A review by folkofthebook
Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

wowowowow

what a ride. the first half can definitely be a bit overwhelming, bc you're thrown into the story about 8 months ish from when gideon the ninth ended. the landscape has changed immensely, and you have to piece together much again as this time it's harrow's POV - and she's in the dark and maybe a bit, as she puts it, insane.

i did have a bit of a leg up from seeing a small but important spoiler that gave me a lot of perspective as i read, but even then it's a bit of a mindfuck read. the already not-quite-simple world of gideon expands even moreso in harrow, as we uncover more about the emperor, his lyctors, their complicated relationships, and the dark forces they run and fight.

after about halfway through i felt a noticeable pickup in pace and more pieces of the puzzle start to slowly but steadily come together. i was quite impressed with how muir stepped up with this book. the curtain is pulled back to uncover more than we could have conceived reading book 1.

i can see how this might be a challenging read for some, but personally i really enjoyed it and i'm definitely starting nona soon.