“I want to survive this world that keeps trying to destroy me”
Ninth House follows a young girl named Galaxy ‘Alex’ Stern.
Most will take one look at Alex and think they know her. High School drop out, hangs out with the wrong crowd and the occasional drug user, most would write her off.
What they don’t know is that Alex can see the Gray. The Quiet Ones. The Dead. The spirits who can’t or won’t move on.
This gift comes in handy when she is approached by Dean Sandow. He wants her to help monitor the activities of Yale’s Secret Societies.
When a dead girl is found on campus, Alex investigates further – and stumbles into a world of forbidden magic, power and privilege.
My Thoughts
While reading this book I was frustrated for around 150 pages. I liked what I was reading but I wasn’t enjoying it. It felt like an effort to get through.
A quote from Stephen King on the front of this book says “Impossible to put down” however, I must have put it down so many times during the week and each time I was so close to not picking it back up.
Both of the protagonists annoyed me at first. Daniel Arlington looked down on Alex because she dropped out of high school. Alex looked down on Daniel because she figured he was well off so he must’ve had an easy life.
Somehow, both of their judgements annoyed me however, I suppose it was there for character growth, and to show us how their bond deepens so, although I don’t think it did the characters themselves any favours, I can understand it.
I think the problem I had with this book at first was, there was a lot of plot happening but nothing was really connecting me to the story. Perhaps also partly, it wasn’t what I had expected going into the story.
I think perhaps I also needed to get used to Leigh Bardugo’s writing, and we jumped both perspective and time so much I felt like I initially wasn’t getting enough of the story to keep me interested.
Once I hit the 200 page mark I was fully invested and by the end I needed the sequel.
Upon finishing the book I think it was a good call. We need all that background information to fully know the characters and understand what shaped them.
Conclusion
I can’t quite comprehend that this book did a complete 180 for me. From being a book I wanted to DNF to being a series I cannot wait to continue. I’m so glad I stuck with it.
