Harrow the Ninth (November 2021) Buddy Read Discussion - Mina & Jen K

[mina, Group/Buddy Reads Procrastinator]

Welcome to the Harrow the Ninth Buddy Read Discussion thread! This thread officially opens on November 1st and anyone can join at any time. Please keep in mind that spoilers are allowed in this thread but only up to the group's current reading place. Do not spoil the book if you've read further than the group. Any extra days can be used to catch up!

Each day we will be reading by chapters or page numbers. Page numbers are an approximation based on the hardcover or paperback that is the default on Goodreads. The suggested Buddy Read discussion schedule is as follows:

Week of 11/01
November 1: Ch 1-5
November 2: Ch 6-10
November 3: Ch 11-15
November 4: Ch 16-20
November 5: Ch 21-25
November 6: Ch 26-30
November 7: Ch 31-35

Week of 11/08
November 8: Ch 36-40
November 9: Ch 41-45
November 10: 46-50
November 11: 51- Epilogue

PARTICIPANTS
~ Mina
~ Jen K

[mina, Group/Buddy Reads Procrastinator]

Was the first book written in 2nd PoV too?

Now that I think of it I don't remember what actually happened in Gideon 😬😅 I need to look up a recap.

[Jen K]

No, I just checked and it is third person. I kinda mostly remember Gideon but I also read it basically in one sitting and late at night so I could be kidding myself too.

Picking up Harrow from the library tonight.

[mina, Group/Buddy Reads Procrastinator]

Yeah, I just started the chapter before chapter one, but after the prologue, and saw that is in 3rd person. which is great I don't know how I would feel about 2nd person.. I mean I read a great series written that way but it took time to get used to it.

I don't know if I'll be able to read all the chapters per plan.. but hey I at least started it.

[Jen K]

Agreed on the POV. 2nd person can be tough.

I'm impressed you started! I'm going to a birthday party after I pick up the book so I fear getting behind as well but will catch up on the weekend if needed.

[mina, Group/Buddy Reads Procrastinator]

I mean I have to..I have a bunch of BRs and I also kinda have to do some other stuff so.. and tomorrow I don't know how much I'll be reading because I'm going to see my aunt for a few hours.

[mina, Group/Buddy Reads Procrastinator]

Okay, so I haven't moved that much from the beginning 😅 I'm starting to drift off to sleep. I read the prologue, the thing, and chapter 1. (view spoiler)[do you think The Body she sees is Gideon? (hide spoiler)]

[Jen K]

I got as far as you did. Slightly confusing but excited to see where this goes.

On the spoiler, I think so??

[Jen K]

Made it through chapter 5. There is more info on the Body but not sure if it is more clear...

The world is so weird and with Harrow tending to have mental health issues and the trauma of becoming a Lyctor, I don't fully (or even a little) understand what is going on but I'm okay with the slow set up. I wish Harrow was a bit more reliable as a narrator and I really miss Gideon but interested still in figuring out the puzzle.

Also I can't tell what I've forgotten from the last book or if it just hasn't been shared yet.

[mina, Group/Buddy Reads Procrastinator]

Tomorrow or the day after that I just need to sit down and listen-read to this. I started listening to this and I started drifting off to sleep, so I only managed to listen to chapter 2. If I ever manage to read more that 1-2 chapters a day maybe I'll start understanding it a bit, but at the moment that's not the case I'm super confused by the book 😅

[Jen K]

I have the hardcover and I'm confused. Hopefully a sustained listening will help! I'm also hoping that several chapters in logical/ time progression will also help! :)

[Jen K]

I only got to chapter 9 tonight. I will have to do some serious catch up this weekend. I don't think this is a spoiler but (view spoiler)[So it seems as if she is flashing back to the story of Gideon the Ninth but without Gideon? Did she make a deal to not remember Gideon in this new life? (hide spoiler)]

[mina, Group/Buddy Reads Procrastinator]

Oh, I'm reading it along too cuz only listening 🤣 just no. I mean I get confused while reading it. If I only listen to it I probably would Dnf it 😅 Although 🤔 I think I only listened to Gideon..

[mina, Group/Buddy Reads Procrastinator]

So The body is the person/God? she found in the tomb? Also, isn't she calling God the Emperor? I'm saying this again, and probably will say a lot of times till I finish the book, I'm confused.

So third person is things in the past, and the second is the now?

Chapter 4. Wow, what? She died.. or a version of her ??? This book is going to be a mindfuck and I'm loving it.

Chapter 5. I'm really intrigued to see why is she hallucinating. There has to be something, and it probably is connected with her going into The Tomb because after that she started seeing The Body, and she started hearing and seeing things that weren't there. Also, what eggs???

I wanted to finish Act I today, but I started feeling sleepy again 😅 so I read chapter 8, and that's where I'm stopping.

[Jen K]

Really nice catch on third person being the past and second being the current time. Totally missed that there was a structure.

Made it through chapter 15. Making some progress with some shorter chapters. I'm kind of relieved that you have the print book with the audio. I would be so confused.

Ch 4, yeah, I think she had to die to incorporate her cavalier to become a Lyctor. Not so great and completely crazy.

Ch 5, so confused by the Tomb visit and the Body. The Body is the corpse that was to be protected in the Locked Tomb, which is completely different from God, the teacher, who is immortal. I'm still confused by the use of the term Emperor but it is definitely related to the Locked Tomb. Do you remember the story there? Who was the body in the Locked Tomb supposed to be?

I'm getting into the flow of the story a bit more though it isn't any less weird or confusing. :)

[mina, Group/Buddy Reads Procrastinator]

I caught it because second person narrations irk me a bit, but it is a nice way of splitting the story.

Ch 4.. I remember nothing 😅
Ch 5 as I said.. I remember nothing. I'm like proud that I know who the MCs were in the previous books (Gideon and Harrow), but things beyond that..as I'm reading this I'm thinking how the hell will I read the third book. Since that's next year, maybe I'll reread all of them.

I'm with you on the last. I'm getting more into the story, and I enjoyed what I read last night, so I'm looking forward to reading it today. Also, love that we mostly have short chapters till the end, only chapters 29 and 49 are longer, especially 49.

[Jen K]

mina wrote: "I caught it because second person narrations irk me a bit, but it is a nice way of splitting the story.

Ch 4.. I remember nothing 😅
Ch 5 as I said.. I remember nothing. I'm like proud that I know ..."

I love that you checked the chapter sizes of those coming up!

I meant to comment on the eggs too- I'm assuming it refers to eggs to make children? The note comes back with more info after Chapter 5.

It is a giant puzzle to unravel which is fun!

[mina, Group/Buddy Reads Procrastinator]

My audio shows me how long the chapters are, and that's usually what I check first 😂 I need motivation to continue and slow chapters are a win. I have jet to pick it up today, but I hope to at least get where you are at.

[mina, Group/Buddy Reads Procrastinator]

I fell asleep half-way through chapter 9 last night so I'm catching up today.

People having more titles is just killing me 🙃

[Jen K]

Good luck! I got through to Part 3 last night (Chapter 22?). Hoping to catch up to our schedule today. Definitely some interesting stuff to discuss.

[mina, Group/Buddy Reads Procrastinator]

Ch 10. So, the past is set in Canaan House, and that sounded familiar and I looked it up, and it is mentioned in Gideon. It's the place where both of them, Gideon and Harrow, went with all other Houses. I had to look up the characters being mentiuoned because I don't remember them, but they are from Gideon.. So.. why is Harrow having like false memories/happenings? She went to Canaan House with Gideon not Ortus (I looked up what happened with him and he escaped from the Ninth House planet or whatever it is AND died) what is going on?
Whetever it is I'm enjoying it.

The Eggs note appears again, and with more in it.. Now that I know, well assume, that the past things we are seeing are false.. is the note maybe her sub-conscious trying to break her fake reality?

Ch 15. The dead corse of the Locked Tomb—the death of the Emperor—the maiden with the sword and the chains, the girl in the ice, the woman of the cold rock, the being behind the stone that could never be rolled away
Did you catch this? She refers to The Body as the death of the Emperor. Could The Body be one of the things the Lyctors are afraid and running from?

Ch 18. Oooh, the Sleeper has the sword Harrow has to carry with her, at least I assume because it's a two-hander too.

Ch 19. I just registered that in first book the person in Canaan house that helped them or whatever was "called" Teacher.. Was it the same person that they call Teacher now or not? Gosh, not remembering the first book hasn't proven as much of a problem for other books, but this one..

I finished chapter 22.

[Jen K]

Ch 10, Yeah, that was my comment in the spoiler earlier. The flashbacks seemed to be a revised memory of the events of Gideon the Ninth but without Gideon. Somehow when Harrow was reborn or whatnot, she took out all memories and references of Gideon. Evan Ianthe can't speak of Gideon. I just don't quite get the purpose of the revised telling of those events and with such an interesting Ortus with the poetry. I'm also not sure that the events track the same either beyond the replacement of Ortus for Gideon. Also it can't be a coincidence that she is remembering Ortus and the Saint of Duty is also called Ortus?? Also what is going on that Ortus the Saint wants Harrow to be dead so badly? The bath scene was rough but I loved her payback.

On the eggs note, Who's note is it? The Body breaking through her consciousness? Harrow is the only one to see the writing and the Body so I link them in my head.

Also, why isn't Harrow a proper Lyctor? Do we know what happened?

Ch 15, I have other thoughts on the Body. I think it was one of them, the original Lyctor group. Someone from God' past.

Ch 18. Interesting idea!! Maybe? To me it was obviously Gideon's two hander that she trained on in ninth house that they took from the old stores. But in this revised history of Canaan, it could totally be the sword with the Sleeper.

Ch 19, I don't know. In Gideon, God comes at the very end of the book to pick up Harrow and others and is not the same as the Teacher at Canaan. But maybe in the revised history?

Do you think we will find out more about the Lyctors' past? It seems sad that after 10,000 years they still have all these petty in fights and slights against each other and their dead cavaliers.

Reached Act 4, through ch 31. What do you make of Ortus' words after the dinner party?

[Jen K]

Just read up to Chapter 35 and it was a powerful few chapters!

So on the revised history of Canaan in Harrow's memory, I have been assuming that she did it to herself, maybe that the memories of Gideon would be too painful. But now I'm not sure? Perhaps there is a bigger conspiracy? The leaking blood intensified as the revised history faced real evidence that it was false and affected her ability to think clearly. I am thoroughly sucked in now.

[mina, Group/Buddy Reads Procrastinator]

😂 I totally forgot about that spoiler. I skipped it first because I wasn't at that chapter.. and then I just forgot.

I'm glad you are enjoying it. I still haven't moved to Act III. I was social today so that took a bit of my time, plus I want to do some mod stuff now. But *fingers crossed* that I read at least a few chapters later.

[mina, Group/Buddy Reads Procrastinator]

So, did I miss something or.. I'm just registering that they say Harrow won't survive, was that mentioned before or? I know I saw that she's not "normal" whatever that means but.. I really have no idea 😂

😂 She put all the vegetables Ortus the first doesn't like.

Ch 29. Do you think Mercy somehow saw what Harrow has done to herself? Because she told her she's a one-in-a-lifetime genius or imbecile. And something is definitely going on with Ortus or at least the name. What if the Saint of Duty is actually called Gideon? 🤔 but since she "deleted" Gideon from her memories and kinda replaced them with Ortus, she did that here too.

I finished chapter 31, and that's where I'll stop for today. Things are getting more and more interesting. If we didn't have Woven in Moonlight to start today I probably would've pushed a bit more.

[Jen K]

No problem, definitely a downside to hiding stuff in the spoiler mark. On Harrow not making it has been a running theme throughout but my take is an assumption due to not being a full Lyctor and considered weak and not worth training as opposed to a known prediction. Kind of sucks for Harrow but thinking it just continues to fuel her will to live.

The soup scene was seriously the best!

Ch 29, maybe Mercy know? I'm not sure how she wouldn't have sensed it since she is so good. But has she done anything about it? The tap on the head that one time?

You totally just blew my mind that Ortus the Saint could actually be called Gideon!!!! I have been noting the random insertion of noting his reddish hair and Gideon had red hair. There must be a connection.

I made it to Act 5 because today and tomorrow is overly crazy with real life stuff. The fight has kind of begun and I'm anxious to see how this all goes down.

Was the Sleeper actually in Gideon the Ninth?

[mina, Group/Buddy Reads Procrastinator]

I'm about to start chapter 34 and I have two choices.. I'll finish the book today or tomorrow. Things have seriously started getting better and more intense.

Something HAS to be happening and to be connected to Gideon, it just has to.. The thing that has me so intrigued right now is what actually happened.. what was the thing that Palamedes and Harrow and his sister were doing??? Gaaah. We know Harrow did something and the now Harrow doesn't remember, but she's not the only one in whatever it is :D I mean if things are like this till the end I may finish the book today.

Edit: I don't remember any Sleeper being in book 1, which doesn't mean much since I don't remember a lot..

[Jen K]

Oh my gosh, I'm going to be so jealous if you manage to finish today!! It is seriously so intense and fabulous right now.

Palamedes and Harrow and his sister??? Is Camilla his sister? I thought she was just his cavalier? Do you mean in Canaan or in his bubble in the River? He attached his soul to his skull so she can keep him "alive" for now??? I think they want to bring him back somehow??? I don't know what they plan to do to make it work!

[mina, Group/Buddy Reads Procrastinator]

Isn't she his sister? 😂 I have no idea.. maybe I just assumed? I read that part not that long ago and I don't remember 🙈 doesn't seem like an important thing right now.

And I just looked how much I would have to read to finish it today.. and it looks like a no. Am I intrigued to see how all will go? Yes, but I also want to maybe do something else besides read Harrow.. I do have other books to catch up to 😅

[Jen K]

Me too :( and work and other life stuff. I wish I could just finish but there are still a good number of pages left. I may manage to finish early but not by much.

[mina, Group/Buddy Reads Procrastinator]

Ch 34. There's a photo of Gideon in the shuttle.. why is Harrow scared of Gideon. Also, how did Gideon end up.. non-existing.. She became one with Harrow, right, or at least that was one of the steps to become a Lyctor, right? What if the reason they refer to Harrow as not a real Lyctor or whatever is because the "becoming one" didn't happen, or it was stopped and wasn't done till the end?

atm reading chapter 37, and I'm thinking of maybe reading chatpter 42 and stopping there.. will let you know.

[mina, Group/Buddy Reads Procrastinator]

Ch 37. It's interesting, although something I constantly forget, that this book, the whole world is like futuristic. God talks how the world ended and he became the first Necromancer, and even though it was a super long time ago I always thought of the world as sci-fi/fantasy, something that was wholly made up and not a thousands of years future from our now.

[mina, Group/Buddy Reads Procrastinator]

Act V, Ch 40 (view spoiler)[What is going on? Why is Harrow making two persons when talking about stealing the sword? She mentions the Daughter and herself.

Now Harrow had the chain, but the Daughter never let her forget the intervention.

and this part about not being the real heir

"I may have been supplanted—I may be no real heir to the mysteries that belong only to the Reverend line—but I will bear the sword! If I am no adept, it is my right to carry the blade instead!”
This sounds somehow like Gideon to me.
And why is Harrow doing sword work. (hide spoiler)]

I'm stopping at a bad place.. I want to know what's going on.. But yeah, just finished chapter 42 like I planned and I'm stopping.

[mina, Group/Buddy Reads Procrastinator]

Ch 44 (view spoiler)[OMG The reason we had the 2nd person is because Gideon is telling the story!! (hide spoiler)]

Ch 45 (view spoiler)[I was right about the name. The saint of Duty is 99.99% called Gideon (hide spoiler)]

Ch 49 (view spoiler)[So if the Sleeper is the person on the poster in the shuttle.. who the hell is that? Because I thought that was Gideon.. and Harrow now remembers Gideon so... ? (hide spoiler)]

Final thoughts (view spoiler)[I don't know, I'm a bit underwhelmed with the "death" of the Emperor, I guess I expected something WOOOW but it was just eh, okay. Gideon being God's child was a bit a surprise and that's interesting to see how it will go. Also, the Lyctor-cavalier switch is an interesting fact.. will God resurrect Gideon to have the same L-C switch with Harrow like he had with Anabel Lee aka Alecto (which is the name of the 4th book in the series).

And what's with the tomb? Did you understand what the hell was tried to be done? Alecto tried to open the Ninth Tomb? And she was working with Agustin and Mercy? Why are they trying to open the Tomb in the first place? I'm so confused and have no idea what's going on.

Who do you think the last person is, the one with Camilla? Did Alecto aka Wake somehow move into a new body or something? Or is it that person that was on the poster, and also the Sleeper? This book is seriously a mindfuck, like great work Muir. (hide spoiler)]

I'm looking forward to your thoughts.

[Jen K]

OMG, did you finish? I got to chapter 46 last night so YES! to the first 2 spoilers. I'm not sure I can make it all the way tonight but so excited to see how this ends!

[mina, Group/Buddy Reads Procrastinator]

Yes, I did. I said I would :D Also, I wanted to read a bit more of my other BRs.. and I also want to push Woven in Moonlight cuz it's bad and I don't want to spend much time on it.

[Jen K]

Ha ha! I didn't mean to doubt you! I also had to finish despite ignoring stuff that I probably needed to get done instead. That ending though!! I'm still processing. I may need to reread a few bits tomorrow.

My understanding is that person on poster is Wake/ Gideon's mother but Wake. Wake is not Alecto. Wake was trying to get to Alecto who IS the body in the Locked Tomb but died on her fall to the Ninth House. She wanted to get to Alecto as she is the only thing that God is scared of. The Sleeper is the ghost of Wake?

I honestly do not understand the last two chapters. Is Harrowhawk really back at Ninth House or is she in the River or is she in some weird coma while Gideon has her body? No idea who is with Camilla. Is she Nona as in the third book?

I didn't mind God's murder. I was impressed the Mercy managed it and honestly surprised when he managed to come back. I kind of hate that I'm just as confused at the last page as I was on the first page but also kind of love it. I can't wait for the next one.

[mina, Group/Buddy Reads Procrastinator]

I honestly have NO idea.. it's so confusing and I LOVE it 😂 I had the same feeling when I read Gideon too.

It looked to me like she went into THE Tomb.. but now was it the real thing, a Harrow's mind thing.. or something else.. really don't know.
Yeah, could be Nona, but we have no idea who she is.. She wasn't mentioned here, right? Because I don't remember it.

[Jen K]

Me neither!!! I was just rereading the last line of Harrow. "Lying in the tomb that claimed her heart, faraway in a land she had never travelled, Harrowhark Nonagesimus fell asleep, or dropped dead, or both."

I also love it all even though I have no idea what is going on. I can't wait for the next one!

[mina, Group/Buddy Reads Procrastinator]

:O Where the hell is she.. the more of a mindfuck it is the more I'm going to like it..even if I don't understand it 😂 I'm looking forward to the next one too.

[Jen K]

Right? I loved all the twists and turns and she writes so well that I don't mind not having a clue. I'm just so fascinated as to where she is going with all of this!

[mina, Group/Buddy Reads Procrastinator]

I'm intrigued too.. Oooh, does she have some other books besides the Locked tomb? If yes I'll have to add them to my tbr 😂

[Jen K]

Not sure. I started following her on Amazon so that I can get instant notification on the next one.

[mina, Group/Buddy Reads Procrastinator]

There's a short-ish story from 2020 I think Floralinda or something.. I added it 😂

[Jen K]

My library has it on audio. Adding it to the list.