Ninth house is the first book in the 2 book series by Leigh Bardugo. Ninth House is set in a world of ghosts, and magical themes. was this book as good as everyone says? And is it worth the money and time to read? well that’s dive in !
Table of Contents
Ninth House By Leigh Bardugo Overview
-Provided by author Leigh Bardugo:
Galaxy “Alex” stern is the most unlikely member of yale’s freshman class, Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug-dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much worse. In fact, by age twenty, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might says shes thrown her life away.
But at her hospital bedside, Alex is offered a second chance: To attend one of the most prestigious universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?
Still searching for answers, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies.
Their eight windowless “tombs” are the well-known haunts of the rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to wall street’s biggest players. But their occult activities are more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.
They temper with forbidden magic. They raise the dead. And, sometimes they prey on the living.
Characters In The Ninth House
Each character in the Ninth house was very well developed and placed. The characters all had a purpose that contributed to the plot and that was one of my favorite things about this book. As the story progresses we see Alex getting more familiar and comfortable with Dawes & turner. I am excited to see how this will contribute to the sequel!
Pov And Timing
Throughout this book the pov just kept changing. One minute I’m reading from Alex’s point of view something big happens and the next chapter it switches to some moment in the past. I absolutely hated this. It leaves you on a little cliffhanger!
Ninth house switches at times from past to present in which the past features memories of Alex and a character named Darlington. And while I get this gives more information and knowledge to readers about the current story line, it gets confusing and boring I fear.
But I believe Bardugo included these little flashbacks to prepare for what will happen in the sequel , hell bent.
World-building
The world-building in this book was kind of….vague. There wasn’t enough of it where I could clearly picture the world Alex was living through.
It’s set in the modern world but features… ghosts, haunting, and magic. So an urban fantasy.
Unfortunately I have no clue what the school looked like but the characters were described to a T.
Trigger Warnings
I didn’t see any trigger warnings on the book but their are mentions of SA,violence ,rape, and gore.
Conclusion Of Ninth House Review
Overall I did have a good time reading this book. What hooked me the most was the mixing of my two favorite genres, fantasy and mystery! There are 2 mysterious that need to be solved and both include a murder and some how they are related? This really kept me turning the pages.
The book would’ve been better if it didn’t switch from past to present and random times. This confuses readers and makes it harder to read because we’re not sure what’s going on.
The world-building isn’t the best and could have been improved. I do give points for explanations of certain people, places, and things that were included .
My overall rating of this book was 3.7-4/5 stars. I will definitely be reading the sequel and hoping it’s better.
Is Ninth House Worth The Read?
So now we must answer the big question, is the ninth house worth the time and money to read?
My answer: Maybe
If you’re looking for a mystery that can be read as a standalone (since everything is introduced and solved in the one book) that includes paranormal, thriller themes then yes.
If you’re looking for your next fantasy read then I wouldn’t suggest this book for you.
Book Information & Where To Buy
Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Page Count 455
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Publish Date:10/8/2019
Available: Amazon & Audiobook
