Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

this book grabs you by the collar and makes you read it. of the trilogy, the first book feels the darkest and grittiest which propelled me forward as i gobbled up those dark academia vibes. sigh, i wish i went to yale. and was a part of a secret magical society.

all of the characters feel very real and vital as do their backstories/traumas/histories/hurts, but the main character, alex stern jumps off the page. she's a bit snarky, a bit untrustworthy, and above all she's ruthless. you will want to cheer her on even as she's doing very, very bad things. (but are they really that bad if she's just settling the score? maybe sometimes two wrongs DO make a right...)

you know what, 5/5 stars.