I don’t know you guys are going to believe this, but I made up that title. It’s not a real song. I was just thinking of “Back to Yale”, since this book is set at Yale, and my brain did the rest! As my boss said today, “your words aren’t wordsing”, so we’ll see how this goes!
I read Ninth House almost exactly three years ago. I think I even reviewed it here for whatever CBR we were on in January 2023. I really liked it then, and I still like it a lot. One of the girls in my art club was talking about how there’s going to be a third book in this series, and I got so excited. She then mentioned that the library has the audiobook and that I should read it again. Friends, I was on board immediately. And by immediately, I mean “whenever my library had the audiobook available”.
Because of the sheer number of books I have on my tbr pile, I don’t frequently re-read a book. Hearing it mentioned though, my brain alighted, “I remember liking that book a lot. It had a good story that will take my mind off the hellscape that is currently the real world”. My brain was right! Another wonderful plus for an audiobook is that you can wander around your house and do chores while listening! It’s hard to wash dishes while reading an actual book!
Anyway, back to Ninth House. Lethe (which in my head I pronounced “Lee Eth” or something like that when I read it the first time, but which is actually pronounced “Lee Thee”) is the ninth house in the secret societies. You’ve definitely heard of at least Skull and Bones (or at least if you’re my age you’ve seen the movie The Skulls), but there are eight other houses too. They all involve the supernatural / ghosts / magic to get what they want. Skull and Bones uses the dead for prognostication, which includes like stock tips and money stuff. Aurelian creates unbreakable contracts, there is illusion magic, and portals, and other stuff. It’s all really interesting and based on some real secret societies.
Alex (short for Galaxy) is recruited into Lethe because she can see ghosts. The ninth house basically protects the rituals and makes sure bad things don’t get out and kill people or mess things up. She has a tortured backstory that we learn throughout the book. Anyway, I’ve rambled enough and barely talked about the book, but just read it (and the rest of the series).
Here comes book two! I listened to this book over our two-day snowpocalypse. I just could not stop, and there was NOTHING else to do and I couldn’t even get my car out of the garage for a few days, so it was perfect. I was so confused when I was nearing the end of Ninth House, because I had all of these memories about events that I thought happened in that book, but really happened in the second book. I ALSO did not remember anything about Babbit Rabbit. I got to that point and got really worried, because I too have a little white rabbit. It wasn’t too bad, but I still didn’t enjoy it.
Anyway, in this book Alex and the gang go to hell (more than once) in a few different ways! We learn even more backstory for Alex, along with lots of Darlington backstory. I consistently felt bad for Alex throughout these books because of how she had to grow up. She could see ghosts, and they could sometimes interact with her, and nobody believed her. She got into drugs and generally was a mess for a long time. I feel like she really found her place in Lethe though. She’s a natural protector, and Lethe’s literal only goal is to protect.
When I started re-reading these books, I forgot how open ended this book was! I remember thinking, “interesting that they’re making a third book, I don’t remember loose ends”. Well girl, your memory is flawed. There were lots of loose ends, and although I wouldn’t call it a cliffhanger, I don’t know how 2026 me mid Hell Bent could’ve thought that 2023 me was satisfied with the ending! I really want to see where these characters go, and I’m glad I only have to wait until September to find out!
Featured image: Bun Bun (my bunny) and his (cat) boyfriend Osiris (one of my cats)
