Book Review, Fantasy, mystery, Urban Fantasy

Book Review: Ninth House (Alex Stern #1) by Leigh Bardugo

Hi Cara,

Today review is regarding Leigh Bardugo first adult fiction Ninth House. This is the first book I have read by Leigh Bardugo.

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.

By age twenty, in fact, 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 elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?

Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.

(Synopsis from Goodread.com)

Ninth house is a book that brings mystery and magic to the college scene. Ninth house is billed as a dark fantasy. There were moments I could see the dark elements but I have read darker fantasy.

It took me a little while to get use to the chapters changing from past and present. But once I used to it I liked it as it added to the mystery. As you try to figure out what had happened to get Alex into her current situation.

Having Yale as the background bring great history and reverence to the story. I liked that it played up to the stereotype of what outsides will think of the society like skull and bones.

The Plot of Ninth house is fascinating. I like reading Alex and Darlington point of view. Darlington is a gentleman and I really liked him. Especially as he is different from the other men in the book. It took me a while to warm up to Alex as a character, but by the end, I liked her loyalty and determination.

Overall Ninth House is an enjoyable story if you like a mystery and fantasy than give this a go.

My rating for Ninth house is 4 out of 5.

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Thanks for reading, 

1 thought on “Book Review: Ninth House (Alex Stern #1) by Leigh Bardugo”

  1. I loved this book! Great atmosphere and story and pacing and I thought Alex was a great MC. Not really a surprise because I love Bardugo in general, but excited it lived up to my expectations! Haha.

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