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 catiebug on

5 of 5 stars

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This book was such an interesting experience for me and took me on quite the journey.

When I read the premise of this book, I immediately bought it on my kindle. It sounded intriguing and right up my alley. However, when I started, it's was so different than what I expected. The writing was different than what I was used to, but I also couldn't stop reading. I began to get the vibe that this was going to be a dark book and began to have mixed feelings about if I wanted to continue.

I ended up taking a break to go and read some reviews to help me decide and as I read them and saw all the trigger warnings, it made me a bit nervous. I'm not easily triggered, but some of the things could potentially make me feel uncomfortable reading. In the end, I decided to continue reading.

I'm so glad I did. It took me a couple of chapters to settle into the story, but once I did, I was hooked. It took me a few weeks to read, but I preferred this because I was so interested in the world and it was perfect for the spooky season and all the vibes.

I'm surprised at how much I loved this book and I can't wait for the next book to come out and to get back into this story.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 5 November, 2019: Finished reading
  • 5 November, 2019: Reviewed