Review: Ninth House

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

*is busy ramming her head in the wall*

Me pokes me: C'mon, you have a review to write. Surely someone would want to hear your thoughts.

Me to me: Well, you're right. But why this novel? I was just so excited and prepared for it..god...

*Continues ramming head in the wall*

Me to me again: C'mon, the show must go on.

Me to me: Alright, alright. I'm writing. *Staggers slightly, sits in chair, starts typing*

As you can see, this was my reaction in the last hour or two after I DNFed this novel. My heart literally cried at the thought of having to DNF it. But as I once said: The show must go on.

So indeed. The show must go on.

...............................................

The cover -I've seen everyone get excited over the cover. I mean who wouldn't? It's literally gorgeous and fantastical, but of course, in a dark way. But regardless, still loved anyway. That snake, that title. DAAAAMN ME. Literally. I fell in love and refused to come out of it. I still refuse to. So hence why it deserved the points.

The summary - Well it was the same cliched story I've ever read, be it fantasy, YA in general. Yes I'm aware that this for NA audiences, but the summary still gives off the YA vibe.

*Ducks under chair* don't hit me.

But it's the honest truth and I didn't feel much, so it was okay but not a great summary.

The Summary: A girl from the wrong side of the track falls in with the high society school and it's rules, tries to fit in while discovering the many secrets said school holds.

See? Cliche as hell. But still decent, hence why one point was given.

But then the real shit starts.

Darlington: Ah yes, Darlington, not actually Darlington but rather made to be (No one talked about this.) And not a darling either honestly. Snobbish, smart (sure), schemer for power, and yet so boring, I don't know why anyone found him enlightening at all. He barely shows up, has the most awful dialogues written in the history of awful dialogues, and is mostly making Alex's life even more restrictive than it is. Thank fuck he didn't show up for most chapters though. So annoying.

Alex: Cliched girl as always. But so weak, god. Even after surviving the most horrible of tragedies, she doesn't seem to be growing stronger, she seems to turn weak at each point, even more annoying than Darlington. And no smart decisions are ever made. It's like the brainy switch got turned off when she enrolled in Yale.

And don't even get me started on Yale.

This author is obsessed with Yale, constant Yale this, Yale that, Yale rules the world blah, blah, blah.

GOD, no one cares. Can we move on? Geez.

The pacing is terrible, so slow and sluggish, worse than moving in wet, drifting mud on a rainy evening. Barely the plot moved, with it's constant description of it's setting and history, like moooove on, literally, I'm dying here. Just please, fucking move on.

Too much to ask? Certainly not.

And one more fact, just to give a reason why I never added another star: Fantasy and crime fiction never mix, especially if it's dark fantasy, with detailed plots, summary and chapters, and catering to the NA audience.

My opinion. Please.

If anyone can write it like that though, they should learn from this mistake of a novel.

That's all I can say about this novel. Or try to without, banging my head more on my wall. Gah, there's even an imprint there.

Damn it.

PS: I will not be picking up the sequel, too annoyed with this one as it is. And who names their Galaxy if you give them the nickname of Alex, how does that make any sense?

I can't even anymore. I give up.

Until the next read,

TMR

View all my reviews