Gideon the Ninth

second read 5 stars this book makes me feel INSANE in the best possible way. it???s a fantastic and rewarding reread, especially after harrow the ninth. everything is that much more interesting and painful when you feel like you actually sort of might have an idea of what???s going on. gideon simply SHINES. her voice is crystal clear, sharp, hilarious as we follow her on the wildest fantasy sci-fi post-apocalyptic (???) ride. tamsyn muir manages to go from deliciously modern and snappy dialogue to harrowing (ha ha) necromantic sequences so elegantly. as someone who gets hives from books that include pop culture references this somehow manages to never feel contrived. it walks the line by using contemporary language to describe things that aren???t, and cannot be, and won???t be part of our universe. and i genuinely delight in a story of which you can FEEL the scope because no one explains anything that they wouldn???t. this book is an onion, a very big lettuce, me when winter starts - so so layered. and every part that muir unwraps adds density and intrigue. she???s so clever!!! i want to open her up and study her!!! anyway. if you haven???t read this: let it wash over you during the first read. get you a friend who will take notes during her reread so you can use them to aid your sieve-like memory. read it again and delight and cry, both dreading and looking forward to starting harrow. -first read 4.5 love a book that doesn???t explain shit to me!