A review by alouette
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

adventurous dark funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

feels like half the worldbuilding didn't actually make it onto the page, leaving me confused for most of the plot related aspects. the battle scenes were cool and well written, though, and the idea of the trials was fascinating (very danganronpa-esque!). 

meanwhile, the character related aspects: while there was a really cool overall cast, the direction the author took with gideon's character and her relationship with harrow made me incredibly uncomfortable. a lot of gideon's POV is just her watching other people accomplish things or discuss things or be proactive, and the things that she accomplishes are often done at the behest of others. she was witty and brave, but felt like more of a commentator than a character.

and then the ending... 
for gideon to sacrifice her life for a girl in a position of power over her who legitimately tortured her for years? ew
there's a difference between dark books for the sake of sending a message and books that romanticize abusive behaviour. this leaned heavily towards the latter, especially when half the marketing is about there being lesbians.
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