Victoria Moschou's Blog, page 40

Hello awesome nerds and happy Saturday everyone!

Duty calls once again and Beacon Book Box knows all about it. So, rest assured that they’ve got you covered!

[image error]

For those of you who don’t know, Beacon Book Box is a YA monthly-subscription box, in which every month you receive a new release, as well as a bunch of bookish items, focusing on a specific theme.

I am a rep for Beacon Book Box, so if you guys like what you see below, you can use my rep code VICTORIOUS5 to save on your subscription or single purchase.

The theme for October is DUTY CALLS. This box pays tribute and explores all the books filled with action-packed chases, bada$$, sassy characters and epic world-building. You can expect items inspired by THE LUNAR CHRONICLES, STALKING JACK THE RIPPER, CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE and ILLUMINAE. All the goodies are perfect for the transition into the fall season.

Two more hints about the goodies are that each box will include a SPOOKY SEASON book sleeve (people will randomly receive one of for fabric choices), and it will also have the tenth collectible glass ornament, inspired by ILLUMINAE.

The book of the month is a YA sci-fi novel that will transport you into a galaxy where the emperor becomes gravely ill and, instead of naming his niece as heir to the throne, he initiates a race to find the royal seal, which has been hidden somewhere in the empire.

This book is perfect for the fans of AURORA RISING, THREE DARK CROWNS and THE HUNGER GAMES.

The book will be signed by the author and it will have an author letter to accompany it.

The October boxes will be available for subscription and single purchase on September 11th, at 5pm EST.

Make sure you secure your place soon as boxes are expected to fly out quickly!

Thank you all dearies for stopping by once again. Let me know in the comment section down below which books you’re excited to read this October.

It means the world to me that you keep coming back and I want you to know that I most certainly don’t take your presence here for granted!

Have a wonderful weekend, awesome nerds!

Till next time… Toodles!

Hello awesome nerds and happy Saturday everyone!

Duty calls once again and Beacon Book Box knows all about it. So, rest assured that they’ve got you covered!

[image error]

For those of you who don’t know, Beacon Book Box is a YA monthly-subscription box, in which every month you receive a new release, as well as a bunch of bookish items, focusing on a specific theme.

I am a rep for Beacon Book Box, so if you guys like what you see below, you can use my rep code VICTORIOUS5 to save on your subscription or single purchase.

The theme for October is DUTY CALLS. This box pays tribute and explores all the books filled with action-packed chases, bada$$, sassy characters and epic world-building. You can expect items inspired by THE LUNAR CHRONICLES, STALKING JACK THE RIPPER, CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE and ILLUMINAE. All the goodies are perfect for the transition into the fall season.

Two more hints about the goodies are that each box will include a SPOOKY SEASON book sleeve (people will randomly receive one of for fabric choices), and it will also have the tenth collectible glass ornament, inspired by ILLUMINAE.

The book of the month is a YA sci-fi novel that will transport you into a galaxy where the emperor becomes gravely ill and, instead of naming his niece as heir to the throne, he initiates a race to find the royal seal, which has been hidden somewhere in the empire.

This book is perfect for the fans of AURORA RISING, THREE DARK CROWNS and THE HUNGER GAMES.

The book will be signed by the author and it will have an author letter to accompany it.

The October boxes will be available for subscription and single purchase on September 11th, at 5pm EST.

Make sure you secure your place soon as boxes are expected to fly out quickly!

Thank you all dearies for stopping by once again. Let me know in the comment section down below which books you’re excited to read this October.

It means the world to me that you keep coming back and I want you to know that I most certainly don’t take your presence here for granted!

Have a wonderful weekend, awesome nerds!

Till next time… Toodles!

Hello awesome nerds and happy Saturday everyone!

Duty calls once again and Beacon Book Box knows all about it. So, rest assured that they’ve got you covered!

[image error]

For those of you who don’t know, Beacon Book Box is a YA monthly-subscription box, in which every month you receive a new release, as well as a bunch of bookish items, focusing on a specific theme.

I am a rep for Beacon Book Box, so if you guys like what you see below, you can use my rep code VICTORIOUS5 to save on your subscription or single purchase.

The theme for October is DUTY CALLS. This box pays tribute and explores all the books filled with action-packed chases, bada$$, sassy characters and epic world-building. You can expect items inspired by THE LUNAR CHRONICLES, STALKING JACK THE RIPPER, CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE and ILLUMINAE. All the goodies are perfect for the transition into the fall season.

Two more hints about the goodies are that each box will include a SPOOKY SEASON book sleeve (people will randomly receive one of for fabric choices), and it will also have the tenth collectible glass ornament, inspired by ILLUMINAE.

The book of the month is a YA sci-fi novel that will transport you into a galaxy where the emperor becomes gravely ill and, instead of naming his niece as heir to the throne, he initiates a race to find the royal seal, which has been hidden somewhere in the empire.

This book is perfect for the fans of AURORA RISING, THREE DARK CROWNS and THE HUNGER GAMES.

The book will be signed by the author and it will have an author letter to accompany it.

The October boxes will be available for subscription and single purchase on September 11th, at 5pm EST.

Make sure you secure your place soon as boxes are expected to fly out quickly!

Thank you all dearies for stopping by once again. Let me know in the comment section down below which books you’re excited to read this October.

It means the world to me that you keep coming back and I want you to know that I most certainly don’t take your presence here for granted!

Have a wonderful weekend, awesome nerds!

Till next time… Toodles!

Hello awesome nerds and happy Saturday everyone!

Duty calls once again and Beacon Book Box knows all about it. So, rest assured that they’ve got you covered!

[image error]

For those of you who don’t know, Beacon Book Box is a YA monthly-subscription box, in which every month you receive a new release, as well as a bunch of bookish items, focusing on a specific theme.

I am a rep for Beacon Book Box, so if you guys like what you see below, you can use my rep code VICTORIOUS5 to save on your subscription or single purchase.

The theme for October is DUTY CALLS. This box pays tribute and explores all the books filled with action-packed chases, bada$$, sassy characters and epic world-building. You can expect items inspired by THE LUNAR CHRONICLES, STALKING JACK THE RIPPER, CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE and ILLUMINAE. All the goodies are perfect for the transition into the fall season.

Two more hints about the goodies are that each box will include a SPOOKY SEASON book sleeve (people will randomly receive one of for fabric choices), and it will also have the tenth collectible glass ornament, inspired by ILLUMINAE.

The book of the month is a YA sci-fi novel that will transport you into a galaxy where the emperor becomes gravely ill and, instead of naming his niece as heir to the throne, he initiates a race to find the royal seal, which has been hidden somewhere in the empire.

This book is perfect for the fans of AURORA RISING, THREE DARK CROWNS and THE HUNGER GAMES.

The book will be signed by the author and it will have an author letter to accompany it.

The October boxes will be available for subscription and single purchase on September 11th, at 5pm EST.

Make sure you secure your place soon as boxes are expected to fly out quickly!

Thank you all dearies for stopping by once again. Let me know in the comment section down below which books you’re excited to read this October.

It means the world to me that you keep coming back and I want you to know that I most certainly don’t take your presence here for granted!

Have a wonderful weekend, awesome nerds!

Till next time… Toodles!

Hello awesome nerds and happy Saturday everyone!

Duty calls once again and Beacon Book Box knows all about it. So, rest assured that they’ve got you covered!

[image error]

For those of you who don’t know, Beacon Book Box is a YA monthly-subscription box, in which every month you receive a new release, as well as a bunch of bookish items, focusing on a specific theme.

I am a rep for Beacon Book Box, so if you guys like what you see below, you can use my rep code VICTORIOUS5 to save on your subscription or single purchase.

The theme for October is DUTY CALLS. This box pays tribute and explores all the books filled with action-packed chases, bada$$, sassy characters and epic world-building. You can expect items inspired by THE LUNAR CHRONICLES, STALKING JACK THE RIPPER, CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE and ILLUMINAE. All the goodies are perfect for the transition into the fall season.

Two more hints about the goodies are that each box will include a SPOOKY SEASON book sleeve (people will randomly receive one of for fabric choices), and it will also have the tenth collectible glass ornament, inspired by ILLUMINAE.

The book of the month is a YA sci-fi novel that will transport you into a galaxy where the emperor becomes gravely ill and, instead of naming his niece as heir to the throne, he initiates a race to find the royal seal, which has been hidden somewhere in the empire.

This book is perfect for the fans of AURORA RISING, THREE DARK CROWNS and THE HUNGER GAMES.

The book will be signed by the author and it will have an author letter to accompany it.

The October boxes will be available for subscription and single purchase on September 11th, at 5pm EST.

Make sure you secure your place soon as boxes are expected to fly out quickly!

Thank you all dearies for stopping by once again. Let me know in the comment section down below which books you’re excited to read this October.

It means the world to me that you keep coming back and I want you to know that I most certainly don’t take your presence here for granted!

Have a wonderful weekend, awesome nerds!

Till next time… Toodles!

Hello awesome nerds and happy Saturday everyone!

Duty calls once again and Beacon Book Box knows all about it. So, rest assured that they’ve got you covered!

[image error]

For those of you who don’t know, Beacon Book Box is a YA monthly-subscription box, in which every month you receive a new release, as well as a bunch of bookish items, focusing on a specific theme.

I am a rep for Beacon Book Box, so if you guys like what you see below, you can use my rep code VICTORIOUS5 to save on your subscription or single purchase.

The theme for October is DUTY CALLS. This box pays tribute and explores all the books filled with action-packed chases, bada$$, sassy characters and epic world-building. You can expect items inspired by THE LUNAR CHRONICLES, STALKING JACK THE RIPPER, CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE and ILLUMINAE. All the goodies are perfect for the transition into the fall season.

Two more hints about the goodies are that each box will include a SPOOKY SEASON book sleeve (people will randomly receive one of for fabric choices), and it will also have the tenth collectible glass ornament, inspired by ILLUMINAE.

The book of the month is a YA sci-fi novel that will transport you into a galaxy where the emperor becomes gravely ill and, instead of naming his niece as heir to the throne, he initiates a race to find the royal seal, which has been hidden somewhere in the empire.

This book is perfect for the fans of AURORA RISING, THREE DARK CROWNS and THE HUNGER GAMES.

The book will be signed by the author and it will have an author letter to accompany it.

The October boxes will be available for subscription and single purchase on September 11th, at 5pm EST.

Make sure you secure your place soon as boxes are expected to fly out quickly!

Thank you all dearies for stopping by once again. Let me know in the comment section down below which books you’re excited to read this October.

It means the world to me that you keep coming back and I want you to know that I most certainly don’t take your presence here for granted!

Have a wonderful weekend, awesome nerds!

Till next time… Toodles!

BOOK REVIEW: Ninth House (Alex Stern, #1), by Leigh Bardugo ~ The book you didn’t know you had to read!

“Take courage; no one is immortal.”

~ Ninth House (Alex Stern, #1), by Leigh Bardugo

Hello awesome nerds, happy Thursday everyone and welcome to this review that should’ve been written long ago. Because I should’ve read Ninth House ages ago. But, better late than never, and so here I am today to share with you my SPOILER FREE review, along with my thoughts and feelings regarding this beauty that you didn’t know you had to read. Yes, yes… I’m talking about you over there.

*TRIGGER WARNINGS: DRUG USE AND DEALING, DEPRESSION, SUICIDE ATTEMPTS, RAPE ATTEMPTS AND RAPE, MURDER ATTEMPTS AND MURDER*







[image error]

“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.”

Oh man… We’re not in Kansas YA anymore!

Ninth House is Leigh Bardugo’s first Adult Paranormal novel and the first book in the Alex Stern series.

Having already read The Language of Thorns and Six of Crows, I knew what to expect in terms of writing style and narration. It is always the gothic, complex, well-developed characters and their smart mouths that hook me, in every single one of Bardugo’s books. It is the effortless way this writer has to transport you into her world and make you part of her story, that always grabs my attention. And, oh boy, the plot twists! The ones you don’t see coming. That’s probably the best of it all!

But that wasn’t really the case with Ninth House. At least not straight from the beginning.

“Mors irrumat omnia. Death fucks us all.”

~ Ninth House (Alex Stern, #1), by Leigh Bardugo

[image error]

Ninth House is probably the most complex book I’ve read these past couple of years. With a dual POV and time jumping back and forth, it was hard for me at first to understand what was happening, who was who, and why the characters were doing what they were doing.

Maybe it had to do with the fact that when I originally started reading the book, back in November 2019, I was in a small reading slump and this book didn’t make things easier for me. Back then I needed something to excite me straight from the beginning. Ninth House was slow, at least for my preferences. When I picked it up again last month, I realised that it was all worth it.

A piece of advice if you’re struggling with this book: try the audiobook. The narrators are amazing, you get the dark vibe in an instant and it’ll make your reading experience so much more enjoyable.

That’s what happened to me, at least. I used both the physical copy and the audiobook to complete Ninth House. It was amazing. I loved that it felt so up-to-date, but also mysterious and gothic, with all the secret societies and the urban kind of magic.
I loved the Yale vibes I got from it, but also the fact that the story itself took place in the actual, real world as well, which isn’t always so Ivy League. I mean, come on! Murders and drug dealing and rape attempts aren’t things you expect to happen in an Ivy League school, right?

And yet, they were mentioned in Ninth House!

What I loved the most, well, of course were the characters of this novel!
Alex and Darlington, Dawes and Mercy, even Moira, Alex’s mom, they all had something to add and contribute to the story. I loved that they weren’t perfect by any means, they had their talents, but also their weaknesses, and they felt like actual, real people.

Being 27 myself, it feels, I don’t know, more familiar to me right now, to read about people in their late teens or early twenties. Their interests, their problems, their hopes and struggles, all of them feel more interesting and fascinating to me, probably because I’m at the exact same phase.

I ended up rating Ninth House with 4 out of 5 stars, mostly because of the complexity of it and the fact that I didn’t feel hooked from the very first page.

To sum up, there’s only one more thing I’m gonna say about that book: it needs to be read when the timing is right! But, I do believe that you guys need to read it, especially if love the Steven King-kind of novels, Urban Fantasy and the Charmed kind of magic.

Have you guys read Ninth House? If so, and without spoiling anything, did you see the finale coming? Are you as excited as I am to read the sequel?

Thank you so much, dearies, for stopping by once again. It truly means the world to me and I want you to know that I most certainly don’t take your presence here for granted.

Feel free to share your thoughts and feelings in the comment section down below, don’t forget to like and subscribe, and let me know which review you’d like to read next.

Love you all to Pluto and back!

BOOK REVIEW: Ninth House (Alex Stern, #1), by Leigh Bardugo ~ The book you didn’t know you had to read!

“Take courage; no one is immortal.”

~ Ninth House (Alex Stern, #1), by Leigh Bardugo

Hello awesome nerds, happy Thursday everyone and welcome to this review that should’ve been written long ago. Because I should’ve read Ninth House ages ago. But, better late than never, and so here I am today to share with you my SPOILER FREE review, along with my thoughts and feelings regarding this beauty that you didn’t know you had to read. Yes, yes… I’m talking about you over there.

*TRIGGER WARNINGS: DRUG USE AND DEALING, DEPRESSION, SUICIDE ATTEMPTS, RAPE ATTEMPTS AND RAPE, MURDER ATTEMPTS AND MURDER*







[image error]

“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.”

Oh man… We’re not in Kansas YA anymore!

Ninth House is Leigh Bardugo’s first Adult Paranormal novel and the first book in the Alex Stern series.

Having already read The Language of Thorns and Six of Crows, I knew what to expect in terms of writing style and narration. It is always the gothic, complex, well-developed characters and their smart mouths that hook me, in every single one of Bardugo’s books. It is the effortless way this writer has to transport you into her world and make you part of her story, that always grabs my attention. And, oh boy, the plot twists! The ones you don’t see coming. That’s probably the best of it all!

But that wasn’t really the case with Ninth House. At least not straight from the beginning.

“Mors irrumat omnia. Death fucks us all.”

~ Ninth House (Alex Stern, #1), by Leigh Bardugo

[image error]

Ninth House is probably the most complex book I’ve read these past couple of years. With a dual POV and time jumping back and forth, it was hard for me at first to understand what was happening, who was who, and why the characters were doing what they were doing.

Maybe it had to do with the fact that when I originally started reading the book, back in November 2019, I was in a small reading slump and this book didn’t make things easier for me. Back then I needed something to excite me straight from the beginning. Ninth House was slow, at least for my preferences. When I picked it up again last month, I realised that it was all worth it.

A piece of advice if you’re struggling with this book: try the audiobook. The narrators are amazing, you get the dark vibe in an instant and it’ll make your reading experience so much more enjoyable.

That’s what happened to me, at least. I used both the physical copy and the audiobook to complete Ninth House. It was amazing. I loved that it felt so up-to-date, but also mysterious and gothic, with all the secret societies and the urban kind of magic.
I loved the Yale vibes I got from it, but also the fact that the story itself took place in the actual, real world as well, which isn’t always so Ivy League. I mean, come on! Murders and drug dealing and rape attempts aren’t things you expect to happen in an Ivy League school, right?

And yet, they were mentioned in Ninth House!

What I loved the most, well, of course were the characters of this novel!
Alex and Darlington, Dawes and Mercy, even Moira, Alex’s mom, they all had something to add and contribute to the story. I loved that they weren’t perfect by any means, they had their talents, but also their weaknesses, and they felt like actual, real people.

Being 27 myself, it feels, I don’t know, more familiar to me right now, to read about people in their late teens or early twenties. Their interests, their problems, their hopes and struggles, all of them feel more interesting and fascinating to me, probably because I’m at the exact same phase.

I ended up rating Ninth House with 4 out of 5 stars, mostly because of the complexity of it and the fact that I didn’t feel hooked from the very first page.

To sum up, there’s only one more thing I’m gonna say about that book: it needs to be read when the timing is right! But, I do believe that you guys need to read it, especially if love the Steven King-kind of novels, Urban Fantasy and the Charmed kind of magic.

Have you guys read Ninth House? If so, and without spoiling anything, did you see the finale coming? Are you as excited as I am to read the sequel?

Thank you so much, dearies, for stopping by once again. It truly means the world to me and I want you to know that I most certainly don’t take your presence here for granted.

Feel free to share your thoughts and feelings in the comment section down below, don’t forget to like and subscribe, and let me know which review you’d like to read next.

Love you all to Pluto and back!

BOOK REVIEW: Ninth House (Alex Stern, #1), by Leigh Bardugo ~ The book you didn’t know you had to read!

“Take courage; no one is immortal.”

~ Ninth House (Alex Stern, #1), by Leigh Bardugo

Hello awesome nerds, happy Thursday everyone and welcome to this review that should’ve been written long ago. Because I should’ve read Ninth House ages ago. But, better late than never, and so here I am today to share with you my SPOILER FREE review, along with my thoughts and feelings regarding this beauty that you didn’t know you had to read. Yes, yes… I’m talking about you over there.

*TRIGGER WARNINGS: DRUG USE AND DEALING, DEPRESSION, SUICIDE ATTEMPTS, RAPE ATTEMPTS AND RAPE, MURDER ATTEMPTS AND MURDER*







[image error]

“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.”

Oh man… We’re not in Kansas YA anymore!

Ninth House is Leigh Bardugo’s first Adult Paranormal novel and the first book in the Alex Stern series.

Having already read The Language of Thorns and Six of Crows, I knew what to expect in terms of writing style and narration. It is always the gothic, complex, well-developed characters and their smart mouths that hook me, in every single one of Bardugo’s books. It is the effortless way this writer has to transport you into her world and make you part of her story, that always grabs my attention. And, oh boy, the plot twists! The ones you don’t see coming. That’s probably the best of it all!

But that wasn’t really the case with Ninth House. At least not straight from the beginning.

“Mors irrumat omnia. Death fucks us all.”

~ Ninth House (Alex Stern, #1), by Leigh Bardugo

[image error]

Ninth House is probably the most complex book I’ve read these past couple of years. With a dual POV and time jumping back and forth, it was hard for me at first to understand what was happening, who was who, and why the characters were doing what they were doing.

Maybe it had to do with the fact that when I originally started reading the book, back in November 2019, I was in a small reading slump and this book didn’t make things easier for me. Back then I needed something to excite me straight from the beginning. Ninth House was slow, at least for my preferences. When I picked it up again last month, I realised that it was all worth it.

A piece of advice if you’re struggling with this book: try the audiobook. The narrators are amazing, you get the dark vibe in an instant and it’ll make your reading experience so much more enjoyable.

That’s what happened to me, at least. I used both the physical copy and the audiobook to complete Ninth House. It was amazing. I loved that it felt so up-to-date, but also mysterious and gothic, with all the secret societies and the urban kind of magic.
I loved the Yale vibes I got from it, but also the fact that the story itself took place in the actual, real world as well, which isn’t always so Ivy League. I mean, come on! Murders and drug dealing and rape attempts aren’t things you expect to happen in an Ivy League school, right?

And yet, they were mentioned in Ninth House!

What I loved the most, well, of course were the characters of this novel!
Alex and Darlington, Dawes and Mercy, even Moira, Alex’s mom, they all had something to add and contribute to the story. I loved that they weren’t perfect by any means, they had their talents, but also their weaknesses, and they felt like actual, real people.

Being 27 myself, it feels, I don’t know, more familiar to me right now, to read about people in their late teens or early twenties. Their interests, their problems, their hopes and struggles, all of them feel more interesting and fascinating to me, probably because I’m at the exact same phase.

I ended up rating Ninth House with 4 out of 5 stars, mostly because of the complexity of it and the fact that I didn’t feel hooked from the very first page.

To sum up, there’s only one more thing I’m gonna say about that book: it needs to be read when the timing is right! But, I do believe that you guys need to read it, especially if love the Steven King-kind of novels, Urban Fantasy and the Charmed kind of magic.

Have you guys read Ninth House? If so, and without spoiling anything, did you see the finale coming? Are you as excited as I am to read the sequel?

Thank you so much, dearies, for stopping by once again. It truly means the world to me and I want you to know that I most certainly don’t take your presence here for granted.

Feel free to share your thoughts and feelings in the comment section down below, don’t forget to like and subscribe, and let me know which review you’d like to read next.

Love you all to Pluto and back!

BOOK REVIEW: Ninth House (Alex Stern, #1), by Leigh Bardugo ~ The book you didn’t know you had to read!

“Take courage; no one is immortal.”

~ Ninth House (Alex Stern, #1), by Leigh Bardugo

Hello awesome nerds, happy Thursday everyone and welcome to this review that should’ve been written long ago. Because I should’ve read Ninth House ages ago. But, better late than never, and so here I am today to share with you my SPOILER FREE review, along with my thoughts and feelings regarding this beauty that you didn’t know you had to read. Yes, yes… I’m talking about you over there.

*TRIGGER WARNINGS: DRUG USE AND DEALING, DEPRESSION, SUICIDE ATTEMPTS, RAPE ATTEMPTS AND RAPE, MURDER ATTEMPTS AND MURDER*







[image error]

“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.”

Oh man… We’re not in Kansas YA anymore!

Ninth House is Leigh Bardugo’s first Adult Paranormal novel and the first book in the Alex Stern series.

Having already read The Language of Thorns and Six of Crows, I knew what to expect in terms of writing style and narration. It is always the gothic, complex, well-developed characters and their smart mouths that hook me, in every single one of Bardugo’s books. It is the effortless way this writer has to transport you into her world and make you part of her story, that always grabs my attention. And, oh boy, the plot twists! The ones you don’t see coming. That’s probably the best of it all!

But that wasn’t really the case with Ninth House. At least not straight from the beginning.

“Mors irrumat omnia. Death fucks us all.”

~ Ninth House (Alex Stern, #1), by Leigh Bardugo

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Ninth House is probably the most complex book I’ve read these past couple of years. With a dual POV and time jumping back and forth, it was hard for me at first to understand what was happening, who was who, and why the characters were doing what they were doing.

Maybe it had to do with the fact that when I originally started reading the book, back in November 2019, I was in a small reading slump and this book didn’t make things easier for me. Back then I needed something to excite me straight from the beginning. Ninth House was slow, at least for my preferences. When I picked it up again last month, I realised that it was all worth it.

A piece of advice if you’re struggling with this book: try the audiobook. The narrators are amazing, you get the dark vibe in an instant and it’ll make your reading experience so much more enjoyable.

That’s what happened to me, at least. I used both the physical copy and the audiobook to complete Ninth House. It was amazing. I loved that it felt so up-to-date, but also mysterious and gothic, with all the secret societies and the urban kind of magic.
I loved the Yale vibes I got from it, but also the fact that the story itself took place in the actual, real world as well, which isn’t always so Ivy League. I mean, come on! Murders and drug dealing and rape attempts aren’t things you expect to happen in an Ivy League school, right?

And yet, they were mentioned in Ninth House!

What I loved the most, well, of course were the characters of this novel!
Alex and Darlington, Dawes and Mercy, even Moira, Alex’s mom, they all had something to add and contribute to the story. I loved that they weren’t perfect by any means, they had their talents, but also their weaknesses, and they felt like actual, real people.

Being 27 myself, it feels, I don’t know, more familiar to me right now, to read about people in their late teens or early twenties. Their interests, their problems, their hopes and struggles, all of them feel more interesting and fascinating to me, probably because I’m at the exact same phase.

I ended up rating Ninth House with 4 out of 5 stars, mostly because of the complexity of it and the fact that I didn’t feel hooked from the very first page.

To sum up, there’s only one more thing I’m gonna say about that book: it needs to be read when the timing is right! But, I do believe that you guys need to read it, especially if love the Steven King-kind of novels, Urban Fantasy and the Charmed kind of magic.

Have you guys read Ninth House? If so, and without spoiling anything, did you see the finale coming? Are you as excited as I am to read the sequel?

Thank you so much, dearies, for stopping by once again. It truly means the world to me and I want you to know that I most certainly don’t take your presence here for granted.

Feel free to share your thoughts and feelings in the comment section down below, don’t forget to like and subscribe, and let me know which review you’d like to read next.

Love you all to Pluto and back!