Fantasy

The Ninth Rain

The Ninth Rain

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  • Create Date：2021-06-12 09:55:15
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Jen Williams
  • ISBN：1472235185
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Summary

The great city of Ebora once glittered with gold。 Now its streets are stalked by wolves。 Tormalin the Oathless has no taste for sitting around waiting to die while the realm of his storied ancestors falls to pieces - talk about a guilt trip。 Better to be amongst the living， where there are taverns full of women and wine。

When eccentric explorer， Lady Vincenza 'Vintage' de Grazon， offers him employment， he sees an easy way out。 Even when they are joined by a fugitive witch with a tendency to set things on fire， the prospect of facing down monsters and retrieving ancient artefacts is preferable to the abomination he left behind。

But not everyone is willing to let the Eboran empire collapse， and the adventurers are quickly drawn into a tangled conspiracy of magic and war。 For the Jure'lia are coming， and the Ninth Rain must fall。。。

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Reviews

AllBookedUpNet ，

*Insert inspirational quote about everything having been done before*In fantasy and in particular in respect to worldbuilding， I feel like everything has been done before。 Nothing is new。 Everyone is just stealing from someone else， or discovering the same idea that had been discovered and has since been forgotten。 Jen Williams' worldbuilding in this first installment of the winnowing flame series is not different， except for in one key way。 She seems to take every single setting and worldbuildi *Insert inspirational quote about everything having been done before*In fantasy and in particular in respect to worldbuilding， I feel like everything has been done before。 Nothing is new。 Everyone is just stealing from someone else， or discovering the same idea that had been discovered and has since been forgotten。 Jen Williams' worldbuilding in this first installment of the winnowing flame series is not different， except for in one key way。 She seems to take every single setting and worldbuilding idea ever created and throws absolutely all of them into one massive melting pot。 It seems nobody ever asked Williams' if she thought maybe too much was going on， or at least， if they did she laughed them into oblivion。 Looking back I realise you could read that last paragraph with a negative tone。。。Please don't。 This world is amazing， it is so much fun with a whole host of creatures， species， environments and magic。 Yet it never felt like too much to me， it worked。 In many respects the hodge-podge nature of the world made it feel so much more real。 Out world isn't nicely ordered so why should any other be？Just to list a few ideas for context， we have:A dead magic tree God，Vampiric elves，Magic plague，Steampunk magic trains，Mythical creatures，Alien parasites，Hive minds，Witch prison，And whole bunch of other insane non-sense that I will not mention for spoiler reasons。 Now if you don't want all that stuff then I feel sorry for you， cause it's exactly what I want in a fantasy。 On top of an insane world， Williams' character work is on point。 Fell-Noon is a brilliant female lead who I really felt for and who developed in a world and a set of scenarios that really tested her。 Tormalin however was my favourite character， his motivations felt real without being overly logical， because guess what？ People aren't usually logical。 This is just turning into a rant now， but I really loved this book。 You should read it and love it too。 。。。more

Jordan ，

The question is: what broke our world？Better yet: what poisoned it？ They did of course。 Every place they touch is broken and strangeRating: Really Enjoyed ItThis was a spectacularly enjoyable read。 Definitely one of the more unique fantasy worlds that I have come across recently。 I first came across this book browsing down the Goodreads rabbit hole last summer when I was looking for some lesser known reads。 I came across Petrik's review and it sounded like something that was right up my alley。 S The question is: what broke our world？Better yet: what poisoned it？ They did of course。 Every place they touch is broken and strangeRating: Really Enjoyed ItThis was a spectacularly enjoyable read。 Definitely one of the more unique fantasy worlds that I have come across recently。 I first came across this book browsing down the Goodreads rabbit hole last summer when I was looking for some lesser known reads。 I came across Petrik's review and it sounded like something that was right up my alley。 Something a little different， a little weird， and lots of fun。 Unfortunately at the time Bitter Twins was out of stock in all the stores that ship to the US， so I put it on my list and waited。 Then Bitter Twins came in stock but Poison Song went out of stock， so I waited。 They were all in stock， but I was on a book buying ban and planned to get them for Christmas。 Then they ALL went out of stock， but finally I have been able to complete my collection and get into this world， and it did NOT disappoint。 So， what is this book about？That's kind of hard to describe quickly or succinctly。 We are in the land of Sarn。 They have been plagued by the Jure'lia for generations。 Something that nobody really understands， but they come from the sky and unleash crazy amounts of devastation。 Only the Eborans and their warbeasts have been able to drive the Jure'lia out。 The Eborans are a race that are almost immortal。 They drink the sap of their tree god and are gifted with strength and long life。 However， in the last rain of the Jure'lia， the tree god died， and no one really knows why。 This has lead to the Eborans turning to a life that appears almost vampiric， and causing them to slowly die out。 In The Ninth Rain， we follow Vin， a middle-aged traveler and scholar who is studying the Jure'lia attempting to learn more about them and their motives; Tormalin， an Eboran who has left his homeland behind， unwilling to watch his people slowly die off; and Noon， a fell witch able to summon winnow-fire who has escaped the Winnowrey and is attempting to find freedom and a life for herself。 The three come together to investigate the Jure'lia more thoroughly， and escapades ensue。 What I liked- I loved the characters in this story！ Vin as a middle-aged kindly scholar was a delight， Tor as the grumpy old man just really appealed to me， and Noon who was sort of finding herself and coming into her own throughout the story。 - There was a lot of humor woven throughout the story within the characters' interactions with each other and with their environment。 The book itself wasn't necessarily a comedic fantasy or anything like that， and some dark things do take place， but overall I felt that there is a lighthearted tone to the novel。 - The history and lore that are the backdrop of the story。 We slowly learn more and more about Sarn， the Eborans， and the Jure'lians as the story continues。 Each chapter starts with an excerpt from Vin's notes or letters that give insight into her studies and help us to better understand the world， and we are learning new things alongside the characters as they travel and make discoveries themselves。 - Overall just the worldbuilding and the creativity really impressed me。 There is just so much to it， and I can't wait to learn even more about it in the upcoming installments- ANIMAL FRIENDS。 Always a plus in my mind。 While present， they don't figure super prominently in this installment; however， I expect we will see more of them in Books 2 and 3。What didn't work for me- The twists that happen at the end of the novel were not really big reveals in my mind。 I anticipated all of them and was not very surprised by anything。 It didn't really take away from my enjoyment as I still was able to enjoy putting things together， but the surprise factor was definitely not there for me。 - It took a while for me to really connect with the characters。 I wasn't feeling particularly invested in any of them until a little over halfway through。 I think this is fairly typical for first installments in a series; however， this led me to find some of the scenes earlier in the book a bit long or overdone。 I didn't care enough about the characters at that point for the level of involvement， and the beginning of the book dragged a bit more than I expected considering the fascinating world that Williams created。 Overall， the positives FAR outweigh the negatives， and I am very excited to see what new adventures Bitter Twins holds！ I highly recommend reading this trilogy if you can get your hands on it！ And be sure to check out Petrik's review as well！ 。。。more

fae ，

'Drink with me， my darling， and let's keep the darkness at bay for one more night， at least。' i'm fine。 i'm literally fine :） still reeling from those last 200 pages but i'm fine。。 haha！okay， so。。 i'm genuinely baffled by the way jen williams managed to craft such a marvellous and interesting world。 the world-building was just phenomenal omg she combined fantasy and sci-fi elements seamlessly。。。 i really love it when the first book in a series spends most of its time on the setting and charac 'Drink with me， my darling， and let's keep the darkness at bay for one more night， at least。' i'm fine。 i'm literally fine :） still reeling from those last 200 pages but i'm fine。。 haha！okay， so。。 i'm genuinely baffled by the way jen williams managed to craft such a marvellous and interesting world。 the world-building was just phenomenal omg she combined fantasy and sci-fi elements seamlessly。。。 i really love it when the first book in a series spends most of its time on the setting and characters。 she set many plot-related things in motion but ultimately made sure you understand and care about the stakes and the people first and foremost。 because guess what guys。。 i care about these charas so much i might just start crying。 but that's none of anyone's business！okay never mind。。 i am making it everyone's business。。。。。 I WOULD FUCKING RISK IT ALL FOR THESE CHARACTERS HOLY SHITTTTTTTTTT。。。 there's just no way jen williams did this。。 there's just no fucking way。 imagine creating tor and thinking i'd be okay with it？ lol？ a fucking 400 yr old elf vampire？ who is cuntacular？ but also a sweetheart with issues？ bit of a whore？ and hauls his cunty outfits with him everywhere？ i'm out of here。。。。 anyone remember that post a jimin （？） stan made about getting upset over people claiming they liked jimin because they could never understand him the way OP did？ i totally get them now。 no one will ever come close to understanding tor the way i do。 he is my little meow meow。 and as the great edward once said: "i want to take a shower with him NO i mean i mean i mean i want to be- i want to have him as a pet 。。。。 not a shower。。 or make out with him。。 I MEAN JUST- COME ON"as if tor wasn't enough。。。 jen gave me vintage。。。。are you joking are you fucking joking is my sanity a joke to you what the helllll not a lesbian badass hyper intelligent easily distracted slightly insane sweet milf。。。 the way she calls everyone darling or dear i'm going to punch myself in the face guys she is perfect。 like she is just so goddamn perfect。 not her silly human self just adopting the most powerful people in the world and makes them all respect and listen to her （and love her dearly） i want to cryyyyy i want her in my life so bad please adopt me too pleasenow。。 i saved best for last。。 NOON。。。 my actual wife。。 i am genuinely in love with her。 wish i was kidding。。 （crying emoji） she is my muse。 my world was dead without her in it。 i absolutely loved reading about her journey and the way she became herself more and more throughout this book。 i think women finding their confidence and realising how powerful they are is just the absolute best thing in the world <3 the way she grew was just so realistic to me！！ you can definitely tell she was written by a woman （especially re: her dynamic with tor）。 she is simply serving and slaying all by herself， your honour。i seriously care about every single character in this because they're just so interesting to me even if i sometimes wonder what da hell they're doing。。 but talking about all of them would take too long。 let's just say i am perceiving the very obvious yet oblivious gays and the women。some trigger warnings: bugs， blood， gore/body horror， nsfw content 。。。more

Paula Silvonen ，

Alku oli hidas ja loppu liian nopea， enkä oikein päässyt tarinan imuun missään vaiheessa。 Oli tässä kohtuullisen kiinnostava fantasiamaailma kuitenkin， ja lady Vintage oli aika hyvä hahmo。 2。5 tähteä， eli "pidin melkein" ja saatan testata seuraavankin osan。 Alku oli hidas ja loppu liian nopea， enkä oikein päässyt tarinan imuun missään vaiheessa。 Oli tässä kohtuullisen kiinnostava fantasiamaailma kuitenkin， ja lady Vintage oli aika hyvä hahmo。 2。5 tähteä， eli "pidin melkein" ja saatan testata seuraavankin osan。 。。。more

Vaiishhh ，

3。75 （ A solid read ）

Lisa ，

This took a long time to get going but the last third was great。

Holly ，

4。5 stars。 This series may well end up being my hidden gem of the year。 Great first entry， can’t wait to read the next one。

Ryan ，

Abandoned due to the abundance of boring infodumps passing for world building。

Oleksandr Zholud ，

This is the first volume of fantasy trilogy Winnowing Flame。 Like most trilogies its chief goal is to set the world and introduce the heroes and villains。 I’ve read this book because it won British Fantasy Award for Best Fantasy Novel （Robert Holdstock Award） in 2018 and to my taste British awards lately have a better selection of good fiction that more famous Hugo/Nebula。The setting is quite usual for a fantasy: there is a more or less medieval world， which is constantly attacked by some powerf This is the first volume of fantasy trilogy Winnowing Flame。 Like most trilogies its chief goal is to set the world and introduce the heroes and villains。 I’ve read this book because it won British Fantasy Award for Best Fantasy Novel （Robert Holdstock Award） in 2018 and to my taste British awards lately have a better selection of good fiction that more famous Hugo/Nebula。The setting is quite usual for a fantasy: there is a more or less medieval world， which is constantly attacked by some powerful enemy – here it is insect- and worm-like the Jure’lia， unthinking automata send forward by their Queen。 Eight times they attacked and were repelled at a great cost。 On the vanguard of the defense are local elves – Eborans， human-like but with skin smooth like polished wood or marble， long-living and in a symbiotic relationship with a great god-tree Ygseril， the sap of which allows for a regeneration and longevity and each time there is an attack， fruits of the tree rain down and inside them magic beings dwell。 Eight such rains bore beast to fight Jure’lia and then the tree died…Death of the god-tree happened centuries ago and with it supernatural powers of Eborans were gone。 For some time they hoped that they found a solution – human blood allowed them to regenerate and prolong their lives， so they spelt it mercilessly。 However the solution turned to come with a price – new vampires found that the blood drinking also caused a debilitating illness that is followed by a painful death。There are only few Eborans remain， they are not the power they once were。 Humans took that niche and most know about that race only from fairy tales。 And now Jure’lia are about to return。There are three main characters: Eboran Tormalin lives among humans and earn by killing spirits left from the last war with his magic sword named Ninth Rain （akin to Andrzej Sapkowski's Witcher）; a rich wine merchant turned scientist Lady Vincenza ‘Vintage’ de Grazon， who is curious about Jure’lia and their artifacts， which affect land around them by something akin to mutation; finally a fell-witch Noon， taken from her tribe as a kid and exploited by local religious cult。 They come together to withstand the upcoming invasion。The story is well written and I plan to continue the trilogy。 。。。more

Naila ，

4。5 *

Caitlin ，

RTC

L。L。 MacRae ，

（Copying reviews from previous GR account）4。5 stars！！I **really** enjoyed The Ninth Rain！It's the fourth book I’ve read of Jen Williams （after falling head over heels in love with her Copper Cat trilogy）， I went into this book with a reasonable idea of what to expect。As expected， I ADORE William’s writing style， humour， world-building， but above all， her characters。 Vintage has got to be one of my all-time favourite characters。 There’s so much to her that we’ve yet to uncover， and I can’t wait t （Copying reviews from previous GR account）4。5 stars！！I **really** enjoyed The Ninth Rain！It's the fourth book I’ve read of Jen Williams （after falling head over heels in love with her Copper Cat trilogy）， I went into this book with a reasonable idea of what to expect。As expected， I ADORE William’s writing style， humour， world-building， but above all， her characters。 Vintage has got to be one of my all-time favourite characters。 There’s so much to her that we’ve yet to uncover， and I can’t wait to find out more about her， her past， and where she goes in the next book （which I’m starting tonight， no waiting around！）Tor， the second of the three main characters， is equally wonderful。 Hailing from a culture of incredibly long-lived people （whom he’s turned his back on to stay away from death）， he is brilliant， beautiful， and blunt more often than not。 All of his scenes were thrilling， and the banter/camaraderie between Tor and Vintage is epic。The final of the three main characters is Noon， a young Fell-Witch who was taken away as a child （after doing some terrible deeds with powers that weren’t really in her control） and locked up in the Winnowry - a place for other Fell-Witches - where they are told about how terrible and evil they are。 Thankfully， when our story begins， she doesn’t stay there long。Sarn， the world， has fought a strange people known as the worm-people， multiple times over the centuries。 Each time， the Eborans （the same race Tor belongs to） have risen up with their war-beasts of legend to drive them away。 But at the end of the last war， the Eighth Rain， the tree-god that fuelled them suddenly dies - along with all the worm-people。Sounds good， right？Vintage has dedicated her life to studying the remnants of the worm-people’s wars。 The scars are left bright and clear across much of the world， but there is very little information about these terrible creatures。Vintage， Tor， and Noon all cross paths soon enough， all on their own missions and with their own desires that both keep them together and drive them apart。Although it is an opener to a trilogy， and most certainly setting the scene， there is a tonne of action， world-building， and character development throughout。 Many of them， perhaps Noon most of all， are not the same people at the end of the book as they are at the beginning， and it is this growth， change， and facing of consequences that I love about William’s work。Every decision carries weight。 Good or bad， there are always consequences - sometimes irrevocable ones。I cannot wait to begin The Bitter Twins！ 。。。more

Sunci ，

Really enjoyed this one。 Thank you to my GR friend Petrik for this recommendation。 :）

Nikola Tasev ，

Despite all the blood， sex and suffering this feels too much like a Young Adult fantasy to me。 The characters are simplistic， more like a gathering of quirks than full blooded personalities。 There are not a lot of them， they are not going to a lot of places and not doing a lot of stuff - the story is simplistic as well。 The fate of the world may rest upon them， but it plays out more like an adventure or D&D session。The setup is cool and unusual - alien outsiders with spaceships invading a fantas Despite all the blood， sex and suffering this feels too much like a Young Adult fantasy to me。 The characters are simplistic， more like a gathering of quirks than full blooded personalities。 There are not a lot of them， they are not going to a lot of places and not doing a lot of stuff - the story is simplistic as well。 The fate of the world may rest upon them， but it plays out more like an adventure or D&D session。The setup is cool and unusual - alien outsiders with spaceships invading a fantasy setting。 But I've seen it done better and can't help comparing。 Some of the environments were interesting and well described， but even the ones that were supposed to be extremely dangerous but that danger was not presented as well as their visual style， so they remained mostly a pretty background。There are some great ideas， and a well made ending。 But unfortunately this was not the book for me。Edit: it was also quite low-magic。 One of the main characters is a witch， but magic has very few and/or mundane ways to manifest in the entire book。 It was not nearly enough for me， but if you're into this sort of thing - give it a go。 。。。more

Jo Airey ，

I liked this one。 The premise hooked me as we are following a member of a race （Eborans） that is on the decline after their God has died。 I really liked this as instead of seeing them ruling over humans and benefiting from their God’s powers （for instance eternal youthfulness） we meet them after their God has died and their Gifts are now turning against them。 My favourite setting was the Winnowrey and my favourite characters were （Fell） Noon and Tormalin。 I listened to this one on audiobook and I liked this one。 The premise hooked me as we are following a member of a race （Eborans） that is on the decline after their God has died。 I really liked this as instead of seeing them ruling over humans and benefiting from their God’s powers （for instance eternal youthfulness） we meet them after their God has died and their Gifts are now turning against them。 My favourite setting was the Winnowrey and my favourite characters were （Fell） Noon and Tormalin。 I listened to this one on audiobook and will be consuming the whole trilogy this way。 P。s Did anyone else see the ending coming？ Not as in the events of it （I am not that good at predictions） but in the fact that things were going to go wrong。 From the conception of the ‘plan’ I thought to myself - now that has got to be a bad idea， just by looking at the past relationship between the two peoples。 Although I must say there is a wee bit of hope （a gift） going into books 2 and 3。4 Stars - A very interesting fantasy world。 I can see myself rereading this trilogy over and over。 。。。more

Rehan Khan ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 💀🙏 To begin with - A thank you to Jen for a well construct fantasy world， which I believe cost her great hard work and after reading Ninth Rain I can say what she did， was 💯 % worth it 🥂🥂⚡️⚡️⚡️。“Ninth Rain” by Jen William takes it’s rightful time to construct all it’s characters， the world， the villain around you， some might say it’s a slow burn but it had to be because this story expands it self to 3 titles hence the Writer did justice to “Ninth Rain”。In last 150 pages I was confident in the ch 💀🙏 To begin with - A thank you to Jen for a well construct fantasy world， which I believe cost her great hard work and after reading Ninth Rain I can say what she did， was 💯 % worth it 🥂🥂⚡️⚡️⚡️。“Ninth Rain” by Jen William takes it’s rightful time to construct all it’s characters， the world， the villain around you， some might say it’s a slow burn but it had to be because this story expands it self to 3 titles hence the Writer did justice to “Ninth Rain”。In last 150 pages I was confident in the characters I learned about through out the book， of what nature they are and what to expect from them next。I liked the Role of the Beasts and how they are used in the story and on timeI am glad I bought the other two books in the series and will read them definitely Thank you 🙏 Jen， keep writing， Godspeed 。。。more

Diana ，

The Ninth Rain has become one of my favorite fantasy books of all time and， if you´re a fantasy lover， here’s why you should give a try，- This book is very weird in the best way possible。 There’s so much going on with a mismatch of different elements of fantasy， sci-fi， steampunk and paranormal， which make it super unique and very likely every reader will find something in there to love- the worldbuilding and lore are mind blowing。 Some lore elements reminded me a little of The Stormlight Archiv The Ninth Rain has become one of my favorite fantasy books of all time and， if you´re a fantasy lover， here’s why you should give a try，- This book is very weird in the best way possible。 There’s so much going on with a mismatch of different elements of fantasy， sci-fi， steampunk and paranormal， which make it super unique and very likely every reader will find something in there to love- the worldbuilding and lore are mind blowing。 Some lore elements reminded me a little of The Stormlight Archive， so there’s that- there’s a found family trope and meaningful and endearing friendships- animal companions and magical creatures aplenty- well written， funny， cheeky， mysterious and diverse cast of characters。 The female characters are a big highlight。 They’re strong， intelligent， independent and were always at the forefront of the story- it’s so FREAKING GOODIf I had to be nitpicky I'd say that it's not the easiest to get into。 The begginig is slow and it can feel confusing。 I would say that by page 100 or so it's possible to start to piece some things together and it becomes more enjoyable。Ok my gush is over！ I can’t recommend this book enough。 It deserves so much more love and recognition。It’s the best book I read this year and also my first 5 star read and I can’t wait to get to the sequel soon。 。。。more

Kisti ，

review to come！ What an incredible blend of fantasy and elements of sci-fi。 I have a feeling I will fall in-love with the second book and the series as a whole！

Cadguycad ，

5 Stars。 Gushing review to follow。。。in short。。。loved it in the end。

Alfred Nobile ，

Good start to the trilogy

♥Dorina♥ ，

I was not expecting to like this book so much， I wasn't too much into the description but it was a finished high rating trilogy so why not？It was creative and engaging ， the story had a slow start but it got me after。。。 50%（mama didn't raise a quitter）。Where this book shines is in character personality and development。 I loved all 3 mains， their journey， their personalities， everything and that kept me going through the first 50%。I usually don't like cliffhangers in my endings but since all book I was not expecting to like this book so much， I wasn't too much into the description but it was a finished high rating trilogy so why not？It was creative and engaging ， the story had a slow start but it got me after。。。 50%（mama didn't raise a quitter）。Where this book shines is in character personality and development。 I loved all 3 mains， their journey， their personalities， everything and that kept me going through the first 50%。I usually don't like cliffhangers in my endings but since all books are out I loved it here， looking forward to read the next one。 。。。more

Suzie ，

Well that was quite the first book to a series。 Phenomenal world building， riveting characters， intriguing plot。 Enjoyed tremendously。 Excited to move on to book 2。

Jamie ，

4。5 ⭐️ It took a little bit to get into but otherwise loved it。

Jess ，

I hadn't heard of the author or trilogy until someone mentioned it in a group I'm in as having won a British Fantasy Award and another person chimed in that they really enjoyed it。 I got a physical copy of the book because it is weirdly not available on US kindle due to 。。。licensing/publishing something or other？ At first I was worried I had made a mistake。 This is the author's 2nd trilogy but in the early parts of the book， I kept noticing things that struck me as first book/inexperienced autho I hadn't heard of the author or trilogy until someone mentioned it in a group I'm in as having won a British Fantasy Award and another person chimed in that they really enjoyed it。 I got a physical copy of the book because it is weirdly not available on US kindle due to 。。。licensing/publishing something or other？ At first I was worried I had made a mistake。 This is the author's 2nd trilogy but in the early parts of the book， I kept noticing things that struck me as first book/inexperienced author mistakes。 There was a fair amount of exposition via dialogue （you know the kind I mean: "As you well know， Bob， we are part of an order that has survived for centuries by doing [。。。 etc。]" "Let us now go to make our rounds， Frank， as we do every night except on Wednesdays， in order to protect this castle from the threat of。。。"）。 I'm exaggerating a little， and those aren't actual examples， but it's one of those things that's really noticeable。 Early on， I also felt the setup as to what direction things were taking and what would happen next was too predictable。 However， I was invested enough in at least one character to stay interested， and at some point I stopped being able to put it down。 I still have a few grouses about things that showed up later that are spoilery: （view spoiler）[I do not love the trope where a dude hundreds of years old， whether he's an elf， a vampire， a djinn， or whatever: a） has anything in common with a very young person over which to form a relationship --by the age of 25 the developmental gulf between me and 20 year-olds was huge， and the idea of being 400-600 and finding anything of interest in an adolescent is silly-- or b） at that advanced age is still acting like a whiny， self-absorbed manbaby。 I get that not everyone who grows older grows up， but it's both awfully common and awfully male in fiction， and it brings me to the next trope I don't love: where the petulant， volatile， unself-aware and emotionally stunted/noncommunicative male character， whether 20 or 600 years of age， is coaxed out of his shell by a womxn character doing all the emotional labor and understanding it takes to thaw him and gradually draw him away from being such an utter ass。 Women as the caretaker-y， doormat-y， or manic pixi-y means to male characters' growth。。。 naw， thanks， I'm good。 （hide spoiler）]。 While the aforementioned bugged the heck out of me， the two characters inhabiting the dynamic in question are among the main characters but are not *the* MC。 And the MC is 。。。just delightful。 An absolute， utter delight。 She's a queer Black* woman over 40， and her combination of razor-sharp competence， breezy nonchalance， and devil-may-care attitude toward dangerous adventure （not to mention noble/monied origins and the convenient access to resources that go with it） remind me of nothing so much as Phryne Fisher （of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries） in a fantasy setting。 All that unflappable pragmatism and dry wit is gorgeous。The world。 After early exposition that felt a little clunky， we move into more showing than telling （most of the time）， and the world is NEAT。 I'm 。。。very， very invested in what happens next， so don't mistake my critiques above for my overall feeling about the book --those are just always the easiest bits to put in words， for some reason。 I'm absolutely reading the next books in the trilogy。*Should "black" still be capitalized if it's removed from the cultural/historical contexts that make it important to capitalize when referring to people & characters in the United States and former colonial territories where enslaved people form a diaspora that is its own identity？ I'm not sure。 。。。more

Daniel Jobling ，

Good readI was honestly in a bit of a book rut struggling to get going with a book I was very intrigued with the world the author has created and the characters that come with it once you hit a certain point you can see where the story is going but a very enjoyable book

Zombiejod ，

Magical fire wielders， giant companion bats， eccentric enthusiast scholars and an elegantly dilettante bloodsucker all up against possibly the most disconcertingly horrifying alien enemy I've ever encountered - and that's just for starters！ Tremendously good， I am very glad that my daughter bullied me into reading this， and equally glad that we have the concluding two volumes at hand to read next！ Magical fire wielders， giant companion bats， eccentric enthusiast scholars and an elegantly dilettante bloodsucker all up against possibly the most disconcertingly horrifying alien enemy I've ever encountered - and that's just for starters！ Tremendously good， I am very glad that my daughter bullied me into reading this， and equally glad that we have the concluding two volumes at hand to read next！ 。。。more

Rachael Jack ，

I didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did- I'm excited to pick up the next one！ I didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did- I'm excited to pick up the next one！ 。。。more

Skyler ，

Took me so long to get through， but oh my god it was so worth it。

Rachelle Hamilton ，

I was really hoping this would be a five star for me but it just missed the mark。 I really liked the character development at the begging but where the story went didn't really hold my interest。 Not sure I will continue with this series。 I was really hoping this would be a five star for me but it just missed the mark。 I really liked the character development at the begging but where the story went didn't really hold my interest。 Not sure I will continue with this series。 。。。more

Shravani ，

5 starsThis book was absolutely bonkers。 Why are more people not talking about this series？ It's so good and yet so underrated！It had it's rough patches， took me a fair 10% to be fully invested in the story but am I glad I read on。 I loved the characters and the world-building。 The last 100-150 pages were everything - so many revelations and omg there's a dragon！ I'm so glad this series is finished because I'm going to binge read the next books now！ 5 starsThis book was absolutely bonkers。 Why are more people not talking about this series？ It's so good and yet so underrated！It had it's rough patches， took me a fair 10% to be fully invested in the story but am I glad I read on。 I loved the characters and the world-building。 The last 100-150 pages were everything - so many revelations and omg there's a dragon！ I'm so glad this series is finished because I'm going to binge read the next books now！ 。。。more

Reference

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

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

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