Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Ninth House

by Leigh Bardugo

The instant SUNDAY TIMES and NEW YORK TIMES bestseller, and Goodreads Choice Award winner, that Stephen King calls 'Impossible to put down'

The mesmerising adult debut from Leigh Bardugo. A tale of power, privilege, dark magic and murder set among the Ivy League elite.

Alex Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale's freshman class. A dropout and the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved crime - the last thing she wants is to cause trouble. Not when Yale was supposed to be her fresh start. But a free ride to one of the world's most prestigious universities was bound to come with a catch.

Alex has been tasked with monitoring the mysterious activities of Yale's secret societies - societies that have yielded some of the most famous and influential people in the world. Now there's a dead girl on campus and Alex seems to be the only person who won't accept the neat answer the police and campus administration have come up with for her murder.

Because Alex knows the secret societies are far more sinister and extraordinary than anyone ever imagined.

They tamper with forbidden magic. They raise the dead. And, sometimes, they prey on the living . . .



'Ninth House is the best fantasy novel I've read in years, because it's about real people. Bardugo's imaginative reach is brilliant, and this story, full of shocks and twists, is impossible to put down' Stephen King

'Ninth House is one of the best fantasy novels I've read in years. This book is brilliant, funny, raw and utterly magnificent - it's a portal to a world you'll never want to leave' Lev Grossman, bestselling author of The Magicians trilogy

'Ninth House rocked my world. I could not get enough of Alex Stern, a heroine for the ages. With a bruised heart and bleeding knuckles, she risks death and damnation - again and again - for the people she cares about. I was cheering her on the whole way: from the first brilliant sentence of this book to the last' Joe Hill, bestselling author of N0S4A2

Reviewed by leahrosereads on

3 of 5 stars

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Interesting start to a series for sure, but a tad too long. I enjoyed the writing and really appreciated the atmosphere that Bardugo created here. But it needed like 150 less pages.

I loved Darlington (what we saw of him anyway). Like a whole hecka lot. Kinda wish he was the MC we followed, because I didn't particularly like Alex. I don't feel she matured enough in this book, and she was a bit of a pain. Of course she had the most fucked up upbringing ever, so there's that. Seriously, what trauma didn't she deal with?

Also, Dawes was wonderful!!! Loved that character.

This story was enough to keep me interested for the next book, but I'm definitely hoping it's a more concise read.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 28 April, 2020: Finished reading
  • 28 April, 2020: Reviewed