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A review by astrangewind
Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Harrow the Ninth is raw, intense, and - forgive me - harrowing.
Its pace is agonizingly slow, which suits it perfectly. Harrow struggles with mastering her own brain; she's left out of every conversation that involves her, treated like a paranoid child; she grapples with pain and fear so severe that you feel these things as a reader.
The second-person perspective works so well to pull the reader into the frightening place that is Harrow's life. As a reader, you feel like you're a part of it. And the tone! You also feel like you're being talked down, treated like dirt, like less than dirt. It's difficult to read for this reason, among others, but it's also even more difficult to put down once you start.
It's a clever, sinister, difficult, gory, sort of gay masterpiece of a book.
Its pace is agonizingly slow, which suits it perfectly. Harrow struggles with mastering her own brain; she's left out of every conversation that involves her, treated like a paranoid child; she grapples with pain and fear so severe that you feel these things as a reader.
The second-person perspective works so well to pull the reader into the frightening place that is Harrow's life. As a reader, you feel like you're a part of it. And the tone! You also feel like you're being talked down, treated like dirt, like less than dirt. It's difficult to read for this reason, among others, but it's also even more difficult to put down once you start.
It's a clever, sinister, difficult, gory, sort of gay masterpiece of a book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Medical content
Minor: Addiction, Child death, Genocide, Sexual content, Suicide