A review by mads_reads_books
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

challenging dark 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

3.0

I was enjoying this book and all it’s literary references until the final 10%. I listened to the audiobook which was at times a bit difficult to follow due to this book adding quotations from journals and other fictional works within the world of Lethe into the ends of chapters, they probably would have been more impactful reading the ebook or the physical book than they were in the audiobook format. I’m not sure if I would read a 2nd book in this series, I liked everything with Darlington and Alex and would like to see more of that dynamic. I didn’t mean to read a bunch of Leigh Bardugo this month, but this book came up on my library holds right when I needed a new audiobook so this is where I’m at. 

Overall I’m a bit tepid about this book, it was interesting enough to keep me engaged but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it to anyone. I did like the paranormal mixed together with the murder mystery, I don’t read very many books with ghosts in them so I’m not sure if it was the book itself or that element that I wasn’t thrilled with. I am a big fan of Gilmore Girls so this book definitely made me think of Rory’s time at Yale and hanging out with the Life and Death Brigade. 

If you liked ghosts in modern day Yale and a little paranormal murder mystery this may be the book for you. 

Content warnings for this book: attempted assault, drug use, child abandonment, sexual assault, suicide, homicide.
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