Fantasy

Nona the Ninth

Nona the Ninth

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-09-06 09:17:48
  • Update Date：2025-09-24
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Tamsyn Muir
  • ISBN：B09G14BQMM
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Summary

Her city is under siege。

The zombies are coming back。

And all Nona wants is a birthday party。

In many ways， Nona is like other people。 She lives with her family， has a job at her local school， and loves walks on the beach and meeting new dogs。 But Nona's not like other people。 Six months ago she woke up in a stranger's body， and she's afraid she might have to give it back。

The whole city is falling to pieces。 A monstrous blue sphere hangs on the horizon， ready to tear the planet apart。 Blood of Eden forces have surrounded the last Cohort facility and wait for the Emperor Undying to come calling。 Their leaders want Nona to be the weapon that will save them from the Nine Houses。 Nona would prefer to live an ordinary life with the people she loves， with Pyrrha and Camilla and Palamedes， but she also knows that nothing lasts forever。

And each night， Nona dreams of a woman with a skull-painted face。。。

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Reviews

August Harper ，

Thank you Tor。com and NetGalley for an ARC of this title！What I love about The Locked Tomb series is that each book is quite different stylistically and yet they fit together like pieces of the same puzzle。 While Gideon is a sci-fi novel with mystery elements and Harrow is a chaotic acid trip written in second person， Nona the Ninth is an enigma consisting of three parts found family， two parts boob and butt jokes and four parts death and destruction。 It is a touching， turbulent masterpiece。

Aimee ，

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of the book， and as an avid fan of the series it did not disappoint。 The mysteries kept me at the edge of my seat and each page colored the world so much more vividly。 Looking forward to the thrilling conclusion next year （hopefully）！

Samantha ，

Nona the Ninth was not the book that I was expecting but it was the book that the series needed。 With the addition of Nona's story we get a very different perspective of the world and the conflict。 This addition adds incredible depth to the story and pushes the reader to question things they had previously taken for granted。 Tamsyn Muir is one of the most talented writers I have ever read from。 Her ability to create a distinct tone and voice for each of her characters is mindblowing。 I reread Nona the Ninth was not the book that I was expecting but it was the book that the series needed。 With the addition of Nona's story we get a very different perspective of the world and the conflict。 This addition adds incredible depth to the story and pushes the reader to question things they had previously taken for granted。 Tamsyn Muir is one of the most talented writers I have ever read from。 Her ability to create a distinct tone and voice for each of her characters is mindblowing。 I reread Gideon the Ninth and Harrow the Ninth immediately before receiving this book so it was very clear to me how different each book is。 Nona is a very， very different story from the first two books and Muir makes you feel it with every word on the page。 Further evidence of Muir's genius can be found in the interlude chapters。 Interlude chapters are hard to incorporate successfully， however， in Nona the Ninth they add to the mystery and take the story to an even larger scale。 There were plot moments that I predicted and plot moments that left me reeling in shock。 Nona is not going to answer your questions。 She is going to turn your world upside down and leave you with many many more questions。 And the answers you do get are simply going to prompt more questions。 Don't let that scare you off。 Nona is a much easier read than Harrow。 You still have to be willing to look between the lines and question what you are told。 But that is typical of the entire Locked Tomb Quartet。 I was not confused or left with questions because I did not understand the story。 I understood everything that was happening， but I don't know what any of it means。 I cannot give any details for fear of spoilers but this book also had a god-tier cast of side characters。 Nona added so many important and fascinating variables to the story which made it feel like a book to prepare us for the chaotic finale that will be Alecto the Ninth。 That being said the book was very necessary and I am incredibly glad it was added to the series。 Nona the Ninth is a book of slow-building tension and ever-present suspicion that left me right on the edge of my seat and in desperate need of Alecto the Ninth （hello TorDotCom you cannot get rid of me）。 I don't care what else I read this year， this book is my favorite book of 2022。 Thank you TorDotCom for the finished copy 。。。more

danny ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 4 stars just for the line: “Get in line， thou big slut。”

Shannon Collins ，

Wow。 Overall just。。。 wow。Thank you beyond words to Tamsyn Muir， Tor Publishing， and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review。This is a series that gets better every time I read it。 However， it may be hard for Nona to get better than this first read。 As always， there were bits I didn't understand but I know on a second reread everything will make more sense。 Overall， I loved the depth of character development in all of the returning cast and I loved trying to understand Nona but al Wow。 Overall just。。。 wow。Thank you beyond words to Tamsyn Muir， Tor Publishing， and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review。This is a series that gets better every time I read it。 However， it may be hard for Nona to get better than this first read。 As always， there were bits I didn't understand but I know on a second reread everything will make more sense。 Overall， I loved the depth of character development in all of the returning cast and I loved trying to understand Nona but also loved her just as she is。 The pacing felt a lot slower， even slower than Harrow， but when the world is on fire and the apocalypse is nigh， then I suppose it can be slow。 。。。more

Sailor ，

Very glad to have received an ARC from Tor even though it means my wait between this and Alecto is even longer--worth it！This book is oh-so-very Muir， haha。 The beginning was a bit of a slower start for me than the previous two books， but it wasn't terribly long before I was flipping pages like nobody's business。 There's a lot of lore in here that I promised not to spoil and a lot of things from the previous books tie in very well to this one。 Very glad to have received an ARC from Tor even though it means my wait between this and Alecto is even longer--worth it！This book is oh-so-very Muir， haha。 The beginning was a bit of a slower start for me than the previous two books， but it wasn't terribly long before I was flipping pages like nobody's business。 There's a lot of lore in here that I promised not to spoil and a lot of things from the previous books tie in very well to this one。 。。。more

Isa ，

i understand maybe a fraction of this unintelligible series but i will continue to pay TM’s rent

Clank ，

I am so sweaty。 I feel like I need to take a sedative before starting a new book in the locked tomb series。 l am distraught， I am stressed out， I am in love with so many of the characters。 I have a headache from crying。 Tamsyn Muir can't keep getting away with this。 10000/10， amazing book。 I am so sweaty。 I feel like I need to take a sedative before starting a new book in the locked tomb series。 l am distraught， I am stressed out， I am in love with so many of the characters。 I have a headache from crying。 Tamsyn Muir can't keep getting away with this。 10000/10， amazing book。 。。。more

Tammie ，

Thank you to Tordotcom Publishing for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review！4。5 starsTamsyn Muir is absolutely unhinged and I love her for it。 Her brain exists in an entirely different dimension and my singular brain cell is not strong enough to understand half of this book， but what I did understand was absolutely brilliant。 I think if you've gotten to this point and you've read the first two Locked Tomb books， you will know what to expect when it comes to Tamsyn Muir， and Thank you to Tordotcom Publishing for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review！4。5 starsTamsyn Muir is absolutely unhinged and I love her for it。 Her brain exists in an entirely different dimension and my singular brain cell is not strong enough to understand half of this book， but what I did understand was absolutely brilliant。 I think if you've gotten to this point and you've read the first two Locked Tomb books， you will know what to expect when it comes to Tamsyn Muir， and it is that you literally cannot predict a single thing she will do - all you know is that you're in for a ride， and it will be rewarding in a lot of ways， but you'll also be left with more questions than the ones you went in with。 This book picks up from the epilogue of Harrow the Ninth， where we are following our titular character， Nona， in what appears to be a sort of war-torn， apocalyptic version of Earth， while we， the reader， are counting down to the opening of the Locked Tomb。 I won't lie， the first half of this book was slow， and it took me a while to get into， which is why this isn't a full 5 stars。 Once I hit the 50% mark though， I was completely hooked。I've seen a lot of reviews saying this book is easier to follow than Harrow， and I personally disagree。 Sure， the plot itself might be more straightforward simply because we're dealing with a more linear timeline， but that's about all that's straightforward。 There are far more characters to keep track of here， and some of the characters we know from previous installments may or may not have the same name， or they may or may not look the same as we remember， and if you're like me and you're constantly trying to piece things together， it can sometimes send your brain into overdrive。 I think if I'd read this physically and had been able to tab things and flip back and forth constantly， this would be easier， but I wasn't able to do so on my e-book。 None of this is a mark against the book， but just something I wanted to mention in case anyone reads other reviews and is expecting an easier time understanding the book than Harrow。Nona is a phenomenal main character， and so incredibly different to both Gideon and Harrow。 Gideon is basically a lesbian himbo， and Harrow is an unhinged emo teen， but Nona is nothing like either of them - she has a lot of heart， and her main defining characteristic is that she loves everyone and everything， but not to the point where she's annoying or naive。 She's child-like， but still questions the world around her。 She's a little cinnamon roll that must be protected at all costs。 It took a while for her to grow on me， but by the end， I think she's the main character that I've cried over/about the most。 All in all， this was a great entry in the series。 I was a bit worried that it would read like a filler book because it was originally conceived as Part 1 of Alecto， and I definitely would say parts of the first half of the book felt that way while I read them， but by the end， I kind of look back on those moments in a different light， so I don't feel that way anymore。 I cannot wait for this book to be out in the world so that people with more brain cells than me can read it and write up detailed summaries and theories that I can then read。 I don't think Locked Tomb fans will be disappointed - Tamsyn Muir has really delivered yet another masterpiece with plenty of twists and turns that will have you laughing out loud， screaming， and crying all within the span of a chapter。 。。。more

Sherri ，

Here are some non-spoilery thoughts:I love Nona。NOODLE。Palamedes and Camila are still boss。PYRRA。Captain Crown makes me sad。This concludes my spoiler-free review。

Rob Haley ，

A totally different book from Harrow， as Harrow was a totally different book from Gideon， yet rich with the same crackling humor and heartstopping grief， thrilling confusions and electrifying reveals。 There are visuals that will be seared into my brain forever， and knots that just one read can't possibly untangle。 Somehow it feels like escapism to slide into Nona's world of mutant dogs and birthday parties and too-real hatred and terrifying peril， because Nona's world is really all about love an A totally different book from Harrow， as Harrow was a totally different book from Gideon， yet rich with the same crackling humor and heartstopping grief， thrilling confusions and electrifying reveals。 There are visuals that will be seared into my brain forever， and knots that just one read can't possibly untangle。 Somehow it feels like escapism to slide into Nona's world of mutant dogs and birthday parties and too-real hatred and terrifying peril， because Nona's world is really all about love and the messy ways we wield it。 。。。more

Braxiatel ，

More comprehensible and info-dumpy than the second book， though entire character names are redacted during the interlude chapters。

Kristen ，

I had the enormous pleasure of reading an ARC of Nona the Ninth。 You’d think after reading the two previous books and knowing how different from each other they are I wouldn’t be surprised for this one to be an abrupt about-face too， but Tamsyn Muir has done it again: written an entirely *different* kind of book than the others in the series and made me fall in love with an entirely different kind of narrator。Nona’s guileless， childlike wonder both brightens and is at odds with the bleak tone of I had the enormous pleasure of reading an ARC of Nona the Ninth。 You’d think after reading the two previous books and knowing how different from each other they are I wouldn’t be surprised for this one to be an abrupt about-face too， but Tamsyn Muir has done it again: written an entirely *different* kind of book than the others in the series and made me fall in love with an entirely different kind of narrator。Nona’s guileless， childlike wonder both brightens and is at odds with the bleak tone of her world。 And her world IS bleak—as the consequences from the end of Harrow the Ninth play out across the worlds， Nona the Ninth zooms in on what that fallout looks like for the regular people of regular worlds and reminds us that even in the worst of circumstances， people still *live。* It’s a fascinating change of pace that， combined with Nona’s voice and utterly lovable character， did something funny to my emotions。 I couldn’t decide if I was charmed by the domestic scenes or desperately saddened by them。 That’s the wonder of this book: even as the plot pushes on， even as the tension amps up and ratchets towards its inevitable end， even as the sorrow starts to get too heavy， you can’t help but find yourself hopeful。 Nona the Ninth also thoughtfully continues the conversation begun in Gideon the Ninth and continued in Harrow the Ninth: what is love？ Is it proximity？ Consumption？ Devotion？ Or is it something bigger？ And what is the price of loving？ As one character notes （in a scene that absolutely wrecked me）， "life is too short， and love is too long。" It lasts， even beyond us。 We do what we can to hold on to it， even when we sense an ending coming--and in the end， "you can't take 'loved' away。"Overall， I adored this book。 I adored Nona and her life and how much she loves the people and things around her。 Without getting into spoilers， I also adored the dynamics of the other characters in her life （and have a LOT of thoughts about them… and a lot of questions about one person in particular）。 In the scope of The Locked Tomb as a series， this book answered enough Big Picture questions that I felt satisfied—with enough questions still hanging that I finished the book and wished I had the next one on hand so I could keep reading。Absolutely a five star read。 I can’t wait to talk about it with people。 。。。more

Adam ，

Wow。So if you're reading this and haven't read Gideon the Ninth and Harrow the Ninth， know that this is NOT the kind of series with any onboarding point but the beginning。 That said， I'm going to try to keep things as spoiler-free as possible。This book is fantastic， just like the other two。 And just like Harrow， it takes a turn setting-wise from the previous book （though I think this one's more accessible）。 The first book was set amongst the necromancers， the second amongst the Emperor and his g Wow。So if you're reading this and haven't read Gideon the Ninth and Harrow the Ninth， know that this is NOT the kind of series with any onboarding point but the beginning。 That said， I'm going to try to keep things as spoiler-free as possible。This book is fantastic， just like the other two。 And just like Harrow， it takes a turn setting-wise from the previous book （though I think this one's more accessible）。 The first book was set amongst the necromancers， the second amongst the Emperor and his god-level companions， and this one's mostly set amongst the humans （albeit with necromancer protagonists and main characters）。Nona lives on a world in chaos， with "zombies" possibly attacking the city， and with rampant homelessness， hunger， and chaos。 Her companions and caretakers （I'm not naming them， as that would spoil some previous books） are aware that she's incredibly powerful， but also has no conscious knowledge of her past。 She does remember stuff in her dreams， though， and they try to gather what information they can from her。The first half of the book is largely world-building （along with some fantastic new characters）， but once threads from the previous books make themselves known， things move along at a breakneck pace， with tons of action and intrigue， and some surprising characters becoming core to the plot。 If you're invested in this world， this book will keep you that way， and set up the final book in the series。 If you were disappointed by Harrow and want， essentially， "Gideon 2，" this isn't going to meet that need。 That said， I think it's a delightful read （even when it's horrifying）， and the drawback to getting an early look at it （thanks， NetGalley！） is that I have to wait even longer for the conclusion in "Alecto the Ninth，" 。。。more

Sophie ，

This took me longer to get into than the first two books， but by midway point I couldn't put it down。 I fully flailed at the end of the book because my mind was so blown。 Thanks to NetGalley and Tor for the e-ARC。 This took me longer to get into than the first two books， but by midway point I couldn't put it down。 I fully flailed at the end of the book because my mind was so blown。 Thanks to NetGalley and Tor for the e-ARC。 。。。more

mythsandmangoes ，

I’m so confused 😭

Paige Belfield ，

Rating and full review after I re-read it upon release。 My brain needs time to process everything that happened。

Pinapali ，

I'm not sure how to review this book avoiding spoilers but I will try my best。Nona The Ninth gave us some of the answers we were craving but also a whole lot more of questions。 This books is gentler on the reader than Harrow， although when I finished I was even more confused。 I loved Nona。 She's the sweetest， absolutely loved reading about her family and friends。 Proud to say I guessed her real identity。 There are two main story lines: Nona's and a lot of worldbuilding that I was not expecting a I'm not sure how to review this book avoiding spoilers but I will try my best。Nona The Ninth gave us some of the answers we were craving but also a whole lot more of questions。 This books is gentler on the reader than Harrow， although when I finished I was even more confused。 I loved Nona。 She's the sweetest， absolutely loved reading about her family and friends。 Proud to say I guessed her real identity。 There are two main story lines: Nona's and a lot of worldbuilding that I was not expecting at all and I thoroughly enjoyed。 The first on is pretty straightforward and easy to follow， kinda cute （Nona my love I must protect you） kinda dystopian vibes。 The second one is the bible told by a millennial。 We get a lot of juicy bits *eyes emoji*。It is true you can tell Nona was going to be part of another book but I feel like it was worth it。 It's not my favourite out of the three （honestly it's hard to top Harrow） but it's still amazing and it revealed some things that make the whole series even better。 My bones are ready for Alecto。 Hit me， Tamsyn。 。。。more

em^_^ ，

this releases in a month and i haven’t read it but i guarantee it’s gonna be 5 stars

Melissa ，

No idea what the hell just happened but it was amazing whatever it was。

S。M。 Roffey ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I received an advanced reader copy from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review。 First things first: I dislike the blurb for this book because it looks like it’s for a contemporary science fiction book in the middle of the Locked Tomb series， and this isn’t that。 It’s so much better than that。 What the blurb should be: Mix three quarters of the grounding in Gideon the Ninth with a quarter of the confusion of Harrow the Ninth and toss it all out the window to follow a 19 year old born six months I received an advanced reader copy from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review。 First things first: I dislike the blurb for this book because it looks like it’s for a contemporary science fiction book in the middle of the Locked Tomb series， and this isn’t that。 It’s so much better than that。 What the blurb should be: Mix three quarters of the grounding in Gideon the Ninth with a quarter of the confusion of Harrow the Ninth and toss it all out the window to follow a 19 year old born six months ago， a necromancer， and two cavaliers as they try to save the universe from a distant crazy emperor and the rebellious forces who want to destroy him。 And then fall in love with Nona。 THINGS I LOVED:Nona！ This character could be who you think， but might not be， and who cares because she’s kind of adorable。 Nona wants to be useful， she wants to be loved， and she wants to know what’s going on。 I connected with her on a deep level， and I’m pulling for the lessons Nona learned to be brought forward into the next story。Camilla Hect and Palamades: this is the forbidden love/friendship/dutiful relationship I didn’t know I needed until now。 Stuck in the same body but finding ways to communicate with one another， I almost hated it when they had to separate and reunite。Hot Sauce and the gang。 They make it into my “didn’t work for me” section too， but only because their story taught Nona so many lessons it bugged me when it seemed to have no future。 Crown。 Well， no， I didn’t love Crown。 She had too many loyalties。 But I liked Crown a whole lot more than in Gideon。 Ianthe。 I love to hate this sneaky， unabashedly selfish yet somehow interesting villain。Blood of Eden。 I liked seeing factions， because no activist group is all of one mind。 Pyrrha。 Just Pyrrha， no explanation。The breadcrumbs。 I love a good puzzle， and while at times we fell into confusion， I was mostly able to follow the breadcrumbs to see what was happening， where we were going， and who was coming with us。 WHAT DIDN’T WORK FOR ME:The John chapters。 John and his companion were barely grounded， and it felt like a giant information dump through John’s retelling。 Likewise， John’s story seemed too easy， retconning and adding in every current event it could fit instead of showing it in scenes or spreading it into clues。 The saving grace: it did give us some much-needed connections between the past and present。 Hot Sauce & gang getting left behind。 It made it seem like their whole story， which took up a significant portion of the story， was superfluous。 The saving grace: it *did* serve to teach Nona some much-needed social skills。 A certain undead prince in the last few chapters。 The dialogue coming from said undead prince was so out of character I couldn’t reconcile it with the certain person we all know and love。 The saving grace？ The last line。 BOTTOM LINE: Highly recommend for Locked Tomb fans！ Even if you didn’t love Harrow （I know we are all divided on this）， it’s much more grounded and does give you some much-loved characters in a new setting。 。。。more

Kelli Glazebrook ，

Am I ready to be hurt again？ I don't know。 Couldn't finish Harrow after devouring Gideon。 Am I ready to be hurt again？ I don't know。 Couldn't finish Harrow after devouring Gideon。 。。。more

StarMarie2529 ，

I don't even know where to begin。 I received an arc of this book （one of the GREATEST GIFTS I have ever received because this is my FAVORITE series） and I did not know what to expect from Nona。 I did NOT expect THAT！ Tamsyn Muir is an incredible writer。 I won't reveal anything for the plot but I don't think any fans of the Locked Tomb Series are going to be disappointed by the next installment！ I don't even know where to begin。 I received an arc of this book （one of the GREATEST GIFTS I have ever received because this is my FAVORITE series） and I did not know what to expect from Nona。 I did NOT expect THAT！ Tamsyn Muir is an incredible writer。 I won't reveal anything for the plot but I don't think any fans of the Locked Tomb Series are going to be disappointed by the next installment！ 。。。more

Sammie V ，

Full review to come:My brain hurts， I went on an acid trip at the end， but did I love it… YOU BET YOUR BUTT I DID！！Tamsyn really shows her duality of writing characters between writing Harrow to Nona。 I am also super happy that Nona was added between Harrow and Alecto， it really gives so much to the overall story。 Literally everything is connected！ Have your note pad or tabbies ready for annotating。 And I highly suggest having a list or picture of the dramatist personae from both Gideon and harr Full review to come:My brain hurts， I went on an acid trip at the end， but did I love it… YOU BET YOUR BUTT I DID！！Tamsyn really shows her duality of writing characters between writing Harrow to Nona。 I am also super happy that Nona was added between Harrow and Alecto， it really gives so much to the overall story。 Literally everything is connected！ Have your note pad or tabbies ready for annotating。 And I highly suggest having a list or picture of the dramatist personae from both Gideon and harrow at the ready。 YALL ARE NOT READY FOR NONA 😍CwGun violenceGenocideMurderBody horrorBloodSwearing Death 。。。more

Il confine dei libri ，

Per leggere la recensione in blog cliccare qui:https://ilconfinedeilibri。blogspot。co。。。Hello， dear readers！ We knew this time of great confusion was coming， but how could it ever be otherwise when one consciously returns to the world created by Tamsyn Muir in the Locked Tomb series？ Thanks to Macmillan and NetGalley， I had the great honor of receiving an e-ARC copy of "Nona the Ninth"。 And here is my honest review！ What happens in “Nona the Ninth”？ But above all， who is Nona？ Before reading the Per leggere la recensione in blog cliccare qui:https://ilconfinedeilibri。blogspot。co。。。Hello， dear readers！ We knew this time of great confusion was coming， but how could it ever be otherwise when one consciously returns to the world created by Tamsyn Muir in the Locked Tomb series？ Thanks to Macmillan and NetGalley， I had the great honor of receiving an e-ARC copy of "Nona the Ninth"。 And here is my honest review！ What happens in “Nona the Ninth”？ But above all， who is Nona？ Before reading the third book， I recommend that you read “As Yet Unsent”， a bonus chapter that Tor has put online。 In the chapter there are the reports written by Judith Deuteros， the necromancer of the Second House， of the time when she， Coronabeth Tridentarius and Camilla Hect were captured by Blood of Eden。 While Judith remains faithful to the Emperor， she realizes that the group has managed to convince Corona of their cause and is making Camilla surrender too。 "As Yet Unsent" is what she considers her last act of loyalty to God， how she tried to convince the princess and Camilla not to betray the Cohort。 It is useful for understanding the relations between Camilla and Corona with Blood of Eden from this moment on， but I recommend particularly for the final piece of information that is so important and gives so much hope！-In the third novel， we are on a new planet， not one of the Nine Houses， but a planet inhabited by ordinary people， to which necromancers， called zombies， are the enemies。 This is where we meet Nona， a young woman with very long black hair who is organizing a birthday party to celebrate her six months of life！ In fact， six months earlier Nona woke up remembering absolutely nothing， a newborn in an already formed body， albeit skeletal and weak。 Together with Camilla， Palamedes and Pyrrha， Nona learns to talk， to control her anger attacks， she finds a job as Teacher Aide， at school she meets Hot Sauce and her gang， that Nona adores。 Nona is happy with her life， if it were up to her， she would live like this forever， with Camilla， Palamedes and Pyrrha， with her work at the school， her friends， the teachers and Noodle， a dog with six legs （Nona loves dogs and many of them are invited to her birthday）。 Unfortunately， several problems don’t allow this type of life to go on: every night Nona dreams of being in salt water with the skull-painted face of a girl on her。 According to Palamedes， Nona could be two people， at the same time or in different moments， they are not sure， but they think that her dreams may contain the answer。 In the meantime， they train her with both necromancy and with swords… even though she does not excel in either field。 Another problem is the fact that Blood of Eden think that Nona’s body is the key to defeating the Emperor。 And so， we meet the sweet Nona， who will allow us to live in her life for five days， at least until 。。。 Although it is not a spoiler， since each "part" of the novel is introduced with a lapidary report of the most important events in the section and a countdown to the final event， I will still leave that "until" open， to keep a little suspense！ -I firmly believe that you are wondering: why does Nona exist and why did she get in the way between us and Alecto？ I will try to answer this question according to the idea I formed while reading。 For me， "Nona the Ninth" was an expedient to show us another face of the empire that through the Nine Houses Muir could not let us experience。 In fact， we end up in a city on the brink of a civil war， where necromancers （or presumed ones） and their supporters are burned at the stake。 A city where Blood of Eden is active， showing how God matters absolutely nothing to people who do not belong to the houses: there is no admiration， no love， but anger， fear， hatred， and the desire to free themselves once and for all of the madmen who control death and their lives。This is what we get from the subtext。 Nona， in her naivety， simply tells us about her day， her dreams， what Pyrhha and Camilla or Palamedes talk about when she overhears， how dangerous it is to walk the streets of the city （especially since the "blue madness" has spread）， about her contribution as a Teacher Aide， the sweetness of the teachers， especially the mysterious Angel， about the time she spends with Noodle and with her friends， Hot Sauce and her gang， who， despite being smaller than Nona， have the hardest skin。 The things that Nona considers details are， for the readers， the pieces to understand what is really happening on the planet。 The story is told in third person， nonetheless the narrator knows as much as Nona， it tells the story and reports dialogues with the same innocence as Nona。 A great part of the novel is a light interlude before the plot twists and the much-awaited final event。 In addition， the novel was a means to tell us about the Resurrection from God's point of view。 Using Nona's dreams as an expedient， the Emperor tells us the "Gospel of John"， a collection of the events that made him God。 Unexpectedly， we find ourselves on a dying Earth where a group of friends and colleagues， after discovering necromancy， try to save the world。 -I must say that the last 20% - the part where we go back to the origin - disappointed me a little bit。 It was nothing different from Muir's usual narrative， full of plot twists， chaotic and confusing。 Although this time it was much， much more chaotic than usual and it also lacked the pathos the finales of the previous books have。 At this point， we know that Muir's style is complex and， if you are not really passionate about the series， it could also feel heavy: she uses very long sentences full of digressions; direct speech is not clearly marked; moreover， she keeps her very sarcastic tone – especially in the dialogues – and sometimes it makes the reader lose the train of thought。 -In this novel， I had the confirmation of the Camilla Hect and Palamedes Sextus’ supremacy: the best characters， the best people， just the best。 And their relationship。。。 how many tears， how much emotions， how much sweetness！ Furthermore， it is impossible not to love the character of Nona， so pure， sincere， trusting， loving， dedicated to everything and to all the ones she loves - and when she loves， she loves with everything she has。 She is a breath of fresh air， a concentration of unexpected innocence in a universe where death， darkness and violence reign。 Despite the presence of well-known characters， do not think that following the story is easy - i think that for this series rereading is fundamental。 -This is “Nona the Ninth” for me。 Aware of everything I've told you， I give you one last warning: read Nona only if you really， really love Muir's series and her writing style， if you can't live without these characters and without knowing what will happen at the end of it all。 If you haven't enjoyed "Harrow the Ninth"， I don't think Nona will change your mind， however sweet and innocent she may be。 If， on the other hand， you are like me， anxiously awaiting the reunion of Harrow and Gideon （because I am waiting for this after all: Harrow and Gideon will see each other again， hug。。。 and then start fighting。 This is my dream！）， read "Nona the Ninth" as soon as you can。 The fact that I love this series so much sometimes amazes me enormously。 I have found a combination I cannot live without: characters to love in their every weird aspect， a strange and poetic writing style， a unique narrative， and that spark of "I'm not getting it， but something epic will happen" that creates suspense。 。。。more

Sam ♡ ，

happy nona month 🐄

Violet ，

I loved the first 75% and then lost all worldly sensation tying me to this Earth。 I was lost， so so lost。 No idea how this ends or who I am。 Will have to reread and clamber back into consciousness…somehow。

Mirror。Mir ，

Oh course of the locked tomb， Beloved dead， hear your handmaiden。 I loved you with my whole rotten， contemptible heart―I loved you to the exclusion of aught else―let me live long enough to die at your feet！！！！No rating until Nona comes out and I reread it but boy do I have THOUGHTS and FEELINGS！！！

Ellen ，

YEAH。。。。。 YEAH THAT WAS EVERYTHING。。。。。I can't even put it into words but wow once again I am so confused but it all comes together in the end to make me even more confused YEAH。。。。。 YEAH THAT WAS EVERYTHING。。。。。I can't even put it into words but wow once again I am so confused but it all comes together in the end to make me even more confused 。。。more

Abi Baker ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 🤯 Really not sure I figured anything else out， reading this。 Really loved it。 No clue what was happening though。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Nona the Ninth

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Nona the Ninth&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Nona the Ninth&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0