Jordan

Update (09/12/23): Rereading this book is one of the wildest experiences. This series is truly something special.


How to even describe the plot of this book? I was so lost for so much of the beginning that I'm not sure I'll be able to explain well, but I'll do my best. This book follows Gideon, a woman who was orphaned as a child and who lives in the Ninth House. She is trying to escape this place that has done nothing right for her. However, the Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House, Harrowhark, always stops her plans before they ever get far enough to be successful. After her latest escape attempt, Harrow strikes a deal with her. Harrow is in need of a swordsman, and it could be Gideon's chance of leaving the Ninth House. What follows is a murder-mystery, who-dun-it, hilarious string of events.

I gave this book 3 stars because of how slow the beginning started. I couldn't follow anything going on throughout the first half of the book. I ended up looking on the Wikipedia for it to explain what was happening. There is a lot of descriptions of necromancy that use a lot of terms that I didn't know and I was left clueless. However, the banter between the characters was so funny that it kept me listening. Then, towards the end, it really picked up and so much was happening at once. I really enjoyed it. I wasn't expecting the sentimental ending, but I think it was done really well.

The characters are really the highlight of this book. Harrow and Gideon's relationship is hilarious. Even though there were too many characters to keep up with, I still thought all of the side characters also had really funny interactions. The narrator did a great job of bringing these characters to life.

Ultimately, I would recommend this book to anyone into a dark, gay, fun book.

TW: body horror (graphic), deawth (including children), gore, injury, murder, mutilation, necromancy, self-harm, suicide (depicted and referenced), trauma, violence

I enjoyed this addition, but there were some drawbacks in my reading experience. I think some of it is just me being an adult reading a middle grade book. Most of these are not knocks on the book, just subjective opinions I had while reading.

First, I really enjoyed the character dynamics throughout this book. All of the character and relationship development that happened felt very rewarding as a reader. The plot was interesting, but I think there wasn't enough stakes in the Labyrinth. The way it was described, it was this terrifying, ever changing place that was near impossible to traverse. One camper went mad from being in there. However, Percy and co. all got through basically unscathed. While they faced challenges, they all seemed easily bested. I know this may be a product of the genre, but I feel like with Percy getting older, the stakes should also get higher. They felt pretty high in the last book. Maybe I'm just being picky.

I also find the narrator of the audiobook frustrating. Now this I know is a product of the target age group. The villains all just have very stereotypical voices and it makes them seem way less scary and evil and they just sound comical. Again, this is just me reading as an adult. I understand why this would appeal to a younger age range.

Overall, I did actually enjoy this book. I liked the character progression and I think the plot is going in an interesting direction. There were just some things that annoyed me within.

TW: abelism, death, depression, fire, grief, loss of loved ones, manipulation, PTSD, sexism, skeletons, suicide (mentioned), torture, violence, war