Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Das neunte Haus by Leigh Bardugo

58 reviews

estefizaga's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative 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

5.0

If I could, I would give this book more that 5 stars 😩🤌🙌🏻🖤

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Excrement, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Gore, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Grief, Murder, and Drug abuse

katemarie99's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

2024 UPDATE: 
Bumping up from 3.75 stars to a nice even 5. Loved this so much more the second time around. So much complexity, so many layers. The themes really came through and I will be thinking about this book for a long time. Trigger warnings: sexual assault, rape, gore. 

Kinda gave me Addie LaRue vibes, but this succeeded where that one fell flat for me. I'd like a sequel, please. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Gore, Pedophilia, Drug abuse, Child abuse, Sexual content, Blood, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Murder, Sexism, Sexual violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual harassment, Medical content, Sexual content, Body horror, Classism, Grief, and Rape

jai_98's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

 

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo is a masterpiece that pulls readers into a world steeped in dark secrets, intrigue, and the chilling blend of magic and reality. This book deserves every bit of praise it receives, as it takes readers on a thrilling and thought-provoking journey that leaves an indelible mark on one's soul and is a great contender to be my favourite read of 2023. 

Bardugo's exceptional storytelling skills are on full display, delivering a narrative that is both highly imaginative and intricately crafted. From the very first page, I found myself utterly captivated by the gripping plot and the unique blend of occult elements with the elite academic setting. The Yale University backdrop serves as the perfect juxtaposition, blending the prestigious veneer with the shadows lurking beneath its hallowed halls. 

The protagonist, Galaxy "Alex" Stern, instantly commands attention with her sharp wit, resilience, and dark past. Bardugo’s characterization is exemplary; each character is vividly brought to life, with their flaws and virtues carefully woven into the fabric of the story. The interplay between the characters and their complex relationships never fails to captivate, as alliances shift, secrets unravel, and loyalties are put to the ultimate test. The world-building in Ninth House is nothing short of astonishing. Bardugo effortlessly combines the magical underbelly of New Haven with Yale's legendary secret societies, creating a rich tapestry of hidden realms, intricate rituals, and dangerous secrets. The way these elements are seamlessly integrated into the modern world is remarkable, adding a sense of magic and mystery to the otherwise mundane. 

Bardugo's prose is as enchanting as ever, dripping with atmospheric descriptions that transport readers to the dimly lit corridors and ancient libraries of Yale. Her writing style is masterful, rich with detail and precision, effectively immersing readers in the sights, sounds, and emotions of the story. Furthermore, Ninth House delves into important themes like power, privilege, and the consequences of unchecked authority, presenting a dark mirror to our society. Bardugo explores these topics with depth and nuance, sparking thought-provoking discussions long after the final page has been turned. 

In conclusion, Ninth House is a truly remarkable and unforgettable novel. It grabs hold of your imagination and refuses to let go. Leigh Bardugo's mastery shines through with each turn of the page, solidifying her place as one of the most talented writers in the genre. I wholeheartedly recommend Ninth House to anyone seeking a thrilling, dark, and intellectually stimulating reading experience. Buckle up and prepare to be transported into a world where magic and reality collide in the most enticing and extraordinary ways. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Drug abuse, Alcoholism, and Drug use

madinhoa's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense slow-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Rape, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Vomit, Forced institutionalization, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Classism, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Suicide, Torture, Toxic friendship, Violence, Alcoholism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Suicide attempt

maddiereadswords's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

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

1.0

Let's get this out of the way first: I picked this book up because it was recommended by someone who LOVES it, and if I hadn't wanted to give this a fair shot for them, I would have dropped this book by 200 pages in and never looked back.

My biggest problem with it is that you can just tell this is the first adult novel by a YA author, and I don't say that to disparage YA at all!! It just feels like Leigh Bardugo wanted so badly for this to be an Adult Novel with Adult Themes, but rather than actually writing a story that engages on an adult level with complex themes, she just decided to throw in a bunch of drug use, body horror/gore, and graphic sexual assault to remind you that her characters are Adults in College. (Check the content warnings on this one if you need them!!) It was just way too much, and yet it did nothing? Like, Alex is a recovering drug addict, but at no point in time does that actually affect her as a character except to remind the reader of her fucked up backstory, even though she's constantly exposed to and using all kinds of magic drugs (and has no qualms about using them on others). Also, as an MC she's literally just so boring. All the characters kind of are tbh, and there's so much telling instead of showing about characters. We're told blatantly that Dawes likes taking care of people, like Bardugo doesn't trust the reader to put that together from context clues. We're told that Darlington's a gentleman, but he's really just a mediocre white guy with money (literally do not get me started on Darlington, he was such a nothing character to me and the fact that he's the fan favorite is disappointing, but not surprising.)

As for the plot, it's WAY too slow. I know even the people who love it say that it picks up like 100-150 pages in, but first of all, it should not take a third of the book for things to actually get moving. That's straight up just bad pacing. Also, the dual timelines were entirely too much. It took so long to catch up to the present, and the way the flashbacks were inter-spaced, it tended to disrupt any momentum in the actual story. Even when it did "pick up" it still felt like was crawling along at a snail's pace up until the very end. And speaking of the ending, it was SO unsatisfying. It was a mediocre resolution to a bad mystery because it wasn't like there was enough information thoughtfully woven into the story to encourage the reader to put together actual clues; it was all just withheld completely until the two (TWO!!) villain monologues at the very end which is just super frustrating.

Also let's be so fucking honest here: Leigh Bardugo thinks she's saying a lot about privilege, class, race, and gender at Yale, but she's not actually saying anything. This is a world where secret societies of privileged students use and abuse those they see as below them, but in this world, they're using magic to do it, so it's different. Also in this world, a woman is secretly behind it all, so actually the secret societies were never the problem, and we don't have to actually interrogate whether they should be allowed to continue to operate. It's such a nothing point, but it's said like she really thinks she's done something. Sure, Leigh, whatever you say.

This was such a disappointing read for me. I'm genuinely so glad that so many people love this book so much!! But it was definitely not for me. Literally the only thing that saved it from being a 1 star was that sometimes her prose was good when she wasn't beating me over the head with empty statements about characterization or waxing poetic about fucking New Haven. (I get it, you went to Yale! I do not care!!)

All of that being said, I am indeed still going to read the second book because the person who recommended it to me has insisted the second one is better, but I'm not optimistic it'll actually change my mind. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Rape, Physical abuse, Gore, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Classism, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Death, Addiction, Blood, Drug abuse, Excrement, Pedophilia, and Violence

xiggy's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Rape, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Blood, Body horror, and Death

risaleel's review against another edition

adventurous 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Drug use, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Addiction, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Classism, Racism, Suicide, Alcoholism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, Gaslighting, and Cursing

Minor: Bullying, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders

faduma's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Misogyny, Medical content, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Torture, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Alcohol, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Murder, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, and Violence

msradiosilence's review against another edition

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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

TLDR; 2.25 rating, Bardugo used her Latina character to fulfill racist stereotypes, and I genuinely dislike the use of sexual assault as plot points.
Content warnings at the bottom. :)

I have quite a few gripes with this one. Listen, I love dark academia as much as the next Master’s student, but I don’t like authors writing outside of their lane.

There’s been a ton of (very fair) criticism about Leigh Bardugo, a white person, writing from the perspective of a Latina woman who has the ‘did not earn her place’ stereotype at a prestigious university. There are PLENTY of racists out there who 100% believe that Black, Indigenous, and other people of color don’t earn the spots they have at colleges and universities, and are rather only there because they’re being used to meet a quota, and subsequently taking the spot of some deserving white person, which is entirely FALSE. This is RACIST. And this is

EXACTLY how Bardugo wrote it.

Alex didn’t “earn” her spot, she was given it,

and robbed Darlington of his ability to choose the next Dante.

Also the only Black character is a cop? And don’t get me STARTED on the assault storylines. PLURAL.

This is a huge issue, and one that GREATLY dropped my review of a book I think I otherwise would have enjoyed. Secret societies? Yes, give it to me. Murder? Absolutely. A character that can see ghosts? Hell yeah. But it’s all overshadowed by the fact that Bardugo chose to write a character like Alex. 

I’ll probably read the second one, considering I have it already, but I don’t think I’ll be buying the others. If I’m really pressed about the mystery, I’ll just google it.

Rating: 2.25
Would I recommend? No. I refuse to recommend books I disagree with on a morality issue. 

Content warnings: Rape (implied, discussed), Sexual Assault (on page), Child Rape (on page), Gaslighting, Alcohol, Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, Overdose, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder (on page), Violence, Abandonment, Addiction, Racism, Vomit, Blood, Body horror, and Gore

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Violence, Body horror, Drug use, Racism, Vomit, Grief, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

chronicacademia's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I am a wreck. I am devastated. I am almost 100% sure this is my new favorite book ever. I am currently lying on my floor in a puddle of my own tears trying to feel normal again. How am I supposed to move on when this book exists???? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Grief, Vomit, Body horror, Drug use, Excrement, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Death, Abandonment, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Racism, Racial slurs, Alcohol, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual harassment, and Violence

Minor: Cancer