Ninth House

I was pretty skeptical going into this book because I've had bad experiences with magic set in the real world (re. Middlegame, All the Birds In the Sky). I just think its really hard for these type of books to feel immersive and not gimmicky but Ninth House definitely impressed me in that regard.

The magic in this book felt secondary to the overall mystery and I really appreciated that it didn't revolve around gimmicks that made things feel forced. The way Bardugo introduces magic and its uses felt pretty natural and within the realm of the setting. As a result when Yale and its students misused magic, it felt like an organic extension of the impression the book sets out for the students. The fratty prep kids in the secret societies felt like fratty prep kids. They just happened to cut open hobos on Thursdays to read the future stock market because it was normal for them.

The story felt pretty involved and I liked the two timelines/two perspectives going on for the first half of the book. However, I felt like the mystery felt a little... contrived. The first few discoveries were based on the main character Alex feeling like something was up and the final reveal I just didn't feel too invested in. I mostly just cared about the characters.

The characters and the themes were the best part actually. Alex was an excellent MC and it was awesome to see her growth and her dealing with challenges. The themes of rich vs. poor, surviving vs. thriving, protecting the right people, and feminism were super well played and each of them clicked super well with me due to Alex.

All in all, definitely would recommend this book.