Shadow and Bone author back with another mid-bending novel

Welcome to Sophia’s Book Nook, where we talk about all things books! This month’s book is Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo. You may have heard of this author’s name if you are familiar with her other works such as the Shadow and Bone trilogy and the Six of Crows duology. They have grown quite a fanbase, especially with the rise of the section of the social media app Tiktok known as “Booktok.” Since its publication, Ninth House has also gained a wide array of attention, and not just from social media. Almost immediately after its release, Amazon Studios announced that they would adapt the book into a tv show. And if you enjoy the book, you won’t have to wait very long to read the sequel as it comes out in January!

Now, why did I pick this book? I picked this book because it is perfect for fall, especially around Halloween. The book is an urban fantasy, or a fantasy book that takes place in our world  in the present day. Books like this could include Harry Potter or Percy Jackson, while high fantasy books, which take place in fantastical worlds, include Game of Thrones or The Lord of the Rings. The book was released in 2019, a few weeks before Halloween, making for a perfect entrance into ‘spooky season’. The book is full of ghosts and the occult. There are demons and tombs throughout the book, making it eerie and dark but it is not for the faint of heart. It is considered an adult mystery, much because of its difficult topics such as murder and death, drugs and sexual assault. However, the messages in the book are very powerful, conveying the characters overcoming difficult situations. Ninth House is full of extreme twists and turns: it makes you laugh, cry, smile, and maybe even throw the book against the wall in frustration… you know, as you do.

Ninth House takes place at Yale University in Connecticut and follows Galaxy “Alex” Stern. She hates the fact that her “hippie mom” named her Galaxy, so she goes by Alex. Alex hasn’t lived a particularly easy life; dropping out of high school at a young age, constantly being succumbed to drugs, and even being a sole survivor of a mass murder. But what she has kept to herself is the fact that she can see ghosts, also known as “Grays”. After she survived the mass murder and was trapped in a hospital bed, she was offered a spot at Yale, even though she had not completed high school. But she was asked to attend Yale specifically for her to be a part of Lethe, the ninth House of Veil. The Houses of the Veil are eight secret societies that foster future politicians and business leaders, talented writers and surgeons. Lethe is the house that oversees each of the other societies and their actions. But when a murder takes place at the university and it seems as though the other secret societies are involved, Alex falls deep into a dark and disturbing mystery.

Ninth House is perfect for a dark and stormy night or a rainy autumn day. Leigh Bardugo captures the audience perfectly by forming a smart, well-crafted novel about the dark side of prestigious universities and their secret societies. So, enjoy your reading, and have a happy Halloween!