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abby_ace_of_books 's review for:
Gideon the Ninth
by Tamsyn Muir
What a wonderful start to my semester: I've teared up over all three books I've read so far.
I read Gideon the Ninth to appease my mildly obsessed cousin, although admittedly, it's been on my TBR ever since I found out it's considered a locked room mystery. I didn't really have any expectations going into it, but I was not expecting to be as depressed as I am now, so...I guess that's something. I also just want to say that the aesthetic was really cool (I've always been a fan of bone/blood imagery).
The necromancer heirs to the Nine Houses are called to what is basically a magical competition to become immortal Lyctors for the Emperor. Gideon must go with her rival, Harrow, as a cavalier (aka bodyguard), but soon after all the heirs arrive, they begin to mysteriously die. I can't say much else without spoilers, but I will say that I managed to somewhat call most of the main plot twists (so maybe I don't need my detective license revoked?). The action and mystery were balanced quite well, so I didn't mind the pacing. I also annotated a LOT, which helped my enjoyment levels because I liked bullying specific characters. I'm interested to see where book two goes, especially because I already have theories and I'm hoping I'm right again.
There were a lot of characters, so I'll just run through them quickly. I didn't care for either character from the Second. I thought Ianthe was weird; I thought Corona was annoying; I thought Naberius was an idiot. I really liked Isaac and Jeannemary and wanted to see more of them. I didn't like Abigail or Magnus just because I'm a hater. Palamedes was my absolute favorite, and I also loved Camilla. I hated Dulcinea, also because I'm a hater. I liked Silas and Colum at first but quickly grew to hate them. I did like Harrow better than Gideon, but their dynamics are so good and I really appreciate the emotional vulnerability between the two of them.
Gideon the Ninth really is so much more than lesbian necromancers in space, and I will be reading the next two books soon (and hopefully, I won't cry).
4.5/5
I read Gideon the Ninth to appease my mildly obsessed cousin, although admittedly, it's been on my TBR ever since I found out it's considered a locked room mystery. I didn't really have any expectations going into it, but I was not expecting to be as depressed as I am now, so...I guess that's something. I also just want to say that the aesthetic was really cool (I've always been a fan of bone/blood imagery).
The necromancer heirs to the Nine Houses are called to what is basically a magical competition to become immortal Lyctors for the Emperor. Gideon must go with her rival, Harrow, as a cavalier (aka bodyguard), but soon after all the heirs arrive, they begin to mysteriously die. I can't say much else without spoilers, but I will say that I managed to somewhat call most of the main plot twists (so maybe I don't need my detective license revoked?). The action and mystery were balanced quite well, so I didn't mind the pacing. I also annotated a LOT, which helped my enjoyment levels because I liked bullying specific characters. I'm interested to see where book two goes, especially because I already have theories and I'm hoping I'm right again.
There were a lot of characters, so I'll just run through them quickly. I didn't care for either character from the Second. I thought Ianthe was weird; I thought Corona was annoying; I thought Naberius was an idiot. I really liked Isaac and Jeannemary and wanted to see more of them. I didn't like Abigail or Magnus just because I'm a hater. Palamedes was my absolute favorite, and I also loved Camilla. I hated Dulcinea, also because I'm a hater. I liked Silas and Colum at first but quickly grew to hate them. I did like Harrow better than Gideon, but their dynamics are so good and I really appreciate the emotional vulnerability between the two of them.
Gideon the Ninth really is so much more than lesbian necromancers in space, and I will be reading the next two books soon (and hopefully, I won't cry).
4.5/5