36 | T HE B A R O SSA MA G // BOOK R E V IE W
BOOK REVIEW
WORDS TODD KUCHEL
Ninth House
WRITTEN BY LEIGH BARDUGO
Her entire life, Alex Stern has been
haunted by ghosts. They have followed
her home, appeared in her classrooms,
bedroom, even her bathroom.
In her primary years, word of her
torment reached Lethe, the ninth house
of a secret organisation within Yale.
While they waited monitoring her ‘gift’,
the horrors of being haunted led Alex
down a path of crime and drug use, until
at 20 years of age she emerges the sole
survivor of a multiple homicide.
This was when the house of Lethe
approached Alex and offered her
a scholarship at Yale.
This however was a cover.
Lethe is in fact a secret, ancient society
guarding eight other houses of veil within
Yale who perform rituals and practice
dark magic.
The veil is the bridge of sight between
our world of the living and the dead
existing alongside us.
The ghosts in this novel are referred
to as Greys. These Greys are known
to interfere with the rituals performed
by the eight houses.
For this to happen could result in the
release of magic, death or worse. To
prevent interference, the Greys must first
be seen.
This is a book that demands absolute
attention. Alone, in a quiet, dark place
is how I expect it was intended to be
read, it’s certainly how it’s most enjoyed.
Like obtaining pieces of a puzzle along
the way, it requires patience that will be
rewarded at its end.
If you are an impatient reader
it may not be for you.
For most, to be able to see a Grey, a toxic
potion is required that will take its users
to an inch from death. However, if you can persist with it,
you will find it a very interesting and
enjoyable piece of magic, dark magic!
Attributable to her gift of sight alone,
role of Dante of Lethe is privileged to
Alex in advance of hopeful candidates. However, readers be warned, this is
an ADULT fantasy. It contains drug use,
sexual references, murder, racism and
much more. Therefore it is not ideal
for younger readers.
As a darker world unfolds, Alex quickly
discovers that there is much more going
on than she was first led to believe.
I must say that I struggled to keep up with
the information at the start of this book.
I found myself flicking back and forth
through the pages to confirm details.
This is the first novel in a series of books
to come. It is also now being developed
into a TV series by Amazon.
Available now from Ravens Parlour
Book Store Tanunda
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