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maloriegracereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Abandonment
trash_candra's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is a mystery book and figuring that out is the first mystery. I have never been so utterly confused by a book I've read for fun, yet somehow I managed to stick through the grueling first 30% of the book. Harrow the Ninth managed to give me a sense of rabid fan-theory crafted that is so rare to come across but absolutely thrilling to experience. Whenever I wasn't reading the book I was always thinking about it in the back of my mind.
I think HtN is a must-read for a very specific crowd of people who love mysteries and are okay going extended periods of time not knowing what's happening and struggling to make sense of everything. Think ARG fans and cryptic games enthusiasts (like Yume Nikki or Pathologic). I think it's absolutely worth the struggle and time investment but it's definitely not for everyone.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Chronic illness, Cursing, Genocide, and Cannibalism
shottel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Outside of the deep themes of regret, loss, absence, grief, and psychosis, there is much to say positively. Harrow manages to pull off pop culture references and memes humorously, without making me want to throw the book across the room. (Minimally spoiling example: A subtle joke invoking none pizza left beef.) This, combined with a tamer but still present version of the sense of humor that made Gideon distinctive makes for an enjoyable time. It doesn’t lag so hard in the first half like Gideon does (although I do feel it could’ve likely been shortened a good 50-100 pages). The ending was exciting, the payoff for working through over 400 pages of confusion (albeit a well-written 400 pages) deeply worth it. My only gripe is that, without spoiling anything, the last 5 or so pages are a bit confusing and sad in a way I don’t think fits, but this doesn’t harm it enough for me to say the ending was anything but excellent.
Overall, I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who has read Gideon the Ninth and would be interested in a good mystery or an evocative portrait of disturbed mental faculties.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Dementia, and Pregnancy
msawyer77's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Gore, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
ellenwm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
But Woaw is it worth it!!! This is not an easy or quick read, though. Two things kept me going: reviews that (correctly) said the final quarter brings it all together in a satisfying way and my absolute adoration for Gideon the Ninth. The majority of the novel alternates between two plot lines, with one written in second person to distinguish it. That choice irked me at first, but the function and the reason were eventually borne out. There’s a glaring difference from Gideon the Ninth for most of the book that will also disappoint many readers (but that you can’t really say without spoiling GtN), but it’ll make sense eventually.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Genocide, and Murder
Minor: Cursing
skudiklier'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
mild spoilers
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Cursing, Mental illness, Cannibalism, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Child death and Sexual content
ee_comins's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, and Blood
Moderate: Death, Suicide, and Death of parent
grace_b_3's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.0
One of the things I liked the least in this book is that most of the chapters are told in 2nd person.
Also,
I’d reccomend this series if you like dense, twisty fiction with a gothic vibe. Just don’t go into Harrow expecting it to be similar to Gideon.
Graphic: Death, Gore, Mental illness, Torture, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Suicide
supernova_reader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: War
raybudbury'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
I read this on audio and made lil notes for myself while I was at work so I’ll put those under this first spoiler tag
- severely gay in a weird way
- soup making turned deadly
- “jaded tones of a fagged-out socialite” harrow describing ianthe talking 😭
- necro ménage 👁️
- coffee shop au but also a lobotomy
- the girls are fighting
- “she wants the D and the D stands for the Dead”
- reading a threatening letter but the other person reading it sees a middle school ‘S’. Had me dead
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cannibalism