This was adorable and well designed. The Moomin art was so cute. Excited to try some of these recipes. ☕️ 🍰🫖

"VOORHOOFD."

Disclaimer: I read this book solely for a quest, as I have a friend that goes by Lethe in some circles and I thought it'd be really funny to have a badge with her name. With that said, I definitely would have DNF'd this book early on without badge motivation, so take that as you will.

Ninth House was, regrettably for my taste, a book written by Leigh Bardugo. I do not know what it is about this author. Everything she writes feels like paper drenched in water that is coming apart as you turn the page, and you desperately try to read further and further but the more you try the more the unfortunate sensation of wet paper clinging to your fingers prevails. This is a really impressive feeling to convey, as I only have read this author digitally. Also, I think the most Leigh Bardugo has ever made me feel is, indeed, aversion.

I spent a lot of this book wondering why I couldn't connect to it. As it always seems to with books I label horrid, one of the main reasons was the way race/racism was handled. I want to take away biracial girls from white authors forever and always until they learn how to write us... not like this. For all I've seen her praised for her representation, the only way Leigh Bardugo seems to be able to write characters of colour is to make them a stereotype. It reminds me so much of Rick Riordan being the exact same way; praised for his diversity yet lacking in its execution.

On a technical level, I think Leigh Bardugo is alright. Her dialogue feels realistic, her prose isn't bad, but her book does not hit home. The mystery is unsatisfactory, and - I am going a bit off track here, my apologies, but I really can't ignore this - the book feels like Darlington imagining Alex's story. Like a rich kid^1 making up a poor kid and leaving all the depth behind. Avoiding the very real repercussions of addiction, side-stepping anything that feels real, offering trauma upon trauma for merely trauma's sake.

As a final note, Dutch - and Cantonese - are not... what I would call... whispery languages....

(thank you rui for keeping me sane. idt i wouldve survived without you)

^1 Darlington was rich right I can't remember too clearly to make a good metaphor on this book it was. Really not my favourite. To say the least.

Blunt and uncomfortable at times, but I couldn't stop reading. This book does not care about keeping the reader comfortable, and I love how it examined ableism through the reader's discomfort.

I wish this was longer and I wish the author had more books out to read. I absolutely recommend this.