Reviews tagging 'Racial slurs'

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

25 reviews

illiteratewench's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? It's complicated

4.5

I still don't read much fantasy but I definitely like this urban fantasy, dark academia setting in Ninth House. I love Darlington and I love a golden boy bad girl dynamic! The multiple timelines worked for me, I was pretty interested (there's present time where Darlington has disappeared, the past year of Alex joining Lethe, and then into the past fleshing out Alex's life). The privilege and classism of academia is exemplified through Lethe, a secret society in Yale. Magic is used as another institutional power that furthers real world problems. It's secretive and only a top 1% can access it. It is used to hurt minority groups or vulnerable peoples. The plot is slow to start but really tense and addicting later. I really liked this book as well as Alex and Pammy warming up to each other and working together. The sequel Hell Bent is not as exciting as this one, but it still ties up plot ends and starts new ones, so I'll definitely still be catching the third book when it's out.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Addiction, Drug use, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Murder, and Violence

Minor: Slavery, Blood, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

takarakei's review

dark mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

Reread January 2023:
I'm so glad I decided to reread this prior to the sequel coming out. I enjoyed it even more than the first time. I remembered the basic plotline, but forgot a lot of the details, which allowed me to just awe at the way Bardugo weaves the story together. So many crumbs throughout this book that are left for not only the main mystery of this book, but more for the future of the series. Also listened to the audiobook at the same time which was very well done. Bardugo also does an interview with the narrator at the end (audiobook)!



Original Review Sept 2022:
If you like dark academia and murder mysteries this book is for you!

This book is wild! One of my reading notes was literally "wtf am I reading"? A murder mystery unlike any I've ever read. Will keep you guessing til the end. So many twists and turns. The MC Alex is badass but flawed and realistic. She is constantly underestimated and totally not given enough credit for how badass she is.

This is a very dark book. A lot of bad things happen, please check CW/TW!! 

The ending is a great metaphor for non-intersectional feminism (Belbalm) and the overall book has great metaphors for power imbalances and elitism. Also side note, to me Alex reads as bi

I'm curious to see where the sequel will go, it sounds like potentially in a different direction based on the ending.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence

Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Gaslighting, Grief, Vomit, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Classism, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Racism, Racial slurs, and Alcohol

Institutional racism.

child rape/SA, date rape (serial date rape)

jdamae11's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wow - this book was so well written and surprised me in so many ways. I loved all the horror elements blended perfectly with fantasy. Alex, the main protagonist, is a really fun sort of antihero, she’s so great to root for while also getting on your nerves, makes her so deeply human and easy to relate to. Being from LA and being first-Gen I could resonate with a lot of what underlied her narrative - feeling undeserving of where she was, not belonging, trying to navigate such foreign spaces, and winging it to find answers that no one had ever thought of before. I can’t wait for the sequel, this is my fave book of 2022 so far !

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Murder, Sexual assault, Rape, and Violence

Moderate: Racism and Racial slurs

tish12's review

adventurous dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Bullying, Torture, Violence, Body horror, Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Murder, Self harm, Sexual assault, Stalking, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Physical abuse, and Racial slurs

kingrosereads's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• 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

4.25

I have to say, I really loved this book. It felt pretentious and like you needed a Ivy League degree to understand the first third of the book, but it really is so much more. The story follows Galaxy “Alex” Stern, a survivor who spent most of her life self-medicating after years literally being haunted then assaulted. Then she survives a mass homicide in which her best friend dies. She’s then offered this second chance and she takes it. However, she enters a world vastly different from her own and she tries hard to navigate through it and survive. That’s what Alex does, she survives. And the book is a journey I think survivors go through when they’re trying to get back to themselves and out of survival mode and actually start living. 
I love Alex, I think she is funny, snarky, and witty. Though she’s a high school dropout, I resonate with her struggle from being a good student in high school and feel like you’re barely scraping by in college. I also came to like Darlington, though he comes off like a some elitist, privileged white boy who would look down at Alex for where she comes from, but he really respects her and they’re very similar. 
I respect Bardugo’s attempt to bring race, gender, and class into the conversation, but it fell a little flat and was superficial at best. I hope she actually build upon what I feel is a core theme and that is Ivy League elitism, privilege,  power dynamics, and the components that make that up. 
This book heavily addressed the abuse women experience and their healing journey, and I think that’s powerful in and of itself. 
The magical system in this book is pretty incredible. After struggling through the first part of the book, I can appreciate being thrust into the thick of it and having to work it out like a mystery on top of trying to figure out the mystery occurring in the book. 
I hope we learn more about what Alex is, where Darlington is, and who Alex’s dad is. Lots of other unanswered questions, and I’m excited for the next installment. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit

Minor: Antisemitism and Excrement

orndal's review against another edition

adventurous dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Could have been real great with a better story structure and more world building. Linear storytelling would have helped with upping the stakes.

The ending came out of nowhere with little to no setup for the reveals. As a mystery novel, this is terrible.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Racial slurs, Rape, Addiction, Vomit, Violence, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Medical trauma

Minor: Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Death, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Cancer, Car accident, Classism, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, and Murder

siannn's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

5.0

favourite read of 2022 this book is everything and more 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Gun violence, Gore, Sexual harassment, Murder, Misogyny, Medical content, Infidelity, Excrement, Cursing, Classism, Blood, Torture, Suicide, Sexism, Rape, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, Addiction, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Self harm, Drug use, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Mental illness

Minor: Trafficking, Racial slurs, and Racism

uranaishi's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Murder, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Gore, Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Sexism, Alcohol, Cursing, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Pedophilia, Stalking, Vomit, Medical content, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Violence, and Gaslighting

Minor: Blood, Infidelity, Police brutality, Car accident, Bullying, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Animal death, Cancer, Racial slurs, and Suicide

scarlettskyes's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• 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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Abandonment, Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Torture, Animal death, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Religious bigotry, and Misogyny

malimaan's review

adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

4.5

It took me way too long to start this book! Can't wait for the second book in this series!!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Sexual violence

Moderate: Gore and Racial slurs

Minor: Suicide and Self harm