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crybabybea's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
There are three reasons I love Leigh Bardugo so much:
- Her sentence craft is beautiful. She knows when to make emotions punch. She knows how to paint scenes. She knows how to include literary devices that feel inentional and powerful. She has soo many quotable moments in all of her books. She's even good at writing quippy dialogue which I think is something many authors struggle with.
- Her characters are intensely loveable as much as they are hateable.
- When her plots get rolling, they get rolling. They feel like a rollercoaster that never stops, with reveal after jaw-dropping reveal. By the time you reach the conclusion, you want to snap the book shut and start all over so you can see all the things you missed.
This book... did not hold up to those standards for me. I felt like her writing seriously declined here. There were a lot of issues I had with this book that made it hard for me to rate it as high as I wanted to. I think I would have rated it lower (or maybe even DNF'd?) had it been written by a less competent author. The issues this book suffered from really reminded me of Babel. That is not a compliment.
I felt like I got the point of what Bardugo was going for here. And it fit really well within the dark academia theme. The secret societies, the allure and danger of power and fitting in with the crowd, the way the powerful see certain groups as disposable. I really did see what she was going for. But I didn't feel like she pushed it far enough. I felt like she relied on trying to make things arbitrarily "darker", leaning into horror tropes that didn't work out well for the story she was trying to tell. And every bit of it fell flat for me, especially knowing what she is capable of as a writer.
I would say this book doesn't pick up until around 30-40%, and even then, the plot unfolds slowly until the last four chapters where everything is revealed. I think this writing worked out in Six of Crows, because the tension was constantly being poked and prodded as you followed the POVs of the different characters. Here, we have mainly one POV that switches between timelines in the form of flashbacks. Which again, would have worked had it not been for the weird plotting. Those two things just did not mix well together. I was also really surprised to see how the POV switching was poorly executed, considering the masterful way she juggled six POVs in Six of Crows. Here, both of our POVs use the same narrative voice, and it would have been unclear who was narrating if they didn't point it out themselves.
The plot was also dragged down by Bardugo's tendency to info-dump world-building and exposition. There were pages of narration and explanations of things like architecture, the campus layout, what characters were wearing, that got to be incredibly boring. It also got in the way of connecting with the characters. The only dialogue we got between Alex and Darlington were dumps of exposition and explanations about the different secret societies at Yale. So by the end we are meant to care about this character who I simply could not care less about because we barely got to see him. His few POVs were not enough to make me invested in his character in any way.
Alex herself was okay as a character but I felt like Bardugo's messaging got lost with her. Her motives weren't clear, and I didn't feel like she experienced any growth or actual hardship through her journey here. I liked her manipulative tendencies, but I felt like they didn't have any actual impact on the plot. I thought Alex should have a lot more agency, but she spends most of the book reacting to the things that happen around her and she gets saved many times by other characters. I also wanted to see her struggle a bit more. She doesn't struggle with her addiction at all, or with intimacy after her traumatic experiences, and her status as a biracial Latina from a poor background doesn't seem to affect her ability to fit in at Yale or cause her any issues within Lethe. I just felt she lacked nuance as a character which really disappointed me, because again, this is Leigh Bardugo's massive advantage.
For what it's worth, the reveals at the end were decently satisfying for me. The villain monologues were eye-roll worthy but the final scene was so well-written that I looked past it. Such is the strength of Leigh Bardugo. So I won't give up on this series because I love the author, and I feel like I was given just enough to be interested in the potential.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
There are multiple extremely graphic rape scenes, as well as extremely graphic depiction of drug use, both real-world drugs and the magical kind. Needles are mentioned briefly. Alex has experience, shown through flashbacks, with an abusive relationship involving an adult while she was a minor. This includes every kind of abuse and is depicted in graphic detail. She is able to see ghosts, which may be similar to the experience of those with schizophrenia.bookishmillennial's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
graphic descriptions of rape and trauma porn are not for me.
you'll literally never convince me graphic rape is essential for a plot. NEVER.
you'll never convince me this book is not damaging and harmful towards survivors.
signed, an unimpressed survivor. fuck this book <3
you'll literally never convince me graphic rape is essential for a plot. NEVER.
you'll never convince me this book is not damaging and harmful towards survivors.
signed, an unimpressed survivor. fuck this book <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Drug use, Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Vomit, and Murder
elmie1998's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Rape
5aru's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-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? It's complicated
3.75
The lore regarding the societies and how they work was presented a little confusingly in the first few chapters, but it's rather interesting worldbuilding; I thought the finale was too packed with twists, though. Could've used a little better pacing in that regard.
The characters are likeable and I enjoyed Alex's narration, though she stinks a liiiiittle bit of stereotypical strong female character sometimes.
The characters are likeable and I enjoyed Alex's narration, though she stinks a liiiiittle bit of stereotypical strong female character sometimes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
kylajaynebooks's review against another edition
adventurous
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Medical content
gmbrooks02's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.25
They are not lying when they say you just have to push through the first 6 chapters to get to the good the part.
This was my third attempt reading ninth house, and gosh am i glad i finally made it through. This book is a captivating mix of dark academia, secret societies, and a thrilling murder investigation. Alex and Darlington are obnoxious in their own ways, and in a way that’s what makes them so charming.
This was my third attempt reading ninth house, and gosh am i glad i finally made it through. This book is a captivating mix of dark academia, secret societies, and a thrilling murder investigation. Alex and Darlington are obnoxious in their own ways, and in a way that’s what makes them so charming.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Murder
Moderate: Drug use and Rape
russell183's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
4.5
(4.6)
Fun and spooky. I found the nonlinear story telling a little confusing at the beginning but then it really shaped up into a page turner. Really good world building of an underground world of privileged A-holes messing with dark force and some strong characters. I also liked the soft magic system which worked with the unknown elements of the story. I found one of the POV characters a lil grating at times and there also felt like there was a slightly gratuitous/exploitative amount of sexual violence at times which sort of tonally clashed with the like supernatural mystery vibe. But all in all a gripping macabre mystery.
Fun and spooky. I found the nonlinear story telling a little confusing at the beginning but then it really shaped up into a page turner. Really good world building of an underground world of privileged A-holes messing with dark force and some strong characters. I also liked the soft magic system which worked with the unknown elements of the story. I found one of the POV characters a lil grating at times and there also felt like there was a slightly gratuitous/exploitative amount of sexual violence at times which sort of tonally clashed with the like supernatural mystery vibe. But all in all a gripping macabre mystery.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Trafficking
saebrown's review against another edition
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Drug use, Rape, Toxic relationship, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Domestic abuse, and Classism
abee21's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
5.0
- Ms Bardugo's fantastic world building!
- Intricate plot and twists!!
- Many many layers of "whodunit" and "what's going on"!!!
- Loveable characters that I would spend an eternity reading about!!!!
- Leigh took me to hell with this book and I enjoyed it!!!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
gremlin_98's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
4.75
Galaxy ‘Alex’ Stern is a woman cloaked in darkness and tragedy.
It would seem almost as if her life was doomed to end in heartbreak & lonely.
Learning about the Houses, the magic and Alex made this a fascinating tale. I will not lie though. I do suggest looking up trigger warnings because if you're not in the right headspace I can imagine that some of the topics discussed and scenes that play out could really mess with someone.
I’ll also point out that the timeline in how the story played out could be confusing, but I was able to just go with it and I didn’t feel too lost as it all came to a close.
Thank you past me for picking up Hell Bent the same day so I am able to live in this world a little longer. I just hope the story continues in the way I’m hoping & it doesn’t focus on things I rather skip
It would seem almost as if her life was doomed to end in heartbreak & lonely.
Learning about the Houses, the magic and Alex made this a fascinating tale. I will not lie though. I do suggest looking up trigger warnings because if you're not in the right headspace I can imagine that some of the topics discussed and scenes that play out could really mess with someone.
I’ll also point out that the timeline in how the story played out could be confusing, but I was able to just go with it and I didn’t feel too lost as it all came to a close.
Thank you past me for picking up Hell Bent the same day so I am able to live in this world a little longer. I just hope the story continues in the way I’m hoping & it doesn’t focus on things I rather skip
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault