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Ninth House

The global sensation from the creator of Shadow and Bone

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Ninth House

By: Leigh Bardugo
Narrated by: Lauren Fortgang, Michael David Axtell
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About this listen

 'Impossible to put down' STEPHEN KING
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THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

THE GOODREADS CHOICE AWARD WINNER FOR BEST FANTASY OF 2019

AN AMAZON BEST BOOK OF OCTOBER 2019

A 2020 LOCUS AWARD FINALIST

IN DEVELOPMENT FOR TELEVISION WITH AMAZON STUDIOS

BY THE BESTSELLING CREATOR OF THE GRISHAVERSE

AND THE NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES SHADOW AND BONE

STEP INTO THE WORLD OF NINTH HOUSE
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Galaxy 'Alex' Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale's freshman class. A dropout and the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved crime, Alex was hoping for a fresh start. But a free ride to one of the world's most prestigious universities was bound to come with a catch.

Alex has been tasked with monitoring the mysterious activities of Yale's secret societies - well-known haunts of the rich and powerful. Now there's a dead girl on campus and Alex seems to be the only person who won't accept the neat answer the police and campus administration have come up with for her murder.

Because Alex knows the secret societies are far more sinister and extraordinary than anyone ever imagined. They tamper with forbidden magic. They raise the dead. And sometimes they prey on the living . . .

'One of the best fantasy novels I've read in years' LEV GROSSMAN

'Ninth House rocked my world' JOE HILL

'I wouldn't blame you for taking the day off to finish it' KELLY LINK

'Mesmerising' CHARLAINE HARRIS

'Compulsively readable' KIRKUS

'Atmospheric' BOOKLIST

'The fantasy novel of the year' THE I
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Leigh Bardugo's book 'Ninth House' was a No. 7 Sunday Times bestseller w/c 14-10-2019.
Leigh Bardugo's book 'Hell Bent' was a No. 2 Sunday Times bestseller w/c 09-01-2023. Dark Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Horror Scary Crime Magic Paranormal

Critic Reviews

Ninth House is the best fantasy novel I've read in years, because it's about real people. Bardugo's imaginative reach is brilliant, and this story, full of shocks and twists, is impossible to put down
Ninth House is one of the best fantasy novels I've read in years. This book is brilliant, funny, raw and utterly magnificent - it's a portal to a world you'll never want to leave
Ninth House is the best thing I've read in a long time. There's so much magic here that you'll begin to feel it seeping into the room around you as you read, and characters so real you 'll practically hear their voices in your ear. Leigh Bardugo has written a book so delicious, so twisty, and so immersive I wouldn't blame you for taking the day off to finish it
Leigh Bardugo's Ninth House rocked my world. I could not get enough of sinewy, ghost-haunted Alex Stern, a heroine for the ages. With a bruised heart and bleeding knuckles, she risks death and damnation ? again and again ? for the people she cares about. I was cheering her on the whole way: from the first brilliant sentence of this book to the last. More, please, Ms. Bardugo
In this mesmerizing novel, Leigh Bardugo introduces us to Alex, a high-school dropout who gets a free ride to Yale because of a unique talent. Bardugo's New Haven is plausible and frightening, and I was one rapt reader
The worldbuilding is rock solid, the plot is propulsive, and readers will be clamoring for a sequel as soon as they read the last page
Fantasy readers, particularly those who love ghosts, will hungrily devour this novel
The fantasy novel of the year
All stars
Most relevant
I absolutely loved this book! It had everything I wanted in a murder mystery novel and so much more.

Alex Stern is a tough, non-academic girl from California. She has a unique ability to see and interact with greys, or ghosts as we know them. This makes her the perfect candidate for recruitment into the mysterious society Lethe House, who oversee the supernatural exploits of Yale’s secret underground societies. She has a steep learning curve on both the academic and mystical fronts, as she barely manages to survive her first year of college, despite the loss midway of her friend and mentor, Darlington. And that’s the mystery... where is Darlington, and who is responsible for his disappearance?

🖤 Alex Stern 🖤

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I found it hard to get into. I persevered to the end and that made it worthwhile, shame it took so long.

Hard to get into

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I love this book. Have listened to it twice and it’s just so good. A really interesting and new story (some trigger warnings to note: drug use, SA). A perfect break from typical fantasy if you are wanting to switch it up. Lauren is the queen of narration and Michael brings Darlington to life which makes it even more enjoyable.

Perfect break from typical fantasy

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I thought this book was good. There are a few things I liked there are things I didn't like. Let's break them down

Like
- I liked the world building in this story. It reminded me of a Harry Potter esque world but it's grittier.
- I liked the use of magic, it wasn't as extravagant as some fantasy books. I really liked the subtlety of it.
- I love the protagonist!! I just really enjoy it when you're following someone competent.
- I liked some of the side characters. I really enjoyed the fact that you got to know them.

Didn't Like
- The pacing, this book starts out very slow. I had my 1.5x speed on for the most part cause of how I thought how slow the reading was. It could be the reader, it could be the book itself however it took me a while to get into it.

Overall if you can survive the start and manged to stay a little more than halfway through you will be sucked in, into a really cool detective-like story with supernatural and Harry Potter elements sprinkled here and there.

Slow but intriguing

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I really loved this book, to the point where, even over this weekend when I had outings planned and some chores that should have been done, I neglected most of the chores and cut short several outings and phone calls with friends and family so that I could get back to listening. I loved the descriptions of Yale and its alumni, I really liked the main characters and the storyline. I am looking forward to buying and listening to the sequel. This is the first book by Leigh Bardugo that I have come across. I very much enjoyed listening to the interview with Leigh and I am looking forward to reading or listening to her previous books.
Peta Miles
Leura

Ninth House

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