Ninth House / Leigh Bardugo

3.5/5

I am a big fan of Leigh Bardugo's. I've been with her since Shadow and Bone first came out and have read all of the Grishaverse novels more than once. I was excited for her debut adult novel, especially since I enjoyed Sarah J Maas's debut adult. 

I burned through Ninth House. The plot and characters are engrossing. The novel follows the characters during ~3 different time periods, which may sound confusing but I never had a problem keeping up. I actually really enjoyed the nonchronological format because it lended to the mystery of the novel and slowly revealed how each character got to where they are today. I loved the way Bardugo wrote Alex's simultaneous vulnerability and strength.

Her depiction of Darlington deserves just as much if not more praise. I found myself falling in love with Darlington, even though we only meet him in flashbacks or through the perspectives of other people. That is one of my complaints with the novel-- I spent the novel eagerly anticipating meeting Darlington in present time, but we never do. 

My biggest problem with the novel is the way it wrapped up: in a hasty and absurd fashion. The explanation for the murders felt absurd, cheap, and out of line with the rest of the novel. On a slightly separate note, the reveal reminded me a bit of Meg Cabot's Mediator series. There is a bit of an info dump at the beginning, but, as I feel with most info dumps, it's a minor issue because all it requires is a bit of skimming and stamina. Overall, Ninth House is a strong read because of the characters, plot, and writing.