Harrow the Ninth (The Locked Tomb #2)
Summary:
She answered the Emperor's call.
She arrived with her arts, her wits, and her only friend.
In victory, her world has turned to ash.
After rocking the cosmos with her deathly debut, Tamsyn Muir continues the story of the penumbral Ninth House in Harrow the Ninth, a mind-twisting puzzle box of mystery, murder, magic, and mayhem. Nothing is as it seems in the halls of the Emperor, and the fate of the galaxy rests on one woman's shoulders.
Harrowhark Nonagesimus, last necromancer of the Ninth House, has been drafted by her Emperor to fight an unwinnable war. Side-by-side with a detested rival, Harrow must perfect her skills and become an angel of undeath — but her health is failing, her sword makes her nauseous, and even her mind is threatening to betray her.
Sealed in the gothic gloom of the Emperor's Mithraeum with three unfriendly teachers, hunted by the mad ghost of a murdered planet, Harrow must confront two unwelcome questions: is somebody trying to kill her? And if they succeeded, would the universe be better off? (Summary and cover courtesy of goodreads.com)
Review:
Another reviewer called this “a lovely migraine of a book” and I cannot think of a better description of this series. “Gideon the Ninth” was extremely confusing yet if you went with it, it somehow pulled together into an absolutely fascinating mystery to be solved. In this second installment there’s certainly no less confusion in this one, yet if you’re patient it all manages to come together. I do wish some things has been explained earlier as the non-stop confusion is a bit less entertaining the second time around as the first. I still love Muir for her novelty and willingness to write a completely unique book, but this is a complex story and it feels like she lost track of a few storylines here and there. That being forgiven, Muir is such a good writer I really did enjoy the sections even when I wasn’t following what was going on.
For fans of the first book, I highly recommend continuing the series. Be forewarned however – the book leaves on a cliffhanger and we have quite a while before “Alecto the Ninth” comes out.
Warning: Contains repeated violence.
Rating: 4 stars!
Who should read it? Only folks who have read the first book otherwise it’ll be way to confusing.
Want to read the whole series?
Alecto the Ninth (The Ninth Tomb #3)