Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (Alex Stern # 1)

Adult. Thriller. Paranormal. Secret Societies. Magic. 

Re-read after buying a copy. I forgot how good it was. 

Rating: 4.25/5

Started: 9 October 

Finished: 13 October 

Summary: 

    Alex Stern wasn't supposed to go to Yale. Except when Lethe, the organization that watches over the 8 secret societies at Yale, found out that Alex can see ghosts, they plucked her from her life of drugs and violence and gave her to Darlington, a Yale senior, to train. Except just as Alex was beginning to get used to her new life, Darlington disappeared. 

    When a townie is brutally murdered and no one seems to be suspicious that the killing could be connected to one of the societies, Alex, despite not really being prepared for her role in Lethe, decides to investigate. But the further she looks into the societies and the murder, the more tangled it seems. 

Thoughts: 

    This book is so good. Alex is an absolute badass, full stop. She is unbelievably cool. She's like the wine aunt but the main character and violent. She is super protective of people she cares about and I love it. Her past is so violent and horrible; I had forgotten how vibrant and cruel her past was. 

    However, this book actually feels more like the idea of Leigh Bardugo that I have. It's darker, crueler, more violent, more witchy. It makes me very happy. This book (plus Maneskin) is one of the only reasons I got through the beginning of this week. I am super excited for book two. 

    Someone pointed out to me that there is a fair amount of chemistry between Dawes and Alex, and I looked into it and it was kind of true. It wasn't out right chemistry but it was kind of there anyways, which was cool. I am wondering if there's going to be any romance at all. Alex is very blunt and has no problem talking about sex (actually that scene where Darlington get drugged and tries to sleep with Alex is the best thing ever: "either wake up and fuck me or stop") but I haven't found a character who actually seems like they're going to get with Alex. Maybe someone new'll show up. Either way, book two is going to be so good.