Ninth House

So many amazing books have come out this month and Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House is one of them! This is a book that can be read any time of year, but if you’re looking for something a little creepy in October, you might want to check out this one.

You may have heard stories about creepy secret fraternities over at Yale like Skull & Bones before. George Bush was a member and… was he involved in the occult? Ninth House takes the idea of creepy Yale fraternities and makes an awesome tale about it. It has ghosts, murder, and creepy fraternity magic.

Alex Stern sees ghosts. You might think that’s kinda cool, especially at this time of year, but for her, it nearly ruined her life. Before she learned to keep her mouth shut, people thought she was crazy. But it did land her at Yale, so there’s that. The Lethe House, or Ninth House that oversees all the other creepy fraternities, could really use her skills.

Still, Yale isn’t a picnic. Alex needs to keep up with her classes, along with her fraternity activities. It can be pretty stressful. When a girl is murdered, Alex decides to investigate–then discovers that there’s a lot of bad things going on at the campus.

There’s a lot of things to like about this book. Creepy fraternities? Yes! Bad guys getting what they deserve? Also there… well, kind of. This is Yale we’re talking about, and people with lots of money sometimes use that money to keep things quiet. There’s quite a few bad people in this book, and some of them do get what they deserve.

I love the character of Alex Stern. She’s had such a hard life, but she keeps on going. Ninth House doesn’t give you all the answers right away; you’ll want to keep on reading to find out what actually happened in her past. There are still a few unanswered questions by the end of the book. It looks like this book is a duology, so we’ll have the opportunity to find out what happens… in the next book.

The creepy Yale fraternity setting is great. There’s a map in the front, which I found useful, but the book does a great job bringing you into this world. I’ve never been to Yale, so it was a lot of fun being immersed into the life of another college.

This book does have some trigger warnings you should be aware of. There is sexual assault. Drugs. Murder. I didn’t think there was anything gratuitous, but your reading mileage may vary.

Overall, I really liked Leigh Bardugo’s adult debut, Ninth House. I do plan on reading the next book sometime after it comes out. If you’re looking for a creepy book for October, you might want to check this one out.