A review by radhi_inthelibrary
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 I was sooo nervous going into this bcz after I read Shadow & Bone Leigh Bardugo went on my "never buy anything from this author" list. Six of Crows was good, but at that point Bardugo took 2 of my favorite characters from each of the series and really screwed them up 🥲.

Anyway, the point is, I went into Ninth House expecting the absolute worst but never have I been happier to be so pleasantly surprised 😲! The writing was awesome, the characters were useful (unlike S&B 🙄), the plot kept me on my toes the whole time and the setting at the Yale campus? Pure dark academia vibes 🤩. Basically, this is the standard in dark academia that I'll be looking for from now on 😌.

As for the characters, the fmc wasn't someone I loved immediately but the more I got to know her, the more I started to sympathize 🥺❤️. What I love the most about her is that she's not a fighty fighter but like willing to put up a fight and survive. I admire that so much over the cliche. Strength comes in all forms and they don't always carry a sword or bow & arrows.
Also the fact that Bardugo managed to make me fall in love with a character that didn't technically exist for a good bit in the book🤯.

I absolutely cannot wait for book 2 but the cover is so ugly you guys 😭😭. If you haven't seen it look it up lol 💀😬.