A review by ehmannky
Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

challenging dark tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Truly wild and I was totally lost about 80% of the time and this is maybe one of the best books I've read this year. This is just such a profoundly different kind of fantasy/science fiction book and I adore it. 

So much of it is in a second-person narrative, and I barely even noticed it (until the twist comes in and I screamed--totally forgot about this twist on the second read through).  I feel like it would have been so easy to just stick with the irreverent humor of Gideon and weirdness of the first book for the entirety of the sequel, but Muir takes so many risks that pay off dramatically and it's so great. The humor is still there, but it's just coupled with a lot of deep feelings. It's a maddening and spectacular book.

Even knowing the twist at the end just enhanced the book for me. I felt there was so much foreshadowing and hints about what is to come that I just did not recognize the first time I read through it (because the first time I read it I felt I was being gaslit and was just trying to stay afloat) and it's just a delight to read. 
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