"Ninth House", Leigh Bardugo

I'd told myself I wasn't going to read any more Leigh Bardugo novels after increasing disappointment with the previous ones I'd encountered; I picked this one up without noticing the author's name and was thoroughly hooked before I eventually realised that this was the same writer! [Edit: it turns out I had her confused with Laini Taylor; in my defence, there are too many authors writing YA fantasy with titles like "Shadow and Bone"/"Daughter of Smoke & Bone"...]

I really don't know very much about the American university world, so I have no idea how accurate the depiction of student life is, but the premise is an intriguing one: the famous US fraternity clubs are actual real magical fraternities ( Read more... )

And then there is Alex Stern, who just happens to have been born with an ability that most members of Lethe can only attain via a difficult and dangerous potion, and which is desirable enough for their purposes that they are prepared to fast-track her into Yale University despite her lack of academic qualifications (where she is now struggling to cope with her normal student workload as a result)( Read more... )

I liked this book a lot more than I would ever have expected, and couldn't put it down, despite its length. The world building is fascinating, at least to those who know little of American academia, and there are a lot of compelling minor characters - from the Bridegroom to grumpy Dawes and Alex's roommates - who get developed in unanticipated ways. Alex isn't a very likeable character, but then I don't think she is meant to be: the book doesn't make the mistake of demanding the readers regard her as a persecuted innocent, and she is more relatable for it. Darlington, 'the Gentleman of Lethe', is a delight, and I couldn't help sympathising with (and wincing for) Alex's chronic sleep deprivation as she keeps trying to fit two full-time sets of commitments into one while preserving her cover!

I might even seek out the sequel...