Scan barcode
A review by sarasreadingnook
The Nine: Origins by Kes Trester
2.25
"The Nine: Origins" has a fascinating premise and a beautiful cover, both of which sparked my interest and compelled me to read this book. I liked the concept of the nine gifts and wanted to learn more about what they looked like in practice, who would be able to use them, and what they meant in terms of the overarching story.
As I read the book, there were quite a few issues that I encountered along the way. Many chapters featured odd pacing and transitions and needed to be fleshed out. It improved in later chapters but was an issue for at least 1/3 of the book. Some descriptive terminology ranged from off-putting to awkward. For example, "anemic" was used as a descriptor for a peach tree (jarring to use this in YA, although a tree can exhibit iron deficiency, assuming that is the intent here). The description of Cindy and her boyfriend in Chapter 7 was judgemental at best. These are only two examples. The more frequently I encountered this type of language, the harder it was for me to continue reading the book and root for Blake.
Many of the characters lacked depth and reflected stereotypes. Because this book is a YA novel, I would expect it to be able to contend with other books within that category. Unfortunately, it isn't up to par with what we can find on the market.
The most favourable features of this book are the overall story and the magic system. I will not continue this series, but I am thankful for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Where to find us:
Blog | Bookstagram | Twitter | Booktube | BookTok | Storygraph
As I read the book, there were quite a few issues that I encountered along the way. Many chapters featured odd pacing and transitions and needed to be fleshed out. It improved in later chapters but was an issue for at least 1/3 of the book. Some descriptive terminology ranged from off-putting to awkward. For example, "anemic" was used as a descriptor for a peach tree (jarring to use this in YA, although a tree can exhibit iron deficiency, assuming that is the intent here). The description of Cindy and her boyfriend in Chapter 7 was judgemental at best. These are only two examples. The more frequently I encountered this type of language, the harder it was for me to continue reading the book and root for Blake.
Many of the characters lacked depth and reflected stereotypes. Because this book is a YA novel, I would expect it to be able to contend with other books within that category. Unfortunately, it isn't up to par with what we can find on the market.
The most favourable features of this book are the overall story and the magic system. I will not continue this series, but I am thankful for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Where to find us:
Blog | Bookstagram | Twitter | Booktube | BookTok | Storygraph