A review by starshynebrite
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous challenging tense medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing me with the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my review which is unbiased and honest.

All I knew about this book going in was dark academia and paranormal activity and while I’m usually not a person that’s into scary things, this had the PERFECT level of “scare”.

The first chapter threw me off a little because I legitimately had no idea what was going on, but once I got into it it was like a puzzle trying to piece together what was happening, especially because the timeline alternated between “present” and past with dual POV.

I gotta say, I absolutely loved the narrators for both Alex and Darlington (especially Darlington, whoops). I was easily pulled into the story and it was really easy to follow along which is always great in audiobooks especially!

I also just really loved that this was such a visual book. I really felt like I was in the book and seeing everything play out vividly, especially in the end. It was overall a really vivid experience which I didn’t really expect.

The plot itself was a bit slower paced, but I enjoyed it a lot. It helped ease me into the new concepts and everything that was introduced was easier to grasp because of that. It does pick up a little over halfway, especially as we get to know Alex’s character a bit better.

I wasn’t too fond of Alex in the beginning because she was very closed off as a narrator and I didn’t get any background or substance until later. But I grew to enjoy her POV, especially as the storyline picked up and pieces started to come together. I’m a sucker for development and especially love it when things start to click in different ways. If I want to re read a book, that’s always a good sign. And this was definitely a book I would enjoy diving back into to see the trail of clues left to solidify that ending.

I would definitely recommend looking into the trigger warnings HERE because this does deal with a few really intense scenes and because the book is a very well rounded experience, it can definitely get a little graphic.

I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of ghosts and mysteries, a little bit of murder (okay a lot), dual POVs, some kind-of embarrassing moments, and illusions and other kinds of fun magic. This is perfect for anyone who wants some interesting female friendships, likes to solve mysteries even when they literally have no idea what they’re doing, communicating with the dead, and tragic backstories.
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