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clovetra's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
welcome gideon the ninth, you are now one of my elite employees (/ref).
i am broken. i am shattered. i am changed.
i am but a simple lesbian.
i’ve been sitting here for an hour contemplating how to rate this. on one hand, the concepts were so frustrating to comprehend, and it was to the point where after every chapter i was consulting a guide because i wasn’t sure i was actually grasping what was going on, which made all 479 pages incredibly frustrating. on the other hand, this book is all i could think about. usually to fall asleep i employ a video essay of something that’s my special interest — recently only until dawn has been scratching that itch. but my body was craving a gideon the ninth video essay. all i could think about was this book.
needless to say, i can overlook how annoying this book was to read at times simply for the grip it had on me.
i love griddle. what an insane fuckjng nickname. i adore her, her inner monologue, her relationships, her reactions, her one liners, everything.
i would die for the sixth, and harrowhark baby im coming for you in the next series hold on for me.
the plot was fucking insane. who decides “yeah the book i’m writing is about sapphics in space who are necromancers and also there’s a lowkey murder mystery plot with some romantic undertones and high fantasy oh and yeah did you forget we’re in space. and necromancers.” like ?????? i want what muir was having when conjuring up the idea of the locked tomb. absolutely batshit insane. and i wouldn’t have it any other way.
i don’t really know what i was expecting from the plot but im very pleasantly surprised by what it ended up being! even more surprised as i got a semi-big spoiler and yet it really didn’t spoil shit for me! like the spoiler did hold a lot of weight in the plot but because so much happens in this story it was so easy to focus on the other reveals happening simultaneously.
the fight scenes were a bit hard to follow especially when the necros are involved, and the trials were so fucking confusing to my mind. but honestly i was so invested in the characters, mainly the ninth & the sixth, that i can’t put this book any lower than 5-stars.
i’m gonna go stare at griddlehark fan art for the next 3 hours sobbing. also this book gave me such a big fucking headache oh my god reading my neuroscience textbooks is easier.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Slavery, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, and War
vael's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, and Toxic friendship
angorarabbit's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-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
4.25
TLDR: Confusing at first the end pays off your hard work.
I was totally confused by the time I was 30% in so I went back to the dramatic personae at the beginning of the book and wrote brief descriptions which helped a lot. Ms Muir has taken the rule to tell not show so what you know about this world is what Gideon knows and deems worthy to think about. Which makes sense, I wouldn’t bother describing how trees grow in my everyday life. There are several appendices that would have been very helpful to read before instead of after. They do not contain any spoilers so perhaps they are in the front in other editions.
Besides my confusion this was a well written book. The world is intriguing and the characters are interesting and for the most part developed. Gideon is a fresh voice in a fantasy world full of heroes saving damsels. Harrowhawk has surprising depth that doesn’t appear until you are past the 50% mark. The plot is complex with surprising twists, the ending is satisfying. I do think the final boss fight was a little to long, but the action was well described. I am looking forward to reading Harrow the Ninth.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement
Minor: Sexual content
booktamerghc's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Child death, Suicide, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer and Grief
jahnadv's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-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? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Chronic illness, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Body horror and Cannibalism
bwoo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Terminal illness, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror and Suicide
Minor: Cancer
ketreads's review against another edition
5.0
Soooo, this is my second read of this book, and if (by some miracle) you've seen my previous review, you'd know I gave it a solid 3 stars.
BOY, do I love this on a reread. Somehow, knowing the twists and turns (and often forgetting the majority of them) let me truly enjoy the work Muir has put into this book. Rewatching Gideons and Harrows relationship develops, the world being slowly built up while still having an air of mystery to it, the magic system being barely explained yet still somehow working for me this time around.
The setting of Canaan House, an old decrepit mansion filled with locked rooms and mysterious staff who inhabit it, made for a fantastic introduction to the series. The confusion of settings, keys, murders (?!), big scary ghosts (???!!!), and whether or not Gideon can truly talk to the others made for endless entertainment.
I mostly reread this as I'm starting on book 2, but I'm more than glad I did. I pretty much regret donating my original paperback copy and may have to go out and buy a new one now that I love it. DAMN IT!!
BOY, do I love this on a reread. Somehow, knowing the twists and turns (and often forgetting the majority of them) let me truly enjoy the work Muir has put into this book. Rewatching Gideons and Harrows relationship develops, the world being slowly built up while still having an air of mystery to it, the magic system being barely explained yet still somehow working for me this time around.
The setting of Canaan House, an old decrepit mansion filled with locked rooms and mysterious staff who inhabit it, made for a fantastic introduction to the series. The confusion of settings, keys, murders (?!), big scary ghosts (???!!!), and whether or not Gideon can truly talk to the others made for endless entertainment.
I mostly reread this as I'm starting on book 2, but I'm more than glad I did. I pretty much regret donating my original paperback copy and may have to go out and buy a new one now that I love it. DAMN IT!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, and Murder
spacey_gracie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I think that this book is overrated but still good! I enjoyed it and the very strange and specific writing style of the author. The world building is fun though a bit confusing. I recommend reading the bits in the back of the book before you read the whole story- they give you a bit more context that I felt would have helped me enjoy the book a little more had I read them first.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Self harm, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
toastyghosty13's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Absolute chaos. Lesbian necromancers in space exploring a haunted gothic mansion is the quote on the front and it is correct and yet it is so much more. Think Agatha Christie "And Then There Were None". The humor is unexpected and unprecedented (I implore you to read the naming choice section at the end of the book too) and the characters are unique and psychotic.
The beginning is super confusing with all of the names of people and places thrown at you very quickly, but it is worth it! About 20%-30% of the way through it clicked for me.
I immediately bought the other books in both ebook and physical copy format as soon as I finished. The ending was givingBloodborne ascending and fear the old gods and I am OBSESSED .
For the Ninth.
The beginning is super confusing with all of the names of people and places thrown at you very quickly, but it is worth it! About 20%-30% of the way through it clicked for me.
I immediately bought the other books in both ebook and physical copy format as soon as I finished. The ending was giving
For the Ninth.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Child death, Death, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic
emmapaigereads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, and Murder