Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

230 reviews

mirandaleighhhh's review against another edition

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.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Addiction, Body horror, Drug abuse, Rape, Blood, Death, Sexual assault, and Violence

catorureads's review against another edition

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, and Murder

Moderate: Drug use and Drug abuse

Minor: Sexual content

tarawade17's review against another edition

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Addiction, Drug abuse, Blood, Body horror, and Gun violence

hnicole01's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Addiction, Grief, Sexism, Rape, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Violence, and Cursing

Moderate: Classism

lizzymorang's review against another edition

challenging 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

4.5

It's a slightly slow start, but if you stick with it it's an incredible read. Masterfully written, so many plot twists, and it manages to feel real and relevant even though it's fantasy. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Gore, Violence, and Body horror

Minor: Racism

prairieraven's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense slow-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Alcoholism, Car accident, Child abuse, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Rape, Blood, Body horror, Colonisation, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Sexual content, Stalking, Suicide, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Classism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Excrement, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, and Violence

fox_thorne's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Gore, Excrement, Blood, Violence, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Murder, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Drug use

Moderate: Drug use, Vomit, Cursing, and Grief

Minor: Sexual content

justineaxelle's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.25

I don’t know if it’s the slump I’m in or if it’s the book that put me in the slump, but I STRUGGLED with Ninth House. 

First of all, that book needs a trigger warning list! I was wholly unprepared for some scenes and it didn’t sit well with me. 
Secondly, the first 60% of the book was boring and the alternating chapters on different timelines were really confusing to start with and gave the book a weird pace. Then it got really interesting but it also gave me whiplash with the number of plot twists Leigh threw in there.
Finally, I only liked Alex in that second half of the book. I wished we’d had more actual interactions with Darlington because otherwise it felt like a pretty lonely book. I enjoyed the begrudging alliance/friendship between Turner, Dawes and Alex but that’s a flimsy cast of main characters. I needed more character interactions/development and less confusing storyline. I was too focused on trying to understand what was happening and did not get attached to the characters because of that.
However, those last few chapters were intriguing enough to make me want to read Hell Bent.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Body horror, Rape, Murder, and Physical abuse

dododenise's review against another edition

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

3.0

This book leaves me conflicted about how to feel about it. There are fantastic ideas, character elements and world building in this. However, I was never hooked. Something about the way this story was written left me feel detached from it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Body horror, Murder, Gore, Violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Classism, and Blood

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Drug use, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, and Vomit

kgc8's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? It's complicated

5.0

While I was reading the book I wasn't sure how I felt, but when I finished I couldn't stop thinking about the world Leigh Bardugo had built and I desperately wanted the next book to come out immediately! The world is immersive and how she integrated the magic with Yale's societies was so fascinating. The beginning of the book is a little confusing as you are dumped very suddenly into a magical ritual (and it's a rather gory one too...) but the time-jumps device worked for me as we unravel what's happening. Alex is a great character - everyone has low expectations of her and she's often forced to choose between crappy options, but she still outsmarts everyone. I loved this book, but if you are squeamish about dead bodies, ghosts, or drug use, this book might not be for you.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Rape, Murder, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Body horror, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Minor: Addiction and Animal death