Oh my god, this book.

I can't explain it, or describe what I felt while reading it. At times, I grappled with it, both because I haven't read a book in my native language since 2017 (but I'm of the opinion that translations always, always pale in comparison to their originals, no matter how good, so here I am, picking it apart in Russian), and because my brain wouldn't cooperate with some of the concepts presented in it. But I loved every moment. I thought of this book when I wasn't reading it, and my dreams were full of it these past few weeks.

I will say, there is something about the Russian-language version that made it a much more engaging read for me. I got the humor; I related to the mundanity. I've experienced a summer in Crimea followed by an autumn in Moscow, and this familiarity, this connection - from the very start of the book -  with Sasha's own life made me understand her as a protagonist a lot better than if I'd read it in English.

As an aside, it's nothing like Harry Potter - I don't know why it's marketed that way. If anything, the metamorphosis at the crux of the book would give transphobic Rowling an aneurysm. 

I've been a fan of Bardugo since her Grishaverse trilogy, and this book is no exception. I love her writing style! I love these characters! I love that the inspiration for the world unravelling within Ninth House is real secret societies at Yale, and the multifaceted conversation that can be had about what being a student there entails! 

I'll echo what some other reviews on here have said; Onna's shoulders must hurt terribly after carrying the whole story on her back. Find the girl a good chiropractor stat!

I wish I'd enjoyed this audiobook more, but mostly I spent it waiting for it to be over. I read it fast because I wanted to finish it and move on, not because I was enjoying it.

I found the characterization - flimsy, the random lore drops - boring and confusing, and the plot's setup - much stronger than its payoff. 

There were definitely the beginnings of a good story here - magic I would have wanted to know more about, a compelling setting, a rivals-to-lovers dynamic I normally love. But none of it felt fully fleshed out; I wish more would have been done with this story.

Jack and Adaira moved on from their childhood enmity far too quickly, Jack seemed to have no qualms about

leaving a 10-year life behind on the mainland

, and the supporting cast was just... So boring. Also, it didn't feel as though the conflict was well developed, with characters' reactions appearing very disproportionate to what was happening a lot of the time.

Overall, I just wanted more from every aspect of this story, but found myself disappointed.

A well-paced book, albeit with a rushed ending, that I enjoyed regardless (even if it took me a good 6 months to work through).

Even if he wouldn't agree with me, Celehar makes for a compelling protagonist. He's so sad! I love him!

I feel like this book will stick with me for a long time. Though aspects have not aged so well, most of it holds up in 2024 and is just as thought-provoking for a modern audience.

Charlie's intellectual development is incredibly well written, explored through his progress reports to be gradual enough for the audience not to notice until suddenly he's writing in complex sentences and has a rich inner monologue. The book fluently describes, in the latter half, the fear many have of becoming disabled/senile, and addresses it in a way I haven't encountered in fiction very often.

I've been holding off on this book, and I have no idea why, because now that I finished it I think it's so dang good!

Well-paced, beautifully written, and all-around enchanting, I ESPECIALLY enjoyed the narrative choices as they relate to the multi-POV recounting of events. Novik knew exactly whose eyes to see through at what time, to make as poignant and powerful a story as can be. 

I could recognise a lot of the fairytales that went into it as inspiration, too, and that gave the story a unique sort of nostalgic feeling. And I thought the audiobook was very well performed.

I'm not normally as gripped by short stories as I was by these. Each of them was beautifully written, haunting, oddly relatable, in a fractured kind of way.

I wish the endings were more solidified though - I found that it felt like some of the stories didn't know when and how TO end.

Using this as a placeholder for the entire series (volumes 1-14) which I finished today.

The art style, the robust worldbuilding, and the well-fleshed-out characters all made this manga one of my favourites, easily. I particularly enjoyed the monster designs (both visually and in terms of how they fit into their ecosystem, what they are on a biological level, all that) and the body horror aspects in the later volumes. Couldn't put this story down!

A poignant and powerful read that felt like a gut punch despite the comparably short length. I love how lyrical Clark's writing is.

I didn't find the monsters as compelling as I'd have liked, and the rushed introduction of

the night doctors

ruined the immersion a little, making the worldbuilding needlessly complicated in my opinion. Still, though, a story I couldn't put down, with great narration.