A review by darkdyce
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This was a fun and engaging read once it got into the swing of things. Slowly understanding motivations and unraveling the lore of the universe that Muir built was a joy. She crafted an entire solar system and it's beliefs, and let it be uncovered slowly as to not let the reader be overwhelmed by its all, and I found that I was enjoying learning new bits of lore as they came up. It felt like a prequel to the upcoming series that you didn't even realize until it was all done. I found the action exciting with Gideon rattling off one liners that gave her the feel of an action hero, back up by her actual prowess and confidence. The back and forth between the two main characters got a bit tiresome, but once the third act started, it all payed off in a big way, even if it was altogether sudden. I think Gideons relationship with Harrow is more complex than anyone, even the writer, gives credit to. But looking deeper into it and the history between the two means that I am going to think about this book for a while and I am interested to see where it goes from here. 
The ending could be very divisive and I am not sure how I like how it all wrapped up. It makes sense
and is beatiful in ways as it shows an ultimate act of love and sacrifice
but is also kind of annoying all at once with
Gideon now being gone, the future books may suffer from her absence.
I also thought the writing was overly wordy and pedantic at times, not really fitting the context and tone of the book. I am all for descriptive words, but I don't think they should have been used so firviously in this book, being what it was. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book as it was a great mix of action, mystery, and tension that was told through the lens of a total badass.
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