Ninth House - Leigh Bardugo

Ninth House

By Leigh Bardugo

  • Release Date: 2019-10-08
  • Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 1,336 Ratings

Description

"The best fantasy novel I’ve read in years, because it’s about real people... Impossible to put down." —Stephen King

Enter a mesmerizing world of power, privilege, and dark magic among the Ivy League elite in the first book in the Alex Stern series.

Goodreads Choice Award Winner
Locus Finalist

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. In fact, by age twenty, 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 prestigious universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?

Still searching for answers, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. Their eight windowless “tombs” are the well-known haunts of the rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street’s biggest players. But their occult activities are more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive. They tamper with forbidden magic. They raise the dead. And, sometimes, they prey on the living.

Don't miss the highly-anticipated sequel, Hell Bent.

Reviews

  • Ninth House

    4
    By FanoftheKings
    This was a tough read at times, sluggish with details and histories, but there were enough bits of excitement to have kept me reading to the end . Perhaps I will go on to the next one..?
  • Excellent Lore and Mystery

    5
    By Jordan w. 5229
    Finally rereading this a few years later and I am astounded by the lore and world building in such an efficient read. Couldn’t put it down and I have high hope for the second book. The mystery leaves you guessing with clues throughout. Dead ends have a way of coming back in rewarding ways. This is such a masterpiece. Every character has backstory, has motive, and adds intrigue. Love the magic systems established. The world feels living unlike other stories that rely heavily on forefathers and forgotten ways. The writing is superb, providing a good balance of two perspectives and cutting between past and present. A must read for anyone into fantasy, mystery, ghosts, magic, the occult, underdogs coming into their own, or justice with a sharp edge.
  • Queen Bardugo

    5
    By cheeseburgerbabty
    I’ve loved everything she’s written, but this series is especially amazing to me. As with all of her work, each character is complex and multifaceted, and the word building is extraordinary and detailed, but never drags on. Basically, I’m obsessed.
  • 4 stars for sure

    4
    By miinerai
    Took a long time to finish it, but once i sat down for the last stretch, i was so hooked!
  • before you read…

    3
    By lapineétudes
    i’m sure this book is amazing, it seemed like such a cool concept. but i cannot stress enough that there are some VERY triggering and heavy topics in this book. there are scenes of substance abuse, abuse, and child r*pe. i just felt as though there should be a warning, i didn’t see any warnings in reviews i watched, nor any of the written reviews. (this is no way me bashing on bardugo for her writing, i personally love her books. it just so happens this one wasn’t my cup of tea.)
  • Unpredictable and addicting.

    5
    By TBDM forever.
    The story is compelling to the point of obsession. It’s a freight train of prose, worldbuilding, deep characters and dark humor. Violent, eloquent and one of the best books I’ve ever read. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series. Alex Stern is a main character I could read about for years.
  • Wonderful Read From Start to Finish

    5
    By Drengr21
    Wonderfully captivating and a good sit down and submerge yourself into.
  • Honestly,

    5
    By Gladdaze
    It’s Amazing
  • Lost Me

    4
    By AtomicCoug
    for a bit but I recovered and enjoyed this book. Will read the next.
  • Absolutely so worthwhile.

    5
    By Laura3orealis
    I could not put this book down and I cannot recommend it enough.