therealratking's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Violence, Body horror, Murder, Death, Genocide, War, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Cannibalism
lolajh's review against another edition
- 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
Spoiler
I just wish there was interaction between Harrow and Gideon or Alecto and Pyrrha and noodle and paul but I get why Tamsyn wants to leave us to anticipate all that for the finale lolThis book was very different to the others in so many ways—not a bad thing—in regards to the
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initialSpoiler
but not really the more you read it lolSpoiler
like the history of necromancy and earthSpoiler
which lets talk about the dreams, because at first I thought the dreams about the Resurrection was what Nona dreamt of each night, then I thought they were purely just harrow’s fictional dreams, but then I realised they’re Harrow’s dreams of Alecto’s memories and that what Nona’s recurring dream consists of is the pool scene with Harrow and Gideon from book 1 (this reddit thread was a godsend Jesus 😮💨) With the Resurrection dream sequence throughout the book, I was definitely quite relieved and interested to receive the intricate explanation of it that is far more in depth than in book 2. I loved learning about Alecto’s history and who she was, and was really connected with her story prior to Nona. Even though she’s a very powerful resurrection beast and the utter soul of the earth, when the earth was killed she was practically just a child who got taken advantage of by John into forming a Lyctor bond with him, into loving him, into giving him so much power and then being locked away in a tomb created just for her merely because she’s a resurrection beast for 10 000 fucking years. John’s relationship with her is very much icky and weird just as Harrow’s is, and I need to see Alecto realising he’s not good for her and go apeshit on him. Also learning how John became a necromancer, the first necromancer in fact, was so…intriguing? I feel like a lot the necromancy practiced in this series is mostly focused on humans, but the fact that John can grow flowers changes everything about the necromancy being taught in the Houses. There’s potential for life to be grown through necromancy, if it even can be called that anymore? The powers the Earth gave to John were ‘life and death’ powers, and he seemed to only use life powers on humans and death powers on everything else. I believe he could’ve actually fixed the world by growing back the deforested trees all over the world, but his thirst and greed for power didn’t even allow him to take this into account. I would really love if Harrow, after seeing these memories of necromancy, realises she could be capable of growing life like trees and plants and grass after her whole life dealing with only death. I know it’s a lot to hope for, but imagine if the series ends with John dead and Harrow and Gideon on their own planet that Harrow regrew with life and she doesn’t have to manipulate death anymore 🥹 I really need a happy ending like this man.The astonishing way in which this is written allows you to find out about things at just the right time, to have questions answered after impatient weeks of reading, and to finally have some somewhat satisfaction
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that usually just ended up with me crying. Me realising Nona’s dying??? Camilla and Palamedes basically both dying to become a single blended soul as a Lyctor??? 😃 fuck!!!!! No but there’s actual satisfying realisations too, like understanding Nona is Alecto but that Nona and Alecto act differently because Nona has the memories of the earth, but not the memories of Alecto when she got resurrected as a person. She knows all the languages and animals that have existed on earth, finds comfort in eating sand and bathing in saltwater because she is the earth, and connects with Varun because she’s a resurrection beast too.Spoiler
Also I just need to talk about Gideon for a bit (btw wifegideonnav on tumblr summed up her character in this book perfectly) The past two books Gideon has been the one telling the story. We’re able to see what’s going on in her mind and for the most part, we’re on her side. In this book, Nona hasn’t known Gideon as long as we have, and she doesn’t like her. Gideon acts practically the same as she has previously, but for some weird reason, she appears unlikeable just because Nona doesn’t like her and TAMSYN OH MY GOD you are a genius for manipulating me like that. I got PISSED OFF when Gideon was mean to Nona and called her an infant even though Gideon’s always been mean but reading in her pov has blinded me of her flaws???? God it’s just so crazy. Gideon’s my absolute favourite character, and Tamsyn so easily altered my opinions like a fucking absolute genius. Now I do still love Gideon, and absolutely think that she’s not entirely her in this book not just because of the manipulation and depression and everything that’s happened; her soul’s not fully whole. A lot of her soul is still intact inside Harrow’s body from when Harrow did “the work” and stopped herself from consuming Gideon’s soul any longer, plus John could’ve fucked with it. If the bits of her soul in Harrow’s body manifested through Nona, it explains Nona’s attraction to her body (aka Gideon’s attraction to Harrow) and why she likes Gideon’s humour but not Gideon herself (Gideon’s definitely got some insecurity issues after all that’s happened lol). Regardless, Gideon’s barely a shell of herself. Though she is, after all, “the saddest girl in the whole entire world” 😀 And the thing is, all of this could’ve been explained if Gideon was the main character and the perspective character (or maybe it wouldn’t, she’s quite an unreliable narrator lmao). But because she isn’t, because Nona doesn’t know her, she just seems like your everyday bad guy, and that’s really heartbreaking. Something to note that I have done in my past reviews and have noticed throughout the series, as well as something wifegideonnav commented on, is that Gideon is traumatised and sad and she disguises this through her narration, through her front of having this chill, impenetrable attitude. With Nona’s narration, the sadness and utter meanness of Gideon is able to shine through, as well as it being more blatantly obvious the toll that this series’ events have had on Gideon. Her upbeat spirit doesn’t hit the same as it did in the first book when she was only kinda traumatised. Now?? She’s full on broken, and I don’t blame her. She’s died twice for Harrow and nothing truly good has come from it. She’s had enough, and that’s understandable. She’s a powerful woman who hasn’t had many wins so far and she feels she’s been taken for granted but if there’s one thing it’s that with John, she finally feels necessary, needed, loved. And, because we don’t see her perspective, all of this could really just be Gideon pretending, doing what she needs to to survive. Considering she’s never really liked her dad this makes sense, but regardless, this is the place she’s in and that’s okay.I am SO excited for Alecto, for whenever the cover and synopsis are revealed and then the book itself AHHH. I’m so excited for her to become a main character
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in a different way that she was through Nona. I love Nona and I’ll miss her still; I hope Alecto remembers Pyrrha, Camilla, Palamedes, Noodle and the kids 😫Spoiler
as much as I love Camilla and Palamedes, I don’t want Gideon and Harrow’s love story to be told like theirs are: from another person’s perspective. Especially since Harrow and Gideon are main characters, I really hope we get their narration again.Also, after reading this and Harrow again, I feel much more connected to The Body as a character in the previous book.
Spoiler
I always thought she was a mere hallucination of Alecto, but she actually is Alecto, who was able to possess Harrow when she first saw her and kissed her as a kid, then was eventually able to manifest as Nona once no other souls were “awake” I guess, in Harrow’s body. I’m able to see now that in Harrow, Alecto’s actions of comfort towards Harrow weren’t hallucinations, they were actually Alecto’s doings, and now I really adore their relationship, not as much in a romantic way just because I think Harrow’s “love” for Alecto is a bit biased by idolisation, and also Gideon exists. I don’t actually know what I’ll do if Griddlehark isn’t endgame. It would be such a great play by Tamsyn to make the ending of Alecto not happy or even satisfactory in the slightest, but I’ll be so fucking upset if Alecto and Harrow are endgame and Gideon’s alone 😭Graphic: Blood, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Body horror, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Eating disorder
atomicrobin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: War, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Violence, Body horror, Blood, and Gun violence
Moderate: Murder, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Alcohol
hayleyvem's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Eating disorder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Death, Gun violence, Blood, Gore, Grief, Toxic friendship, War, Xenophobia, and Murder
Moderate: Colonisation
Minor: Drug use and Bullying
sophiesmallhands's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Death, Gore, Cursing, Gun violence, and War
Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Murder, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit
hedsek's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Gore
Moderate: Genocide, Gun violence, Eating disorder, and Violence
Minor: Murder, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Drug use
bruisedtigers's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
3.25
The real draw for this series is the characters, which are all very real and lovable in their own ways. However, the plotting for this one, while less dense than Harrow the Ninth, was frustrating in different ways. There seems to be a delight in obscurity for obscurity's sake, despite it adding nothing to the experience of the reader or the course of the plot. Not to say reader's need everything laid out, and some things can be inferred, but after three books of a protagonist in various states of 'not fully aware of what's going on,' I can't help but feel like Muir wants to be purposefully dodgy just for the sake of it. Sometimes it seems like an excuse to vaguely infer at a bigger plot rather than clearly hash out all the complicated details. Gideon knew nothing of necromancy, so a lot of the lyctor trials were beyond her. Harrow had her brain in pieces, so her perspective couldn't be trusted. Nona is blissfully naive, so we skim over a lot of what happens around her. Sure, the reader can figure it out, but does that add to the experience or is it just annoying?
Then it ends with a sudden brevity that was absent for the rest of the leisurely developed book. We spend so long marinating in Nona, only for the climax to happen with barely twenty pages to spare. I know there's one more piece left, but it still feels strange.
I do care for the characters, so I wish we focused on them properly, rather than vaguely imply around them. There's so many exciting ideas here hovering around, but they're not focused on.
Also, far too many memes. None of them hit for me this time, even a little bit.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Grief, War, Violence, Kidnapping, Gore, Blood, Gun violence, Body horror, and Murder
booksthatburn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The worldbuilding gets more of a chance to breathe this time around. GIDEON THE NINTH was a murder mystery until other things started being much more important. HARROW THE NINTH is a fever dream of confusion which suddenly snaps into coherence at the 90% mark. NONA THE NINTH is a breath, pausing for a story which has a clear framework, a lovable protagonist, and a sense of rhythm and pattern to her days. This calm amidst the storm is ripped open by a descent into war and the deterioration of her body as the day approaches when the Locked Tomb will open. I like the interludes as John tells the story of how this started. These sections helped with pacing and framing, as well as bringing the extremely welcome event of someone actually explaining what the fuck is going on for once.
As the third book in the series, NONA THE NINTH continues Several things begun in earlier books, specifically, but not only, the fates of a great many characters such as Camila and Palamedes. There's so much in each book that it's very difficult to know which details will be picked up later and which ones have been completely handled in their first treatment, but this does eventually give some answers about things first raised in earlier books. There’s an entirely new storyline related to Nona, her relative newness, and everyone she cares about at home and the school. She’s just so happy in a way that incorporates strangeness and allows for a joking grotesquerie, effortlessly finding beauty in weirdness. It also leaves a huge thing for later, promising that the Locked Tomb will be opened, even counting down to that promised day before leaving the aftermath of its opening to be handled in the next book, ALECTO THE NINTH.
There are many fewer memes than the previous books, but the few that are in there are expertly chosen to devastating effect. There's one near the very end that I refuse to spoil which threads the needs between fantastically illustrating the meaning of the surrounding text and needing to be imperceptible to anyone not already in the know. I applaud the execution of it, even if by its nature it's frustrating that this is what the author decided to include. Masterfully done, I tip my cap.
As was the case for HARROW THE NINTH, if someone tried to read this as their introduction to the series, it would likely make sense almost all the way through... and then the ending would be strange and sideways because it relies on several things established in previous books as well as bringing many returning characters who have been more thoroughly introduced elsewhere. Also, the way that the John interludes are explaining how things came to be like this would be a bit strange without the grounding provided in GTN and HTN.
I think this is my favorite book in the whole series, and I'm looking forward to what ALECTO THE NINTH brings.
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Body horror, Blood, Murder, Death, and Eating disorder
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Gun violence, Police brutality, Confinement, Medical content, Chronic illness, Cursing, Kidnapping, Vomit, Genocide, Terminal illness, Animal death, War, Death of parent, Self harm, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Alcohol, Cancer, Excrement, Sexual harassment, Car accident, Infertility, Domestic abuse, Suicide attempt, Torture, Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Drug use
traa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Body horror, Gun violence, Animal death, Blood, Gore, Murder, Self harm, War, and Medical content
Moderate: Eating disorder, Dysphoria, Cursing, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Terminal illness, and Vomit
Minor: Cannibalism
micheala's review against another edition
3.5
Like, we now have cars thrown in like a totally normal thing that we should have assumed were always there. The first two books are very fantasy with spaceships being the only type of vehicles. Now Nona is making it feel like we are on a post-apocalyptic Earth. To be honest, the first 90% of this book felt totally disconnected from the prior two books.
Even though I haven't loved the reading experience of any of the books yet, I still just have the gut feeling that once the series is complete, each book will be way more enjoyable (aka I'll be able to follow what's happening) with the context of the ending. To be fair, if that is not the case, and even on reread knowing where it's all going/coming from I still find myself confused, I'll be dropping my ratings of each book accordingly.
I will say I liked this one the most so far (my ranking is currently Nona, Gideon, Harrow) Partly because I found the characters more likeable, and partly because while I still can't really follow what's happening, Nona as a main character also doesn't understand what's going on - so it felt less like the characters are keeping secrets from the reader and more like we are finding things out alongside the character.
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Vomit, War, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Death, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Self harm, and Xenophobia