A review by mariebrunelm
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Lesbian necromancers in space, anyone ? That premise might sound too good to be true, but that book delivers. It is a wild ride, so dark and so fun at the same time.
Gideon was born in the Ninth House, a decrepit place full of decrepit people. She can’t wait to get out but when she finally makes an escape plan things don’t quite go according to plan and she ends up playing bodyguard for the Reverend Daughter, heir to the House, instead. In addition, they are invited to what is basically an escape game with candidates from the other eight houses in a weird palace in which things will definitely not go according to plan.
This book is so unique and, once again, pure fun. I giggled at the author’s way of describing things and people. Sure, over 18 characters were way too much for my tired brain to compute, but even then I had a great time following grumpy Gideon and grumpier Harrow (or the reverse — who knows who’d win a grumpy contest between those two). This book is filled to the brim with badassery, but also with heart, and it scratched an itch I didn’t know I had.
Rep: go lesbians !
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