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eleonorehilbig's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
it's basically the hunger games in an agatha christie murder mystery but really badly executed....
things i liked:
- gideon, our main character. she's snarky and to the point
- the sixth house (sience for the win)
- the general magic system.
things i didn't like:
- the writing. (the author is using a lot of "grown-up words" which doesnt help you understand the book amy better.
- the world building (if you can even call it that) we're in a house, on a planet, the house has doors and rooms. but mostly doors. also there are skeletons, and necromacers. and nine houses. why? who knows....
- the naming of the characters (everyone -even REALLY unimportant characters have like 3-5 different names and while
they're being killed off you're just too busy trying to remember who that is to give a f*ck. - and this might just be about the marketing - but i feel VERY iffy about how this book is promoted as "enemies to lovers" when it is absolutely a story about abuse. also wtf about the ending.
not here for the romantasized abuse!
so basically it's a book about some characters in a house and one is a murderer. also there is necromancy and swords.
Graphic: Gore, Murder, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Cancer, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Violence, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Grief, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, and Child death
gussurireads'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
I'm no audiobook expert but this was the first one I ever listened to, having started out earlier this year. Since then, I've tried a handful more and still none compare (well, perhaps Rasha Zamamiri's narration of The Unbroken by C.L. Clark!)
Moira Quirk is an excellent narrator. She voiced each character so wonderfully, giving them all personalities beyond what was written in the text and, in the process, improving tenfold my enjoyment of this masterpiece.
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Child death, Body horror, Violence, Murder, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Grief, Cannibalism, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Slavery, Toxic friendship, Suicide, and Death of parent
gussurireads'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: Blood, Body horror, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Violence, Murder, and Child death
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Cannibalism, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
Minor: Death of parent, Slavery, Suicide, and Toxic friendship
lmaloney's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Death, Violence, Terminal illness, Physical abuse, Vomit, Torture, Murder, and Mental illness
Moderate: Abandonment, War, Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Slavery, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, and Child death
lunaviolet's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
Once you get to the end, you’ll be glad to have stuck it out. I got pretty attached to the characters and their relationships.
If you’re looking for a lesbian romance, this is not the book. Yes, I guess, there are technically wlw interactions, but I personally wouldn’t count this as a wlw book, more like a book where the characters happen to be wlw. They could have easily been switched out for any gender and nothing would have changed with the plot so do with that what you will. Not to mention that the romance is… It was more of an interesting relationship dynamic to explore than the typical romance you would expect in modern books. Very enjoyable either way.
Graphic: Death, Child death, Gore, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Cancer, Death of parent, Suicide, and Chronic illness
jonie_rich's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Vomit, War, Blood, Cancer, Child death, Cannibalism, Genocide, Gore, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Body horror, Grief, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical trauma
punkrobots'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Death, and Stalking
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Death of parent
Minor: Vomit, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, and Confinement
dzvenyslava's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Domestic abuse, and Death
Minor: Child death and Death of parent
sadetin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Suicide, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Blood, and Domestic abuse
plumpaperbacks'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
3.5
Right away, I was drawn in by the unique world-building and protagonist herself. Gideon is snarky and hilarious, truly a well-developed, stand-out character. As the story progressed, Harrow grew on me as well. I loved the dynamic between the two girls—from enemies to reluctant allies to unexpected friends. The banter? Pure. Gold.
I was a bit disappointed that no romance blossomed between the two, as I thought that was going to happen. I’d seen people call the story enemies to lovers, but lovers, they were not. Ultimately this didn’t make or break the book for me, but if you’re also expecting a sapphic love story, you might want to adjust those expectations a bit.
I was also disappointed by the lack of deeper world-building. The concept of necromancers in space is unique and quite intriguing, but Muir doesn’t build much upon that. I know the story is set in a solar system of nine Houses on nine planets, ruled by some sort of immortal emperor, with each House specializing in a different type of necromancy. Beyond that, I couldn’t tell you anything, really. Gideon and Harrow come from the Ninth House—though Gideon was only raised there, whereas Harrow is the born heir—and the story takes place in the First House.
Additionally, I had many questions while I read, unrelated to the plot itself, that weren’t answered. How did Gideon, at eighteen, not know what a shower was? Sure, the scene where she discovered it by getting blasted with water was comical, but it doesn’t make sense. Do people in the Ninth House not shower? How do they get clean? It’s a small detail, yes, but it caught my attention and I can’t help but focus on what it might mean.
Many of my questions were related to the side characters, the members of the other Houses, Second through Eighth. I couldn’t tell you what kind of necromancy each specialized in; the only one I know is that the Ninth’s specialty was bones. It took half the book for me to figure out who was who and be able to recall them all in a timely manner. Hardly any of them had distinguishable traits, and most only appeared to either aid or oppose the protagonists.
Moving past that, the story is divided into five acts. I was intrigued from the start, but not truly invested until things started going wrong around the start of act three. I believe the middle chunk of the book is the best because of the character and relationship development, as well as the constant suspense. Once I got past the second half of act four, though, things seemed to drag on unnecessarily. There was more and more fighting, and I became less and less interested. The last hundred pages probably could’ve been shortened by about thirty.
And can I just say, I’m really, really not happy with the ending? ‘Cause I’m not. I don’t know why Muir made the decisions they did. Even with the slower pacing, I’d decided on a four star rating, but act five, short though it was, was enough to make me lower my rating by another half star. It also significantly lessened my interest in the sequel.
I know I’ve been quite critical throughout this review, but I did enjoy some aspects of Gideon the Ninth. Both protagonists were complex and entertaining, and Gideon was especially entertaining. Her narration truly made the book more memorable. I just seriously wish that Muir had spent more time developing the rest of the characters and world they created. If the ending was changed, I’d be okay with that too. I’m still planning to read the sequel, but my expectations are much, much lower than they were for this book.
Representation:
- two lesbian protagonists
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Self harm, Slavery, Physical abuse, Murder, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse
Moderate: Child death, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Bullying, Cannibalism, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Religious bigotry, and Suicidal thoughts