Review: Ninth House

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Yale freshman Alex Stern is a non-traditional student in every sense of the word. Not only is she a few years older than her classmates, she is also a dirt poor, ex-junkie, high school dropout. Also, she can see ghosts, which is what gets her recruited to Yale. The eight secret societies (Skull & Bones, Scroll & Key, etc.) aren’t just the playgrounds of the wealthy and connected; they are also where members perform dark occult rituals that can yield amazing results but can also have dire consequences if anything goes wrong. Keeping things from going wrong and fixing them when they do is the job of Alex’s new employer, Lethe house. Alex’s ability to see ghosts, called Grays, is especially helpful as Grays are drawn to dark magic and can wreak havoc during rituals. But the members of the houses aren’t content to just stay within the limits placed on them, but try game the system and perform darker magic no matter the cost to others. That’s when things really begin to go wrong, and when Alex begins to realize that her job is less about keeping people safe and more about keeping things quiet and the societies out of trouble.
Alex is a compelling character: deeply flawed, yet understandably so; irascible yet surprisingly empathetic. Her sketchy past leaves her vulnerable to the allure of the rich and powerful, but also gives her the insight to see beyond the veil of refinement behind which the societies try to hide. The realness of Alex and other characters is what makes “Ninth House” so compelling: the characters are so well crafted the outlandish events become realistic when seen through their eyes. After turning the last page, a reader might take a few minutes to look around and reassure herself that no Grays are lurking nearby.


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