Ninth House is the perfect stereotypical dark academia, and I mean that in a good way. There’s quite a few things that bother me about the genre, a lot of which are here, but Bardugo treats them with such skill that I didn’t mind them as much as usual. Alex’s smart and snarky voice shins through, as well as her own internal conflict over what is morally correct, what she wants, and what is going to give her the best odds in the future. The fact that Alex is not your typical Yale kid made it so much better to read and be inside her head. No offense to people who went to Yale, but there’s a certain level of arrogance associated with such places, which was part of the reason June from Yellowface was so insufferable to me. Instead we get the distinct impression that Alex is an underdog, and her position at Yale very clearly only a result of her inborn gift, which to her is frequently a curse. Dawes was also amazingly fleshed out, she felt so real with her anxieties and the way her unglamorous work faded into the background, yet saved Alex’s life on multiple occasions. Which brings me to where it fell short, which for me was the pacing. There were several scenes I didn’t think need to be included, as well as some that were emphasized to much. Of course, I have yet to read Hell Bent which may prove me wrong, but it seemed very sporadic. Additionally, my biggest gripe was the lack of foreshadowing. For a plot like this one to work, there needs to be more hinting at the big plot twist. It’s a delicate balance, one I don’t think Bardugo managed to reach. For all that, I loved the characters and I’m very curious about the magic system. The way it deals with the dead is extremely well done, and treats the greys like real people, something I feel other books with ghosts are lacking. The different house, which are apparently also accurate to Yale and their different magics, I hope we get to learn more about. Side note: I’m currently also reading Six of Crows and the jump in quality between the two is very cool to see.