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A review by vaxildidi
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
4.0
3.75-4/4, but overall a fun read. (Edited to bump the score a little and expand on my thoughts on the ending)
If you're looking for the Next Great Fantasy/Sci-Fi Masterpiece in line with a 'Fifth Season' or 'Dune' or 'Stormlight Archives,' this might not be for you.
If you're looking for a fun, campy, fantasy murder mystery with some sci-fi trappings and relateable characters, this is exactly what you're looking for.
I think my favorite part of this novel, and it's going to be very love/hate for people, is the writing style. This was written as if it was from the point of view of a himbo lesbian who knows 2 things: how to swing a longsword and that ladies are hot.
The necromancy was interesting, loved the offhand revelation that using it caused necromancers to sweat blood and how extreme it can get when they use it beyond "normal" means.
I feel like Gideon's "Darkest Night of the Soul" was rushed by a little bit, but the last quarter of the book from just before the Big Reveal was fantastic. The last 10-15 pages are great.
Keeping it as spoiler free as possible, I will admit that this book is a little bit of a mess both pacing and geography wise. Most of it takes place in a giant castle but it was hard to ever really keep track of where anything was in that castle.
As for the pacing, like I said it was a bit all over the place, some stuff was rushed while other things were sat on for a bit longer than I felt necessary.
Adding in some deeper thoughts about the ending, now that Ive slept on it: I think it was fantastic. While I do think the pacing of the plot and some character stuff wasnt great, what was phenomenally paced was the relationship between Harrowhark and Gideon. From two callous and bratty teens who couldnt stand the sight of each other to two people forced to worked together, to having a begrudging respect for each other, and admitting that they are all each other have and that they deeply care about each other, until finally it is honestly a brilliant and poignant ending to like I said an absolute milkshake of a book.
If you're looking for the Next Great Fantasy/Sci-Fi Masterpiece in line with a 'Fifth Season' or 'Dune' or 'Stormlight Archives,' this might not be for you.
If you're looking for a fun, campy, fantasy murder mystery with some sci-fi trappings and relateable characters, this is exactly what you're looking for.
I think my favorite part of this novel, and it's going to be very love/hate for people, is the writing style. This was written as if it was from the point of view of a himbo lesbian who knows 2 things: how to swing a longsword and that ladies are hot.
The necromancy was interesting, loved the offhand revelation that using it caused necromancers to sweat blood and how extreme it can get when they use it beyond "normal" means.
I feel like Gideon's "Darkest Night of the Soul" was rushed by a little bit, but the last quarter of the book from just before the Big Reveal was fantastic. The last 10-15 pages are great.
Keeping it as spoiler free as possible, I will admit that this book is a little bit of a mess both pacing and geography wise. Most of it takes place in a giant castle but it was hard to ever really keep track of where anything was in that castle.
As for the pacing, like I said it was a bit all over the place, some stuff was rushed while other things were sat on for a bit longer than I felt necessary.
Spoiler
For example, like I said, the classic Darkest Night of The Soul, for Gideon, where the two teenagers are brutally murdered and things come to a head with Harrow, all happens within the span of a dozen or so pages and a chapter later Gideon is back to herself. This book isnt short by any means, but I do think we couldve slowed down, added some things, or moved some things around so they happened while Gideon is at her lowest.Adding in some deeper thoughts about the ending, now that Ive slept on it: I think it was fantastic. While I do think the pacing of the plot and some character stuff wasnt great, what was phenomenally paced was the relationship between Harrowhark and Gideon. From two callous and bratty teens who couldnt stand the sight of each other to two people forced to worked together, to having a begrudging respect for each other, and admitting that they are all each other have and that they deeply care about each other, until finally