June 2022 Group Read #1 - Ninth House

[Felina]

I’m still planning on getting to this. It’s in the stack.

[Ash]

I FINALLY finished!

For those still gnawing away at this, I agree with others who have said the end is good. I think it was worth sticking with, though I probably could have put it down at any given time throughout and not felt sad about it. I think the second book has the potential to be better than the first. All that being said, it felt much more like a magic mystery than anything close to horror.

As far as characters go, Alex kind of grew on me, though I never loved her. I didn't like how little she took initiative to help herself, and everywhere she went in life was due to other people's choices and not her own. In a way, Darlington was actually more of a survivor than her. Alex seemed to be a passenger in her own life in a lot of ways.

[Kimberly]

Ash wrote: "I FINALLY finished!

For those still gnawing away at this, I agree with others who have said the end is good. I think it was worth sticking with, though I probably could have put it down at any gi..."

Darlington was my favorite by far. I agree that the next book has the potential to be much better, now that the world building is set.

[Ash]

Though I wasn't too sure about Darlington at first, I really liked him by the end.

I do have one concern about the next book. Backstory and world building were relied on so heavily in this one, I wonder how the author will do without needing all of that. If this book didn't have those two things it would have been cut down by at least half. I think there's potential for a better second book, I just hope the author can write that better book.

[Carrie (brightbeautifulthings)]

She's definitely capable of writing a faster-paced novel, but I worry about the same thing, Ash. Given the general tone of this book, what's going to take place of all the info dumping? 😅

[Ash]

Exactly! And I've never read anything else by this author, so I wasn't sure. Doesn't she normally write mostly New Adult books?

[Carrie (brightbeautifulthings)]

Yeah, I would say that's a fair categorization for most of the Grishaverse! This is her first adult novel, I think. I'm sure there's a learning curve.

[Kimberly]

Ash wrote: "Though I wasn't too sure about Darlington at first, I really liked him by the end.

I do have one concern about the next book. Backstory and world building were relied on so heavily in this one, I ..."

Very good point. Although this was the first book I read of hers, I do think (now that I've read the YA ones) that she did a better job with those. Hoping Hell Bent has enough to help us understand without the large information dumps.

[evangelos]

Ash wrote: "I FINALLY finished!

For those still gnawing away at this, I agree with others who have said the end is good. I think it was worth sticking with, though I probably could have put it down at any gi..."

Still reading, I'm on page 288, but glad to hear the end is good. I think it has started getting good, at let some of the world is clearer.
In my previous post I said it's more like an adventure than horror, and I think magic mystery like you said is better term for what i was feeling.
I will finish it and try to do it soon.

[Sarah ♡ (let’s interact!)]

Kimberly wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Abit (very) late to the party but I really want to start this after my current read (The Exorcist)! Probably won’t finish it until the end of June but looking forward to discussing wi..."

Ah yes! Will discuss when I finally get around to it!

[evangelos]

Finished this now, even though it is already July. Not sure why it took me so long, the summer weather had something to do with it too.
The book: I have mixed feelings. There were some things I liked, but also long parts I felt bored. I liked that it was a murder mystery. The plot didn't seem so interesting to me, a lot seemed very aimless and even exciting scenes dragged on. The beginning with the flashbacks just reminded me of a tv series structure with these 'cuts'. And even though the ending improved, I am afraid this will rely too much on the promise of more to come, even ending on a cliffhanger. But I can't know if these promises will ever happen or lead to anything. Kind of a shame, because I like some ideas, setting, chapter with Darlington's backstory and the characters Dawes, Alex and her buddy cop thing with Turner in their investigations (morgue etc). I don't think I'll read the next one.

[Ian (RebelGeek)]

I listened to the audiobook from Libby & I wasn't into it right away. Eventually it really had me & I ended up loving it. 5 stars!
Edited - I remembered wrong. 5 stars!

[Hayley]

I finally finished it! I loved every minute of this thing and can't wait for the sequel. why is it so long before the sequel?

[Hayley]

I'm going to add a little more for my thoughts. I really like the dark tone, and the not shying away of heavy subjects and how they have impacted Alex's life. I agree that she does sort of feel like a passenger in her own story feel but I think she is beginning to take the reins more in the end and am excited to see how that develops in the next book.

Darlington is wonderful.

Let's see; what else. As a former academic, I love the confirmation of my bias that academics are often not necessarily wise even if they are smart and are out of touch with reality. ;)

Also, I agree that even though I really enjoyed this, I'd say it's far more dark fantasy than horror. Bunny was much closer to horror in the dark academia genre.