Ninth House is Leigh Bardugo’s debut into adult fiction, and creates the start of her newest series. Set at Yale in a world of mysterious societies and hidden magic, Galaxy ‘Alex’ Stern is latest member of the society set to keep everyone in their place. Her past and her abilities to see the Grays, or ghosts, gives her an upper hand in a town out for her blood, all for different reasons.

I’ll be honest, a small part of me was worried that Bardugo would finally let me down, especially after the whole Aurora Rising fiasco earlier this year, but my fantasy queen pulled through once again. However, please keep in mind, Ninth House is very, very, much an adult book, and contains violence, a bit of gore, adult content, and quite a few triggers. Please research the content a little before you jump on in, and please don’t expect Grisha like storytelling and worlds.

With that said, Ninth House absolutely blew me away. On every single level, this book was absolutely fantastic, and I’ll be slowly dying waiting for the sequel. I won’t go into too much detail and keep it vague to avoid spoiling anything before release, but trust me, this was fantastic.

The world and magic system were fantastically designed and extremely unique, as well as an integral part of the story. Every single detail you’re given matters, there’s no extraneous information or holes in the world building. You’re never lost or confused unless you’re meant to be, as Leigh crafts the world in such a strong and clear way. Additionally, there’s so much intrigue and mystery lurking underneath each aspect of this setting and system, meaning you want to learn more about almost everything you’re introduced to. It creates such a great reading experience, as you’re never bored with what you’re getting.

The story itself is also super intriguing, and while I’m normally able to semi guess what’s going to happen and stay a step ahead of the story, Leigh was constantly subverting my expectations. It made for such a fun read, even alongside all the darkness, as you’re constantly being kept on your toes as a reader. The plot just also fit itself very well into the world and characters and made for one concrete whole rather than characters thrown into a plot thrown in a world.

On characters, I absolutely loved how real and raw they felt. None of them are perfect people, all have their flaws (some larger than others), and most of the characters don’t fit into the simple distinctions of good or bad. Ninth House explores the grey in morality in almost all of the characters, some toeing the line more than others. Alex as a narrator was also fantastic, I loved her way of thinking and how she interacted with the story, and while she wasn’t a ‘good’ character per say, she was a real one. Her personality and motivations were entirely hinged on how she saw the world and how it had treated her, and this grew as she learned more about magic/more about those around her and as she grew as a person. I don’t think I’ve ever read a character that read so realistically.

I will definitely be recommending Ninth House to everyone (with caution to the ratings/triggers etc), because this is such a great read on all levels. It’s beautifully crafted in terms of story arcs, world-building, and writing while also still just being an entertaining and intriguing read. I cannot wait to see more of this world.