Reviews with content warning for Forced institutionalization - Das neunte Haus

Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

Das neunte Haus by Leigh Bardugo

29 reviews

lauramparis's review against another edition

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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

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mattiedancer's review against another edition

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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

4.5

Writing: 5⭐️/5

The writing in this novel is stunning. Bardugo moves easily from highly controlled and crafted prose to snippy, sassy quips with ease. Part of the reason it took me a few hours longer to read than I would have guessed is because I spent so much time writing brilliant, eloquent quotes into my notes app. Absolutely stunning writing.

Characters: 5⭐️/5

The characters felt real and fully developed. I enjoyed how much time was spent seeing characters from other character’s perspective, giving us insight into how each character presents themselves, as well as their internal bias and judgement they push onto others. Certain characters that, at the beginning felt fairly flat, were given time and space to showcase their personalities later, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I also thoroughly enjoyed the way the female relationships were explored in this novel. The care in which these relationships were engaged made me very happy both as a reader and a woman.

Plot: 4.5⭐️/5

**Spoilers below**

I took one issue with the plot, which was the employment of a rape scene. Personally, I felt this scene was unnecessary both to the development of our main character, as well as the progression of the plot. This particular scene didn’t really fit for me and could have been written in a different way to give the same effect. My main takeaway from the scene was that it mostly read as an easy way to give our MC “trauma,” which could have been done in a number of more interesting and less triggering ways.

Otherwise, the overarching plot was entirely enjoyable to read and kept me thoroughly engaged until the end.

Who Should Read This Book?

Lovers of dark academia, fantasy and/or magical murder mystery novels
Those who want an adult fantasy read with a spark of romance and little to no spice
Readers wanting an engaging world and well-established magic system
Someone looking for a strong fantasy read with strong female relationships

Content Warnings?

Rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, sexual content, gore, blood, vomit, medical trauma, death, abandonment, drug use, alcohol use, excrement, injury, pedophilia,

Post-Reading Rating: 5⭐️/5

I was engaged until the final page. Excited for the sequel.

Final Rating: 4.5⭐️/5

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nenya's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

5.0

this was such an easy 5 stars holy smokes. i‘ve got to be honest, i found it quite hard to really get into it at first (it’s not being told chronically and there are like 3-4 points in time that keep changing throughout the narrative and that you need to keep track of - but once you figure it out, it really adds to the reading experience, i loved it) but the plot, characters and especially the plot twists (!!) really won me over - especially the plot twists, because they are partly very hard to predict (also because of the time jumps), which made this book a very mysterious and catching read. the only complaint i have is that the sequel won’t be out until next year :((

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fourfootedbeasts's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

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samrp01's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.5

More like 4.5 stars.
I'm so glad I finally got around to reading this. It would have been a 5 star if I hadn't wanted to skim over some of the school history stuff, but that's just me. There were some things, like the descriptions of the assault on Alex when she was young and the description of the assault on Mercy, and also the whole Bryce-toilet-thing, among others, that made me feel sick. There was a point a little over 2/3ds into the book where it got very sad when you find out that one character seems like a lost cause. I like how the ending was left off in a way where Leigh could totally come back and write a sequel, but it would also make sense for Alex and Dawes to go off and do that on their own, 'without us'. There were times when I was confused about the story line and character plots, but the historical stuff. I don't do well with timeline jumps. But again, that's a me problem.

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theespressoedition's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

2.5

I've been going back and forth in my mind on how to rate this book properly since I finished reading it last night.

On the one hand, I didn't love it. Truthfully, I didn't expect to. I knew enough about it ahead of time (trigger warnings and all) that I was aware it's not my normal style of book and the content might just not be my cup of tea. However, there was a part of me that really hoped I would surprise myself and wind up adoring it - primarily because I just adore Leigh.

The book is kind of icky. And I'm not just talking about the gore or even the triggering content, but there are just moments that made me actually nauseous and I would say, "UM EW" aloud. That's not the most pleasant feeling while reading a book, I gotta be honest. And then, of course, there's the gore and the triggering content itself. I wasn't as uncomfortable with that as I anticipated, but it's definitely a huge part of the story, so there's a reason why everyone and their mom is recommending that you read the warnings ahead of time. Even Leigh herself has been ridiculously vocal about this.

On the other hand, the interview at the end of the audiobook made me appreciate the story so much more. Leigh is a phenomenal person with an incredible mind and I respect her so much and the amount of her heart and soul that she put into the creation of this story. How so much of it is based on reality, rather than purely fiction.

The characters didn't really suck me in, though I did like that they were basically all morally gray. That always makes for an interesting story. And the ending was interesting enough that I may pick up the sequel. I'm undecided.

I'll add my voice to the trillion others who have said that this is nothing like The Grishaverse. It is not YA - nor should anyone younger than 18 read it, in my opinion. Please read the trigger warnings and know that it is very dark and won't necessarily leave you feeling hopeful when you walk away from it. But it is wonderfully written and has an interesting (albeit confusing af) story.

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uranaishi's review against another edition

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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

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scarlettskyes's review against another edition

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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

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egurgens's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious reflective 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

I am now in desperate need of book two. I listened to the audiobook, so when I saw 30 min left, I assumed there was more story. Nope. There was an author interview, so I was left on an unexpected cliffhanger. However, this story is so interesting, that I had no issues paying attention and keeping up with what was happening. There are two points of view, there are 3 different time frames, and is just so good! I can imagine that the time skips would be confusing to some, but the book is complicated and interesting enough to keep the reader engaged. When I began the book, I didn't realize it was part of a series, so its safe to say my heart broke when the book ended, but the story continued.

I definitely recommend reading this book, but be warned there are several difficult topics. Drug use, sexual assault, graphic death, bullying, and more. However, the cast of characters is pretty diverse; not perfect, but definitely better than other books I have read. The magic is pretty realistic, as its use is modern, and takes place in the modern world. No hidden world, just a secret society of magic users, that can use it for good or bad.

So many plot twists, you end up hanging onto every word. Friends are enemies, enemies are your greatest allies. No one is who you think they are. Bardugo does POV and time changes well, as each is labelled at the beginning of the chapter. Highly recommend reading this book. Realistic fantasy, secret societies, magic, ghosts, monsters, just so many good things.

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ceallaighsbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-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

“…this was the moment he’d been waiting for: the chance to show someone else wonder, to watch them realize that they had not been lied to, that the world they’d been promised as children was not something that had to be abandoned, that there really was something lurking the wood, beneath the stairs, between the stars, that everything was full of mystery.”

TITLE—Ninth House

AUTHOR—Leigh Bardugo

PUBLISHED—2019

GENRE—adult dark academia (plus ghosts)

SETTING—Yale

MAIN THEMES/SUBJECTS—ghosts, the occult, secret societies, university setting, neurodivergency, sexual assault, drugs, classism

“Alex smiled then, a small thing, a glimpse of the girl lurking inside her, a happy, less haunted girl. That was what magic did. It revealed the heart of who you’d been before life took away your belief in the possible. It gave back the world all lonely children longed for.”

WRITING STYLE—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

CHARACTERS—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

STORY/PLOT—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

BONUS ELEMENT/S—The worldbuilding with the ghosts and the magic system was really really deep and well done.—“Death words could be anything, really, as long as they spoke of the things Grays feared most—the finality of passing, a life without legacy, the emptiness of the hereafter.” This was also one of the best dark academia books I’ve ever read—all the classic literature quotes and references were so fun!

PHILOSOPHY—⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️—“He didn’t know how precious a normal life could be, how easy it was to drift away from average. You started sleeping until noon, skipped one class, one day of school, lost one job, then another, forgot the way that normal people did things. You lost the language of ordinary life. And then, without meaning to, you crossed into a country from which you couldn’t return. You lived in a state where the ground always seemed to be slipping from beneath your feet, with no way back to someplace solid.” Yeah.

“The current is strong and inevitably we all succumb.”

Full disclosure: for the first hundred pages I wasn’t sure I was really going to get into the story, but after Chapter 6 I was *obsessed*.

I TOTALLY understand that this book is not going to be for everyone. The content is extremely difficult and uncomfortable to sit with however I personally thought it was extremely well handled and intentional and I found Alex and her experiences to be SO goddamn relatable that I didn’t resent or question Bardugo for any of the choices she made regarding the graphic content of the story. *pause* Will I be able to handle this content in the screen adaptation of this book? That is unlikely. 😅😅

“You shouldn’t be ashamed to be different,” her mother had said when Alex had summoned the courage to ask for the name change. “I called you Galaxy for a reason.” Alex didn’t disagree. Most of the books she read and the TV shows she watched told her different was okay. Different was great! Except no one was different quite like her.”

However, one of the reasons I love Bardugo so much is that the deeper philosophy behind her books is always solid. I know she’s never going to disappoint me on that front. Not only did this book not disappoint philosophically, it had a PLETHORA of PHENOMENAL deeper philosophical themes. Her treatment of themes from neurodivergency, to classism, poverty & disenfranchisement, to abuse, to death, to college, to abandonment & isolation, made it feel as though Bardugo was reaching out through the pages to tell me that she knows what it’s like, that it’s beyond hard, impossible even, barely survivable, almost entirely hopeless all of the time and that even though all that is true, she wants me and others like me, like us, to know that whatever happens, however we feel, we’re actually *not* entirely alone, and that all our lives have *tremendous* value and that we ourselves have *tremendous* power.

“You thought you saw me. See me now.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

TW // I absolutely loved this book but I strongly encourage you to go with your gut before reading and check out the full list of CWs on the storygraph! Graphic: rape (ch 7, ch 16, ch 19), sexual abuse of a child (ch 7, ch 19), bullying, drug use & drug dealing, death & murder, feces; Brief mention: forced institutionalization, white colonization & theft of items of indigenous cultural heritage (There are definitely more so like I said, I recommend checking out the storygraph. Please feel free to DM me for more specifics!)

Further Reading—

Legendborn, by Tracy Deonn
A Discovery of Witches, by Deborah Harkness
Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke
Freshwater, by Akwaeke Emezi
Oligarchy, by Scarlett Thomas

Favorite Quotes:

“She had the eerie sense that they were dreaming her, a girl in a dark coat who would disappear when they woke.”

“He didn’t know how precious a normal life could be, how easy it was to drift away from average. You started sleeping until noon, skipped one class, one day of school, lost one job, then another, forgot the way that normal people did things. You lost the language of ordinary life. And then, without meaning to, you crossed into a country from which you couldn’t return. You lived in a state where the ground always seemed to be slipping from beneath your feet, with no way back to someplace solid.”

“…this was the moment he’d been waiting for: the chance to show someone else wonder, to watch them realize that they had not been lied to, that the world they’d been promised as children was not something that had to be abandoned, that there really was something lurking the wood, beneath the stairs, between the stars, that everything was full of mystery.”

“Alex smiled then, a small thing, a glimpse of the girl lurking inside her, a happy, less haunted girl. That was what magic did. It revealed the heart of who you’d been before life took away your belief in the possible. It gave back the world all lonely children longed for.”

“Death words could be anything, really, as long as they spoke of the things Grays feared most—the finality of passing, a life without legacy, the emptiness of the hereafter.”

“But if Beinecke was a living house of words, then it was one grand memorial to the end of everything.”

“It was strange to Alex that the smell of books was always the same. The ancient documents in the climate-controlled stacks and glass cases of Beinecke. The research rooms at Sterling. The changeable library of Lethe House. They all had the same scent as the fluorescence-lit reading rooms full of cheap paperbacks she’d lived in as a kid.”

“They talked about death like it was a breach of manners.”

“You shouldn’t be ashamed to be different,” her mother had said when Alex had summoned the courage to ask for the name change. “I called you Galaxy for a reason.” Alex didn’t disagree. Most of the books she read and the TV shows she watched told her different was okay. Different was great! Except no one was different quite like her.”

“No one could see the things hurting her.”

“He’d taken some papers out of his briefcase, an old essay she’d written when she still bothered going to school. She didn’t remember writing it, but the title read, A Day in My Life. A big red F was scrawled over the top, beside the words The assignment was not fiction.”

“This was the Connecticut Alex had dreamed of—farmhouses without farms, sturdy red-brick colonials with black doors and tidy white trim, a neighborhood full of wood-burning fireplaces, gently tended lawns, windows glowing golden in the night like passageways to a better life, kitchens where something good bubbled on the stove, breakfast tables scattered with crayons. No one drew their curtains; light and heat and good fortune spilled out into the dark as if these foolish people didn’t know what such bounty might attract, as if they’d left these shining doorways open for any hungry girl to walk through.”

“They tried to kill me, Hellie,” she rasped as she slid into the dark. That means I get to try to kill them.

“Darlington had never managed more than a grudging respect for mid-century architecture. Despite his best attempts to admire its severe lines, its clean execution, it always fell flat for him. His father had openly mocked his son’s bourgeois taste for turrets and gabled roofs.”--same lol

“Mirror magic is all about reflection and perception. A lie isn’t a lie until someone believes it. It doesn’t matter how charming you are if there’s no one to charm.”

“Halloween was a night when the dead came alive because the living were more alive: happy children high on candy, angry teenagers with eggs and shaving cream tucked into their hoodies, drunk college students in masks and wings and horns giving themselves permission to be something else—angel, demon, devil, good doctor, bad nurse. The sweat and excitement, the over-sugared punches loaded with fruit and grain alcohol. The Grays could not resist.”

“Because people who can’t be bothered with manners pretend to be amused by them.”

“You didn’t talk. You didn’t tell. That was how CPS got called. That was how you got locked up “for observation”.”

“I’m trying to keep things as normal as they can be in a world where monsters live.”

“The current is strong and inevitably we all succumb.”

“It was something they had in common, though it had never really felt that way.”

“…there was a big difference between things being fair and things being set right.”

“No one realizes how much life happens between the wounds, how much it has to offer.”

“Did they hand him the same Life of Lethe booklet? A long file full of horror stories? A commemorative mug that said Monsters Are Real?”

“We’re all racists, Dawes,” said Alex. “How did you even make it through undergrad?”

“You thought you saw me. See me now.”

“When she was fighting for her life, it was strictly pass/fail. All she had to do was survive and she could call it a win.”

“The Houses of the Veil had too much power, and the rules they had put in place were really about controlling access to that power, not limiting the damage it could do.”

“I know their names.” And names had power. She spoke them one after another, a poem of lost girls…”

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