Ninth House

Starred review from July 15, 2019
Yale's secret societies hide a supernatural secret in this fantasy/murder mystery/school story. Most Yale students get admitted through some combination of impressive academics, athletics, extracurriculars, family connections, and donations, or perhaps bribing the right coach. Not Galaxy "Alex" Stern. The protagonist of Bardugo's (King of Scars, 2019, etc.) first novel for adults, a high school dropout and low-level drug dealer, Alex got in because she can see dead people. A Yale dean who's a member of Lethe, one of the college's famously mysterious secret societies, offers Alex a free ride if she will use her spook-spotting abilities to help Lethe with its mission: overseeing the other secret societies' occult rituals. In Bardugo's universe, the "Ancient Eight" secret societies (Lethe is the eponymous Ninth House) are not just old boys' breeding grounds for the CIA, CEOs, Supreme Court justices, and so on, as they are in ours; they're wielders of actual magic. Skull and Bones performs prognostications by borrowing patients from the local hospital, cutting them open, and examining their entrails. St. Elmo's specializes in weather magic, useful for commodities traders; Aurelian, in unbreakable contracts; Manuscript goes in for glamours, or "illusions and lies," helpful to politicians and movie stars alike. And all these rituals attract ghosts. It's Alex's job to keep the supernatural forces from embarrassing the magical elite by releasing chaos into the community (all while trying desperately to keep her grades up). "Dealing with ghosts was like riding the subway: Do not make eye contact. Do not smile. Do not engage. Otherwise, you never know what might follow you home." A townie's murder sets in motion a taut plot full of drug deals, drunken assaults, corruption, and cover-ups. Loyalties stretch and snap. Under it all runs the deep, dark river of ambition and anxiety that at once powers and undermines the Yale experience. Alex may have more reason than most to feel like an imposter, but anyone who's spent time around the golden children of the Ivy League will likely recognize her self-doubt. With an aura of both enchantment and authenticity, Bardugo's compulsively readable novel leaves a portal ajar for equally dazzling sequels.

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Starred review from August 1, 2019

Galaxy "Alex" Stern woke up in the hospital after an overdose to learn two things: that she was the only survivor of an unsolved bloody multiple homicide and that because of her ability to see ghosts, she was being offered a spot in Yale's freshmen class, provided she join Lethe, the clandestine group that monitors the school's eight secret societies. In this highly anticipated adult debut from YA author Bardugo (Six of Crows), each group specializes in a discipline of the occult, from necromancy to divination, and the members of Lethe are responsible for making sure their activities don't harm anyone, inside or outside of the societies. Alex feels overwhelmed by everything--her Lethe duties, her schoolwork, how to act around people her age--when two things occur: a local girl is murdered and Darlington, her mentor, disappears into a portal to...somewhere. Disturbed by how lightly people seem to be treating the girl's murder, Alex pushes to find out what happened to her and Darlington, uncovering rot, corruption, and some answers to her own history along the way. VERDICT Demand alone would necessitate purchasing multiple copies in all formats, but this is genuinely terrific. 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. [See Prepub Alert, 4/1/19.]--Stephanie Klose, Library Journal

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 12, 2019
Bardugo’s excellent first fantasy novel for adults (following her highly regarded Six of Crows and Shadow and Bone YA series) introduces an antihero who is just the right person to take on rising dangers in an elitist society. Galaxy “Alex” Stern’s early life was wrecked by her unusual ability to see “Grays”—earthbound ghosts—but that same ability gains her admission into one of the magic-based houses at Yale. As she struggles to adjust to college life, she’s forced to confront evil powers swirling under the thin veneers of tradition and ritual. When a young woman is killed, Alex becomes determined to find the murderer, even if it means dodging attempts on her life and striking eldritch bargains. Alex is the story’s gritty, rock-solid heart. While other characters refuse to admit what’s happening, too insulated by their own privilege or distracted by banal needs such as funding, Bardugo gives Alex a thoroughly engaging mix of rough edge, courage, and cynicism, all of which are required to get things done. Much of the book’s white-knuckled tension comes from the increasingly horrific flashbacks revealing Alex’s past, which is still very present in her mind. Fantasy readers, particularly those who love ghosts, will hungrily devour this novel. Agent: Joanna Volpe, New Leaf Literary.

Starred review from August 1, 2019
Bestselling YA author (and Yale alum) Bardugo's first adult novel follows Galaxy Alex Stern, a survivor who has won a place at Yale because of her ability to see ghosts. She's the newest initiate of Lethe, the ninth of the university's notorious secret societies, responsible for oversight whenever magical rituals are conducted by the other eight. As Lethe's new Dante, Alex is supposed to learn how all the societies operate, make sure they're not breaking the rules, keep ghosts from interrupting arcane rites, and take a full load of courses and keep up the appearance of being a normal first year student. Then Alex's mentor disappears and a townie with connections to several societies is murdered. Alex's violent past hasn't necessarily prepared her for the academic and arcane rigors of Yale, but she finds she is admirably suited to the role of tenacious detective as she works to understand how all the puzzle pieces fit together. This atmospheric contemporary novel steeped in the spirit of a mystical New Haven is part mystery, part story of a young woman finding purpose in a dark world, and is the first in a potential series. [HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Adults are just as enamored of Bardugo's YA novels as teens are, and many have been anxiously and curiously awaiting this one.](Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)