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A review by koyali
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
The book was honestly pretty good. I enjoyed the premise, but the characters were difficult to get attached to. Alex was a good main character, I loved her gray morals. Her backstory was very tragic, a little difficult to get through(I didn't read the trigger warnings so it was unexpected, but the author handled the topic very well), and it was a fun spin on the whole 'seeing ghosts' trope. Though I wish we would've gotten more information related to Dawes and Turner, I assume that it'll come in the next book.
However, the relationships between the characters were quite...muddy. I liked their dynamics a lot, but I didn't feel any attachment to them. They were just very ok in general. If I were to choose a favorite character, it would definitely be North. By far the most entertaining to read about, but a close second would be Turner and maybe Darlington and Dawes? All of them were just incredibly okay...
As a person on the asexual spectrum, I didn't find the sexual content to be that bad. There's one or two instances of detailed sex and a lot of mentions of it throughout the book(I stress that you read the trigger warnings if you are uncomfortable with sexual content).
The plot twists were quite interesting as well, though I wish this would have been marketed as a mystery series instead of a fantasy. Of course, the fantasy elements were all over, but I was more interested in how the plot unraveled rather than any of the occult.
Overall, 3.5/5. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a funky occult mystery with some dark elements and funny banter.
However, the relationships between the characters were quite...muddy. I liked their dynamics a lot, but I didn't feel any attachment to them. They were just very ok in general. If I were to choose a favorite character, it would definitely be North. By far the most entertaining to read about, but a close second would be Turner and maybe Darlington and Dawes? All of them were just incredibly okay...
As a person on the asexual spectrum, I didn't find the sexual content to be that bad. There's one or two instances of detailed sex and a lot of mentions of it throughout the book(I stress that you read the trigger warnings if you are uncomfortable with sexual content).
The plot twists were quite interesting as well, though I wish this would have been marketed as a mystery series instead of a fantasy. Of course, the fantasy elements were all over, but I was more interested in how the plot unraveled rather than any of the occult.
Overall, 3.5/5. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a funky occult mystery with some dark elements and funny banter.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, and Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse and Drug use
Minor: Body horror