Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
This was one of my most disappointing reads to date. I was really anticipating this book and was soo excited when i got my hands on it ... the blurb on the front cover literally says "lesbian necromancers exploring a gothic mansion in space" which couldn't be more up my alley!!
However the book felt like a slog for the first maybe two-thirds. I found it extremely difficult to keep up with the amount of world building, characters and environmental descriptions that were just dropped onto my lap. There were like 16 characters to memorize in the main plot and the story wouldn't keep to referring them to just their names [which were already extremely long FYI] which just made it more difficult to keep up. Gideon is a really like-able character but she really wasn't doing much in the story. She'd just sort of wander around and have a chat with people or get knocked out or be annoyed by people while Harrowhawk , the REAL protagonist was exploring and attempting to complete challengers. I love her POV but her POV was admittedly very boring.
the book is like 70% filler and 30% actual plot and adventure. I do really enjoy Muir's writing and found it very fun, especially the gore bits! and the mystery was entertaining - i just felt like the book could've been 200 pages shorter if they cut out all the boring filler stuff. Might consider reading the next installment bc apparently Harrow is the lead but just know my expectations are low.
However the book felt like a slog for the first maybe two-thirds. I found it extremely difficult to keep up with the amount of world building, characters and environmental descriptions that were just dropped onto my lap. There were like 16 characters to memorize in the main plot and the story wouldn't keep to referring them to just their names [which were already extremely long FYI] which just made it more difficult to keep up. Gideon is a really like-able character but she really wasn't doing much in the story. She'd just sort of wander around and have a chat with people or get knocked out or be annoyed by people while Harrowhawk , the REAL protagonist was exploring and attempting to complete challengers. I love her POV but her POV was admittedly very boring.
the book is like 70% filler and 30% actual plot and adventure. I do really enjoy Muir's writing and found it very fun, especially the gore bits! and the mystery was entertaining - i just felt like the book could've been 200 pages shorter if they cut out all the boring filler stuff. Might consider reading the next installment bc apparently Harrow is the lead but just know my expectations are low.
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
OMGOMGOFMFMFKMFMGM THE ENDINGGGGG ????? AHHHHHH THE ENDING HARROW THE FIRSSTTT??????WHAT A CUNTY TITLE I LOVE YOU HARROWWWWWWWWWWWWW
i put this off for so long because i thought gideon was a man but unfortunately i was not aware of tamsyn muir's game THIS IS BUTCHFEMME ðŸ˜!!! i love griddlehark and their stupid banter and bickering they're everything to me they're like goth caitvi
i kinda did lose the plot and not understand 70% of the happenings of act 3, but i'm happy anyway this was great and i'm excited for harrow the ninth ^_^
I have to admit, I read this book and liked it, and then I listened to it as an audiobook narrated by Moira Quirk and LOVED it. She brings these characters to life in a way that somehow makes their already pithy dialogue so much pithier, their quirks so much quirkier (heh, punny), their distinct personalities so much more distinct. I sit with bated breath, waiting for the final installment of this series and hoping against hope that it will close things out in a satisfying way. It's what Gideon deserves, dammit.
3.5/5.0
I really quite enjoyed this book. A strong start, a stronger finish. What. An. Ending.
It started with a dark and vivid world and I was really in love with setting overall. Gideon isn't the most intellectual or deep character. But I am not a huge character reader and I think the author did a solid job with all the characters. That being said I found myself getting... lost... with all of the them besides a few. So many titles and nicknames used interchangeably in the middle of exchanges and throughout the book, I found myself getting frustrated with some of the scenes where a lot of them were together. Not really sure who was talking to who or saying what. I think the book suffers a bit because of this.
The action and description of those scenes however is top tier. Gross, explicit and 100% enjoyable. This is where Gideon the Ninth shines for me. I feel she put particular effort into them and I was completely immersed in those moments.
A solid, solid novel. I will be starting the next one very soon!
Overall, I think most could enjoy this.
I really quite enjoyed this book. A strong start, a stronger finish. What. An. Ending.
It started with a dark and vivid world and I was really in love with setting overall. Gideon isn't the most intellectual or deep character. But I am not a huge character reader and I think the author did a solid job with all the characters. That being said I found myself getting... lost... with all of the them besides a few. So many titles and nicknames used interchangeably in the middle of exchanges and throughout the book, I found myself getting frustrated with some of the scenes where a lot of them were together. Not really sure who was talking to who or saying what. I think the book suffers a bit because of this.
The action and description of those scenes however is top tier. Gross, explicit and 100% enjoyable. This is where Gideon the Ninth shines for me. I feel she put particular effort into them and I was completely immersed in those moments.
A solid, solid novel. I will be starting the next one very soon!
Overall, I think most could enjoy this.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Gideon the Ninth is one of my favorite books ever, and this is a review primarily of the audio version. Moira Quirk is a phenomenal voice actor/narrator, though tbh I wish a New Zealander voiced it! Oh well. I was impressed by how distinctive she was able to make most voices and how entertaining her enunciation was, especially at the funny parts. Listening to it made me pay more attention to relationships among characters than I have while reading, interestingly.
Slight knock though because her voice for John just didn't work for me(I imagine John with a smarmy voice, and she gave him a raspy chainsmoker voice) .
Slight knock though because her voice for John just didn't work for me
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
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:
Complicated
Ultimately i enjoyed this book, however I don't think it's equal to the hype. I struggled in the beginning, but I stuck with it because of the high praise from trusted corners of the bookternet.
When we meet Gideon Nav she is about to escape a life of servitude. But she is caught by her queen, Harrowhawk Nonagesimus, and in exchange for her freedom Gideon is required to provide one more service. Harrow has been called by the Emperor to compete against 7 other Houses in a deadly trial in order to ascend to a coveted role serving the Empire, and she can't do it without Gideon.
This story is epic to be sure. There's necromancy, brooding goth warriors, ghosts and monsters, and outer space. However, I think the book would have benefitted from tighter editing. I do want to know what comes next, so I will pick up the sequel...
When we meet Gideon Nav she is about to escape a life of servitude. But she is caught by her queen, Harrowhawk Nonagesimus, and in exchange for her freedom Gideon is required to provide one more service. Harrow has been called by the Emperor to compete against 7 other Houses in a deadly trial in order to ascend to a coveted role serving the Empire, and she can't do it without Gideon.
This story is epic to be sure. There's necromancy, brooding goth warriors, ghosts and monsters, and outer space. However, I think the book would have benefitted from tighter editing. I do want to know what comes next, so I will pick up the sequel...
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i love sci fi. i love lesbians. but i wish they had the chance to KISS or at least profess my GOD was a little confusing at times but was captivating as hell
I'd like to thank the 5 people who bullied me into reading this book. You were right it was a banger