There are no other books quite like Harrow the Ninth. The second novel in Tamsyn Muir’s Locked Tomb trilogy following Gideon the Ninth, Harrow the Ninth seemingly follows the conventions of a sequel while consistently turning things on their heads at every opportunity. As the second story in a trilogy, audiences come in with a certain expectation. Where the first book is meant to set up the characters and the overarching plot, it still ends in an apparent victory. The second book need to expand the world, introduce new mysteries, and provide a lead-up to the third and final chapter. Harrow the Ninth does do this, but not in any expected way. Instead, it creates a mood piece focusing intimately on our main heroine as she navigates a wholly unfamiliar world out to destroy her at every turn. Many questions are asked, some are answered, but Muir never loses sight of the story she wants to tell.
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