Audiobook Review – Ninth House (Alex Stern, Book 1) by Leigh Bardugo, Narrated by Lauren Fortgang, Michael David Axtell (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Horror
Length: 16 hours and 21 minutes
Publisher:‎ Macmillan Audio
Release Date: October 08, 2019
ASIN : ‎ B07LH8GF23
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Alex Stern series
Source: Borrowed Audiobook from Library
Rating: 5/5 stars

“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. In fact, by age twenty, 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 prestigious universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her?

Still searching for answers, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. Their eight windowless “tombs” are the well-known haunts of the rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street’s biggest players. But their occult activities are more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive. They tamper with forbidden magic. They raise the dead. And, sometimes, they prey on the living.”

Series Info/Source: 1st book in the Alex Stern series. I borrowed this on audiobook through my library.

Thoughts: This was quite the read. I think that was my main thought throughout this book, “Well, that was sure something”. Bardugo is not afraid to pull punches and we are thrust into Alex’s time in Lethe with a violence and candor that is shocking. I enjoyed it a ton though. I ended up loving Alex and the strange people she interacts with and was desperate to read more by the end. This book is a perfect example of dark academia and I adored it.

This book follows Alex as she is thrust into the underground of Yale’s strange secret houses. Alex is the survivor of a horrific multiple homicide scene…and she can see ghosts. All of this grants her admittance to prestigious Yale without having even graduated high school. Of course there is a catch, Alex must serve as Lethe’s new Dante, a position where she helps to police the secret magical houses of Yale…secret societies that perform deadly magic. Luckily she has the previous Dante, Darlington, as her mentor…that is until he mysteriously disappears and Alex is left dealing with murder, mind-altering drugs, and general mayhem on her own.

This book does not pull punches. Alex’s past is horrific and we learn all about it as the story progresses. However, we also learn that Alex is nothing if not a survivor. Alex is excited about this new start at Yale even if she is wary of something that seems too good to be true. And she is absolutely determined to do a good job, even if it means tracking down portal using murderers and enslaving magical drugs to keep the secret societies in line. She will do whatever means necessary to keep these people in line, even if those actions aren’t quite legal.

I love Alex and many of the side characters as well. This story has a wonderful mystery and a wonderful number of twists and turns along the way. Initially the story jumps between Alex and Darlington and I thoroughly enjoyed watching their stories and backgrounds being revealed. The world-building here is amazing as well. I was completely sucked in by this twisted underworld of Yale with seedy magic and secret societies and how it tied into the upper echelons of society.

I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook was very well done. The narration was amazing and Darlington and Alex were read by different narrators. It was incredibly fun to listen to and I would recommend listening to on audiobook if you enjoy audiobooks.

My Summary (5/5): Overall I loved this and can’t wait to read the next book. I actually just went out and bought it after I finished this one. The world building here is fantastic and I really loved the amazing characters, the mystery, and the grittiness to this story. I am 100% rooting for Alex and can’t wait to see what she does next.