The mesmerizing adult debut from Leigh Bardugo, a tale of power, privilege, dark magic, and murder set among the Ivy League elite
Galaxy โAlexโ Stern is the most unlikely member of Yaleโs freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug-dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. In fact, by age twenty, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say sheโs thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the worldโs most prestigious universities on a full ride. Whatโs the catch, and why her?
Still searching for answers, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yaleโs secret societies. Their eight windowless โtombsโ are the well-known haunts of the rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Streetโs biggest players. But their occult activities are more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive. They tamper with forbidden magic. They raise the dead. And, sometimes, they prey on the living.
The secrets of Yaleโs โAncient Eightโ societies come to light in Leigh Bardugoโs first foray into adult fantasy, NINTH HOUSE.
Bardugo ingeniously uses Yaleโs secret societies as repositories of magic to explore those who wield power, their hidden rituals, and the influence they brandish. The House of Letheโthe eponymous ninth houseโwas formed to curb their magical clout, ensuring rituals and practices never go too far.
And although Galaxy โAlexโ Stern, a misfit and once drug addict, is hardly a fit for Yale, she is lured by Lethe and offered a free ride. Itโs not Alexโs academic merits that entice, however, itโs her ability to see ghostsโโGraysโ who trudge around campus and threaten rituals when gateways to the veil unseal.
But when a girl is murdered, Alex feels as if thereโs something more to her deathโitโs a gut feeling she canโt ignore. Before too long, Alex uncovers something far more sinister and dangerous than she anticipated.
NINTH HOUSE is the first in a new series and itโs magnificent. Bardugo builds a fascinating world thatโs equal parts truth and fiction. With thoughtful detail, the world feels alive, lush and layered in a way thatโs felt viscerally. No punches held in a twisting narrative that weaves horror and mystery. The dark and grotesque is buoyed by hope and humor thanks to our gritty heroine. Alex is brave, clever, inquisitive, but sheโs also vulnerable with edges real and raw.
I loved the richness and depth of the novel, and the foundational history on which magic embellishes. Itโs utterly engrossing, inciting further queries into the city of New Haven and the secret societies of Yale.
I couldnโt get enough of this book, this world, and I canโt wait to see what awaits in the next installment.
Absolutely stellar, must-read fantasy thatโs deserving of all the buzz and praise.
โPeace was like any high. It couldn’t last. It was an illusion, something that could be interrupted in a moment and lost forever.โ