nona the ninth

each of the three locked tomb books released so far has taken a different approach, focused on a different part of the world, sat in a different genre. i think genre as tool of characterization is really interesting. gideon the ninth gets some criticism for being so densely quippy, but it expresses something about gideon as a character. similarly, the way ianthe and harrow interact in harrow the ninth can be explained by a difference in the genres they’re living in.

all that is to say: i liked nona the ninth a lot. nona’s a very charming character, and it’s nice getting spotlights on different parts of the cast, different sides of characters we’ve already met. the bonus story is a stand-out. it’s nice seeing the world outside the empire. i like the new characters. overall, highly recommend.

the worst part of getting into an ongoing series is the stretch of time where you’ve finally caught up, and now you just have to wait for the next installment. i’m excited to find out what alecto is going to be.