Reviews with content warning for Drug abuse - Ninth House

This was good. Almost kicked myself for liking it because of how much I associate Leigh’s books with my old toxic bookstore job but I think reading this reclaimed that. It’s dark and adventurous and very easy to get lost in the story. I will say, Darlington as a shortened ver of Daniel Arlington is just…. an ick. Anyways, can’t wait for the sequel to come out in paperback next year and go to hell. Cuz I’d rather go to hell than pay full price for a hardcover book these days.

Content Warnings

laraloops's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark 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? Yes

5.0

One of the best urban fantasy books I've had the pleasure of reading. It's a very very dark book - I would highly recommend looking up trigger warnings for the book if you are not prepared for some very dark content. The prose is beautifully written and the main character is tough but not in a grating way. I felt she and other characters were very realistic and I got attached to them very quickly.

You can tell the author really wanted to bring Yale to life in this book - the setting is very detailed and is a character in itself.

Pacing wise it was slow at the beginning but I found myself grateful for that as I had a hard time keeping track of the houses and code names. By the time you get a third of the way into the book the plot really starts picking up and it's a wild ride to the end. It was rough to get through at times, Alex (the main character) has had a depressingly sad life but I found the portrayals of the abuse she suffered felt realistic rather than gratuitous.

By the end I was immediately ready for the next book - a five star read that I would recommend to anyone who can stomach dark content and wants a well written urban fantasy.

Content Warnings

mirandaleighhhh's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious 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

3.75

This was slow-medium paced, mostly due to world building. I had a hard time following for at least the first 40% of the book, but by the end it was tied together. It also took some time to get used to the perspective and timeline shifts, but ultimately that is one of the more interesting aspects of the story. I loved Darlington and Dawes, I love Alex to- she’s full of fire and justice and yeah it all reads like she’s morally grey but honestly????? She’s the one with the strongest morals. I wasn’t expecting the ending, and I’m looking forward to the next book!

<spoilers>
I felt that the r*pe scene was unnecessary? I understand its purpose, but I don’t think her characterization would have suffered at all if that scene had been physical abuse rather than sexual. It seems there were enough horrifying men throughout the course of her life so far, and I just don’t know that going further with a ghost scenario in the fictional world was necessary.
I also wish there had been a little more development or detail (even an extra chapter or two) about Dawes and Darlington's relationship, and some experiences on the job between Alex and Darlington, to fill some of the gaps where the world building could have been better.

Content Warnings

hayls657's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

catorureads's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark 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? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This was... something. I wished I had checked out the trigger warnings before delving into this book because your girl was traumatised nine pages into the book. It was interesting, which was the main reason why I still continued to read this book. I feel like a lot happened while at the same time it's like nothing happened at all.

Something I heard from other reviewers was that were different time lines and that it was difficult to follow. I didn't have any problems with that so for me it wasn't that confusing. I liked Darlington the most and we got the least of him so... I also enjoyed Danes and I didn't hate Alex but she just wasn't my favorite. Plot wise, I don't have much to say. The story intrigued me but I'm writing this review a few days later and I'm starting to forget the plot already. I might pick up the next book, just not right now.

I'm still dipping my toes into the dark academia genre and I'm not sure yet if it's something for me.

Content Warnings

tarawade17's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark mysterious sad 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? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

brandywinebooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

3.0

Content Warnings

sarahfaith_822's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious slow-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

3.0

This book took me forever to get into and I found it very confusing at times. The last half was much better but still just wasn't my favorite. Idk a bit of a miss for me but definitely not like bad by any stretch

Content Warnings

More...