A review by leilasullivan
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

3.0

TW: themes of sexual assault and addiction (Spoiler Free)

I wanted to review this while it was still fresh in my mind, as I'm a little disappointed! I so badly wanted to love this book, the promise of magic and the dark academia world-building thoroughly enticed me - but it felt a little lackluster. I've added a trigger warning because this book does touch on some sensitive topics, especially surrounding the lead Alex herself.

Comparing this novel to Leigh Bardugo's previous work Six of Crows (which I adored), the pacing felt so slow - there is a lot of lore to this book, surrounding the secret societies of Yale, so much so I kept getting them muddled with one another. The concept of these societies was really interesting, but it felt like I was pelted with an immense amount of information without the time to properly digest it. The plot twists were underwhelming and read more as a method of convenience rather than to actually further the storyline; this detachment made my interest waver, by the end I felt I wasn't really invested at all. To me, it just seemed a little ... messy? So much information crammed into the singular novel yet it felt like such a slow read.

Regardless of the plot, I loved the characterisation of Alex and Darlington. Alex was wonderfully flawed and fleshed out, I will always have a soft spot for the representation of strong female characters (and I feel Alex represented this very well). I am slightly in love with Darlington, his appreciation for education is endearing, and I like that he stays true to his values throughout the text. For this reason, I will probably read the second book when it comes out, in the hope that the world-building is now out of the way - allowing more focus on the characters and how their lives intertwine with one another (especially Dawes, I'd love to read more about her!).

This book was a three star read for me - I just wanted something more, a world of magic that I could completely immerse myself into. It was still a good read, but my initial enthusiasm was sadly misplaced.