3261 ratings (4.23 avg)
2919 reviews
more photos (3)

Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany)

http://www.youtube.com/beautifullybookishbethany

https://www.goodreads.com/beautifullybookishbethany

Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany)’s 2024-faves shelf

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall

The Spirit Collection of Thorne Hall by J. Ann Thomas

More…

Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany)’s Bookshelves

to-read‎ (1306)
currently-reading‎ (8)
read‎ (3621)
did-not-finish‎ (0)
put-down-for-now‎ (7)
physical-owned-tbr‎ (461)
audio-owned-tbr‎ (289)
kindle-owned-tbr‎ (66)
lgbtq‎ (823)

black-authors‎ (602)
libro-fm-library‎ (458)
audible-library‎ (407)
tor-tordotcom‎ (147)
indigenous-authors‎ (76)
good-fat-rep‎ (65)
30plus-romance‎ (47)
chirp-library‎ (46)
patreon-book-club-picks‎ (45)

favorites‎ (34)
2020-faves‎ (29)
2021-favorites‎ (29)
2022-faves‎ (24)
2023-faves‎ (24)
2019-faves‎ (20)
2024-faves‎ (20)
2025-faves‎ (17)
2018-faves‎ (16)

blades-bodice-rippers‎ (16)
external-conflict-romance‎ (14)
2026-faves‎ (9)
bookfunnel‎ (8)
2017-faves‎ (6)
b-n-audio‎ (5)
no-third-act-breakup‎ (3)
li‎ (1)
dnf‎ (0)

Stats | More…

Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) is Currently Reading

Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) is currently reading

Ninth House (Ninth House Trilogy, #1)

by Leigh Bardugo (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: 2019-faves, audible-library, currently-reading

Reading for the 2nd time

read in October 2019

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) said: " Ninth House is a dark and gritty, somewhat literary urban fantasy set at a magic-laden version of Yale that does a deep dive into power, privilege, and sexual assault. It was definitely not what I was expecting, but I think this is going to be one of Ninth House is a dark and gritty, somewhat literary urban fantasy set at a magic-laden version of Yale that does a deep dive into power, privilege, and sexual assault. It was definitely not what I was expecting, but I think this is going to be one of my favorite books of 2019. Fair warning- if you are going into this expecting a more adult version of the Grishaverse with some secret societies thrown in, you are in for a rude awakening. This is not the Leigh Bardugo you are used to.

Galaxy (Alex) Stern is an outsider from the wrong side of the tracks with a dark and traumatic history. And yet, she is now a scholarship student at Yale University, member of an exclusive secret society. But not because of her academic merit. Rather, because she has the ability to see ghosts, and that is lucrative for powerful societies that run on dark magic.

This book is told in multiple timelines with two main timelines eventually intersecting with each other, and with the future scene in the opening of the book. Alex has been thrust into a dangerous world of secrets, power, and corruption where influential men and women dabble in dangerous magic.

Ultimately, this is a book about power and privilege and how those are used for dark purposes, often including sexual assault and other forms of violence against women. Do be aware that there are a number of instances of sexual assault, harassment, and violence against female bodies on the page, including instances involving a character at age 12 and age 15. This text addresses gaslighting, victim blaming, and includes the use of magical drugs to make women sexually compliant. It examines how universities and other institutions will all too often downplay or cover up such occurrences for the purpose of financial gain or in order to save face publicly. This book feels incredibly relevant given #metoo and conversations around consent and rape, particularly in the digital age. What clinched this for me as a new favorite is a plot point that drove home the ways in which White feminism has sometimes railroaded women of color and that feminism that isn't intersectional simply isn't good enough.

I loved this book, even if it wasn't what I was expecting. The magic is really used as a vehicle for discussing these larger issues and stylistically, it feels much more literary than the YA books by this author. I think it is an important book that needs to exist in the world, but definitely go in with your eyes open because there are a LOT of content/trigger warnings, some of which I discussed above. Do your research, but if you can deal with it, I think this is one worth picking up and discussing. ...more "

Oct 17, 2019 11:36AM · see review