Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo Book Review & Blog Tour



Title: Ninth House
By: Leigh Bardugo
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Publication Date: October 8, 2019
Pages: 480

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, much worse. In fact, by age twenty, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she's thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world's 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 tamper with forbidden magic. They raise the dead. And, sometimes, they prey on the living.


MY REVIEW

I’m a huge fan of casual reads, especially when it comes to fantasy and entering the creative mind of a writer that can bring you into a completely different reality, be it in the world we’re all familiar with, a fictional world, or an afterlife scenario. Leigh Bardugo brings Yale in New Haven, Connecticut to the forefront of my mind with new intrigue. With secret societies, ghosts, magic and underlying issues of the real world, “Ninth House” has been my favorite read to start off the Autumn season in a long time.

“Ninth House” explores tragic, and at times, overwhelming, real life scenarios involving the divide between classes and how we treat/see one another based off of money, status, physical appearance and education. These themes, for me, have been offset by the imaginative, exciting and curious world of murder and dark magic, with a healthy does of witty humor and human connection. It is important to note that there may be some themes that cannot be overshadowed for some readers, like drugs, abuse of children, including rape. The trauma described in this book is not easy going, in any sense, and may not be for those with triggers. However, this can also be a story of a survivor’s willingness to overcome unspeakable wrongs and take back their power.

As we follow a woman, Galaxy “Alex” Stern, from Los Angeles with a troubled past, struggle to hold on to this new life she has been given in New Haven as a second chance, you can’t help but feel connected to her through all the mystery and twists. The descriptive narrative is so immersive, you might as well be inside the book. I feel the characters are well thought out and developed to the point that I didn’t want the book to end, but I couldn’t stop reading.


I am really excited to be apart of the Ninth House Blog Tour hosted by our friends over at Raincoast! We are one of two last stops and I encourage you to check out Christine from Padfoot's Library to read her review as well. 

Disclosure: All opinions are my own. I received Ninth House at no cost for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received.

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