Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Harrow the Ninth

Harrow the Ninth is a confusing but heavily entertaining continuation in the Locked Tomb Series. I feel like I can't say a ton about this that won't just be a spoiler.
But what I will say is -
it made me laugh, it made me feel incredibly emotional towards these characters we as the reader has come to know, and it made me want to jump into the third book in the series immediately.

I also think Muir is one of those authors that understands how to write an unreliable narrator without being so unreliable you can't even tell what's happening in the story. Truths are exposed by the end that provides some logic if you couldn't figure it out before then as well! So, in any case, lovely book, great time, even if Ianthe totally gaslight gatekeep girlbosses in that one moment and it made me really angry, lol.

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hayleyvem's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

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irisraerah's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

If you're looking for a book that's as awesome as it is confusing, Harrow is a great option, but you absolutely must read Gideon the Ninth first. I fell completely in love with Muir's world in this book. I'd thoughted I'd loved it before but that was a mere crush. A universe of goth and often gory magic that spends this book expanding on all of the above is exactly my cup of tea (though Harrow herself would pick a different comparison, being a fan of neither tea nor words under four syllables), all while I grew to care more and more about each of the characters involved.

Also, as a queer woman, there is something so deeply comfortable and affirming about reading a story like this, full of queer characters, relationships, and tragedy, but without queerness being the source of any tension or tragedy. Queerness is simply a fact of life in a way that feels like home, though I personally have never lived as part of a space faring necromantic society, and my swordplay has been limited to a single college fencing credit.

A word of caution to the squeamish reader: gore and the aesthetics of gore feature strongly in this series, though this is a case where the book's cover should have warned you about that clearly enough. Despite the goriness, I find Muir's setting to actually be quite beautiful in the grotesque, and scenes that might be something of nightmare felt vivid and terrific.

Having praised the highbrow content, I'd be remiss to not mention the low: spoilers for jokes you'll want to be caught off guard by as you read them in read time.

How the hell did Muir pull off "choke me daddy," "none pizza with left beef," and "Hi, *double spoiler,* I'm Dad" in a serious book? I'm impressed.

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tiana_king's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Remember last book? No you don’t. Don’t even try to remember it or you’ll just be MORE confused. Prepare to not know what the fuck is happening until 3/4 of the way into the book. Also have you ever read 2nd person POV? It’s dreadful. It makes no sense until you’re 80% into the book. I wish there would have been at least pieces of things that made sense instead of just having us ride a roller coaster backwards upside down and in the dark until the very end of the book practically.

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tym_flies's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.5

I'm honestly more confused ending it than I was starting it, but I kindof love it. Its a huge tone shift from Gideon The Ninth, which makes it feel like a completely different series, but I just love Harrow's character so.. I thought the play with second and third person was super f*ckin cool, which just made what happened later ALL the more fun. Muir does a great job of hiding the truth of literally everything from you until she deems you fit to know, which is a surefire way to keep me invested in the story. I desperately need answers and certain resolutions to come about so hopefully Book 3 doesn't disappoint.

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msradiosilence's review against another edition

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cosmicgnat's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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