Reviews with content warning for Vomit - Harrow the Ninth

Just when I thought the first book was mind-boggling, the second arrived and knocked my teeth out with no warning whatsoever. This is one of those books you have to be patient with as it rips your heart out, even if you don't understand why. Muir does something excellent in writing the most poignant scenes with the most bizarre descriptions and then adding a line of dialogue that is so snappy and crude and brilliant you can't help but laugh. The story is dense and put together like Frankenstein's monster, but you are rewarded with delicious, jaw-dropping answers that will have you frothing at the mouth for the next book (Nona, when I catch you...when I catch you, Nona). I loved how expansive and epic this story was while also being heartbreakingly raw and intimate. Harrow's grief and PTSD is dealt with in a way that is honest and unflinching, and the narrative does not begrudge her for being in mourning. There is something about the way that Muir weaves in all these references and allusions, hauntingly reminiscent of T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land, that makes me want to scream into a pillow because it's so bloody brilliant. Well done. I am ready to get hurt again.

Featuring:

Space necromancers
The most unexpected “Hi, blank. I’m Dad” joke you’ll ever encounter
Everyone is sad and angry
“I wish you would die” (affectionate)
“It was all a dream” except the dream was the complex parallel universe you made in the afterlife to pretend that your trauma didn’t happen
The all-consuming souls of murdered planet-creatures (???)
Hell is real and it’s a mouth with too many tongues (literal)

Content Warnings

essieruth's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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hagwife's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

What I love most about this book is that it is incredibly ambitious narratively, and Muir absolutely delivers on that ambition. The plotting of the narrative alone is so much fun and is designed to support the mystery but leave enough handholds for the reader to get a grasp of what's going on.

The different narrative voices and the switches back and forth from "present" to "before" but all of it leading up to the Emperor's supposed murder is quite something, and while I guessed that Gideon had to be narrating the portions in second-person, I did not guess that Harrow's overwritten memories were actually playing out in "real time" as she slept. I knew they were overwritten but thought they were truly just memories.

I also think the balance of shown and withheld information is much better than the first book. There are plot aspects that you can guess as the reader and have confirmed –

for me these were that the Body is an attempt of Harrow's brain to overwrite Gideon in her memories not of Canaan House, that Gideon is narrating the second person portions, that Ortus the First = Gideon the First, and that *someone* is piloting Cyth but had no clue as to who

– and plenty that whollop you with a good dose of surprise when dropped. I don't think too much is purposefully withheld though I do think the Emperor Undying and OG Lyctor subplot is almost impossible to disentangle before the reveal. We simply just don't have enough information about their history to muddle through their cryptic and melodramatic bullshit (affectionate).

I also think that the snapshot instances of Harrow's brain trying to rewrite more fantastic scenarios in her River construct with Abigail's ghost interrupting them was perhaps unnecessary giving that those interruptions aren't what wake up Harrow.

Possibly my only real gripe about withheld information is

the narrative voice for the parts that Gideon is narrating. I completely understand that using Gideon's normal voice would have undone much of the mystery and completely changed the tone of the book, but Gideon doesn't sound like Gideon for almost 3/4 of the book, and I can't really see a good reason for that within the story.

So its weird in that it has to be purposefully hidden for the reveal and for the overall plotting, but beside meta-knowledge of the way the novel works, there's no reason in-story for this to be that case, and that's a little frustrating.

Perhaps the funniest thing about reading this was that initially I didn't believe the note on the back cover that says "The Necromancers are back are gayer than ever". Not that Lesbianism isn't strong but it didn't feel "gayer than ever". And then the other shoe dropped about 350 pages in and suddenly we were right in the middle of some serious pining and classic Lesbian panic, and I absolutely adore every second of it. I was alternately crying and cackling.

My last note is unfortunately too steeped in spoilers to leave any of it out of the tags.

I am so here for the depth and intensity of Gideon and Harrow's relationship. It's not traditional on the necromancer / cavalier side nor does it fit at either end of the platonic / romantic spectrum. I freaking adore stories that give space and time to relationships where the characters love each other unyieldingly and that love doesn't fit into a nice box. It's also really nice to see the trust and belief of Cam and Pal continue. Cam doesn't need anyone else to understand why she carries part of Pal's skull around; Pal told her that he can be brought back and that's exactly what she's going to do.

Edit: After reading Nona, I realized that I was slightly wrong about the Body. Spoilers upcoming are for both Harrow and Nona.

The Body is not Harrow's attempt to overwrite Gideon; since God didn't know about Gideon, he didn't know that Harrow could have any of his genetic material, and therefore break the blood ward. So Harrow was being haunted by Alecto which is how we get the exact soul swappage of Gideon back in Gideon, Alecto in Harrow as Nona, and Harrow in Alecto's body talking to God in a bubble on the River. <\spoiler>

Content Warnings

snackattackisback69's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I am obsessed with this series. Just like Gideon the Ninth, this book has a slow start but the payoff in the last third of the book is more than worth it. I wasn't too keen on the second person narration when I began the book but I got used to it after a few chapters. I was pretty confused for the first third of the book but I had fun picking apart the mystery. I feel the author does an amazing job of hiding hints or meaning in even the simpliest of interactions so I was gripped even before the big reveals began. I did find the vaguenes of the end of the novel a bit unsatisfactory but I am excited to see where it leads in Nona and Alecto.

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divine529's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

Don't let the amount of time it took me to get through this book fool you. I really enjoyed it. The thing about this book though, is it can be really difficult to read because of what the main character (Harrow) is going through for the vast majority of the book.

This book takes place after Gideon, but it's told in two timelines (second person and third person). Harrow has just become a Lyctor and is adjusting to and learning all about the inner workings of what that means all the while she's struggling to adjust to that. It's hard to say more than that due to spoilers, but let's just say, it's a wild ride and it's best read right after Gideon (trust me on this). It's a fantastic book and very well written and done in a very unusual style (two timelines isn't unusual, but out of order, fragmented, multiple voices like this is - if you've read it, you know what I mean). The character relationships are complex and messy and so good. One thing I will say is the vast majority of the time I forget we're in space and on a ship. It just doesn't feel like it and when I'm reminded of that fact it takes me a minute to re-calibrate my thoughts (I felt the same way about the first book). All in all a fantastic book, albeit a rough one to read at times (please heed the content warnings).

I can't wait to read "Nona" and continue with the series!

Content Warnings

peppypenguin's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I was a bit nervous after the first book's ending, but the author knew exactly what she was doing. This book explores the universe more and gives the reader an understanding of the bigger picture. Action-packed but veeeery slow with the reveals so that when something does come to light it makes a big impact. Most are teased until the final quarter or so of the book, like a mystery novel where in the end you can see if any of your suspicions were right. The characters are fun and have a variety of shades of grey in terms of morality and relatability which keeps things unpredictable and interesting. I can't wait to continue reading.

Content Warnings

vaguelyredhead's review against another edition

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dark mysterious 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? Yes

4.75

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