I read a lot of urban fantasy so having a magical setting in the real world is something I really enjoy and love seeing how authors add magic to a known place. This is one of those cases where I agree with most of your criticism, but still really enjoyed the book. I didn’t love it and think many things, particular pacing and mystery, could have been improved, but I liked Alex and the overall story/atmosphere and look forward to book two.
I have not read the book, but I am also not willing to read any book that has the reputation of "having to read 100 pages before it gets interesting". That to me is a sure sign of a bad book. I consider 300 pages to be the average book length, and I am not willing to read something almost half that size "before it gets interesting". Then I would rather read something else, and not waste my time on a poorly written book, no matter how hyped it is. I find it bizarre that this comes up so often (especially with fantasy) on booktube.
"I have not read the book, but I am also not willing to read any book that has the reputation of "having to read 100 pages before it gets interesting". That to me is a sure sign of a bad book." - thats really stupid.
I can understand it not being your taste, but to say it's a sign of bad writing is narrow minded. This book for example I would say is good writing as it does what the author intended, and I can see a definite style. It gradually builds the world and characters while hinting at things that happened in the past but because it takes that approach and constantly flips back and forth between two different time periods and perspectives, the set up took a lot longer than other books making the start slower for the first time reader as your trying to find your footing in different plots but on a second read through it flows a lot smoother as you understand what all the intricacies that are there but you might not have caught on the first read through. Again, I 100% understand if thats not your jam, but not being your jam doesn't mean its a bad book :)
I highly disagree. While I respect the No Stress DNF lifestyle, I think 100 pages is absolutely a reasonable amount of time to settle into a book. Funny how you mention fantasy cos that was my first thought. Most Fantasy books a longer than average, and the first 100 pages are expected to be set up, even a shorter fantasy book (like this one) generally needs time to lure you in. But again, DNF with abandon! I hate the attitude that you have to finish every book you start! Reading is a hobby not a chore, you should be enjoying it!
That exactly is the difference between YA novels and Adult novels. YA novels are completely action packed and are exciting on every page , while adult books generally take time to allow the story to sink into your being . But when they do OH MY GOD , IT HITS HARDDDDDD LIKE SOOOOOO HARDDD. So no i dont agree at all , slow books can be some of the BEST books out there , because they have a HUGE potential to completely shift your philosophical perspective throughout the book, you just have to have the patience. But honestly , its fine , if you dont prefer slow books , maybe dont read Adult books, read YA , its completely ok. But just calling all slow books to be "bad books" is kinda close minded tbh. Also just as an example , take dan brown's- the da vinci code. It has so much intellectual information that at times the book can be super slow. Yet , it is considered one of the best books.
I think you nailed this review. I was so disappointed with this. My 16 year old self probably would have loved it but I didn’t feel it was written for adults. I did think I would carry on with the series to see if it gets better but at this point I don’t remember anything that happened. Don’t care about any of the characters either.
I'm a fan of Leigh Bardugo but I DNF'd this one at 60%!! And usually if I make it that far, I force myself to finish the book but I hated this one. Her portrayal of drug addiction was so hollow and unrealistic. I just found the whole ghost lore fucking stupid, and again, hollow.
So, I did not like this book. I read it a while ago. February, I think? And everybody on bookstagram was gushing about it. I read it and was like “really. That’s it?” The thing that bothered me the most about this book, I think above all else is that the author perpetuates the idea that going to college will better your life-no matter what. Just go to college and you’ll no longer live in poverty, won’t have depression so on and so forth. I HATE that. Alex clearly hates Yale. She can’t keep up, she’s stressed, hardly getting any help. Yet she stays because she thinks this will make her life better. When really, it’s making it worse. I don’t know. I’m not explaining my thoughts right. But that just rubbed me the wrong way. 🤷🏽♀️
I don’t necessarily agree. While college isn’t a cure-all, having a degree from Yale is definitely a good shot at a better life. Alex’s childhood is shitty - to say the least - and coming from a single-parent, poorer household, I think it’s pretty accurate that -despite hating uni- Alex puts in so much effort into remaining at Yale. College education (especially from an Ivy) plays a huge part in breaking cyclical poverty.
I hate it when "everyone" loves a book, and I hate it. I feel guilty, like I'm only being contrary, even if I have REASONS? Like... I hate GOT. HATE IT. But I can't say that or everyone is hurt because why crap on someone's love? Or they accuse me of only pretending to hate it to be different. SIGH.
I think its pretty safe to say that anyone - esp. a former drug addict & runaway - life will objectively be improved with a tuition-free degree from Yale University. Like that's pretty much a no-brainer. No one's life is going to be objectively worse off because they've gotten a degree from Yale. And while there are certain trades that you can make money off of sans-college degree, the common conception that having a degree with improve you career prospects, future income, and overall quality of life is rarely false.
I completely agree with your review. One thing I really disliked about the novel was how it’s mostly a murder mystery, yet there’s no way for the reader to try to solve it themselves since Bardugo introduces the magic elements throughout the entire book which relate to the crime. Are you going to read the next book in the series? I’m kinda curious where it’s gonna go, but I didn’t love this one.
There absolutely is. The hint is in the magics. The fact that multiple houses magics was used in the conspiracy. The whole conversation after the gluma attack is one huge hint. It's hard yes, but it's definitely possible if you pay attention to every detail.
I’m sad you didn’t like this book, but I know it’s not for everyone. I didn’t know it was part of a series when I read it, and it had been so long since hearing a summary of it that I didn’t really know what I was walking into. I loved it, and maybe my lacking of prior knowledge helped with that. I also really like conspiracy theories and secret societies, then throwing in the supernatural elements with that and I was a happy reader lol.
Thank you!! My mom had it sitting in the basement forever collecting dust. No idea where it's from but if you google something like "black gothic candle sconce chains" you should be able to find something similar :)
I'm glad it's not just me. I quit about 30% of the way through. Honestly, the book just felt depressing, and I didn't end up giving a crap about what happened to anyone. Ugh.
Main characters named Galaxy and Darlington are enough to keep me away lol. And it's "adult" because the characters are like two years older than the ones in all of her other books? Please. These YA authors are all money grubbers.
I agree with most of your thoughts. This was a DNF for me. I wanted to stop only 100 pages in, but I ended up reading about half of it because I had also heard it would pick up. Honestly, I just felt like there was such a pretentiousness to the book that made it too difficult to get through.
I totally agree with everything you said! This book has been on my TBR forever and I was severely disappointed. I was mainly bored and confused the entire time. The pacing was terrible, nothing would happen, then something would happen, then something, then nothing. And all the societies confused the heck out of me. I couldn't keep track of their names or what each one did. I also agree that because this was set at Yale, it didn't seem like a fantasy novel to me. I was actually shocked to read it was described as a fantasy! Yeah it should definitely be New Adult.
I agree that this book is VERRRYYYYYY dull and nothing happens. And the author did really poorly on keeping me engaged because I too did not care about the c characters AT ALL! They have no personality. From what I gathered was that Alex is supposed to be this bad ass girl, but I only got weak vibes from her. Idk how to explain. It's taking me forever to finish this book, I'm on page 253 and I continue to read it because I've heard about the "cliffhanger" type of ending and I'm curious about that. But this book is sooo boring!! Great review bu the way!
First time watching your channel- but so far,I like your delivery and approach. I’m wondering if “Urban Fantasy” is a genre you’ve not read before, because you stated the real-world setting took you out of the story. In Urban fantasy, the real-world setting lends weight and a grounding- context as a contrast to the fantastical. It also adds an element of menace when characters may see fantasy unexpectedly bleeding into their world. Given Alex’s experiences (Glumae, possession) that seems an intrinsic part of telling this story. I have a theory about why certain books simply don’t hit for certain readers. Some readers look for escalating stakes throughout a story. Alex is an unusual protagonist. Every thing is high-stakes. She could lose her scholarship, go to jail, get thrown in a high security psych ward, become homeless and hungry again, or get physically harmed by ghosts. The story-telling at the beginning is about how Alex moves through the world, and the kind of world she’s being inducted into. She is an outsider, and Lethe is the most “outside” of the Houses of the veil. I’m a reader who delights in world building, and dense text and description. A fast paced plot would come at the expense of the world building, and I would have felt short-changed. I think it’s always fair to point out pace, but I would never use that as a defining criteria for whether a book was good or bad. I really respect a review that mentions a personal response to how the author uses tools…. even when they aren’t a favorite tool 😆 By the way, having read the sequel in two days, I’m curious if others would find that pace too slow as well… Nice job on your video- I’ll be checking your channel out again.
You can't really market fantasy/triller books as new adult because when people hear 'new adult' they will think smutty college romance. I love six of crows but haven't read this one yet.
New Adult does not exist in traditional publishing (unfortunately). It's only a "real" category in indie and self-publishing. If you want to traditionally publish a NA book, you have to pitch it as either YA OR Adult and say "with crossover appeal." Believe me, us writers are just as frustrated as readers on this!
I swear I’ve been reading this book since quarantine started (so for months!) and I just cannot get into it. I wanted to like it because of the concept of the book and all the dark elements it had. I ended up feeling like a lot of the book is overly descriptive and not a lot happens, or at least not in the chunk I read. It really felt like she was more telling than showing. And I have to agree on the setting aspect you talked about. Very much took me out of the “fantasy” mindset
I found this book overhyped and underwhelming and it read as a young adult book about a girl who sees dead people. As far as the plot, it was threadbare. I read it a few months ago and now that I think about it I can’t even recall what the story was about. So yeah, absurdly underwhelming.
I'm kind of waiting the the rest of the story. New Adult kind of fits where it should be shelfed. But it will be and is in the Sci-fi and fantasy section
I don't know why I thought I'd like this book. I read the Six of Crows duology because of the hype and I didn't like them. I guess I figured it was because those were YA, and she had to censor it more than an adult novel. So when I heard about Ninth House, and heard people talk about how dark it was I decided to give her another chance. I didn't hate it. It was jut 'meh' to me. I didn't find it nearly as shocking as a lot of others make it out to be. The only part I found semi-shocking didn't happen until close to 400 pages in. I found all the characters boring and like half of the books felt like her just describing the setting of Yale. I am pretty sure this is the last book I am reading by Leigh Bardugo.
I'm drawn to it, yet..... meh.... There seems to be so much going on just from the blurb on the back that I can't figure out what the book is supposed to be.
Reading this for book club and i was completely lost for the first 5 chapters. Didn't even pick up on that Darlington was missing and that it was a dual timeline. This book really didn't grip me from the start and well it shows.
*Spoliers alert* I've been reading Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo for a couple of days now and something baffles me. When Alex gets attacked by Lance Gressang, the scene goes like this - “Portal magic,” Alex grunted out. North looked back once over his shoulder and vanished through the wall of the apartment. Pain came at her in a sudden swell, a time-lapse photograph of a blooming flower, as if North’s presence had kept the worst of it at bay and now that she was empty the damage could rush in. Alex tried to push herself up. Turner had holstered his weapon. Turner slammed his fist on the counter. “That isn’t possible.” “It is,” said Alex. “You don’t understand,” said Turner. He looked at her the way North had, as if Alex had done him a wrong. “That was Lance Gressang. That was my murder suspect. I left him less than an hour ago. Sitting in a jail cell.” What I don't understand is why would Turner have to point that out? Didn't Alex already see Lance's face when she tried to find out what happened to Tara through the wound map haze on her corpse in the following scene? - Alex didn’t want to put her hand into the haze above the gruesome wounds on Tara’s chest. But that was what she’d come here to do. She took a breath and thrust her fingers forward. She was on the ground, a boy’s face above her-Lance. Sometimes she loved him, but lately things had been … The thought left her. She felt herself open her mouth, tasted something acrid on her tongue. Lance was smiling. They were on their way … where? She felt only excitement, anticipation, the world beginning to blur. “I’m sorry,” Lance said.
Does Turner know if she’s seen his face? (I don’t remember) it doesn’t say whether she recognized him or not. But Turner is Freaking out becsuse up until this point he hasn’t seen anyone use magic in front of him. It read (to me) like when ppl are surprised/shocked they state something in disbelief. Pretty sure he’s angry scared and frustrated in this moment and it was his version of”how did This person? End up Here?
Yea romance always comes to mind for me too when I think of New Adult haha. I wonder if NA didn’t have that perception, if they would have marketed it as NA instead of straight up adult
I'm listening to the audio book of this book and I like it so far. I'm thinking maybe because I'm listening to it maybe the issues other people seemed to have with this book are less noticeable. For example the jumps in narrative never seemed wonky to me, maybe because in the audio book different people narrate it. I also didn't have issues getting into the book, but maybe because the last audio book i listened to immediately before was so extremely slow.
I tried this one too but absolutely couldn’t finish it. It was so slow and so jumbled. I usually love multiple time lines and point of views too. Also it really didn’t feel “adult”.
Was going to read this soon but may move it down my extensive TBR list now. Side Q for the group...what’s the difference between Adult and New Adult? First time I’ve heard that term so apparently I’m out of the book loop on that one. 😊
New adult is an extra bridge category between YA and Adult. There's no real solid descriptor for it but it's basically books with characters of University/college age so like 19-25 give or take? I personally don't think it needs to exist but there is a lot of discussion about the topic
Plots And Points I actually like having the extra category of NA. I thinks it’s good for marketing purposes and this book is a good example of why. People picking up ninth house for a dark adult fantasy will likely be disappointed, but knowing it’s NA may lead to different expectations - that’s just me anyway
I loved this book, I didn't go to Yale, I've never been to new haven and although I loved it, I totally agree that setting it at Yale took away from the magic. It really shattered my suspension of disbelief. A lot of other reviews I saw say that the setting helped them fall into the world, so it's just a personal preference thing, maybe us two are the weird ones lol. What made the book work for me was the writing, I loved the prose, I really enjoyed the characters actually, I could see them being very similar to other characters but I thought they were well realized and I liked the magic system. I also just liked how raw everything felt, the magic and characters all felt very real and I really liked that.
YA an Fantasy Reader here 6.32 If you are not a big reader of fantasy, this falls into Urban fantasy genre - basically our world with a secret underworld of magic (think harry potter, Twilight, Mortal instruments ect). The magic systems are normally very soft (meaning very few rules are set in place) and unlike world building in high fantasy novels, the world building in urban fantasy will heavily revolve around why the Muggles don't notice magic happening. In this way the theme and genre and setting mix well together, Also no - New Adult did not catch on and we don't tend to use the label any more. I think a big thing with this book was the immaturity in which some of the subject matter was handled with that left a very YA feeling in my mouth. Drug addiction should have at least some passing consequences beyond "Dark edgy backstory"
Thanks for the new video, Katie! It is a real bummer to hear this book didn't impress, because Six of Crows is my favorite book series (and Crooked Kingdom my favorite book of all time). Like you though, when I first read that this book would take place at Yale in modern day, I immediately lost interest. So much of what makes the SoC duology great is Bardugo's world building and how her characters' place/social standing in that world impacts their lives. I'm normally not a big fantasy reader, but the characters in that series are so fleshed out (and there's actually interesting commentary criticizing the chosen-one trope, so it's kinda shocking to hear she plays it straight in Ninth House). The only other book of hers I read outside the Grishaverse is Wonder Woman Warbringer and much of that book takes place in modern-day NYC. I personally found that book super forgettable, and it really makes me think that maybe Bardugo's strength is in world building. I cannot recommend Six of Crows enough. It is YA, but it is super dark and touches on interesting subjects like ableism and revenge and it's all so good! In any event, I really look forward to your future videos on black horror authors, and have a great week!
I'm currently reading it right now. All the secret society jargon is confusing and I'm confused because it seems the main character has different names?? She is referred to as Alex and galaxy??
I appreciate this review. It seems like lately a lot of the books that people love I don’t love lol. I’d still like to read this down the road, but I’m in no hurry. Do you ever read anything by Lisa Unger? I’m making my way through The Hollows series and am enjoying it.
I read this at the beginning g of quarantine as well right after A Court of Wings and Ruin by Maas (so no matter what I read, it wouldn’t compare). However, I was very excited about this book, it had been on my TBR for a while, and it was incredibly disappointing. It fell flat and did not possess near enough fantasy elements for me. However, do not let this sway you from reading her other books. The Shadow and Bone series is wonderful.
I read the first book in her ya fantasy series a year or so ago, and that was enough to make me not interested in this book. There was nothing in that book that made me excited for anything else she might write, unfortunately.
I don't think that's a spoiler either, about Darlington. Also, I don't mind spoilers anyway if they save me hours of my life I won't get back and that I could spend on re-reading Melmoth the Wanderer. Again.
just found your channel and i am just like you! dont read fantasy, love crimes and thrillers. this book! i am half way through and cant wait for it to end :D
I was so disappointed with this book... I guess I was expecting a different experience? Imagine if this was written by an author who did not mainly write YA and they focused on the secret societies more and didn't have the science fiction element. It felt like a chore to me, I heard about the first 100 pages too and I agree about the 10% of the book being VERY interesting
![ninth house is a hot mess | one star review [CC]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/bibu9wr8hCM/mqdefault.jpg)
![ninth house is a hot mess | one star review [CC]](/img/tr.png)
I read a lot of urban fantasy so having a magical setting in the real world is something I really enjoy and love seeing how authors add magic to a known place.
This is one of those cases where I agree with most of your criticism, but still really enjoyed the book. I didn’t love it and think many things, particular pacing and mystery, could have been improved, but I liked Alex and the overall story/atmosphere and look forward to book two.
I’m still really glad you enjoyed it!!
I have not read the book, but I am also not willing to read any book that has the reputation of "having to read 100 pages before it gets interesting". That to me is a sure sign of a bad book. I consider 300 pages to be the average book length, and I am not willing to read something almost half that size "before it gets interesting". Then I would rather read something else, and not waste my time on a poorly written book, no matter how hyped it is. I find it bizarre that this comes up so often (especially with fantasy) on booktube.
Hahaha that's an excellent mindset to have!
"I have not read the book, but I am also not willing to read any book that has the reputation of "having to read 100 pages before it gets interesting". That to me is a sure sign of a bad book." - thats really stupid.
I can understand it not being your taste, but to say it's a sign of bad writing is narrow minded. This book for example I would say is good writing as it does what the author intended, and I can see a definite style. It gradually builds the world and characters while hinting at things that happened in the past but because it takes that approach and constantly flips back and forth between two different time periods and perspectives, the set up took a lot longer than other books making the start slower for the first time reader as your trying to find your footing in different plots but on a second read through it flows a lot smoother as you understand what all the intricacies that are there but you might not have caught on the first read through. Again, I 100% understand if thats not your jam, but not being your jam doesn't mean its a bad book :)
I highly disagree.
While I respect the No Stress DNF lifestyle, I think 100 pages is absolutely a reasonable amount of time to settle into a book.
Funny how you mention fantasy cos that was my first thought. Most Fantasy books a longer than average, and the first 100 pages are expected to be set up, even a shorter fantasy book (like this one) generally needs time to lure you in.
But again, DNF with abandon! I hate the attitude that you have to finish every book you start! Reading is a hobby not a chore, you should be enjoying it!
That exactly is the difference between YA novels and Adult novels.
YA novels are completely action packed and are exciting on every page , while adult books generally take time to allow the story to sink into your being . But when they do OH MY GOD , IT HITS HARDDDDDD LIKE SOOOOOO HARDDD.
So no i dont agree at all , slow books can be some of the BEST books out there , because they have a HUGE potential to completely shift your philosophical perspective throughout the book, you just have to have the patience.
But honestly , its fine , if you dont prefer slow books , maybe dont read Adult books, read YA , its completely ok. But just calling all slow books to be "bad books" is kinda close minded tbh.
Also just as an example , take dan brown's- the da vinci code. It has so much intellectual information that at times the book can be super slow. Yet , it is considered one of the best books.
I think you nailed this review. I was so disappointed with this. My 16 year old self probably would have loved it but I didn’t feel it was written for adults. I did think I would carry on with the series to see if it gets better but at this point I don’t remember anything that happened. Don’t care about any of the characters either.
I have to say I was worried posting this so I’m glad most of you agree 😂😂😂
I'm a fan of Leigh Bardugo but I DNF'd this one at 60%!! And usually if I make it that far, I force myself to finish the book but I hated this one. Her portrayal of drug addiction was so hollow and unrealistic. I just found the whole ghost lore fucking stupid, and again, hollow.
Apparently publishers do not label stuff as "new adult" anymore because it doesn't sell well enough
So, I did not like this book. I read it a while ago. February, I think? And everybody on bookstagram was gushing about it. I read it and was like “really. That’s it?” The thing that bothered me the most about this book, I think above all else is that the author perpetuates the idea that going to college will better your life-no matter what. Just go to college and you’ll no longer live in poverty, won’t have depression so on and so forth. I HATE that. Alex clearly hates Yale. She can’t keep up, she’s stressed, hardly getting any help. Yet she stays because she thinks this will make her life better. When really, it’s making it worse. I don’t know. I’m not explaining my thoughts right. But that just rubbed me the wrong way. 🤷🏽♀️
I don’t necessarily agree. While college isn’t a cure-all, having a degree from Yale is definitely a good shot at a better life. Alex’s childhood is shitty - to say the least - and coming from a single-parent, poorer household, I think it’s pretty accurate that -despite hating uni- Alex puts in so much effort into remaining at Yale. College education (especially from an Ivy) plays a huge part in breaking cyclical poverty.
I hate it when "everyone" loves a book, and I hate it. I feel guilty, like I'm only being contrary, even if I have REASONS? Like... I hate GOT. HATE IT. But I can't say that or everyone is hurt because why crap on someone's love? Or they accuse me of only pretending to hate it to be different. SIGH.
I think its pretty safe to say that anyone - esp. a former drug addict & runaway - life will objectively be improved with a tuition-free degree from Yale University. Like that's pretty much a no-brainer. No one's life is going to be objectively worse off because they've gotten a degree from Yale. And while there are certain trades that you can make money off of sans-college degree, the common conception that having a degree with improve you career prospects, future income, and overall quality of life is rarely false.
In addition to all the other issues, the fact that the MC is named GALAXY for fuck's sake would be enough to make me 1000% uninterested in reading it.
That "NOPE" and facial expression in your thumbnail got me--LOL!!! :^D
I completely agree with your review. One thing I really disliked about the novel was how it’s mostly a murder mystery, yet there’s no way for the reader to try to solve it themselves since Bardugo introduces the magic elements throughout the entire book which relate to the crime. Are you going to read the next book in the series? I’m kinda curious where it’s gonna go, but I didn’t love this one.
I didn’t even think about that but you’re spot on!
....and probably not 😂
There absolutely is. The hint is in the magics. The fact that multiple houses magics was used in the conspiracy. The whole conversation after the gluma attack is one huge hint. It's hard yes, but it's definitely possible if you pay attention to every detail.
I just finished the book 1 hour ago and thank you for this video!! So well articulated, I felt the same way about this book
I had to dnf this book because it was so boring to me, and I didn’t care about any characters
I’m sad you didn’t like this book, but I know it’s not for everyone. I didn’t know it was part of a series when I read it, and it had been so long since hearing a summary of it that I didn’t really know what I was walking into. I loved it, and maybe my lacking of prior knowledge helped with that. I also really like conspiracy theories and secret societies, then throwing in the supernatural elements with that and I was a happy reader lol.
Ummmmm where did you get that candle/light fixture behind you??? It’s gorgeous and I need it lol
Thank you!! My mom had it sitting in the basement forever collecting dust. No idea where it's from but if you google something like "black gothic candle sconce chains" you should be able to find something similar :)
I'm glad it's not just me. I quit about 30% of the way through. Honestly, the book just felt depressing, and I didn't end up giving a crap about what happened to anyone. Ugh.
Main characters named Galaxy and Darlington are enough to keep me away lol. And it's "adult" because the characters are like two years older than the ones in all of her other books? Please. These YA authors are all money grubbers.
hahahaha
Most authors don't make a lot of money. Don't think it's far to call them money grubbers
hello Leigh.Bardugo is not one of those authors
I agree with most of your thoughts. This was a DNF for me. I wanted to stop only 100 pages in, but I ended up reading about half of it because I had also heard it would pick up. Honestly, I just felt like there was such a pretentiousness to the book that made it too difficult to get through.
I think the pretentiousness turned me off too.
I totally agree with everything you said! This book has been on my TBR forever and I was severely disappointed. I was mainly bored and confused the entire time. The pacing was terrible, nothing would happen, then something would happen, then something, then nothing. And all the societies confused the heck out of me. I couldn't keep track of their names or what each one did. I also agree that because this was set at Yale, it didn't seem like a fantasy novel to me. I was actually shocked to read it was described as a fantasy! Yeah it should definitely be New Adult.
I agree that this book is VERRRYYYYYY dull and nothing happens. And the author did really poorly on keeping me engaged because I too did not care about the c characters AT ALL! They have no personality. From what I gathered was that Alex is supposed to be this bad ass girl, but I only got weak vibes from her. Idk how to explain. It's taking me forever to finish this book, I'm on page 253 and I continue to read it because I've heard about the "cliffhanger" type of ending and I'm curious about that. But this book is sooo boring!!
Great review bu the way!
First time watching your channel- but so far,I like your delivery and approach.
I’m wondering if “Urban Fantasy” is a genre you’ve not read before, because you stated the real-world setting took you out of the story. In Urban fantasy, the real-world setting lends weight and a grounding- context as a contrast to the fantastical. It also adds an element of menace when characters may see fantasy unexpectedly bleeding into their world. Given Alex’s experiences (Glumae, possession) that seems an intrinsic part of telling this story.
I have a theory about why certain books simply don’t hit for certain readers. Some readers look for escalating stakes throughout a story. Alex is an unusual protagonist. Every thing is high-stakes. She could lose her scholarship, go to jail, get thrown in a high security psych ward, become homeless and hungry again, or get physically harmed by ghosts.
The story-telling at the beginning is about how Alex moves through the world, and the kind of world she’s being inducted into. She is an outsider, and Lethe is the most “outside” of the Houses of the veil. I’m a reader who delights in world building, and dense text and description. A fast paced plot would come at the expense of the world building, and I would have felt short-changed.
I think it’s always fair to point out pace, but I would never use that as a defining criteria for whether a book was good or bad. I really respect a review that mentions a personal response to how the author uses tools…. even when they aren’t a favorite tool 😆
By the way, having read the sequel in two days, I’m curious if others would find that pace too slow as well…
Nice job on your video- I’ll be checking your channel out again.
You can't really market fantasy/triller books as new adult because when people hear 'new adult' they will think smutty college romance.
I love six of crows but haven't read this one yet.
Good to know about Six of Crows!
New Adult does not exist in traditional publishing (unfortunately). It's only a "real" category in indie and self-publishing. If you want to traditionally publish a NA book, you have to pitch it as either YA OR Adult and say "with crossover appeal." Believe me, us writers are just as frustrated as readers on this!
I swear I’ve been reading this book since quarantine started (so for months!) and I just cannot get into it. I wanted to like it because of the concept of the book and all the dark elements it had. I ended up feeling like a lot of the book is overly descriptive and not a lot happens, or at least not in the chunk I read. It really felt like she was more telling than showing. And I have to agree on the setting aspect you talked about. Very much took me out of the “fantasy” mindset
I 100% agree with it being overly descriptive
I found this book overhyped and underwhelming and it read as a young adult book about a girl who sees dead people. As far as the plot, it was threadbare. I read it a few months ago and now that I think about it I can’t even recall what the story was about. So yeah, absurdly underwhelming.
I'm kind of waiting the the rest of the story. New Adult kind of fits where it should be shelfed. But it will be and is in the Sci-fi and fantasy section
Wow!! That light fixture is perfection. Where on earth did you find such a score??
I don't know why I thought I'd like this book. I read the Six of Crows duology because of the hype and I didn't like them. I guess I figured it was because those were YA, and she had to censor it more than an adult novel. So when I heard about Ninth House, and heard people talk about how dark it was I decided to give her another chance.
I didn't hate it. It was jut 'meh' to me. I didn't find it nearly as shocking as a lot of others make it out to be. The only part I found semi-shocking didn't happen until close to 400 pages in. I found all the characters boring and like half of the books felt like her just describing the setting of Yale.
I am pretty sure this is the last book I am reading by Leigh Bardugo.
I'm drawn to it, yet..... meh.... There seems to be so much going on just from the blurb on the back that I can't figure out what the book is supposed to be.
Reading this for book club and i was completely lost for the first 5 chapters. Didn't even pick up on that Darlington was missing and that it was a dual timeline. This book really didn't grip me from the start and well it shows.
*Spoliers alert*
I've been reading Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo for a couple of days now and something baffles me.
When Alex gets attacked by Lance Gressang, the scene goes like this -
“Portal magic,” Alex grunted out. North looked back once over his shoulder and vanished through the wall of the apartment.
Pain came at her in a sudden swell, a time-lapse photograph of a blooming flower, as if North’s presence had kept the worst of it at bay and now that she was empty the damage could rush in. Alex tried to push herself up.
Turner had holstered his weapon. Turner slammed his fist on the counter.
“That isn’t possible.” “It is,” said Alex. “You don’t understand,” said Turner. He looked at her the way North had, as if Alex had done him a wrong.
“That was Lance Gressang. That was my murder suspect. I left him less than an hour ago. Sitting in a jail cell.”
What I don't understand is why would Turner have to point that out? Didn't Alex already see Lance's face when she tried to find out what happened to Tara through the wound map haze on her corpse in the following scene? -
Alex didn’t want to put her hand into the haze above the gruesome wounds on Tara’s chest. But that was what she’d come here to do.
She took a breath and thrust her fingers forward. She was on the ground, a boy’s face above her-Lance. Sometimes she loved him, but lately things had been …
The thought left her. She felt herself open her mouth, tasted something acrid on her tongue. Lance was smiling.
They were on their way … where? She felt only excitement, anticipation, the world beginning to blur. “I’m sorry,” Lance said.
Does Turner know if she’s seen his face? (I don’t remember) it doesn’t say whether she recognized him or not.
But Turner is Freaking out becsuse up until this point he hasn’t seen anyone use magic in front of him. It read (to me) like when ppl are surprised/shocked they state something in disbelief.
Pretty sure he’s angry scared and frustrated in this moment and it was his version of”how did This person? End up Here?
I see "New Adult" being used more in romance than anywhere else.
Yea romance always comes to mind for me too when I think of New Adult haha. I wonder if NA didn’t have that perception, if they would have marketed it as NA instead of straight up adult
I love thrillers and all things scary and have been meaning to pick this up for a while now!
Im surprised i read this before quarantine. I kind of liked it. But it was wonky because of jumping.
I'm listening to the audio book of this book and I like it so far. I'm thinking maybe because I'm listening to it maybe the issues other people seemed to have with this book are less noticeable. For example the jumps in narrative never seemed wonky to me, maybe because in the audio book different people narrate it.
I also didn't have issues getting into the book, but maybe because the last audio book i listened to immediately before was so extremely slow.
I tried this one too but absolutely couldn’t finish it. It was so slow and so jumbled. I usually love multiple time lines and point of views too. Also it really didn’t feel “adult”.
Was going to read this soon but may move it down my extensive TBR list now. Side Q for the group...what’s the difference between Adult and New Adult? First time I’ve heard that term so apparently I’m out of the book loop on that one. 😊
New adult is an extra bridge category between YA and Adult. There's no real solid descriptor for it but it's basically books with characters of University/college age so like 19-25 give or take? I personally don't think it needs to exist but there is a lot of discussion about the topic
Plots And Points I actually like having the extra category of NA. I thinks it’s good for marketing purposes and this book is a good example of why. People picking up ninth house for a dark adult fantasy will likely be disappointed, but knowing it’s NA may lead to different expectations - that’s just me anyway
I loved this book, I didn't go to Yale, I've never been to new haven and although I loved it, I totally agree that setting it at Yale took away from the magic. It really shattered my suspension of disbelief. A lot of other reviews I saw say that the setting helped them fall into the world, so it's just a personal preference thing, maybe us two are the weird ones lol. What made the book work for me was the writing, I loved the prose, I really enjoyed the characters actually, I could see them being very similar to other characters but I thought they were well realized and I liked the magic system. I also just liked how raw everything felt, the magic and characters all felt very real and I really liked that.
Agree with the pacing.
Honestly I don’t see anything tagged as New Adult recently. I’m thinking publishers are trying to fizzle out New Adult.
YA an Fantasy Reader here
6.32 If you are not a big reader of fantasy, this falls into Urban fantasy genre - basically our world with a secret underworld of magic (think harry potter, Twilight, Mortal instruments ect). The magic systems are normally very soft (meaning very few rules are set in place) and unlike world building in high fantasy novels, the world building in urban fantasy will heavily revolve around why the Muggles don't notice magic happening.
In this way the theme and genre and setting mix well together,
Also no - New Adult did not catch on and we don't tend to use the label any more. I think a big thing with this book was the immaturity in which some of the subject matter was handled with that left a very YA feeling in my mouth. Drug addiction should have at least some passing consequences beyond "Dark edgy backstory"
Thanks for the new video, Katie! It is a real bummer to hear this book didn't impress, because Six of Crows is my favorite book series (and Crooked Kingdom my favorite book of all time). Like you though, when I first read that this book would take place at Yale in modern day, I immediately lost interest. So much of what makes the SoC duology great is Bardugo's world building and how her characters' place/social standing in that world impacts their lives. I'm normally not a big fantasy reader, but the characters in that series are so fleshed out (and there's actually interesting commentary criticizing the chosen-one trope, so it's kinda shocking to hear she plays it straight in Ninth House). The only other book of hers I read outside the Grishaverse is Wonder Woman Warbringer and much of that book takes place in modern-day NYC. I personally found that book super forgettable, and it really makes me think that maybe Bardugo's strength is in world building.
I cannot recommend Six of Crows enough. It is YA, but it is super dark and touches on interesting subjects like ableism and revenge and it's all so good! In any event, I really look forward to your future videos on black horror authors, and have a great week!
New Adult generally is a sub-genre of Romance.
I'm currently reading it right now. All the secret society jargon is confusing and I'm confused because it seems the main character has different names?? She is referred to as Alex and galaxy??
I felt 80% of the book slow and I struggled to finish it. I almost DNF it, it took me a whole month to read it.
I appreciate this review. It seems like lately a lot of the books that people love I don’t love lol. I’d still like to read this down the road, but I’m in no hurry. Do you ever read anything by Lisa Unger? I’m making my way through The Hollows series and am enjoying it.
I read this at the beginning g of quarantine as well right after A Court of Wings and Ruin by Maas (so no matter what I read, it wouldn’t compare). However, I was very excited about this book, it had been on my TBR for a while, and it was incredibly disappointing. It fell flat and did not possess near enough fantasy elements for me. However, do not let this sway you from reading her other books. The Shadow and Bone series is wonderful.
Finishing this up this weekend, and it's mostly crap, yeah.
I read the first book in her ya fantasy series a year or so ago, and that was enough to make me not interested in this book. There was nothing in that book that made me excited for anything else she might write, unfortunately.
This is one of my all time fav books tbh
I don't think that's a spoiler either, about Darlington. Also, I don't mind spoilers anyway if they save me hours of my life I won't get back and that I could spend on re-reading Melmoth the Wanderer. Again.
I'm reading Elevator Pitch by Linwood Barclay. It is not a horror but very exciting thriller. Think you would like it.
I couldn't get past her name was Galaxy....
I only made it to like page 30 in this book, it was too slow and I just wasn’t interested at all.
just found your channel and i am just like you! dont read fantasy, love crimes and thrillers. this book! i am half way through and cant wait for it to end :D
I’m 3/4th the way through and feel that it’s painfully slow. I want to stop but I also want to say I finished it 🤣
i DNF it
I was so disappointed with this book... I guess I was expecting a different experience? Imagine if this was written by an author who did not mainly write YA and they focused on the secret societies more and didn't have the science fiction element. It felt like a chore to me, I heard about the first 100 pages too and I agree about the 10% of the book being VERY interesting
I felt it read like mystery/horror.
Yep agreed - definitely more so than fantasy
I listened to it on audible and was not a fan sadly
Luanne rice and carson mccullers are good authors to read
The thumb nail 🤭😂😖😂
Your very pretty ;) You make me want to read now
First!