She answered the Emperor’s call.
She arrived with her arts, her wits, and her only friend.
In victory, her world has turned to ash.
Harrowhark Nonagesimus, last necromancer of the Ninth House, has been drafted by her Emperor to fight an unwinnable war. Side-by-side with a detested rival, Harrow must perfect her skills and become an angel of undeath—but her health is failing, her sword makes her nauseous, and even her mind is threatening to betray her.
Sealed in the gothic gloom of the Emperor’s Mithraeum with three unfriendly teachers, hunted by the mad ghost of a murdered planet, Harrow must confront two unwelcome questions: is somebody trying to kill her? And if they succeeded, would the universe be better off?
Harrow the Ninth (The Locked Tomb #2) by Tamsyn Muir
Narrator: Moira Quirk
My Rating: 4.5/5
Goodreads Rating: 4.29
Storygraph Rating: 4.38
Length: 19hrs 51mins / 512pgs
Fiction | Fantasy | Sci-Fi | LGBTQIA+
Pacing: Medium
Spice: None
Gore: Pretty High
What in a Necromancer’s fever dream did I just read? I’m still not sure but I thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing. Did I have to keep going back to relisten because I was completely lost? Yes, many times. Did I understand most of what went on? Definitely not. Did I enjoy it more than Gideon the Ninth? I think so and I wasn’t expecting that as I loved Gideon as a main character.
This instalment of The Locked Tomb series follows Harrowharth Nonagesimus in a second person POV. Harrowharth has had a, challenging, transition to lychterhood and we follow her as she wades through scattered memories, self-diagnosed insanity, and jumping back and forth in time.
For those who found Gideon’s story confusing… Hold on buttercup! This was fractured and chaotic, and then at times there were some excellent moments of clarity, which were then swallowed up just as quickly into madness all over again. The writing is still so crisp, the imagery fantastic. The graphic nature of the necromantic powers and rituals were so cleanly and clinically done you really couldn’t be disgusted. I also had far more laugh out loud moments delivered in such dry situations than I ever would have expected–I couldn’t even pick a favourite. Muir did a fantastic job at making some, subjectively intolerable characters quite likeable.
And that ending…. What in the Ninth!? Colour me bamboozled.
If you like a straightforward, well explained story with clear worldbuilding and character arcs this is probably not the series for you. It was confusing. But. If you’ve got a thirst for something dark and different, sometimes quite graphic then I can highly recommend The Locked Tomb series. I’m really looking forward to getting into Nona the Ninth, and I expect to be frothing for the release of Alecto the Ninth (release date unknown at this stage).
Julia Kitvaria Sarene