A review by theveronicareview
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

 Ninth House was my first foray into the work of Leigh Bardugo, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It did start off rather slow, taking me about 100 pages to really get into the narrative, and things stayed fast and interesting from there. 

Alex Stern is a great, dynamic character - tough and stoic but desiring of acceptance and familiarity. I've heard a bit of love for Darlington, but I honestly didn't get much from him - though I am eager to see how/if his storyline continues in Hell Bent. Turner and Dawes also made for great supporting characters - I hope to see them again in the sequel. 

Overall, I loved Bardugo's writing style. While the beginning felt long, in retrospect, I appreciate the time taken to introduce the reader to this storyline and to develop the gothic nature of the plot so that the immersion stayed true once the more significant events started taking place. As a result, the last paragraph ended up giving me chills, and set up the sequel perfectly. 

I hope I can pick up a copy of Hell Bent soon. I definitely want to read her other works, and she has a new book coming out next year!