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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
mysterious
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
I hear praise for this book a lot, but I was hesitant to try it because it's often described as "lesbians in space," which reads to me as "romance-focused," and I'm not usually a huge fan of romance. No one told me that the "romance" in this book is exactly the way I like it: messy, complicated, can barely be described as "romance" because the word evokes a straightforward soft and squishy vibe that doesn't do the character dynamic justice. "Romance" that doesn't get in the way of the story while still being important to it. But "lesbians in space" technically isn't an inaccurate description, and definitely makes for a catchy tagline, which gives me a new appreciation for the head-scratching complexity of book marketing.
Anyway, I'm not here to talk about the romance, though I do have to say I really enjoyed how it turned out, and I will be rotating some of those final lines in my head for a while. The first thing that hooked me here was the setting. The Nine Houses strike a weird but fascinating balance between your basic fantasy with swords and necromancy, and your basic sci-fi with spaceships and planets--Not just in setting and lore, but in writing style. Flowery, semi-formal prose immediately followed by "that's what she said" jokes causes whiplash strong enough to create energy that keeps me reading. I do have to admit there are some points where it feels a bit much, though. Several funny similes succession during a relatively serious scene is going to threaten my immersion a little, even if the humor is probably just Gideon's coping mechanism.
Gideon is a fun POV character to follow. Strong-willed and cheeky enough to be entertaining, has enough flaws to keep things moving, but also somehow holds enough common sense and self-control to not cross the line into "annoying," though Harrow would surely disagree. Clearly an unreliable narrator who's afraid to show any vulnerable emotion even through the veil of third person limited, but actions speak louder than words. And Gideon's actions are screaming, especially at the end. What an ending! Predictable once the final secret was revealed, but the execution was delicious.
The more "technical" lore is only touched upon in the actual story, but the glossary at the end gives more details. Interesting stuff; gets me excited for the next book, to see more of that lore in action, and also because Gideon the Ninth left juuuuust enough unanswered questions to keep the reader mostly satisfied by the ending but also curious about what comes next.
Will definitely be picking up the rest of the series!
Anyway, I'm not here to talk about the romance, though I do have to say I really enjoyed how it turned out, and I will be rotating some of those final lines in my head for a while. The first thing that hooked me here was the setting. The Nine Houses strike a weird but fascinating balance between your basic fantasy with swords and necromancy, and your basic sci-fi with spaceships and planets--Not just in setting and lore, but in writing style. Flowery, semi-formal prose immediately followed by "that's what she said" jokes causes whiplash strong enough to create energy that keeps me reading. I do have to admit there are some points where it feels a bit much, though. Several funny similes succession during a relatively serious scene is going to threaten my immersion a little, even if the humor is probably just Gideon's coping mechanism.
Gideon is a fun POV character to follow. Strong-willed and cheeky enough to be entertaining, has enough flaws to keep things moving, but also somehow holds enough common sense and self-control to not cross the line into "annoying," though Harrow would surely disagree. Clearly an unreliable narrator who's afraid to show any vulnerable emotion even through the veil of third person limited, but actions speak louder than words. And Gideon's actions are screaming, especially at the end. What an ending! Predictable once the final secret was revealed, but the execution was delicious.
The more "technical" lore is only touched upon in the actual story, but the glossary at the end gives more details. Interesting stuff; gets me excited for the next book, to see more of that lore in action, and also because Gideon the Ninth left juuuuust enough unanswered questions to keep the reader mostly satisfied by the ending but also curious about what comes next.
Will definitely be picking up the rest of the series!
J'ai beaucoup aimé ! J'ai juste été totalement larguée dans le nombre de personnages et leurs noms.
Spoil/ Heureusement qu'ils meurent pratiquement tous, je ne serais pas perdue pour le tome 2. /Spoil
Harrow et Gideon étaient mémorables !
J'aurais bien aimé le glossaire de la version physique pour me remémorer régulièrement qui est qui (mais le livre audio était super !).
J'ai trop aimé les onomatopées toutes les trois secondes, la beaufitude de Gideon, la relation amour/haine entre Harrow et Gideon, les contrastes dans l'ambiance et les chocs quand il y a par exemple le mot "ASMR" qui pop de nulle part, la brutalité des descriptions, l'ambiance glauque, et tout le lore et l'univers autour des os, de la nécromancie et des neuf maisons. C'est très très prometteur !
Je suis très curieuse de savoir où est passée la butch intersidérale !
Spoil/ Heureusement qu'ils meurent pratiquement tous, je ne serais pas perdue pour le tome 2. /Spoil
Harrow et Gideon étaient mémorables !
J'aurais bien aimé le glossaire de la version physique pour me remémorer régulièrement qui est qui (mais le livre audio était super !).
J'ai trop aimé les onomatopées toutes les trois secondes, la beaufitude de Gideon, la relation amour/haine entre Harrow et Gideon, les contrastes dans l'ambiance et les chocs quand il y a par exemple le mot "ASMR" qui pop de nulle part, la brutalité des descriptions, l'ambiance glauque, et tout le lore et l'univers autour des os, de la nécromancie et des neuf maisons. C'est très très prometteur !
Je suis très curieuse de savoir où est passée la butch intersidérale !
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Long battle and just very slow.
I don’t think I’ve enjoyed reading a book this much in years
couldn't get into the story, this is not a dnf forever. I will start over once i have the mental capacity and time
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes