A review by hanarama
Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


The Good:
• Expands worldbuilding
• Genre busting
• Complicated characters
• Wild reveal

The Bad:
 • Can be hard to remember who all the side characters are.

You Might Like this if You Like:
• Necromancers 
• Goth aesthetic
• Non-linear storytelling 

After the end of Gideon the Ninth, I wasn't sure what to expect, but Tamsyn Muir truly delivers. Harrow the Ninth builds off of what the first book set up. With Harrow as the main POV this time around, the cruel and distant necromancer is revealed to be vulnerable, perfectionist, and very relatable. 

Beyond the exploration of Harrow's character, Muir expands the setting a lot, showing the reader so much of the history of the empire, despite the somewhat minimal setting that the story takes place in. 

The storytelling is really unique. Totally unexpected from what happened at the end of Gideon the Ninth. The non-linear storytelling and inconsistencies with the previous book clue the reader in right away that something is wrong. However the slow reveal of what happened really deepens Harrow as a character. 

It can be difficult at times to keep all of the side characters sorted, because there are loads and loads of them. The main characters stand out though, and the issue is mostly a minor one. It's just that with so many characters, it's difficult for them all to be developed or to make a mark. 
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