#and these days i usually prefer my SFF to have characters facing Other kinds of challenges

[nonasbirthday]

if i'm being honest, i was predisposed to like Kyr bc she has Adora spop vibes

[rosysreadingrefugium]

Review: Nona the Ninth

read from 11 June to 18 June

Okay, so first, damn me for reading an unfinished series. Alecto the Ninth will (hopefully) come out this October and I can barely wait for that.

Second: what the actual hell was that fever dream of a book? Did I love Nona? Of course. Did I know what was going on 99% of the time? No. Did I still enjoy this book? Absolutely!

Basic facts

Title: Nona the Ninth (#3 of the Locked Tomb series)

Author: Tamsyn Muir

Pages: 496

Synopsis: 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...

Review / Rambling (maybe kinda spoilery)

After the fever dream that was Harrow the Ninth, I really did not know what to expect - I certainly did not expect Nona.

In the beginning, I was so confused, who Nona actually was and what was happening. But the worldbuilding and setting were as intriguing as in GtN and HtN - I especially loved the spin of the zombie trope as well as the urban setting. I am not well versed in Science Fiction so I cannot comment on whether the setting was derivative but it certainly was fun to read. Also, necromancers in space. And Noodle. 5 stars for worldbuilding/setting.

The plot was more clearcut than in HtN and it actually made sense. I loved the headings of the parts (5 days until the Tomb opens etc.) because it set up the ending so well. Tamsyn Muir is definitely a fan of "spoiling" the ending but who am I to complain (I am a sucker for this plot structure). Also NtN had one of my favourite tropes of all time: domestic living in a SFF-world/city. I cannot get enough of that trope! I did not particularly like the John-focused chapters - it gave some context to the whole story but the whole climate crisis felt a little too real haha. 4 stars for the plot.

As for characters, I loved, loved, loved Nona. You usually do not have a "child" protagonist in SFF, so it was really refreshing looking through the eyes of one. I loved how she told the story and how she did not really have a clue what was going on 99% of the time (very relatable hehe). I also adore Camilla and Palamedes, so I was happy to see more of them, although not together of course. I liked the family dynamic between Nona, Camilla/Palamedes and Pyrrha. As I have already said, I am a big fan of domestic living in SFF-cities, so that ties in perfectly. Also - Gideon is back (kind of, maybe, idk) and she is as funny as ever (also a bit creepy). Only downside of the book regarding characters: often, I had no idea who these people were because the names were so confusing. Also, Harrow was not there for the most part. 4 stars for characters.

I have seen some people critiquing Tamsyn Muir for not having a consistent tone throughout the series. I actually really loved world. In my opinion, there were a lot of cringey jokes in the first book and although I like Gideon, I am glad that we see different people as narrators. I loved the second book for its mysterious "vibey" writing style. I loved the third book for the child-like writing. The new perspective really helped me with immersing myself more in the book. 4 stars for writing style.

The overall vibes of the book were definitely there and I really enjoyed reading the book. +1 star for overall vibes.

final rating: 5 stars