A review by lyderz_
Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 
If this is an incoherent mess, blame the fact that I’m trying to tackle the most mind bending book I have ever read, in my first review… so here we go. 

I’ll preface this by saying that I absolutely adored Gideon the Ninth, and so I went into this book with the confident, giddy, ease of someone who thought she was in for a smooth continuation of that story. You could say that I was immediately disoriented. If reading Gideon the Ninth was like trying to piece together a puzzle, Harrow the Ninth was like being dropped into the middle of a pitch dark maze. A maze with lit up exit signs that turn out to be misleading lies, transporting you right back to the start. It’s frustrating in a truly agonizing and addicting type of way that I have never experienced from a book before. Maybe that’s why I loved it. 

As suggested by the title, we delve into all things Harrow. I thoroughly enjoyed wading through the depths of her character. There’s not much I can say without spoiling anything… but I think this book managed to be a nice middle point between being a character study and being plot driven. There’s mystery, extensions of earlier world building, intriguing new characters and high stakes pushing the narrative right alongside the ordeal of being Harrowhark Nonagesimus. 

Let's talk a little about pacing because this book can be a bit daunting. Like I said, the beginning was a shock, we have crazy things going on with timelines and perspectives that might take awhile to get used to but after the initial confusion, it was all intrigue for me. I never lost interest, fueled by the maddening need to make it make sense. I realize that not all readers will enjoy this type of perpetual confusion but I personally think it’s worth it by the end. If you ever do find yourself in a slump with this book I’d recommend at least trying to get to Act 4 because I think that really is when the story hits a turning point. At this point things start to add up and speed up as well. 

To wrap this up I’ll say that I’m typically a pretty emotional reader but this book took it to a new level. I laughed, I gasped, I sniffled and sobbed at 2am. There were lines that stopped me in my tracks and passages that I had to read over again and read aloud. It’s got gore that genuinely freaked me out, and tragedy written all over it. This is one of those books that is going to be a completely new experience upon rereading, which I am definitely looking forward to. Because what else is there to do with my life while I wait for Alecto the Ninth?!

 
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