Nona, Noan, Anon.
Just Nona… The Ninth
Like many of us out here in the world of the readers, I was expecting to be graced with the story of Alecto the Ninth after finishing the rollercoaster of a ride that was the previous book, Harrow the Ninth. Instead, we get to know Nona, a 6 month old person in the body of a woman estimated to be 19 years old on a planet outside the Control of the Nine Houses and the Emperor Undying that really doesn’t like the Empire or necromancy, however, I can’t imagine why 🤷♀️. We don’t learn the identity of the body’s previous inhabitant until much later in the novel. Much of the story is told through the experiences of Nona who is very childlike in demeanor, as she navigates her day to day life as a teacher’s aide, trying to maintain her friendships and status in Hot Sauce’s gang, and her duties to her family – Camilla, Palamedes, and Pyrrha.
This is the second book in a row in this series where our protagonist is not an entirely reliable narrator – last book Harrow excised parts of her memory leading to much confusion and in this book, we have a childlike persona in the body of someone much older and she doesn’t know why. This makes for an interesting storytelling device in which both the reader and character are learning together.
Like the previous installments, Nona is filled with the sarcastic and dark humour we’ve come to expect and love from Tamsyn Muir, but this book is not all laughs. The city and world where Nona and her family live in are under siege by a big blue light – a Resurrection Beast, the imperial threat of Lyctors and other necromancy, and rebel factions vying for power. This book shows us the resilience of people trying to live their lives in horrible situations, peoples’ devotion to family and friends and the struggle to choose between them when those ties are in conflict, love and forgiveness, and also trust. Trust in that you are doing the right thing, even though it’s scary and may end your life before you know you’ve succeeded.
Nona trusts you to do the right thing and pick up a copy of this book. Do let her down. Do it for Nona.
Rating: 9/10