Book Review: Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

RATING 11/10

Hello everyone!

Welcome back, today we will be discussing Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo. This book was pure joy. It was a dark joy, but that’s what I like best. This book had a little bit of everything. It had a murder mystery. It had actual terrifying ghosts. It had interesting characters. Most importantly it explored the real dark side of privilege in Ivy League education. The book opens in a secret society gathering as a collection (Flock? Gathering? gaggle?) of college students in robes play with the guts of an immigrant to get stock market tips. Just let that sink in for a second. With the state of the world as it is, this image hits home.

Let me talk about slow build-up books for a second, Come on, you all know I can’t stay on topic. I love me a slow build-up book. If it’s done right, the payoff is so much better than it would have been in a fast-paced story. Not everyone can do it right because it’s hard. It’s difficult, and I have been disappointed many a time (cough Rebecca cough). But when it’s done right it’s a gift from god. I love taking my time getting to know the characters and the world. I love the tension build-up. I love the mysteries piling up on top of each other. Ninth House was one of those books that just kept pulling me further and further in with each page. I know a lot of people want instant gratification but keep in mind how much greater the gratification if you wait for it (insert the song from Hamilton). Do not put this book down just because “nothing is happening” trust me, things will happen. So many things will happen. 

Now we are off to Spoiler Land. It’s an exciting place but stay away if you have not read the book. This advice is for your benefit. Reading this book is an experience you do not want to be deprived of. 

I love Alex as a character. She is so closed off, so determined to keep everything under control. It’s not good for her, but I can understand where she is coming from. Even before we got to find out some of her secrets, I sensed many things happening in her head. Just because a character is quiet, both in words and thoughts, does not mean they have nothing going on under the surface. It just means you have to work harder to get to know them. I loved the whole experience, but most people know I can be just like Alex so maybe I just relate. Ales is also a complete badass, though it takes her a minute to remember that about herself. She’s scared of what she can do, she’s scared of what she could become because it’s not her idea of what “powerful” should be. The more she embraces herself and the more she realizes she’s great the better of a character she becomes. My buddy reader (Hi Rue) said it took her over two hundred pages to be sold on Alex, and I respected that even though I disagreed. Alex, and the story, was amazing from the beginning and all you needed was a bit of patience. 

Our other POV is Daniel Arlington aka Darlington. I love that boy so much. He is so similar to so many readers. He wants magic to be real so badly. He wants a magical story. And because he wants magic so badly he’d do anything to get it. Watching him in the book was so stressful for me. I was waiting for a disaster to happen, the only question was would it be self-inflicted or would someone want him, and his curiosity, out of the way. I related so much to the insatiable curiosity and the desire to learn more. I want to know everything about everything too. The need to know and to understand drove Darlington thought the story, and even when he disappeared his desire for answers was still the thing that in the end got everyone answers. Not all the answers, but a lot of the answers. Alex becomes a source of fascination for him because he has difficulty figuring her out. I think it’s only fair because Alex can’t understand him either. She just wants peace and for things to be normal while Darlington wants magic and adventure and for exciting things to happen. I don’t think either one of them expected for him to be eaten by a hellhound. 

Now I know I have trust issues (I blame my fascination with true crime since a young age), but I did not trust the dean from the beginning. He had a smug white man thing going that repels. You could tell he was entitled, used to getting things his way, and misogynistic. Just me? Well turns out I was right! (cue the evil laughter) First of all, his reassurances to Alex that getting Darlington back would be easy? If you can’t imagine my face I’ll write you a picture. I’m giving a side-eye that might strain the muscle in my eyeballs. My whole face is going Uhhhhhummmmm. Let me quote The Princess Bride (because ti’s the day for all the references and allusions) and say “life is pain highness. Anyone who tells you different is selling you something”. So when the dean kept the reassurances coming and the secrets coming I just went “he did it.” and then when I was proven right I screamed, “I knew it!” Like a crazy person. I would also like to take this opportunity to apologize to my dog for scaring him seventeen times a day. When Alex is getting attacked by a crazed mind-controlled frat boy and she summons the spirit dogs for protection and they attack the dean? Yeah, that’s a hint. He’s just the worst human being, and I hate him. So good job on characterization Leigh Bardugo. This asshole thinks of women as disposable and believes murder is always the answer to solving his problems. I was happy when he got killed by a woman. 

Speaking of the woman, this one I did not see coming. Not because I didn’t think Margarite Belbalm was not acting weird or suspicious, but because I did not expect that. I bow to you Leigh Bardugo again because you tied everything together in a way I never expected. I did not expect the Bridegroom to be relevant to the storyline, and yet here we are. Daisy is an absolute nightmare. She believes she is owed, owed life, owed other people’s souls, owed money, owed power, owed everything she wants. At first, I felt bad for her. I mean, of course, I did. Her possessed fiancee shot her. Then we find out she caused the possession, and when that came back to bite her in the ass she ate her maids’ soul because she was more important than someone else. And things get worse from there. The way she speaks about people she sees as lesser than herself…. Yeah, it’s dark. The worst part is that I can believe it no problem.  I could see many people thinking in the same way. While the dean was pathetic and predictable she was a monster. 

I loved watching Alex and Dawes bond. They very clearly did not get each other and did not like each other for quite some time. I think they both are the kind of people who find it difficult to relate to a different personality. What’s interesting is that despite how shy and hesitant Dawes is she’s the one who does not hesitate to point out to the dean he’s being a misogynistic asshole who is blaming the victim. She’s the one who does not hesitate to stand up to other people when she feels it’s necessary. Alex meanwhile withers under perceived power and authority. I think the difference lies in their knowledge of themselves. Dawes knows who she is, and even though she has a long way to achieving her full potential she knows she has worth and thus she can fight the bottles she feels she should. While Alex perceives herself as worthless and thus can’t bring herself to voice her own opinions. Now Alex does not see it that way at the beginning. But by the end, I think they both grow and get better as people because of their friendship. 

I didn’t go into so many things in this book there is so much. We have magical date rape drugs. We have the underworld, which we hardly explored. We have Darlington and his disappearance and what exactly happened to him. We have so much history we didn’t get into. We have ale’ powers and where theory came from We have her mysterious dad. We have the planned trip to hell, which I’m so excited about. We have the team-up of dreams. We have complicated relationships and opposing personalities to look forward to. I am not sure how many books are planned for this series but at the end of this first installment, there were enough unanswered questions to provide material for at least three more books. So here’s hoping we get the next book soon because waiting is actual torture. 

Alright my lovelies, this is it for today. I have accepted that this book review is a hot mess. But hey, at least it’s hot. Go forth and read this book if you haven’t read it, and come back to discuss it. I wonder if many people have thoughts similar to mine. I hope so because I want to gush. Also, someone give me an update on the publication date of book two, please.  Leigh has revealed that the title of book two is to be found in the last chapter of book one so I’ll just go and try to figure it out. See you next time when I start wearing a foil hat and calling things my precious. 

Love, 

Anna