Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Ninth House
Series: Alex Stern #1
Author: Leigh Brardugo
Source/Format: Purchased; paperback
More Details: Urban Fantasy; Mystery; Paranormal
Publisher/Publication Date: Flatiron Books; October 8, 2019

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her? Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.

I haven’t picked up a Leigh Bardugo book since Shadow & Bone. I know-I know, it’s been a long time. That being said, I was interested in Ninth House because of how different it was to Bardugo’s other series. It was her 2019 adult debut, and I’d heard enough about its dark aspects to know what I was in for. I made a great choice though, because Ninth House was the book that finally got me out of my reading slump.

I enjoyed the details that were put into describing Yale, the magic, and the societies. It made the story dynamic and immersive. With the mystery (and subsequent sleuthing), it felt a little like a whodunit. And, with such an interesting setting—defined by intricate world building— I was glad the characters also lived up to my expectations. For the most part, they were morally complicated. Galaxy (Alex) Stern had a tragic backstory. She was cautious—and her fears weren’t without cause, since the supernatural aspects of Ninth House had never done her any favors—but she was a fighter who was willing to grab any opportunity that could offer even a small hint of security. That was, in large part, what made me love her character so much. Dawes, well, she was just great. And, though his chapters were set in the recent past, Daniel (Darlington) Arlington was charismatic, and I really clicked with his enthusiasm for magic and his position as “Vergil”—even though the circumstances, as it was made clear by the narrative, wasn’t exactly what he wanted. Even so, his pretentious remarks and frequent quoting combined with Alex’s deadpan/frank way of putting things into perspective, were some of the highlights of Ninth House.

I ended up really loving the story. The ending is a cliffhanger. So, as of writing this, the copy of Hell Bent I purchased is on the way, and I’m looking forward to it.

Music Monday (242): Tayla Parx, Boyz II Men, 2Pac

Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: I've mentioned Tayla Parx a couple of times on the blog before, and I really liked this latest single, Dream Hotel.

Andrea: Hi all! I hope all of the moms out there had an amazing Mother's Day. This week I'm listening to A Song For Mama by Boyz II Men, Dear Mama by 2Pac, and (God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time On You by NSYNC.

What are you listening to this week?

The Friday 56 (232) & Book Beginnings: Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. By age twenty, in fact, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most elite universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her? Still searching for answers to this herself, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. These eight windowless “tombs” are well-known to be haunts of the future rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street and Hollywood’s biggest players. But their occult activities are revealed to be more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive.

Beginning: "Alex hurried across the wide, alien plane of Beinecke Plaza, boots thudding over flat squares of clean concrete." 

56: "A vague, confused expression crossed his face."

Comments: Last month, I read Ninth House to get out of my reading slump. I really loved the story, and I'm looking forward to the sequel. What are you reading this week?

So I Played Ooblets

So, last month I talked about my experience with Going Under (you can read about that HERE). Another one of the other games I was playing at the time was Ooblets, a life sim with a cute design—which was one of the three Indie titles I purchased in December of 2022.

I liked this game a whole lot. It was similar to Animal Crossing New Horizons with fishing, character customization, decorating, farming, and seasonal events. It was low stakes, but, as an aside, there was a narrative surrounding strange happenings to pay attention to. It was a source of trouble for Badgetown, and particularly for the character you play as (who is new) is tasked with errands to help improve the town and the nearby Wildlands. Completing one unlocks more, and I’d recommend doing the Wildlands tasks—mainly because it eventually unlocks a wealth of one of the crucial materials for Oobcoop upgrades (little houses for the Ooblets that aid with farming) and the 3D printer.

There were other places to travel to as well—like Port Forward, Nullwhere, and Mamoonia—and they each had their own unique biomes. There were specific tasks that needed to be done, but these other locations also expanded the type of collectable ingredients that could be picked up just by finding them while exploring the area (or purchased with in-game currency).

Ooblets also has a creature collecting aspect that was connected to the dance battle function. The battles were also pretty easy after getting the hang of them. But, the real draw for me was how fun it was to build my team of Ooblets. Each one had unique moves that could add an advantage to the randomized deck—for example extra beats and a card to clear flusters and trepidations, both of which could be a big help in a dance battle with a slightly higher difficulty.

As of the writing of this, the spring time event is still going (it ends at the end of May). So even after playing through the story, there are still aspects to Ooblets that act as an incentive to return to it. By the end of the story, I still have a lot left to complete, but those require growing crops, fishing, and etc.

So, Ooblets is a fun game.

 
Check out the launch trailer!

Music Monday (241): Florence + The Machine, Yukihiro Fukutomi & En Vogue

Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: I recently added Just A Girl by Florence + The Machine to my playlist. It's been some time since I listened to this group, but I instantly loved this song the first time I heard it on the trailer for the new season of Yellowjackets.

 

Adri: I'm currently listening to Peace by Yukihiro Fukutomi featuring Lady Alma.

Andrea: Hi All! This week I'm listening to Hold On by En Vogue. Have an amazing week!

What are you listening to this week?