I was so disappointed in this one. It was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. So many missed opportunities and then I was really put off both by how Alex reacted to Mercy’s sexual assault and how mercy was portrayed as like... fine after Alex told her what she did? It was like mercy’s assault became all about Alex. It was uncomfortable.
Yeah that REALLY sounds like a missed opportunity at the beginning, especially if it's going to be a series. Overall though, it still sounds interesting. Side note: i just realized what those designs on your sweater were 2/3rds of the way through your video. So cool sweater, lol.
I so agree with your comments about the structure!!! It could have been a five star read, instead it was a 4 star one that I almost DNFed at 40%. Glad that I didnt though, as the ending was amazing.
Cool vid. Keep up the good work. I picked this one up solely because of the blurbs on the back. My problems with it are largely similar to yours, but I ended up hating it. It felt like two books had been crammed into a blender, the resulting mix was drained in a colander, and then what was left was published. It never gelled for me, and the constant back-and-forth with the chronology absolutely killed the story's momentum. What bothered me most was the way the big trigger warning subplot was resolved. I get what Bardugo was going for, but it struck me as reductive and far too easy. But I say that as someone whose knowledge of such a violation is tangential, so it's likely outside my purview. As storytelling, though, it felt way off. Just read Rachel's comment, and she put it far better than I did.
yes I definitely agree about how that part was handled, I guess for me it was just another instance illustrating how bad at life Alex is that that's how she would react 😬
@@LienesLibrary After I finished the book I listened to the Barnes & Noble podcast episode with Bardugo. She had a cold and was on a tinny-sounding phone, which pretty much sums up the book for me.
I had a similar experience, I found it difficult to get into but ultimately I loved it. It's funny because I agree with most of the criticism I've seen, but it just clicked for me. Your observation about the beginning and how it lacked a sense of mystery makes so much sense, wouldn't have been able to put words to it myself.
Tooootttalllly agree about the structure and pacing -- "It's holding itself back" -- really good point and so true. I did actually really like Darlington and just wish he had more screen time. I liked him way more than Alex until like the very end. Finally felt like she was a real person at the end of the book. If it hadn't had all the hype, I may not have finished it. And holy eff, five books!
I agree with you. And the beginning, it was really hard for me to get in to it. And the way she described some of be as you said triggering incidents.. It was off putting and unnecessary really.. But towards the ends, I really enjoyed it. With what happened and I gave it a 3.5. I'd probably read it again before the second book comes out
I started this book expecting to hate it just based on the mixed reviews it got but I ended up giving it 4 starts as well which was a nice surprise. I do agree that it has issues with pacing and structure though (the multiple timelines were very confusing in the beginning).
I still need to read this, it seems like ain interesting concept and I know so many people love/hate it, I really think I want to check it out for myself.
Yeah I see your point about holding the mystery for longer but I wasn't upset about that. Lots of people said they were confused with toi many timelines but i wasn't. I read it in 2 days and i missed some things. I'll re read it some day. Ninth House was my first Bardugo and gave it 5 stars. For me was something different to what I'd been reading at the moment
@@LienesLibrary I was very hesitant about buying that book because first it's expensive and i was afraid i wouldn't like Leigh's writing style since I'd flipped through her YA books at the bookstore and didn't catch my interest. I jumped into the pool here. I did some highlighting during the first 100 pages but then I got sucked into it and didn't highlight anymore. I read earlier last week THE Priory of the Orange tree and highlighted the whole damn book and still i gave it 3 stars. When comes to rate a book a value enjoyment over technique 😁
I haven’t read this book myself, but it Sounds to me like she desired to write something very specific & wanted to get stuck straight into the meat of her story, but didn’t want the inconvenience of slow groundwork or build-up. I imagine most authors get a constant flurry of ‘clever ideas’ & that most also become tired of having to go thru the usual motions of establishing character/situation etc in order to see their vision through. However, most writers are wise enough to know that the reader needs to go on the entire journey so they get the full perspective of the story they’re being told. For instance; the first time we meet DR Watson we realise that he’s hard-up & needs to share accommodation, & isn’t particularly fussy about whom he shares with...enter Sherlock Holmes. It wouldn’t work if these two were already firm friends....we need Watson to be new to Holmes in order for him to be wowed by Holmes’ abilities. Didn’t Bardugo give us anything to show how these ‘sixth sense’ powers influenced the protagonist’s childhood or upbringing? That would’ve been interesting.🧐
you do get extensive (and very adult/dark) flashbacks to Alex's childhood and pre-Yale life, but it's so strange that in a "dark academia" book with secret societies, the mystery isn't the school or the societies, but instead it's the protagonist's emotional baggage...
Liene's Library yeah that is a very odd way to approach this kinda story. Definitely a missed opportunity there I think. That was something the Potter books certainly got right in regards to storytelling. Whether it was the acts of previous students &/or secretive teachers, or even the bricks of Hogwarts itself; there was often something mysterious lurking in the background to keep us guessing...hiding sinister & interesting truths for Harry (& the reader) to unravel.
@@riggers1977 I think it's pretty universally acknowledged that, say what you will about Harry Potter, JK Rowling knows how to write a compelling mystery 👌
Liene's Library yeah definitely. In terms of actual writing; her original books are some of the most engaging, inventive, & beautiful I’ve ever read. She really knows her craft! Though I do think recently she’s got a touch too big for her own boots with regards to her Fantastic Beasts screenplays. I don’t think retconning established lore in order to appear more PC and spouting political claptrap has gone down too well with folk either.😂 It’s a shame really, because we all know how great she can be at creating!
![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 was so disappointed in this one. It was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. So many missed opportunities and then I was really put off both by how Alex reacted to Mercy’s sexual assault and how mercy was portrayed as like... fine after Alex told her what she did? It was like mercy’s assault became all about Alex. It was uncomfortable.
that is a very good point - something about that part bothered me and you've just put words to it, that's what it was, I totally agree
Liene's Library lol that’s got me feeling very validated
liene write a book
Loved Ninth House!
I have tried reading Ninth House twice and just could not get past page 117. Your review makes sooooo much sense!
Yeah that REALLY sounds like a missed opportunity at the beginning, especially if it's going to be a series. Overall though, it still sounds interesting.
Side note: i just realized what those designs on your sweater were 2/3rds of the way through your video. So cool sweater, lol.
hahaha had to wear my skullys for a book about a girl who can see dead people 😅
I so agree with your comments about the structure!!! It could have been a five star read, instead it was a 4 star one that I almost DNFed at 40%. Glad that I didnt though, as the ending was amazing.
This review goes up the same day the audiobook arrived on my overdrive. At least I know what I'm getting into. Thanks for the review.
hahaha I planned it that way 😎
Cool vid. Keep up the good work.
I picked this one up solely because of the blurbs on the back. My problems with it are largely similar to yours, but I ended up hating it. It felt like two books had been crammed into a blender, the resulting mix was drained in a colander, and then what was left was published. It never gelled for me, and the constant back-and-forth with the chronology absolutely killed the story's momentum.
What bothered me most was the way the big trigger warning subplot was resolved. I get what Bardugo was going for, but it struck me as reductive and far too easy. But I say that as someone whose knowledge of such a violation is tangential, so it's likely outside my purview. As storytelling, though, it felt way off.
Just read Rachel's comment, and she put it far better than I did.
yes I definitely agree about how that part was handled, I guess for me it was just another instance illustrating how bad at life Alex is that that's how she would react 😬
@@LienesLibrary After I finished the book I listened to the Barnes & Noble podcast episode with Bardugo. She had a cold and was on a tinny-sounding phone, which pretty much sums up the book for me.
I had a similar experience, I found it difficult to get into but ultimately I loved it. It's funny because I agree with most of the criticism I've seen, but it just clicked for me. Your observation about the beginning and how it lacked a sense of mystery makes so much sense, wouldn't have been able to put words to it myself.
so many people I feel like complain that it's hard to get into the book and it didn't need to be... oh well
Tooootttalllly agree about the structure and pacing -- "It's holding itself back" -- really good point and so true. I did actually really like Darlington and just wish he had more screen time. I liked him way more than Alex until like the very end. Finally felt like she was a real person at the end of the book. If it hadn't had all the hype, I may not have finished it. And holy eff, five books!
yeah, honestly if the author wasn't Leigh Bardugo I'm not sure I would have pushed myself to keep reading
I agree with you. And the beginning, it was really hard for me to get in to it. And the way she described some of be as you said triggering incidents.. It was off putting and unnecessary really.. But towards the ends, I really enjoyed it. With what happened and I gave it a 3.5. I'd probably read it again before the second book comes out
yeah the adult stuff felt a bit gratuitous at times, for sure
I started this book expecting to hate it just based on the mixed reviews it got but I ended up giving it 4 starts as well which was a nice surprise. I do agree that it has issues with pacing and structure though (the multiple timelines were very confusing in the beginning).
I still need to read this, it seems like ain interesting concept and I know so many people love/hate it, I really think I want to check it out for myself.
that's exactly how I felt, I just had to know where I stood on it
Yeah I see your point about holding the mystery for longer but I wasn't upset about that. Lots of people said they were confused with toi many timelines but i wasn't. I read it in 2 days and i missed some things. I'll re read it some day. Ninth House was my first Bardugo and gave it 5 stars. For me was something different to what I'd been reading at the moment
yeah I didn't think it was hard to follow, just hard to get into
@@LienesLibrary I was very hesitant about buying that book because first it's expensive and i was afraid i wouldn't like Leigh's writing style since I'd flipped through her YA books at the bookstore and didn't catch my interest. I jumped into the pool here. I did some highlighting during the first 100 pages but then I got sucked into it and didn't highlight anymore. I read earlier last week THE Priory of the Orange tree and highlighted the whole damn book and still i gave it 3 stars. When comes to rate a book a value enjoyment over technique 😁
Leigh Bardugo is my favorite author and I have two copies of this book but I’ve been putting off reading it cuz I’ve seen so many mixed reviews lol
haha I felt the same, but I just had to finally know where I stood on this one
I haven’t read this book myself, but it Sounds to me like she desired to write something very specific & wanted to get stuck straight into the meat of her story, but didn’t want the inconvenience of slow groundwork or build-up. I imagine most authors get a constant flurry of ‘clever ideas’ & that most also become tired of having to go thru the usual motions of establishing character/situation etc in order to see their vision through. However, most writers are wise enough to know that the reader needs to go on the entire journey so they get the full perspective of the story they’re being told. For instance; the first time we meet DR Watson we realise that he’s hard-up & needs to share accommodation, & isn’t particularly fussy about whom he shares with...enter Sherlock Holmes. It wouldn’t work if these two were already firm friends....we need Watson to be new to Holmes in order for him to be wowed by Holmes’ abilities.
Didn’t Bardugo give us anything to show how these ‘sixth sense’ powers influenced the protagonist’s childhood or upbringing? That would’ve been interesting.🧐
you do get extensive (and very adult/dark) flashbacks to Alex's childhood and pre-Yale life, but it's so strange that in a "dark academia" book with secret societies, the mystery isn't the school or the societies, but instead it's the protagonist's emotional baggage...
Liene's Library yeah that is a very odd way to approach this kinda story. Definitely a missed opportunity there I think. That was something the Potter books certainly got right in regards to storytelling. Whether it was the acts of previous students &/or secretive teachers, or even the bricks of Hogwarts itself; there was often something mysterious lurking in the background to keep us guessing...hiding sinister & interesting truths for Harry (& the reader) to unravel.
@@riggers1977 I think it's pretty universally acknowledged that, say what you will about Harry Potter, JK Rowling knows how to write a compelling mystery 👌
Liene's Library yeah definitely. In terms of actual writing; her original books are some of the most engaging, inventive, & beautiful I’ve ever read. She really knows her craft!
Though I do think recently she’s got a touch too big for her own boots with regards to her Fantastic Beasts screenplays. I don’t think retconning established lore in order to appear more PC and spouting political claptrap has gone down too well with folk either.😂
It’s a shame really, because we all know how great she can be at creating!
@@riggers1977 I think it's also pretty universally acknowledged that she's good at writing books..... not screenplays 😆
XBoxonE fifr 20 20
I've tired a few times to read it but I can't make it past the first few chapters.
I didn't really get into it until about halfway, honestly