Welcome to Litsy!

Like Gideon the Ninth, this is probably one of those love it or hate it books. But I am still firmly in the love it camp! 🏕️

This one follows Harrow, now on a haunted space station with the necrolord prime, with the revenant spirit of a murdered planet on its way to kill them. This book is a hot mess and I loved every second. Moira Quirk‘s narration was amazing as always.

#HauntedShelf #SkeletonCrew

98/150 First off, I liked Gideon The Ninth better than this book. It's a great big mess of a book, spiraling, confusing, drunkenly swaying from past to present, life and death, and all places in between. I almost gave up, but I'm glad I didn't because the author pulled it together for a slam bang ending that rewarded my patience. I don't think I've said WTF this often since reading Dhalgren. 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

In case the covers & titles of the Locked Tomb books don‘t scream FUN!!! to you, please know that they are SO much smart & bloody fun. I love the growing cast of sassy necromancers in this book, the metanarrative remix of book 1, & getting to spend some time with “tired dad” the Necrolord Prime.

Also I‘ve decided that these books contain the greatest Enemies to Lovers story ever told. As Gideon Nav might say, “Much Ado About Nothing can suck it!”

Gideon the Ninth (think Clue, but with a bunch of sassy necromancers in a rotting space mansion) was one of the most fun books I read last year and I am absolutely PUMPED to be #starting the sequel!

I really loved the first book and with the second it becomes clear there is a whole other storyline that is happening. I‘m not sure I like where this is going but it is interesting to read and the way the characters are written is fascinating. The next book in the series should clarify some of the questions I still have… hopefully

John Gaius, definitely. The thing that gets me about him is that I get it. I understand how he got to the decisions he made.

Would I make the same choices? Probably not. But I understand.

Villains that make sense to me are always the most compelling to me.

#SundayFunday Hope you all have a marvelous day and don‘t forget to tag me in your posts!

I have a list of books I would love to experience for the first time again, but the tagged book is the first one I thought of.

The confusion over the POV, the awe in the world building, the giggles whenever I recognized a meme, the absolutely WTFness when I realized what was going on with the POV. I‘d do it all again in a heartbeat.

#SundayFunday Have a marvelous day, and don‘t forget to tag me in your posts.

Portions of the book I enjoyed, but for the most part I felt confused. I didn‘t understand what was going on, and why Harrow‘s memories were so different. I was really looking forward to this book, but unfortunately it was not what I had hoped for.

I spent much of my time in this books saying “WTF is going on?“ and I think that was intentional (perhaps coupled with too much time passing since I read book 1). This volume was about grief, trauma, and dissociation. It's about the feeling of not being able to trust your own senses and perceptions of what's real. And the second person narration lent itself well to the storytelling IMO. And now I'm going to start book 3!

Finally starting this book today. Had to do a quick refresh on Gideon the Ninth first since it's been awhile, but ready or not, I'm diving into this one!

😂

Wow does this feel like NTs forcing neurospicy folks into their frameworks 🙃

This was a crazy ride, all over the place crazy , but the writing keeps you engaged and wanting more in a twisted way ! But I like it,the audio is the way to go it‘s so good

I had heard this sequel was more confusing than the original, and OH BOY was that true. It worked for me, though! The expansion of the world and slow revealing of how it became that way was fascinating. When I didn't know what was going on, it was fun to try to guess. And it all paid off in the end, with a satisfying “Oh THAT'S what's going on!“ that grabbed me. I don't know who exactly I'd recommend this to - but it was a treat for me.

Took my sister out for the morning and bought her a sticker, tea, and a book as an apology…

… for not telling her how Gideon the Ninth ended. 😅

“It is dreadful to be shown a monster‘s pity.”

“There had been another girl who grew up alongside Harrow, but she had died before Harrow was born.” THIS LINE EVERY TIME

Okay, I finished the Tiffany Aching books (RIP Sir TP) and reread the Monk and Robot books besides listening to Gideon before remembering to post here. I‘ve been mostly off social media since changing jobs and it‘s been kind of amazing?

I finally found the time to finish Harrow the Ninth! I liked it just as much as Gideon the Ninth, even though I didn‘t finish it as fast. I got very invested in finding out what was happening, just like I did with Gideon. On to the third book! (Maybe - I have so many other things to read too!)

I really enjoyed the first book of the series even though I didn‘t understand a lot of it. I enjoyed reading this one also but not enough to recommend it. It‘s a masterful work of suspense about things that are mostly unexplained and intangible. She‘s really a wizard at getting people to like things for no apparent reason that‘s easily explained. In away she‘s a true magician because of that.

My #BookHaul from the Friends of the Library sale today! Yes, that's an ARC copy of Harrow. Yes, I made undistinguished noises and almost peed myself when I found it. 😅🥰

Characters were great, I just hated how many there were and how many different names was used for them. That combined with the writing where POV changed (1st, 2nd, 3rd) and dreams/hallucinations made this hard to follow.

World was amazing and atmosphere was well created. I really loved some sentences but even though I partly liked the writing it also made me to loose my concentration.

Read this in the same week as GTN, so this is a late review. I really like about this book that I liked it even more in hindsight. Excited for the reread.

Mildly confusing throughout, but storywise it makes sense, and the way it all came together in the end was excellent. Excited for Nona and Alecto.

Finishing #adventrecommends with my favorite book this year. Harrow the Ninth is a total mindfuck and so entertaining and funny 🤩

Like the first book in this series, it didn‘t make much sense until the last third or so, but I just enjoyed the scenes and snappy dialogue and trusted it would eventually coalesce. I‘m happy to know my guess about the body in the locked tomb was correct. Such a fantastical and creative (and very gory) series. I‘m rooting for Harrowhark and Gideon to be reunited, whether in this life or the next.

Right now, The Locked Tomb series. Very specifically the second book, because I would want to talk to Ms H about the unique point of view and how much I freaked out when I figured out what was going on. 🧡

#SundayFunday Have a marvelous day and don‘t forget to tag me in your posts!

(Grave is just another word for tomb, right?)

I really loved this book. There's a lot of weird stuff going on, with altered memories and POV switches, but I found it all very enjoyable. Harrow is not as funny as Gideon, but she's smart and comes up with the best murder plots 🤗

#scarathlon2022 #scarathlondailyprompts #teamslaughter @Clwojick #bookspinbingo #promptmaze @TheAromaofBooks #spookoween @TheSpineView #31by31 @Catsandbooks

I got the high points but I spent a good 3/4 just fucking confused. 2nd person perspective is officially my least favorite. The plot was good…the details bogged me down and I feel like I need to reread it to fully get it. Gideon the Ninth was better IMO.

My audio hold came in five weeks early, so I bumped Harrow to the top of the stack and zipped back and forth between the two formats. While I loved Gideon way more the second time through, I loved this one a smidge less. I think it was a concentration issue rather than a quality issue, though—boo sleepless nights—and I DID still love it. THIS SERIES IS SO COOL. Fingers crossed they get Nona through processing good and quick. #somanygideons

I swung by the library with the moss wall because they had a print copy of Harrow on the shelf and I loved Gideon so much that I don‘t want to wait five more weeks to reread it on audio, like I originally planned.

Oh my goodness, what a ride! So, the first 70 pages or so were a drag to me, it was very slow and not very entertaining. But after that, I read it all in a day. I am so so glad I managed to predict all the big plot points before I even started the second book, but so much more intrigue and mystery has been introduced now. I am super excited to find out what happens in Nona next month.

#AlphabetGame #LetterH
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Chaplin told me I should choose this book for the 'H' prompt because of how much we both love it! And it's true, I'm obsessed with this series! I can't wait for the third book to come out this fall! ❤️📚❤️ #catsoflitsy #chaplin

Starting off the morning slow with a book, some breakfast and a mug of tea 😊

Big library trip today! Put together a spring-themed book rug for my preschool class, picked up some DVDs for my poor spouse, who has had a terrible cold for several days, and got myself the next Locked Tomb book. We‘re enjoying the Poirot, which I have not seen since I was a teen. I forgot what a grumpy old man he is! I‘m looking forward to starting Harrow after school tomorrow, when I am exhausted from chasing 4-year-olds.

Truthfully, I‘m not 100% sure about this. I enjoyed the first book a lot, but maybe I waited too long to read the second book. Or maybe I‘m just too tired to fully appreciate… I‘ll give it 4 stars.

And the #5YearGiveaway winner is @wideeyedreader!!! Email me at jessguinan@gmail.com with your info and I'll be shipping you a copy of Harrow the Ninth plus a few other goodies! ❤❤
Thanks to everyone who liked and shared my post! Litsy is truly my favorite place on the interwebs and it's because of incredible folks like you!

This is my new favourite series- completely obsessed with these hopeless lesbians. Immediately wanted to reread as soon as I finished it!!

I don't know how to review this. I loved Gideon. This is the sequel. It does not make sense without that other book. That said, I stuck this out and it really got good at about 68%. And it's over 500 pages. So you do that math for yourself. Or not. And I will likely read the third one. So giving this a pick despite my glowing review.

4/5⭐ Muir's writing is so strong: not a single wasted word, meticulously plotted and crafted. The dialogue and humor are endlessly entertaining, especially when Ianthe is involved. Muir teeters dangerously on the knife's edge of overwhelming; just when you think the tension and complexity can't escalate any more, they do...several times over. I can't say I fully understood everything that happened, but I definitely enjoyed the ride. #bookspinbingo

I am not at all sure that I understood everything that was going on in this book, but I liked it anyway! I love the world and the characters and the magic system. I can‘t wait to see where it goes next! If anyone is doing the Professional Book Nerds‘ challenge, this one would work for a book written in the second person.

I'm back! 😄 Here's my January #BookSpin & #BookSpinBingo list! Excited to get back to it. Maybe this year I'll be more planful & get a bingo! 🤣

Harrow the Ninth, now Harrow the First, has joined the Emperor Undying & his Lyctors to battle the revenant remains of dead planets. And nothing, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, is as it seems.

This does ☠️ with POV that is completely unique that I enjoyed immensely even as it confused the everlasting F out of me. So twisty & turny & explosively expansive worldbuilding. And a cliffhanger ending🤯. I have so many questions & need Nona like now. 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

First half of December: Part 1.

Reading Harrow the Ninth on my kindle…wishing I had the physical books right now 💀
#harrowtheninth #gideontheninth

Wonderfully confusing and weird! Even after finishing, I'm still trying to make sense of the plot, but it was a fun journey!

+5 pts for #scarathlon2021 #teamslaughter
+140 pts for each of: #necronomathon #spookoween #screamathon #bookspinbingo #wickedathon #littenlisten
@Clwojick @PatchShank @TheSpineView @4thhouseontheleft @TheAromaOfBooks @StayCurious @aperfectmjk
+17.5 points for finishing this book up for #OutstandingOctober @Andrew65

If you know you know

#BFC21 @wanderinglynn #SmashingSeptember

My fitness units this week, so far:

Monday: running from bookshop branch 1 to branch 2 because they had only 2 copies of the German edition of Harrow between them. On release day. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Tuesday: running from through the park to where my son had a biking accident. Free ride in an ambulance and hours spent in emergency care. Nothing broken. Loose front teeth though.

Today: visiting the dentist

⬇️⬇️⬇️