A review by yosta56
Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Subjectively, asking me if I liked this book is like asking me if I like having fun, yes, yes I do, I love having fun. Objectively I think this is the worst book in the series, for two brief but pervasive reasons:
1. Very little actually happens
A lot of the book's plot and development is either retrospective or inconsequential. The few things that do happen are marvelous but it's never a big enough payoff to justify everything else
2. The Main Character and Muir's style don't quite mix
Gideon was irreverent and crude, Harrow was eloquent and angsty, both work with Muir's potent prose but I found the eponymous Nona and her childlike wonder and innocence to actually be in conflict with Nona's perspective. This is somewhat assuaged by the third person perspective but there are downright jarring passages that feel way off base for how most of the narration reads. 

There are probably more reasons but these are the two I noticed the most. So, objective 3.5/5, leaning closer to 3, I'd say maybe skip this one but it does have some really relevant information to the story. Subjectively, I'm a complete sucker, 5/5, I loved Nona and the Hot Sauce Gang. 
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