A review by kitnotmarlowe
Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

adventurous dark emotional funny 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

5.0

if i were being technical, i would probably rate this a 4.5 or 4.75 because i think that it's slightly too long and some of the tricks muir pulls don't quite work but i do have a rule where if a book makes me actually cry i have to give it 5 stars because i'm bad at processing emotions. this doesn't mean that everything that i've given 5 stars has made me cry, but it does mean that i had to stop reading 40 pages from the end because i didn't want to cry on a commuter train from toronto. instead of typing out a proper review which i would not be capable of doing without sounding like i have every disease. please accept these excerpts from my 32 pages of tiny notebook rambles:
  • i love that the first kiss in the series is so wretched and pragmatic rather than remotely romantic or erotic. f in chat for ianthe. girl you are DOWN BAD
  • what the fuck is wrong with ianthe [immediately followed by] nevermind ianthe you're the funniest bitch in this book
  • [unfortunate digression about saint catherine of siena's foreskin ring as relating to mystical marriage]
  • SECRET HISTORY ASS PRETENTIOUS FUCKS 🧡
  • makes me inconsolable that harrow neither knows nor cares about pasta. baby let me make you mac & cheese
  • i think god is a bitch and a bit of a creep but he's right about poetry
  • cringefail malewife magnus quinn i love you" [immediately followed by] abigail pent high school musical stan??
  • ATREUS HOUSE GODCRIMES
  • [re: ch. 27] rip to brainworm gideon but i'm having a blast!
  • these senior citizens are wild
  • [bad doodle of a saltwater crocodile]
  • harrow's horror at [god assuming she & ianthe are intimate] like the sicknasty arm sex scene meant nothing to her
  • WHAT IF WE SHARED A BODY AND WE WERE BOTH HERESIES
  • right up there with ianthe saying 'choke me, daddy' is dulcie saying 'i am horny for revenge'.
  • finally valancy's awful life-sized nudes get some appreciation
  • kind of jarring to learn that augustine has an actual necromatic specialty. i thought his talent was rolling really good cigarettes
  • you BLOW UP gideon?! you DETONATE baby gideon like the BOMB?? oh! oh! jail for mother! jail for mother for ONE THOUSAND YEARS!!!
  • i think i've been raptured