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A review by nexon
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
adventurous
dark
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? It's complicated
4.25
Honestly, really good. I didn't quite jive with the humour, which often ruined my immersion, but aside from that I enjoyed it thoroughly.
The world was extremely interesting. It's definitely inclined more towards fantasy than sci-fi, but the elements are still there. In fantasy works, necromancy is too often presented as some kind of dark, unethical magic that only evil people participate in, so it's certainly refreshing to have that not only be a common form of magic in the world, but the main (only?) form.
Gideon was kind of annoying to me. She was okay, I just don't really like when characters are snarky in every single line of dialogue they have. It made her, and at times the book, feel extremely juvenile—especially when she talked to more eloquent characters like Harrow. Most of the other characters were great, though, and even the ones I disliked were still well-written and had distinct voices and personalities. (Minor spoiler? Tagging it just in case, no names mentioned)The deaths didn't feel cheap or slotted in for shock value. They may have been avoidable, but they were reasonable, and many of them made me sad.
The ending wasn't quite unexpected, but it was still shocking. I do admire the author for being able to have an ending that both makes sense and makes my jaw drop, but I can't say I'm happy with it.Gideon and Harrow's tenuous relationship resulting in Harrow absorbing her soul is somewhat pertinent, I think, but I was really hoping to see more of them together in the next book. Judging by the preview for Harrow the Ninth, there will instead be a lot more of Ianthe, which I'm not particularly looking forward to. Basically, it was fitting, but not satisfying.
In a vacuum, the book is 5 stars. With my issues with Gideon, the humour, and the ending, I knocked it down to 4.25. However, I will absolutely be continuing with the series.
The world was extremely interesting. It's definitely inclined more towards fantasy than sci-fi, but the elements are still there. In fantasy works, necromancy is too often presented as some kind of dark, unethical magic that only evil people participate in, so it's certainly refreshing to have that not only be a common form of magic in the world, but the main (only?) form.
Gideon was kind of annoying to me. She was okay, I just don't really like when characters are snarky in every single line of dialogue they have. It made her, and at times the book, feel extremely juvenile—especially when she talked to more eloquent characters like Harrow. Most of the other characters were great, though, and even the ones I disliked were still well-written and had distinct voices and personalities. (Minor spoiler? Tagging it just in case, no names mentioned)
The ending wasn't quite unexpected, but it was still shocking. I do admire the author for being able to have an ending that both makes sense and makes my jaw drop, but I can't say I'm happy with it.
In a vacuum, the book is 5 stars. With my issues with Gideon, the humour, and the ending, I knocked it down to 4.25. However, I will absolutely be continuing with the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Blood
Moderate: Suicide and Terminal illness