PositiveHypableTruth be told, there isn’t too much that radically distinguishes Ninth House as an adult novel, as opposed to Bardugo’s previous young adult work...A slightly more generous helping of sex, sadness, and drug use seems to mark this particular boundary between adult and YA, which is more a commentary on genre distinctions than Bardugo’s writing or sensibilities ... But the boundary between YA and adult fantasy is much less important in Ninth House than the boundaries between the mundane and the darkly magical — a line that Bardugo erases with the kind of cackling confidence that drew readers of all ages to her previous work ... The journey can occasionally feel protracted, but Bardugo has her final destination clear in mind; the concluding transformations at the end of Ninth House are thoroughly worth the wait ... a complicated treat, unfolding in slow but ultimately satisfying layers. The concept of collegiate mundanity secretly seething with magic is especially well-executed ... Crisp writing and Bardugo’s knack for creating knotty, bitingly likable characters anchors the tale in firm artistic territory, even as boundaries between the real and the fantastical rapidly dissolve ... complicated, messy material, a transformation of expectation more than anything else. It more than makes the grade — and will leave readers hungry for the sophomore adventures of the sequel.
Samantha Shannon
RaveHypable...The Priory of the Orange Tree demonstrates a remarkably fresh and frankly fearless new direction from the young author ... Its romance-and-loss-studded tale spans multiple continents lurid with history, tradition, prejudice, and lore. Traded between four distinct and potently-realized narrators, the novel is as immersive as it is uncanny, familiar as it is entirely new ... From the finely-wrought politics to arcs of ancient magic, ruthless character management and delicately evocative description, The Priory of the Orange Tree will certainly call to mind the landmarks of A Song of Ice and Fire. But Shannon’s newest work also stands boldly apart ... As with the best of fantasy, The Priory of the Orange Tree feels less like a book than it does an experience, a true sojourn into a rich and terrible new world.
