Reviews with content warning for Violence - Harrow the Ninth

Jail for Tamsyn Muir for one thousand years.

I found myself missing the dynamic between Gideon and Harrow for most of the book. The wild ride that was the final act made it worth it, but still, it lacked some of the (how to put it?) macabre joy I loved about the first in the series. I am also not completely sure who is alive or dead, but y’know, minor details…

Despite everything, I am looking forward to the rest of the series.

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trips's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious 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

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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illtakethenightshiftx's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

EDIT: finished the audiobook today (8/18) & have to update the rating to 4.5. Absolutely brilliant!!!!

Harrow the Ninth is a wild ride that isn’t for the faint of heart. I was gaslight, gatekept, and girlbossed through this entire book and I’m not mad about it! The first chunk of this book is confusing, but it all comes together at the end, in classics Muir fashion. The last 1/3 of the book had me internally screaming into the void and (actually) crying. These characters are really special and I’m so excited to see what happens in Nona and Alecto (whenever it comes out 😭)

These books aren’t for everyone, but if you give this series a chance, you won’t be disappointed!

“…you hating me always meant more than anyone else in this hot and stupid universe loving me. At least I had your full attention.” 🥺😭🫠 💔❤️‍🔥

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lbelow's review against another edition

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dark funny 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

A dear friend of mine takes issue with the transparency of the ending of this book, but I disagree. To me, the plot against the emperor is a subplot rather than the main thrust of the novel. The focus of this book is Harrowhark, her relationship with Gideon, and the insanity brought upon her through grief. And it is a MASTERPIECE. Parts of this book I initially believed to be there only to prop up her delusions turn out to have deeper meaning. I've read this book three times now and I'm still picking out nuances of foreshadowing not only for this book, but also for Nona. As fantastic as the first book is, it is this book that is the peak of Muir's mastery. I can think of no other author who can mix first, second, and third POV AND throw in what is essentially fanfiction of her own book and pull it off with such panache! Honestly, this book is a trip, and one you'll love to read multiple times for all the little details.

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