Ninth House (Ninth House Trilogy #1) [J0418]

2020 PB in nice clean condition. Enter a mesmerizing world of power, privilege, and dark magic among the Ivy League elite in the first book in the Alex Stern series. Locus Finalist Winner. Galaxy "Alex" Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale's freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug-dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. In fact, by age twenty, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she's thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world's most prestigious universities on a full ride. What's the catch, and why her? Still searching for answers, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale's secret societies. Their eight windowless "tombs" are the well-known haunts of the rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street's biggest players. But their occult activities are more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive. They tamper with forbidden magic. They raise the dead. And, sometimes, they prey on the living. Ninth House is the long-awaited adult debut by the beloved author of Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows. Leigh Bardugo will take her place alongside Lev Grossman and Deborah Harkness as one of the finest practitioners of literary fantasy writing today.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "I picked up Ninth House because of my lifelong interest in secret societies, but I finished it with a newfound appreciation for dark academia. I’m incredibly glad I gave this book a chance, and it has earned a permanent place on my shelf. Highly recommended for readers who enjoy secret societies, gothic mysteries, and stories where the shadows hide more than they first reveal."; "I had the best time with this book. It was everything that I love and want in a supernatural novel. I enjoyed it so much I immediately started with the 2nd novel - Hell Bent."; "Hard to put down. Entertaining and gritty part fantasy part detective with some love/hate commentary on Yale culture."; "Truly spectacular. I almost gave up at the first chapter because it was kind of confusing but then everything quickly started to take shape and I had trouble putting the book down. I absolutely adore the main character Alex. She is now one of my all time favorites."