Ninth House, by Leigh Bardugo

Like a little kid at a family Christmas party who speaks in full sentences and calls grownups by their first names, this feels like a YA novel that’s dressing up in grownup clothes. That’s not a bad thing; the tone just feels a little odd. I kept waiting for a love triangle or a Hunger Game to pop up. 

The story is about a young woman (of course) who can do magic (of course) and attends a new school (obviously). See! Doesn’t this sound like a YA book? You can almost hear the Paramore song playing in the background!!!

But it’s not a YA book. I know because I called the book police and they told me, “Sir, that’s not a YA book. Also, audio books count as reading and if you don’t finish a book we will find you and hurt you.” 

Genre’s aside, let’s get back to the story…and the story is kind of good. The main character is accepted into Yale University’s secretive occult society where bad things happen. There are several dark, secret magic societies at the famed college and they all have different levels of evilness occurring. It’s up to the main character to deal with all the drama and the magic and the evil. 

Secret societies make for fun stories because anything can happen behind closed doors. I wish I was a member of a secret society. And if I were a member, I promise not to tell anyone about it, and I would bring snacks. If you’re in a cool secret society, and looking for new members, hit me up. But I won’t join your society if it’s about intolerance, violence or if any part of the initiation process involves blood or taking my shirt off in the pool. 

There’s a lot of magic system lore involved in this book. Magic system lore seems to be a necessary trope of modern fantasy. I guess people like to read about rules? Maybe the next bestseller will just be the rules to pinochle with a trendy cover and a title like, “A Storm in Paris.”  Done. BookTok would eat that up!!!

My brain checks out when they start explaining how the magic works. Thankfully, the rest of the story is weird and fun and the book never gets too caught up in its own magic. 

While the tone of the book is mature, and there is a good deal of death and violence, something about how the story is told made me think of YA books. It might be because the characters are young, unrealistic and are trying to figure out their lives in this crazy mixed up world. Or maybe it’s because the book made me feel old. Get off my lawn, magic kid!!!

Still, not a bad book. 

I’m raising money for the great charity Reading is Fundamental! Click here to donate!