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mattiedancer'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
4.5
- Lovers of dark academia, fantasy and/or magical murder mystery novels
- Those who want an adult fantasy read with a spark of romance and little to no spice
- Readers wanting an engaging world and well-established magic system
- Someone looking for a strong fantasy read with strong female relationships
- Rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, sexual content, gore, blood, vomit, medical trauma, death, abandonment, drug use, alcohol use, excrement, injury, pedophilia,
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Forced institutionalization
Minor: Stalking, Toxic friendship, and Classism
kmiller3316's review against another edition
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
emwgrace's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Gun violence, Racism, Blood, and Excrement
Minor: Sexual content, Medical content, and Classism
bookishaddy'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
Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Alcohol
bookishgia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Trafficking, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
miak2's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Mors irrumat omnia. Death fucks us all.
The Six of Crows duology was one of my favorite reads a few years ago, but as I read Ninth House, it was hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that it was written by the same author. I shouldn't have been; all of the things that worked for me in that duology were present here: interesting magic systems, compelling characters, complex and interesting plots. So I commend Bardugo for being able to go such a different direction in her first adult book and still work the magic she's known for.
Ninth House was mysteries on mysteries on mysteries. So many overlapping storylines that we were slowly given answers to over the course of the book. And with so many moving pieces, I was worried that the ending would fall flat for me. And at first, it did. After a specific scene towards the end of the book, I went..."that's it?" No ma'am, it was most definitely not it.
I liked how the crux of the mysteries reflected on the way that powerful people wield their power to stay in power. How there are groups of people that are consistently taken advantage of in order to maintain existing power structures, and the way that opposing voices are silenced. Which was made especially poignant given that the magic existed across these historical societies, not freely available for anyone and everyone to access. There was also a lot of interesting discussion on how we as a society write people off as lost causes, without trying to understand the factors that led them to their situation.
I also appreciate so much that Alex was not your standard, cookie-cutter main character for a fantasy series. Especially with her being in her first year at Yale, it would've been so easy to write the "perfect, straight-A young student gets dragged into a world she didn't know existed" type of character. But Alex brought a completely different type of character, one that pushed the bounds of morality that was needed to move much of the plot forward.
The story was definitely confusing at first and slow to build. As I mentioned, there's a lot of different overlapping stories, which means that there was a lot of groundwork that Bardugo needed to lay. I spent much of the book being confused, but still intrigued enough to read on. And, like with the Six of Crows duology, I appreciate that the Alex Stern duology looks like it'll be two separate, yet interconnected stories.
Graphic: Drug abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Murder
Moderate: Sexism and Sexual content
jadehusdanhicks'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? It's complicated
5.0
With a unique magic layout with the eight ancients and the house of Lethe overlooking them.
I couldn’t put this book down at all and I am yearning for the next book already.
Every tiny aspect was connected and every revelation made your jaw drop. Couldn’t reccommend more
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Medical content, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
sapphicacademic'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Addiction and Racism
bibliorama'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
5.0
Really well written and knows what vibes it wants to go for. Ghost story + murder mystery + secret societies = my cup of tea. Oh, and all on the Yale campus during winter - another plus.
Start - 5
Character - 5
Everyone was consistent and made choices that went hand-in-hand with their traits and beliefs.
Atmosphere - 5
Plot - 4.5
Ending - 4
Style - 5
This book must have taken a hell of a lot of research and work. I think it paid off.
Overall - 4.8 (basically a 5)
I'll write more of a review when I get around to it. Will definitely pick up the sequel.
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Listen, this is an adult book that is dealing with adult topics that can get dark. It deals a lot with who is in power, who has control, and what it's like to be at the bottom of the power system. That leads to some dark stuff. I found the topics to be well handled and make sense within the themes and conversations that the book is having. However, I would recommend you take to heart the content warnings for sexual violence in particular if that is something you would like to not read. I can't say this is the book for escapism if that's what you need right now.aliyachaudhry's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Stalking, and Gaslighting
Minor: Cancer and Racism