Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo is the third book in the Ninth House trilogy, one of my favorite series of books that has ever been written. Yes, I am being dramatic. Yes, this series absolutely deserves that drama. This book, and the two that came before it, beautifully blends dark academia, fantasy, and a love story for the ages. I realized after I started writing this review that I wrote about the first book for a grad school paper, not The Nora Theory, but whatever, here we are.
*This review contains spoilers for the first two books in the Ninth House trilogy*
Alex and Darlington made it back from hell, but they didn’t come back alone. Now, there are demons invading New Haven and it’s their job to stop them. Not only are innocent lives at risk, but if they lose, they just might spend eternity in hell.
The veil of privilege shielding Yale in all its perfection is slowly unraveling, leaving the campus’ ugly underside exposed, at least to the young Lethe representatives and their fellow keepers of the Ninth House.
“Do we really have to do this?” Alex asked. Darlington sighed, and she laughed. “This is where you’re supposed to remind me of our sacred duty as delegates of Lethe.”
“I know,” he said. “But it’s hard to feel much investment when we’re spending most of our time —”
“Staving off Armageddon?”
“I fear we’ve veered into melodrama.”
If it’s not already clear, I was pretty sure I would love this book before I ever turned the first page. The characters were already so dear to me. Darlington is so hilarious. His wry, erudite humor is spectacular.
Alex Stern is a study in resilience. Girl has been through hell both literally and metaphorically, but she always continues on to fight another day. She is deeply inspiring and will always be one of my comfort characters.
The movies loved cold-eyed assassins and flinty lone wolves. But the world needed people who wept and fought on, saps and suckers and fools who had their hearts broken but kept loving anyway, women who knew how to work magic with nothing but water and flour, a little salt, and a will that could grind iron to dust.
There is absolutely a romance at play in Dead Beat, but it is not the main point of the story. As such, there is a slight sprinkle of sex, but it’s more suggestive than anything else. Most of it is left up to the imagination.
Mesmerizing descriptions abound, of Yale, of the characters, and of the magic itself. It builds an atmospheric energy. The story feels so real and visceral on the page, filled with creativity and essential touches of whimsy.
Dead Beat is weighty and intellectual, but also so much fun. This is a beautiful book for those who want a fantastical contemporary fantasy steeped in romance and dark academia vibes, with a deep appreciation of the classics. Truly a nerdy girl’s dream.
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