A review by coffeedog14
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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
What a bizarre book, exactly the sort of thing I was hoping for. I come to this book partially through the hype around it, but also from the long-completed webcomic "Apothecia" that the author helped make. I was hoping to find something as off the beaten path as that, and I was not disappointed.
I, along with seemingly everyone else, love the relationships of this book. Everybody has a lively personality that seems primarily set to piss each other off and make for great chemistry all around. The Standouts are naturally our two leads, Harrowhark and Gideon, who spend the majority of the novel at a level of passive-aggressive to aggresive-aggresive loathing that is a delight to read about every time.
If there was one thing I wasn't a fan of, it was all the modern memes. I have to admit they did get a chuckle out of me a few times, but they also took me out of the story. In a world as weird and unique as the Locked Tomb universe I wanted to be more immersed, and the memes (which will doubtless only grow stale with age) kind of yanked me out of that.
Still, for a first novel this is a killer. I can't wait to get the next book and see what heinous disaster our characters get involved with next!
I, along with seemingly everyone else, love the relationships of this book. Everybody has a lively personality that seems primarily set to piss each other off and make for great chemistry all around. The Standouts are naturally our two leads, Harrowhark and Gideon, who spend the majority of the novel at a level of passive-aggressive to aggresive-aggresive loathing that is a delight to read about every time.
If there was one thing I wasn't a fan of, it was all the modern memes. I have to admit they did get a chuckle out of me a few times, but they also took me out of the story. In a world as weird and unique as the Locked Tomb universe I wanted to be more immersed, and the memes (which will doubtless only grow stale with age) kind of yanked me out of that.
Still, for a first novel this is a killer. I can't wait to get the next book and see what heinous disaster our characters get involved with next!