We’re back! It seems like we only closed out Season 2 with the wonderful ‘The Raven Boys’ only days ago, but it’s been seven weeks!

Autumn is now in full swing here in the south of England and it’s dark academia season bby. It’s only right to start the season with a bang.

It’s time to bring a Leigh Bardugo novel into our little universe and we’re diving into ‘Ninth House’ ahead of the release of the sequel, ‘Hell Bent’, in just a few months. In case it’s escaped you, here’s what we’re working with:

Galaxy 'Alex' Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale's freshman class. A dropout and the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved crime, Alex was hoping for a fresh start. But a free ride to one of the world's most prestigious universities was bound to come with a catch.

Alex has been tasked with monitoring the mysterious activities of Yale's secret societies - well-known haunts of the rich and powerful. Now there's a dead girl on campus and Alex seems to be the only person who won't accept the neat answer the police and campus administration have come up with for her murder.

Because Alex knows the secret societies are far more sinister and extraordinary than anyone ever imagined. They tamper with forbidden magic. They raise the dead. And sometimes they prey on the living . . .

Leigh Bardugo is a beloved writer and her adult debut, ‘Ninth House’, is up there will so many people’s favourites. It’s dark and mysterious, alluring and dense, but is it dark academia? How does the fantasy element blend with dark academia? Is a secret society and a gloomy Yale setting enough to pass the vibe check?

In this episode we discuss:

• Magic and the occult as a classical study

• The sexual assault and violence against women featured in the novel - is it gratuitous, or does it serve a purpose worthy of the graphic nature of the scenes?

• The ways in which the novel subverts some traditional dark academia elements

• ‘Ninth House’ by Leigh Bardugo

• ‘The Secret History’ by Donna Tartt

• ‘The Great Gatsby’ by F Scott Fitzgerald

• ‘Vampire Academy’ by Richelle Mead

• ‘The Morganville Vampires’ by Rachel Caine

• ‘Madam’ by Phoebe Wynne

• 'Gilmore Girls’

If you want to snag yourself a copy of ‘Ninth House’ just in time for spooky season, please consider using our bookshop.org affiliate link below which helps out independent bookstores and helps us fund the website and the podcast at no extra cost to you.

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