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rowanbg's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
Okay but on a more serious note: this book is stylistically experimental, and the fact that it pulls it off most of the time is something that I do have to give it credit for. It would probably pull it off better if every other description wasn't a metaphor and if Muir had put down the thesaurus for half a second, but here we are.
I will say that I'm an outlier in that the things that other people love are the things that I really don't. I think the memes will make the book age like milk-- dad jokes are eternal, but people in 10 years might not know about miette, or none pizza with left beef. I'm also not a fan of the Gideon/Harrow relationship. Spoilers for Gideon the Ninth-
Graphic: Gore, Death, Medical trauma, Medical content, Vomit, Violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Murder, Mental illness, Body horror, and Blood
Minor: Alcohol, Child death, and Chronic illness
saestrah's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
The POV change to second person is as jarring as it is compelling, and it's justified with the plot as well as making the world-building and unfolding mysteries all the more immersive. As confused as I was for the majority of the book, everything pulls together in the last quarter as mysteries were finally explained and the strings throughout this book and Gideon the Ninth started to come together. Harrow's narration is incredibly unreliable, and it reflects Muir’s ability to create such distinctive characters and their voices.
Despite the narrative differences, Harrow the Ninth still stays true to the rest of the Locked Tomb series, with internet meme references and sword fights, but also textually explores themes of grief, guilt, and trauma, and the intersection between the three. It’s certainly an ambitious sequel, and tests the reader’s patience at times, but it was impressively executed and guarantees several re-reads to fill the time before Alecto the Ninth is released.
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Grief, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, and Violence
Moderate: Bullying
oraclebykittie's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Moderate: Grief, Body horror, Child abuse, and Medical trauma
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Child death
keen's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Murder, Violence, Gun violence, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Blood, Body horror, Gore, and Grief
Moderate: Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Genocide
Minor: Child death and Kidnapping
lotus's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Mental illness
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Medical trauma, and Vomit
toopunkrockforshul's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Infertility, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit
This book deals with a lot of dark themes and death and body horror, due to the nature of its focus on necromancy. Lots of complicated and possibly manipulative and toxic relationships