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fourfootedbeasts's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Addiction, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Vomit, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, and Trafficking
Minor: Forced institutionalization
xylotrupes_gideon's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Sexual violence, Self harm, Murder, Rape, Excrement, Death, Violence, Suicide attempt, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, and Gore
ursi_g's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Rape, Drug abuse, and Drug use
alibookedup's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
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
5.0
Just finished my 2023 re-read before I started Hell Bent and I can say I enjoyed this book more the second time around. I think the first time I rushed through the story and didn’t take time to really appreciate the layers of Bardugo’s writings. I was constantly comparing it to SOC, her book I had just finished at the time, but I can see how unfair that was. Ninth House is its own entity. It’s dark and tough to chew and I have more appreciation for books like that than I did 3 years ago.
I love Alex Stern. She’s that morally driven yet morally grey character that we learn to love. She’s a jackal, a viper, just scrabbling to survive. Until she’s more than that. Her story is sinewy and raw, but you cannot help but see the good and the strength in her too. I loved experiencing all her crazy decisions and knowing that in all her craziness she got the job done. She’s a strong female character, nay a BADASS, and one that doesn’t have to be perfect. I love that.
I also LOVE the occult murder mystery vibe. It’s something so fresh than anything I’ve read or yet to read. I love the Diary of Lethe because it makes the book seem historical within all the ghosts and rituals and sacrifices. The occult magic is also so cool and the Eight Houses are so unique with their powers. It’s the dark academia everyone wants to read.
Really Bardugo did such a good job with her first adult fiction and I really see that now that I’m older and feel like I can understand the book more.
I can’t wait to start Hell Bent next.
I love Alex Stern. She’s that morally driven yet morally grey character that we learn to love. She’s a jackal, a viper, just scrabbling to survive. Until she’s more than that. Her story is sinewy and raw, but you cannot help but see the good and the strength in her too. I loved experiencing all her crazy decisions and knowing that in all her craziness she got the job done. She’s a strong female character, nay a BADASS, and one that doesn’t have to be perfect. I love that.
I also LOVE the occult murder mystery vibe. It’s something so fresh than anything I’ve read or yet to read. I love the Diary of Lethe because it makes the book seem historical within all the ghosts and rituals and sacrifices. The occult magic is also so cool and the Eight Houses are so unique with their powers. It’s the dark academia everyone wants to read.
Really Bardugo did such a good job with her first adult fiction and I really see that now that I’m older and feel like I can understand the book more.
I can’t wait to start Hell Bent next.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Self harm, Drug abuse, and Death
tish12's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
Moderate: Blood, Bullying, Torture, Violence, Body horror, Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Murder, Self harm, Sexual assault, Stalking, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Physical abuse, and Racial slurs
dennisbnlc's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
There's better dark academia out there. Bardugo tries to argue against classism in the text without considering the implications of her own upper class white upbringing and how that just undermines everything she's trying to argue. If it hadn't been a book club I would have DNF'd.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Drug abuse, Gore, Murder, Domestic abuse, and Body horror
clarissa_lily'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Drug abuse, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Suicide, Self harm, Abandonment, Violence, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
foxmulders's review against another edition
dark
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
Moderate: Body horror, Violence, Drug abuse, Death, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Gore, and Addiction
kingrosereads's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- 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
4.25
I have to say, I really loved this book. It felt pretentious and like you needed a Ivy League degree to understand the first third of the book, but it really is so much more. The story follows Galaxy “Alex” Stern, a survivor who spent most of her life self-medicating after years literally being haunted then assaulted. Then she survives a mass homicide in which her best friend dies. She’s then offered this second chance and she takes it. However, she enters a world vastly different from her own and she tries hard to navigate through it and survive. That’s what Alex does, she survives. And the book is a journey I think survivors go through when they’re trying to get back to themselves and out of survival mode and actually start living.
I love Alex, I think she is funny, snarky, and witty. Though she’s a high school dropout, I resonate with her struggle from being a good student in high school and feel like you’re barely scraping by in college. I also came to like Darlington, though he comes off like a some elitist, privileged white boy who would look down at Alex for where she comes from, but he really respects her and they’re very similar.
I respect Bardugo’s attempt to bring race, gender, and class into the conversation, but it fell a little flat and was superficial at best. I hope she actually build upon what I feel is a core theme and that is Ivy League elitism, privilege, power dynamics, and the components that make that up.
This book heavily addressed the abuse women experience and their healing journey, and I think that’s powerful in and of itself.
The magical system in this book is pretty incredible. After struggling through the first part of the book, I can appreciate being thrust into the thick of it and having to work it out like a mystery on top of trying to figure out the mystery occurring in the book.
I hope we learn more about what Alex is, where Darlington is, and who Alex’s dad is. Lots of other unanswered questions, and I’m excited for the next installment.
I love Alex, I think she is funny, snarky, and witty. Though she’s a high school dropout, I resonate with her struggle from being a good student in high school and feel like you’re barely scraping by in college. I also came to like Darlington, though he comes off like a some elitist, privileged white boy who would look down at Alex for where she comes from, but he really respects her and they’re very similar.
I respect Bardugo’s attempt to bring race, gender, and class into the conversation, but it fell a little flat and was superficial at best. I hope she actually build upon what I feel is a core theme and that is Ivy League elitism, privilege, power dynamics, and the components that make that up.
This book heavily addressed the abuse women experience and their healing journey, and I think that’s powerful in and of itself.
The magical system in this book is pretty incredible. After struggling through the first part of the book, I can appreciate being thrust into the thick of it and having to work it out like a mystery on top of trying to figure out the mystery occurring in the book.
I hope we learn more about what Alex is, where Darlington is, and who Alex’s dad is. Lots of other unanswered questions, and I’m excited for the next installment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit
Minor: Antisemitism and Excrement
gretchini's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
SPOILERS
Being generous by giving it 3 stars, but I've never been a harsh critic.
The best way for me to review this book is to share some of the thoughts I was having 3/4ths of the way through to the end.
(strong language used)
I am so confused.
Maybe it's just cause I'm dumb, but I don't understand how any of this magic secret society works.
There are only 2 people (Dante and Virgil) there to deal with and basically police all 8/9 societies' powerful magic and shit? I guess it's 4 if you count Oculus and Centurion, 5 with the dean. Wtf? That makes no sense; like it took 15 people just to make a club at my college?!?
And all the old Virgil just go off and live their own lives knowing all this magic, like it's an internship?
I still have no clue what all the houses are or what they actually do. Like I feel like we need a more in-depth explanation.
I don't mind being thrown in the dark at the start of the novel, but I'm still in the dark at the end.
The one time we started to get some actual explanation was at the end when detective Turner was asking questions.
There is so much unexplained that I don't even want to read the sequel.
Like you made up this world of magic and then said there were rules but never told us what they were?
And I thought we would be going along with Alex figuring out the rules. But then you get halfway through the book and realize that Alex knows so much more than you the reader does.
What the fuck is up with the hellbeast sitch? They're all like ope I guess it was a hellbeast that ate him, welp goodnight guys, good try. ??? Are they not concerned there's a hellbeast at the school? Is it normal for hellbeasts to just be lurking in dark corners? Can't this one come back and eat someone else? Is it even gone?
Oh so it's just magic used for corruption/ capitalism. But like did it start out that way? Where do all these magic people come from? They are all just chosen? And they're college students? Who the fuck would put college students in charge of this shit? And what do these students get out of it? Just a free ride to Yale? When you have to do triple the work as normal college students? And if someone decides they wanna duck out, do they just kill them? Again where do all these magicians go after college; do they all just roam free?
I love Dawes. And her growth and friendship with Alex. But who is she? Wtf is the oculus position and like why is one person in charge of literally being a nurse/ researcher/ chef/ housekeeper????? I didn't even realize she was human. I swear when she was first introduced she was like a friendly ghost. She never leaves Darlington's house? Like does she even go to classes as a grad student? Does she seriously have zero friends?
And nothing came from North and Alex's bond/ deal? Like wtf was the point?
At the very end, North is trying to send a message. It just seems like there is something much more evil at work and no one seems to care/ notice? I know Alex is focusing on surviving but is she not curious for her own life/ attachment to ghosts that there is more going on?
Okay guys. If you make it to the last 50 pages, things actually happen.
The big reveals at the end were a little late, and not very surprising (except for one), but were at least interesting. The founding of the societies' magic source is explained, so there's that. Still very confused about how magic works in this world.
The ending sort of saved this book. Absolutely love an unhinged girlboss.
But still won't be reading the sequel.
Shit, Darlington is gonna come back. If I break my own promise of not reading the second book, you can't blame me.
Being generous by giving it 3 stars, but I've never been a harsh critic.
The best way for me to review this book is to share some of the thoughts I was having 3/4ths of the way through to the end.
(strong language used)
I am so confused.
Maybe it's just cause I'm dumb, but I don't understand how any of this magic secret society works.
There are only 2 people (Dante and Virgil) there to deal with and basically police all 8/9 societies' powerful magic and shit? I guess it's 4 if you count Oculus and Centurion, 5 with the dean. Wtf? That makes no sense; like it took 15 people just to make a club at my college?!?
And all the old Virgil just go off and live their own lives knowing all this magic, like it's an internship?
I still have no clue what all the houses are or what they actually do. Like I feel like we need a more in-depth explanation.
I don't mind being thrown in the dark at the start of the novel, but I'm still in the dark at the end.
The one time we started to get some actual explanation was at the end when detective Turner was asking questions.
There is so much unexplained that I don't even want to read the sequel.
Like you made up this world of magic and then said there were rules but never told us what they were?
And I thought we would be going along with Alex figuring out the rules. But then you get halfway through the book and realize that Alex knows so much more than you the reader does.
What the fuck is up with the hellbeast sitch? They're all like ope I guess it was a hellbeast that ate him, welp goodnight guys, good try. ??? Are they not concerned there's a hellbeast at the school? Is it normal for hellbeasts to just be lurking in dark corners? Can't this one come back and eat someone else? Is it even gone?
Oh so it's just magic used for corruption/ capitalism. But like did it start out that way? Where do all these magic people come from? They are all just chosen? And they're college students? Who the fuck would put college students in charge of this shit? And what do these students get out of it? Just a free ride to Yale? When you have to do triple the work as normal college students? And if someone decides they wanna duck out, do they just kill them? Again where do all these magicians go after college; do they all just roam free?
I love Dawes. And her growth and friendship with Alex. But who is she? Wtf is the oculus position and like why is one person in charge of literally being a nurse/ researcher/ chef/ housekeeper????? I didn't even realize she was human. I swear when she was first introduced she was like a friendly ghost. She never leaves Darlington's house? Like does she even go to classes as a grad student? Does she seriously have zero friends?
And nothing came from North and Alex's bond/ deal? Like wtf was the point?
At the very end, North is trying to send a message. It just seems like there is something much more evil at work and no one seems to care/ notice? I know Alex is focusing on surviving but is she not curious for her own life/ attachment to ghosts that there is more going on?
Okay guys. If you make it to the last 50 pages, things actually happen.
The big reveals at the end were a little late, and not very surprising (except for one), but were at least interesting. The founding of the societies' magic source is explained, so there's that. Still very confused about how magic works in this world.
The ending sort of saved this book. Absolutely love an unhinged girlboss.
But still won't be reading the sequel.
Shit, Darlington is gonna come back. If I break my own promise of not reading the second book, you can't blame me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Suicide, Violence, Self harm, Sexual assault, Rape, Gore, and Drug abuse