Scan barcode
A review by bookcapybara
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
adventurous
dark
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? Yes
4.0
I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that reads quite like this one.
The story’s voice was wonderfully novel, and the world was original in a way that continued to surprise me. It took a while for the plot to get going, but once it did, I was hooked. I adored the dynamic that developed between Gideon and Harrow as the book progressed.
I’ll run through the reasons that kept me from rating this five stars, but keep in mind that none of these issues were enough to stop me from thoroughly enjoying the book.
First off, while the book was very funny, I feel like there were a few points where this humour undermined the tone of a scene.
The way the world building was introduced made me feel like not only had I been thrown in the deep end, but someone was holding my head underneath the water. While I do prefer this over the other extreme - a slow and tedious introduction to the world - I was regularly being pulled out of the story to puzzle over some unfamiliar terminology or title, trying to remember if this was something I was meant to understand at this point.
On top of figuring out the rules of the world, I struggled to keep track the numerous secondary characters that were introduced in quick succession. The story seemed to expect me to quickly pick up on their first name, last name, which house they came from, and who their corresponding necromancer/cavalier was. I was able to get the hang of it by the end of the book, but until then I spent a lot of time getting characters confused for one another.
I also found I had trouble following the descriptions for a fair few scenes. I honestly can’t specify why, but I had to read over several paragraphs multiple times to try and figure out what the layout of a room was. At least once I just gave up and read on, hoping it would become clear as the characters began to interact with it.
Overall, this is a very good book. If the premise at all intrigues you, I recommend it, and I will definitely be picking up the sequels.
The story’s voice was wonderfully novel, and the world was original in a way that continued to surprise me. It took a while for the plot to get going, but once it did, I was hooked. I adored the dynamic that developed between Gideon and Harrow as the book progressed.
I’ll run through the reasons that kept me from rating this five stars, but keep in mind that none of these issues were enough to stop me from thoroughly enjoying the book.
First off, while the book was very funny, I feel like there were a few points where this humour undermined the tone of a scene.
The way the world building was introduced made me feel like not only had I been thrown in the deep end, but someone was holding my head underneath the water. While I do prefer this over the other extreme - a slow and tedious introduction to the world - I was regularly being pulled out of the story to puzzle over some unfamiliar terminology or title, trying to remember if this was something I was meant to understand at this point.
On top of figuring out the rules of the world, I struggled to keep track the numerous secondary characters that were introduced in quick succession. The story seemed to expect me to quickly pick up on their first name, last name, which house they came from, and who their corresponding necromancer/cavalier was. I was able to get the hang of it by the end of the book, but until then I spent a lot of time getting characters confused for one another.
I also found I had trouble following the descriptions for a fair few scenes. I honestly can’t specify why, but I had to read over several paragraphs multiple times to try and figure out what the layout of a room was. At least once I just gave up and read on, hoping it would become clear as the characters began to interact with it.
Overall, this is a very good book. If the premise at all intrigues you, I recommend it, and I will definitely be picking up the sequels.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Gore, Blood, Body horror, Suicide, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Murder, Cursing, Cancer, Death of parent, Child death, and Self harm