Reviews with content warning for Blood - Ninth House

This is a great book. I feel like the first chapter starts off a little slow but still good and then it just keeps picking up from there. Inside this world of dark magic controlled by students a lot can and will go sideways quick. The characters are built up perfectly and the plot was twisty just how I like it. To wrap up im really glad this is a series. Now on to book two!

Content Warnings

belles9's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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orlafitz14's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

Really enjoyable, dark academia meets ghosts, kind of scary but I loved it.

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sofiagreenhill's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious 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

I would’ve given this book a full five stars if not for the beginning. It was a slog to get through the first five chapters, but it picked up from there. It was jarring to get dropped so deep into action at the start and struggle to get a sense of what was going on.

I’ve read a lot of reviews with harsh words about the violence against women. I feel like this book handles some of that tension well. Alex’s own trauma seems genuine compared to the life she’s lived. The violence against students seemed at times too much, and would’ve benefited if some of it was cut. It seemed like there was not a single woman in the story that hadn’t had experiences of violence and abuse.

I didn’t expect to like Darlington so much, but I’m looking forward to reading more about him. I feel like it was a great move to remove him for the majority of the book.

All in all the books a great read if you can manage to get through the beginning. The world building is superb, the characters complex and although the plot was a bit convoluted at times it’s a good read even if you’re not super into fantasy.

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peachyybooks's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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aloe_v's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

In three words: ghostly murder mystery.

I thought this was good but a very slow read. It would've gotten a better rating if I'd been hooked, but unfortunately it took two weeks and some willpower to get through, despite liking it?

Would advise readers to be aware of the content warnings. I was glad I saw another review saying what happened at 26%. TW:

rape - about two pages (on digital), she's 12, its a man who is a ghost

. Very uncomfortable, skimmed through that bit. There are a few other bits with similar themes, so worth being aware.

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alyxbeau's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

1.5

I am clearly not the target audience for this book, but I stuck through it anyways even though I should have DNFd this one and almost did on multiple occasions.

I will put the reamainder of my review in spoiler tags to avoid people glancing at trigger warnings, but it will also contain actual spoilers.

There was an absolutely massive amount of sexual assult covered in this book, and in graphic detail. There is a minor in an abusive and sexual relationship with an adult, rape, and drugging with substances to allow seeming consensual acts recorded on a phone. There is gory and detailed descriptions of pried open bodies as well. Honestly, those first pages after the initial chapter should have been enough for me to quit then and there, but I didn't. I thought it might get better after about 25 percent of the book, but the sexual descriptions of uncomfortable situations just got more frequent from that point on.

At first I didn't think sny of it was for the shock factor. It seemed like the experiences our main character went through were described to us to explain her total fear at being touched by a ghost again after being raped as a middle schooler by one. But then her reaction to humans doing the same to her or trying to do the same to her, we're not as intense. They should have been. This is why I think it is all there for the shock factor now, and not included to show why her reaction was intense. Her reaction was intense only once. The trauma forgotten after that first incident at Yale.

This book is not for me. I stayed to solve the mystery of Darlington and got no satisfactory answer. I will not be continuing the series except to read a synopses of books 2 and 3, MAYBE.

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