Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

I had pre-ordered Leigh Bardugo's debut adult novel, and frantically opened the package when it arrived at my door. I read probably about 10 pages, then put it down to go have some dinner, and then didn't pick it up again until I was tucked away in quarantine. I was stressed with my own college disasters at the time (nothing compared to the contents of this book, however), and somehow knew I'd have a better time to sit down and properly consume this novel. 

Knowing what I know now, I absolutely should have carried on reading all those months ago. This novel deserves to be devoured. But I am also absolutely glad that I didn't, because if I had I wouldn't have had to it to entertain me this past week. Because boy does it entertain. 

I have always enjoyed Bardugo's writing. Six of Crows was the first that I read, stumbling head first into the Grishaverse. It remains one of my favourite books to this day, and along with Crooked Kingdom, the sequel, is one of my most re-read books on my shelf. I read her Shadow and Bone trilogy next as I eagerly awaited King of Scars, the spin off containing characters from all parts of this expansive world. And ever since hearing that Ben Barnes was cast as The Darkling, I have been waiting not-so-patiently for the Netflix adaptation to hit my screen. 

Not to say that all Young Adult fiction is light and fluffy, but Bardugo's YA has always stood out to me as being darker, more grounded fiction, despite all the magic going on within its pages. As she delved into adult fiction, the same came be said for Ninth House. There's a harshness and a stability, not just to Galaxy Stern (Ninth House's protagonist) but also to Darlington (the suave Golden Boy, a staple in Bardugo's character line-up), Dean Sandow (the overseeing Patriarch), and even Pammie Dawes (the shy secretary) has a slowly-revealed depth. These are real people dealing with unreal situations, and the reader is effortlessly pulled along for the ride. Bardugo effortlessly places the reader inside this world of magic. Alex, despite being an outsider to Yale, is not an outsider to the existence of the supernatural. What I found so refreshing about Ninth House was the matter-of-fact nature of the magic it contained. Alex Stern is no eager Potter-type, she has suffered with the burden of it's existence her entire life, and now only cares to know what is most important for her survival. Just as Alex is expected to know about magic by her peers, the reader is expected to understand the world of Lethe straight away. And somehow, Bardugo crafts her world-building in a way that the reader (and Alex) knows enough to understand what's happening on the page in front of us, but also so little that we have to turn the page to know more. 

If you haven't yet been convinced, and I don't at all mean by me, but by the countless other raving reviews out there in the ether,  I will try and convince you now. If you've read Maggie Steifvater's Raven Cycle series, and are looking for something similar in adult fiction, you need look no further. Darlington is Gansey all grown up. Alex is Ronan, Blue, Adam, and even Noah, piled on top of each other. If you adored Rian Johnson's latest film Knives Out as I did, you'll too find comfort with Daniel Tabor Arlington III and the mysterious Black Elm. Ninth House offers a wonderfully crafted whodunnit in the midst of all of it's magical-goings-on.