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A review by stjehanne
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
2.0
I just don't know how to feel about this book. As this is mainly marketed as a story for adults, I will judge it as such.
Honestly, the lack of worldbuilding was a huge issue for Gideon the Ninth : Sometimes, I even forgot this was supposed to be set in a sci-fi world since space was hardly ever relevant to the plot. The magic felt intangible and I still can't quite describe how it is supposed to work.
However, my biggest problem with the novel is the cast of characters it presents to the reader. If I'm being honest, a majority of the people we meet contributes next to nothing to the overall narrative. It is hard to get attached to any of them since they're all paper-thin, underdeveloped. Most of them can be boiled down to a single trope.
Gideon would be the perfect protagonist for a YA novel but fails to impress in the context of adult literature. I found her rather obnoxious due to her constant barrage of pop-culture references and juvenile jokes. Not that there is anything wrong with this - she is a teenager after all! But it's just really not my cup of tea.
Speaking of things that I wasn't really into. Spoilers.
Did I enjoy the book? Not really. All in all, this would have worked much better as purely YA story. As it is, it feels underdeveloped at best and tedious at worst.
Two stars because I really liked Camilla, actually.
Honestly, the lack of worldbuilding was a huge issue for Gideon the Ninth : Sometimes, I even forgot this was supposed to be set in a sci-fi world since space was hardly ever relevant to the plot. The magic felt intangible and I still can't quite describe how it is supposed to work.
However, my biggest problem with the novel is the cast of characters it presents to the reader. If I'm being honest, a majority of the people we meet contributes next to nothing to the overall narrative. It is hard to get attached to any of them since they're all paper-thin, underdeveloped. Most of them can be boiled down to a single trope.
Gideon would be the perfect protagonist for a YA novel but fails to impress in the context of adult literature. I found her rather obnoxious due to her constant barrage of pop-culture references and juvenile jokes. Not that there is anything wrong with this - she is a teenager after all! But it's just really not my cup of tea.
Speaking of things that I wasn't really into. Spoilers.
Spoiler
Ianthe has some sort of Joker Arc at the end of the book and it is HILARIOUS. The drama. The edge. I couldn't take her seriously. This is not how to write a plot twist, obviously, but it was a nice comic relief.Did I enjoy the book? Not really. All in all, this would have worked much better as purely YA story. As it is, it feels underdeveloped at best and tedious at worst.
Two stars because I really liked Camilla, actually.