Where do I start with this book? I just finished, and i'm craving more of this world.

Firstly, I think Alex is an immensely likable character. She's rough and troubled and I was rooting for her the whole time. Furthermore, all of the characters are well-written and seemed "real." It was easy to imagine Darlington, Dawes, Sandow, and even the bougie Yale kids. I know these people, or at least they resonated with my perception of things during my own college years as a first gen student.

The plot is winding and I did have to reread a few passages to fully comprehend the gravity of some information. However, I enjoyed Leigh's writing and there a ton of amazing quotes to stew on, one of my non-spoiler favorites being:

The purest Marxists are always men. Calamity comes too easily to women. Our lives can come apart in a single gesture, a rogue wave. And money? Money is a rock we cling to when the current would seize us.

I would recommend Ninth House if you like dark academia, occult stuff, and intersectional feminist themes. This might be one of my all-time favorite reads.

That being said, it is heavy, including multiple scenes of rape (adult and child), sexual assault, domestic abuse and extreme poverty. If you were thinking of picking this up you probably anticipated some amount of ritualistic gore, but if you are sensitive to real-life violence, it might not be your bag.