paop's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.0
sharonfrey's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
shaynahufflepuff's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
sophdent24's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
monikapuff's review against another edition
adventurous
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
5.0
Ninth House throws the reader head first in the action - no idea who Alex is, how did she end up beaten and bruised, who is this Darlington person and what the hell is a Lethe?! I won't go over the synopsis because I went in knowing barely what it was, and I had a hell of a good time.
It seems that Ninth House has a lot of the things I appreciate in a novel - imperfect, realistic characters, a mystery to solve, jumping all over the timeline, a sprinkle of magic, scary and sassy ghosts, and of course what I ended up loving too - dark academia. I'd say this was my first foray into the genre and I can't say I didn't expect to love it. (My own university years were, tbh, some of the best of my life.)
The first half or so of the novel were a tiny bit slow, but it gave me a chance to understand the system I was thrown in, what are the houses, how the magic works, and a bit of a backstory of both Alex and Darlington, and I did appreciate it a lot. I felt a lot for Alex and her traumatic past, some parts were really difficult to get through, but so important. I felt like I understood her actions in the end, why she acts the way she does, and the same goes for Darlington. I enjoyed developing of friendship between Alex and Dawes, and reluctant ally-ship she got going with Turner, the cop.
I loved the atmosphere, I could so vividly imagine Yale, even if I've never been anywhere similar, but her descriptions of fall and winter weather were top notch. And as Bardugo stayed quite close to reality, while adding a tiny bit of magic, the magic and societies seemed almost too realistic.
I can't end this review without mentioning the topic of being a woman in world which so obviously does not care, especially for the girls who do not belong in the high society of academia, and the way we get female revenge and rage as Alex steps into her own. In addition to Alex, there is Pamela Dawes who has her own agency and does her best to get what she wants.
It seems that Ninth House has a lot of the things I appreciate in a novel - imperfect, realistic characters, a mystery to solve, jumping all over the timeline, a sprinkle of magic, scary and sassy ghosts, and of course what I ended up loving too - dark academia. I'd say this was my first foray into the genre and I can't say I didn't expect to love it. (My own university years were, tbh, some of the best of my life.)
The first half or so of the novel were a tiny bit slow, but it gave me a chance to understand the system I was thrown in, what are the houses, how the magic works, and a bit of a backstory of both Alex and Darlington, and I did appreciate it a lot. I felt a lot for Alex and her traumatic past, some parts were really difficult to get through, but so important. I felt like I understood her actions in the end, why she acts the way she does, and the same goes for Darlington. I enjoyed developing of friendship between Alex and Dawes, and reluctant ally-ship she got going with Turner, the cop.
I loved the atmosphere, I could so vividly imagine Yale, even if I've never been anywhere similar, but her descriptions of fall and winter weather were top notch. And as Bardugo stayed quite close to reality, while adding a tiny bit of magic, the magic and societies seemed almost too realistic.
I can't end this review without mentioning the topic of being a woman in world which so obviously does not care, especially for the girls who do not belong in the high society of academia, and the way we get female revenge and rage as Alex steps into her own. In addition to Alex, there is Pamela Dawes who has her own agency and does her best to get what she wants.
norastar's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
randirush's review against another edition
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence and Sexual assault
Moderate: Death and Drug use
alexnorwood's review against another edition
dark
funny
sad
fast-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
4.0
devonfern's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
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
4.0