kerstin Nona the Ninth — Tamsyn Muir
Nona the Ninth is, compared to HtN, more linear in terms of timeline and in-book events, which (in that sense only) makes it easier to follow. That is to say, it isn’t really, but compared to its predecessors, which left me questioning my life and sanity, it’s not terribly confusing for a book that leaves me with all the questions, lol
I absolutely adored Nona as our new MC. She is lovely and precious and must be protected at all cost. The first half of the book deals with her day-to-day life and how she sees the world, and for a childlike protagonist who loves everyone and everything (even you, dear reader), it was endlessly fascinating and hilarious without crossing into annoying and naive. And there’s a dog involved, which probably saves the world.
You can read a LOT between Nona’s lines of innocence, so the plot and worldbuilding form all around her. We learn more about the Nine Houses, especially life outside of them, and the Blood of Eden, among many… many other things. The author does hold our hand a little here, as opposed to HtN, where she just pushes us off a cliff.
The parts related to the overarching storyline are hard to describe without spoilers, but I will say they demolished me just fine. I don’t want to say this is a book on the fragility of existence, both of the characters and my own lol, but this theme is beautifully and devastatingly written into the story, and will stick with me for a long time.
