Reviews tagging 'Antisemitism'

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

42 reviews

aliyachaudhry's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Stalking, and Gaslighting

Minor: Cancer and Racism

eni_iilorak's review against another edition

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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Medical content, and Murder

Moderate: Bullying, Misogyny, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Gun violence and Antisemitism

lisa_m's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I read and loved Six of Crows and I also read and liked Shadow and Bone. I really like Leighs writing, worldbuilding and especially her way to bring characters alive. I was excited for this book but also have been wanting to read it for ages. Since finally the second book is going to be published soon I thought this is a great time for me to read 'Ninth House'.

It was not at all what I expected. I wanted to go in knowing as little as possible. I knew that this book is adult but I didn't expect it to as graphic as it was. I really liked the premise and the characters and also the mystery of it all. Just because of her writing I automatically like the book.

I do have a few issues with it though:
1. Alex's motives didn't always make sense to me. Why was she so adamant on solving Taras murder? She didn't know her, everyone told her that it was the boyfriend, even after she broke into the morgue it was clear it was the boyfriend. I just didn't understand why she would go further and further. At a certain point it was clear that there is more behind it than we thought but I do not understand why and how Alex knew that?
2. Also I felt like all side characters were just there for convenience. Especially Alex's roommates. They are so unconditionally loyal to her for seemingly no reason? I mean that is not how it usually is at uni right? Like it would make sense for them to ask her why she's never at home but not to a degree where she constantly has to come up with fake reasons & apologies, right? I wanted a bit more interaction and reason there so it actually makes sense for them to call her mum. (The thing with Brady 100% made sense though. He's a shit and deserves only the worst)
3. That might be on me, but I didn't understand the worldbuilding fully. I think it was on purpose that the big questions like 'why is there magic?' and 'where does it come from?' are unanswered. But I didn't understand the limits of the magic. It's clear that it best works in the tombs and not really anywhere else, but also things like the coin of compulsion work everywhere? And spells can be cast that influence the wider world as well? Idk I'm just a bit confused about that. Also I want to know how noone actually found out outside of the societies. How do they keep the secret?

I think I had way more questions but these are the most important ones. I am definitely going to read 'Hellbent' but if I'm being honest I'm in no hurry. Maybe I'll even wait until all (5?) books are out. The story was intruiging but it wasn't exactly my cup of tea. (Even though I love mystery, magic, university settings, academia and secret societies in books.. ?)

What I loved about the book was all the intruige and mystery. The connections weren't always completely clear to me but that didn't take away from it being fun. I wish we got to see a bit more magic and a bit less trauma but that is only my opinion. I bet for some people this was perfect.

Generally I would anyone to please read the trigger warnings for this book. There are a lot and they are really graphic as well.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

b_lownds127's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

I inhaled this book, downed it, devoured it in a frenzied few days. I am a mother of three and sleep is tenuous at our house, yet I stayed up late reading until the wee hours 3 nights in a row. I cringed, I sobbed, at one point while listening to the audiobook actually stood up and paced. It was excellent. 
It also needs trigger warnings for absolutely everything. Seriously, I don't even know how to classify some of the things that happened in here. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Excrement, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, and Alcohol

Minor: Antisemitism

tai123's review against another edition

dark 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Rape, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Antisemitism, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

kingrosereads's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-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

4.25

I have to say, I really loved this book. It felt pretentious and like you needed a Ivy League degree to understand the first third of the book, but it really is so much more. The story follows Galaxy “Alex” Stern, a survivor who spent most of her life self-medicating after years literally being haunted then assaulted. Then she survives a mass homicide in which her best friend dies. She’s then offered this second chance and she takes it. However, she enters a world vastly different from her own and she tries hard to navigate through it and survive. That’s what Alex does, she survives. And the book is a journey I think survivors go through when they’re trying to get back to themselves and out of survival mode and actually start living. 
I love Alex, I think she is funny, snarky, and witty. Though she’s a high school dropout, I resonate with her struggle from being a good student in high school and feel like you’re barely scraping by in college. I also came to like Darlington, though he comes off like a some elitist, privileged white boy who would look down at Alex for where she comes from, but he really respects her and they’re very similar. 
I respect Bardugo’s attempt to bring race, gender, and class into the conversation, but it fell a little flat and was superficial at best. I hope she actually build upon what I feel is a core theme and that is Ivy League elitism, privilege,  power dynamics, and the components that make that up. 
This book heavily addressed the abuse women experience and their healing journey, and I think that’s powerful in and of itself. 
The magical system in this book is pretty incredible. After struggling through the first part of the book, I can appreciate being thrust into the thick of it and having to work it out like a mystery on top of trying to figure out the mystery occurring in the book. 
I hope we learn more about what Alex is, where Darlington is, and who Alex’s dad is. Lots of other unanswered questions, and I’m excited for the next installment. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Excrement and Antisemitism

sauvageloup's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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 literally can't wait for the next one

Pros:
- my favourite part of the book was definitely Alex. Her characterisation is brilliant, she felt so fleshed out and real, it was almost uncanny in itself. I could picture her really well (unusual for me), and while many books and shows I think try to show a damaged, wild girl, Bardugo really hits it. How Alex acts and reacts to everything in the book, everything she says alongside her past and her abilities - it all perfectly made up her characterisation as a feral survivor. Her vulgarity isn't overused but perfect for hitting a punch, her emotions are all over the place and complex, she hardly knows who she really is but we get a clear sense of her absolute determination, its all so well done. Some MCs can be a bit dull, not really fleshed out and always reacting to the plot, but Alex comes into herself massively and finds her feet, and i love how she becomes a force to be recognised.
- the characters overall were great, from Darlington's charm to Dawes' awkward care. Hellie's gentle but damaged sunshine, Belbalm's promises and grotesquely awful Blake.

I really hope Darlington is okay!!! can't wait to see what demon!Darlington turns out like

- the worldbuilding, though complex, was also fabulous. I felt like the brilliant details were lost a bit in the maybe too complex overall fabric, but it was great overall. The prognostications were gory but fascinating, the hell hounds, all the lore around the Greys and Alex's abilities, the compact mirror, the magic nexuses, portals and all the rest. The big magic was great but the details, like the library's summoning charm, were brill too.
- I also enjoyed the sharp tang of social commentary. Dawes calling out Sandow's victim blaming, Alex fiercely advocating for the town girl and how the book never condemns Tara - she came from nothing and had some ambition. Alex generally being a champion for the oppressed, because she understands exactly what its like, and how it feels to be the outcast, the forgotten, the mad one, the addict and the desperate.
- Bardugo's writing just felt like a big glow up. I don't think I could ever hope to write with such maturity and poetry, let alone with such an ambitious plot. One of those books I feel sick with envy when I'm reading it, but love it all the same.
- I also loved the depth of Alex's past. Her mother loves her, but her all over the place ways hurt Alex, even though it wasn't the same as the trauma from the ghosts. Alex clearly has issues with food now she's in college, and her mother didn't help her with the basic, practical things, like buying clothes, life skills and making lunch boxes. This was another part of how Alex was fully fleshed out - she doesn't leave Len when she could've with Hellie and she's never blamed for that, but she doesn't have other options. She's a survivor but her experiences with school, adults, her mom, friends, the ghosts, abusers like Ariel and others all stopped her from thriving and making a life - not until she got some power. Power and money, she says. 


Cons:
- slow to start and complicated. I struggled to follow all the names, places and worldbuilding being thrown at me and I'm not sure we really jump into Alex's story at the right time (or maybe we do... im not sure). either way, I did have to struggle to follow the early bits, trying to remember who everyone was.
- and the book does continue this way. i forgot who Michelle was near the end and other characters got confused in my head too. A character list alongside the map might've been good.

(- I did guess it was Belbalm from the moment we met her. She was too perfect within the messed up scene. The impact she had on Alex felt supernatural and I just knew there was something about her. I suppose this is a con because there wasn't any surprise for me at the end, but it didn't really negatively impact my reading that much. Dean Sandow was a strong suspect too, but I came round to thinking it was him more slowly. Oh and the minute Dawes said that a demon could survive being eaten, I knew Darlington was gonna be a demon)

(- i am bumping it up to 5 stars i've decided, because despite it's flaws it was overall brilliant and i want more so badly)

Despite a slow start, very good, very gripping, very enjoyable. Cannot wait for book 2.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Antisemitism

the main character doesn't have an eating disorder but there's some food insecurity for her and her eating habits are unusual.

orndal's review against another edition

adventurous dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Could have been real great with a better story structure and more world building. Linear storytelling would have helped with upping the stakes.

The ending came out of nowhere with little to no setup for the reveals. As a mystery novel, this is terrible.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

Moderate: Addiction, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Trafficking, Medical trauma, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Classism

teddywinter's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

A fantastic read. Heed the content warnings.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Antisemitism

oliverreeds's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.75

loved. some of the plot stuff at the end was a little bit much tho. but the characters are great. can’t wait for a sequel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism