Item: Ninth House
Rating: 6
Author: Kudrytskaya

25 сентября 2026

~450 pages

It wasn't exactly a page-turner , but I gave it my best shot. I may simply not be used to this type of literature, so perhaps the book deserves some credit for taking me out of my comfort zone.

The first half was a struggle. I had a hard time getting into the flow of the writing, and perhaps the constant introduction of Alex's past, her visions, and the world she had to navigate made it difficult for me to find my footing. Only in the second half did I start feeling that the story was picking up the pace enough to make me curious.

The point being that this fantasy has a high barrier to entry.

We are constantly thrown back and forth between flashbacks and the present day, trying to piece together Alex's past while being introduced to the dark ambience of an elite university and the secrets its societies keep behind closed doors. And if something does leak, it can apparently be swept under the rug with little difficulty.

Unfortunately, I never really developed much sympathy for or interest in Alex herself.

She is introduced as a former addict who used alcohol and drugs to escape her visions of Greys (the ghosts she can see). Yet, once she arrives at Yale, this part of her past seems to take a back seat. I found myself wondering how much of her addiction still affected her and how she dealt with it in her new life.

What I was genuinely more curious about, though, was the structure of Yale's secret societies, the philosophy behind each house, and the way their members used magic. I found the idea of these powerful, privileged institutions hiding something sinister behind their respectable academic image much more intriguing than Alex's personal journey.

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Did the second half actually make me more interested in the story, or did I simply become more comfortable with the writing and the world? dunno

* not a reread for me.

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