High school dropout, Alex Stern, wakes up in a hospital the soul survivor of a multiple homicide, and is offered a chance to start her life over at Yale. All expenses paid. Wanting to get away from the life she’d been living, Alex says yes and moves across country where she finds herself living among the privileged, but that privilege comes with a price. Alex’s job is to monitor the activities of eight societies. Their occult activities become more dangerous and it’s evil starts grasping at the edges of the life she’s trying to re-build.

I’ll admit, horror novels are not my thing, but Ninth house feels more fantasy than horror. I’m a huge fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and this novel definitely had elements that were similar to that series, although it didn’t have the humor. Like Buffy, Alex Stern is a fascinating protagonist. She isn’t a “chosen one” but the fact that she can see ghosts has shaped her entire life. Not able to live a normal life, she gave up and started living on the outskirts of one. Taking drugs takes the edge off her ability and whereas she was never a full drug addict, she lived among many. When Yale came calling she was ripe for the picking, and the fact she saw ghosts? That was the first good thing to happen because she could see ghosts.

When she enters Yale her world expands from the supernatural. This whole new world opens up before her and her job is to police and make sure no one uses their “skills” to take advantage of anyone. A departure from her previous life for sure, but one that she takes to suprisingly easy. When a murdered girl drops into her lap, Alex starts to investigate and it’s at this point that the book really takes off!

At about 30% into the book I was able to immerse myself in the story and started to really appreciate all of the details of this world Leigh Bardugo created. Set in current time, but with elements of the magical and supernatural, Ninth House is unlike other novels in that it merges the real with fantasy so seamlessly. As Alex investigates this murder and delves into each of the eight societies at Yale I was gripped by questions and read quickly as I sought the truth of those answers through Alex. This is one of those novels that you’ll pick up again and discover new revelations that you somehow missed in the first reading. I’m already blocking off time to listen to the audiobook when it comes out! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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Copyright 2019 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

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