Leigh Bardugo is known as an author of young adult novels. Her "Shadow and Bone" novels seem to be the best known, though she's written two other duologies and several companion books. Ninth House is her first attempt at adult fiction, and it has already been optioned by Amazon Studios. A sequel to Ninth House, Hell Bent, is due out this year.
The novel is centered around "Alex" (Galaxy) Stern, a freshman at Yale who can see ghosts. She's been recruited into Yale for the sake of overseeing magical rituals on campus. The Yale of Ninth House is run by several magical societies, and the rituals these societies perform affect everything from the stock market to U.S. foreign policy.
Is it a good book? I would say that yes, it is but with the reservation that the narrative structure could have been more chronological. But with this said, Alex Stern is an interesting character, and the author leaves enough room in Alex's backstory for the kinds of questions that keep readers invested. The ending is also surprisingly good, and I'd probably read the sequel.
Stephen King really seems to prostitute himself on book covers though. Is there any novel he didn't like? Is there any writer that he doesn't think is the future of horror?
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