Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - Ninth House

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.

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katielaine_w's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

5.0

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courtneypaigea's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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katiieecat's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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orndal's review

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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.

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laurenvoice's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

4.0

Once you get through the first couple of hundred pages, the story picks up; and you begin routing for the characters.

I am not sure where to begin, Ninth House has left me with so many feelings; it is hard to put into words. First and foremost, Ninth House is most definitely an adult fantasy, the themes within this book are dark, and Leigh Bardugo does a fantastic job at putting the reader into the heads of the main characters.

Let's start with Alex Stern, she is truly bad*ss, and I love her. Alex Stern is probably my favourite main character from a fantasy series; she wasn't prim and proper, she was real, and her struggles were real, making her likeable and easier to connect with her.

Then we have Dawes, probably one of the sweetest characters, and she has her bad*ass moments; I loved that she stuck with Alex and championed and stood up for her. Dawes is that one character you don't want anything bad to happen to her.

After Dawes, we have North, North was meant to be scary, but deep down, all he wants is truth and justice; he protected Alex when she needed it most; my favourite thing about North is he is stubborn, and that helped Alex seek the truth.

And finally, we have Darlington, the "golden boy", the "gentleman", the one that needs justice. Darlington came across as perfect, but deep in the depths, there was more to him he wasn't perfect, making him likeable.

Leigh Bardugo brilliantly created a world that felt real but fantastical at the same time. And I am looking forward to the next Alex Stern book if and when it comes out *fingers crossed* it is soon!

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mscalls's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective tense fast-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

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