivity aside. it’s such an interesting setting. but, above all else i’m a character girl and BY GOD do the characters deliver.

i found myself obsessed with the relationships between necromancers and their cavaliers. whether they were family, spouses, enemies, or just 2 people with duty to one another, there was something so inherently intimate about the space they shared together that was obvious in even the most minor of characters. (there are 3 really specific scenes with 3 different duos coming to mind that make me want to die. i cant even fathom it, it’s so well done.)

i’d seen the quotes on tiktok from this book, they’re why i bought it all those months ago, but nothing could’ve prepared me for the context that those lines were said in. i had to put the book down and take a walk bc i started getting heat flashes. WHO JUST WRITES SHIT LIKE THAT??? PAGE 356??? HELLO??? but aside from that moment, i found myself not wanting to put this book down. from start to finish, whenever i was forced to stop reading for whatever reason, all i wanted to do was get back to reading asap, which is something a book hasn’t managed to do to me in a while.

AND THE GLOSSARY ON THIS BOOK??? maybe one of my favorite parts; the lore behind the character names was so clever and again, HOLY WORLD BUILDING!

i could truly sing the technical praises of the book all day long, and believe me, i will, but there’s just such a distinct voice the author has that makes me think i’d read anything she wrote.

damn am i glad what i got to read was lesbian space necromancers, though.