Nona is a sweet girl skipping blithely through the apocalypse. Since she woke up six months ago, she has acquired lots of friends at school and met several delightful dogs. She adores her three guardians, two of whom are dead and in the wrong bodies (that's necromancy for you). Apart from the weird dreams, Nona's life is swell. Unfortunately for her, the revolution would much rather have her body's original inhabitant back intact: Harrowhark Nonagesimus, a Lyctor of terrifying power. Muir doles out a few more pieces of the puzzle in this book, which is utterly unlike its predecessors apart from the brutal cliffhanger. Doesn't much advance the plot, though.

Nona is a strong addition to the Locked Tomb series. The cliff hanger ending makes me excited to pick up the next book, and John’s chapters with their unique pseudo-biblical style did a good job of adding to the world building and filling in the characters of the Lyctors. At some points, Nona feels like it suffers from “middle book syndrome” in that Nona’s school life and new friends are a bit of a diversion from the main arc of the series, and the lack of explicit Gideon and Harrow mentions is frustrating at times. This is somewhat alleviated by Nona and her school friends (particularly Hot-Sauce and Honesty) being extremely likeable characters, and the inclusion of familiar characters like Camilla and Palamedes. However, the lack of the two leads and the lengthy John chapters means that most of the real action is delayed till the third act.

I love Nona! I really appreciate Muir's talent for pulling me along even when I have no clue what's going on. Although sometimes this can feel like a lack of clarity in the telling, often it feels like an unmooring that is appropriate within the narrative. One of the major strengths of this series is the characters, who feel very vital and interesting. Nona is charming and her matter-of-fact childlike perspective on the events of the plot both lead to some fun reveals as well as endearing her to the reader--which is an incredibly interesting setup considering where this book ends. I was thankful for the lack of memes in this story, too. Can't wait for Alecto!

I devoured Nona the Ninth in less than 24 hours. It is full of childlike wonder, avoidant attachment styles, found family, and Tamsyn Muir's ever-so-clever hidden clues until *bang* the big reveal. I cannot wait for the final chapter of this series that sank its claws into me so immediately. That said, some spoiler-y things I'm thinking about having finished the book include:

1) 72 hours later, I'm still mulling over Nona. This book is also in a totally different voice than the other two, and the consistency of each book being in the respective character's head is pleasing. That said, I deeply missed the other two characters as narrators! I can't wait to be reunited with Harrow & Griddle properly!

2) This book, like Gideon and Harrow, also falls into the trend of not really knowing where the hell it's all going until about page 250, yelling "What is happening?!?!" as more context unravels inch by painstaking inch for the next 200 pages, and then the final 100 pages brings everything together leaving you with more questions than answers. I love that Tamsyn Muir holds me at a distance making me want the closure of the big reveal like a rabid dog, but I do wonder if 250 pages of pure bafflement is totally necessary at this stage. Likewise, the reveal at the end of Gideon and Harrow were explosive, so Nona's thoroughly predictable ending/tease was slightly less satisfying, if still tantalizing.

3) Tamsyn Muir is masterful at weaving layers of mystery. Nona's ending definitely ups the ante for next time: we're in the endgame now.

4) I've always imagined the settings for these books in snapshots and short video clips - it's hard to paint the picture of the whole world, but in some ways it makes the portions of the world's I imagine much more visceral.

5) I honestly did not care at all about John's origin story and while little snippets answered some questions and added intrigue with allusions to Harrow, I don't think I wanted John to be the central focus of any of these plots, even if his actions were the catalyst for their reality.

6) Knowing that Nona was not part of the original plan, I question whether this book was absolutely critical to the series, or whether it could have been condensed to its own 100 pages in Alecto. That said, we would have missed out on Nona's childlike perceptions of the world and characters we have already met, and that I do think would have been a sadness. Also, that linguistic masking of the Crown reveal was exquisite and I shrieked. Tamsyn Muir remains masterful at hiding clues in plain sight.

7) Because Nona is an unreliable narrator, being so distanced (and keeping herself so distanced) from the characters we know and love, the characterization of Gideon bothered me in this book; I'm missing something (possibly quite a lot) of what happened between the end of Harrow and this moment with Nona, but it doesn't quite feel like that was truly Gideon. Alternatively, something was off in the writing. Crossing my fingers there was a purpose for that because it was disappointing to be reunited with her but with few parts of /her/ truly present. This book's mystery layers add character actions slightly different from how the reader encountered them in the past, so my question is how they're going to be acting in the future, what the impetus for that change was, and if it all wraps up neatly with a bow.

8) While I'm waffling on the structural need for 480 pages of Nona, I do find her childlike perspective narratively illuminating in the midst of this really complicated Situation with a capital S, and her processing of her reality in a larger war and refugee crisis. So I can see how all four perspectives in the end are going to complete the quadrangle more thoroughly: Gideon as The Soldier, Harrow as The Priestess, Nona as The Child, and Alecto The Immortal/Fury/Crone.

Ultimately, reading it was maddeningly delightful, but it's true ranking as a book will depend on how neatly Alecto brings it all together - and so for now I will rank it as a 3.5/4. Nonetheless, I remain a Tamsyn Muir stan and eagerly await Alecto the Ninth with bated breath.

Oh my ever-loving FUCK I adore this book. It's all the parts of both GTN (world-building, a stellar protagonist, family vibes) and HTN (genuinely screaming WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING four times a chapter) which has earned it a place as my favorite TLT book.

I love Nona, and Nona loves me,

In Harrow the Ninth, Tamsyn Muir subverted all of our expectations and showed us a different side of the Locked Tomb universe. In Nona the Ninth she does it again, giving us a heroine completely unlike Gideon or Harrow, and a setting unlike any we’ve seen before in the series. Nona is both immensely likable and incredibly naïve, so it’s up to the reader to make sense of the scraps of information she picks up. There is an incredible amount of exposition in the first half of the book, which gives it somewhat of a meandering pace. But once the action picks up, it doesn’t stop. Many questions are answered, but even more are raised, and I’m very much looking forward to seeing Muir’s conclusion to the series in Alecto the Ninth.

Ahhhh I've been waiting for this book for over a year and I'm so glad I finally got to read it!!!

Nona the Ninth picks up a few months after Harrow leaves off. Right out of the starting gate, I'll warn you that you're going to want to reread the first two books before diving into this one. I didn't, and I had to scramble to reread a few synopses and look up characters on wikis to remember who everyone was and what the hell was going on. Because Muir isn't going to tell you. You're on your own, kid.

Which is part of the major appeal of these books, to me. Harrow was a jigsaw puzzle of a book, and an absolute delight to read and attempt to solve. When everything finally comes together, it's so shocking and satisfying that you'll find yourself immediately turning back at the end of the book to reread the whole thing again with this knowledge on hand. Infinite replay value. Like House of Leaves except it's actually an enjoyable experience, and you get something out of it in the end.

Nona is no different. We're dropped right into the story with only a handful of familiar faces to guide our understanding of what's happening. I don't want to spoil anything, though that's my usual M.O. when writing reviews, but I just can't risk ruining the story for anyone else who reads reviews carelessly. Suffice to say that you're in for a ride and you're going to enjoy every chaotic second of it.

Muir does offer a lot more backstory about the world this time around, which was immensely satisfying after playing guessing games about how this version of the universe came to be throughout the other two books. Her worldbuilding and dissemination of information is second to none. And that's on top of her intricate, 5D-chess-player, I'm-already-17-parallel-universes-ahead-of-you plot, her appallingly hilarious writing style (despite being peppered with outdated memes that take you so off guard you'll find yourself laughing out loud at them anyway), and her absolutely incredible cast of lovable characters, cinnamon rolls and bastards all.

Muir has elevated writing beyond art, beyond science. I wish I could see inside her mind, because my God. They should do studies on her.

I will now impatiently wait until the final installment while forcing everyone I know to read this masterpiece—again, AFTER they've had a fresh reread of the first two in order to give them as much of a leg up as Muir will permit.

I received an advance copy of this book on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

How do I review this book while avoiding the pitfalls of becoming a capslock-smashing fangirl or accidentally ruining someone's experience of reading Nona by dropping spoilers or over-hyping it? Let's hope I'm up to the challenge.

Nona is the third book in a series, and I really cannot overstate how important it is to read both the first and second books before picking up this one. Muir's narratives are twisty and her narrators are often as caught up in their own bullshit as the reader (honestly, we need a new phrase for this level of unreliable narrator).

This book is full to bursting with background information and worldbuilding. I liked that Gideon didn't do a lot of info-dumping and just expected the reader to accept certain truths as they were introduced throughout the course of the novel. This is my preferred way of experiencing a new fantasy or sci-fi setting. Drop little morsels of information like breadcrumbs to keep me from getting too frustrated with not knowing anything. Then Harrow came along and made me question many of those truths, while introducing new mysteries to puzzle over. Nona gives readers a lesson in the history leading up to the formation of the Nine Houses and the Emperor Undying, answers a few significant series questions, and still manages to end on a cliffhanger.

While it was an unexpected addition to what was supposed to be a trilogy of novels, I think that Nona the Ninth adds to the overall experience of the Locked Tomb by zooming in on an area of Muir's creation we haven't previously examined. My only regret is that I devoured this ARC in one sitting and now have to wait patiently for Alecto to hit Netgalley.

Tamsyn Muir's brain is giant. I once again had no idea what was happening throughout this book, I just know that I enjoyed it very much and Nona is such a lovely character.

When I read Harrow the Ninth, I stopped a few pages in to go reread Gideon because I had no idea what was going on. It didn't help, I still had no idea what was going on, but at least then I knew it was on purpose. For Nona the Ninth, I didn't bother rereading, though I was still definitely confused. I just embraced the fact that confusion. I knew I was in for a ride, and I was willing to strap in and see where it went.

I was not disappointed.

I have so many questions and it's very hard to discuss without spoiling anything!! But I loved this book a lot and my only regret is I have to wait that much longer for Alecto the Ninth now.

My kingdom for some kind of recap at the start of these books - they are so dense with twists and characters who show up in different incarnations/bodies that I found myself reading the first few chapters and then going back to read plot summaries of Gideon and Harrow to refresh my memory. I enjoyed Nona the Ninth, especially the look at life outside the Houses, but I do feel like you can tell it was not originally intended to be its own book. There's very little that happens to advance the overarching plot of the series. A fun ride, but not my favorite entry in the Locked Tomb series so far.

Nona the Ninth is the Locked Tomb book I have been waiting for, after my pickiness with the previous two. This book unites the twisty plottiness and creeping suspense of GtN with the reflective elements and emotional depth of HtN, while the series' characteristic quirk and irreverence is used (in moderation) to great effect. All the twists here have meaning - this is a book as much about empire, the environment, and being human as about necromancers, space, and eldritch abominations. Above all, Nona is a perfect protagonist: never one-note, she has tons of depth and, even better, also brings out new depths in the secondary cast. I could revisit this book both as part of the whole series and also as its own thing (a story of a confused girl in a complicated and messed up world). After not quite feeling that fifth star with books 1 and 2, I am so delighted to say NtN deserves every star; I can only hope AtN is as good (I certainly can't wait).

ha ha hahaha HA WHAT JUST HAPPENED

just finished the book and promptly lost my mind. why did i think harrow the ninth was the wackest book i’ve ever read. i was so naive. i should have known taz muir was going to do this.

take everything you think you know about this series and turn it on its head. in nona the ninth, nothing is as it seems, and for much of the book, it is going to feel like one strange, beautifully written trip - between the main characters (who are not who you expect), the plot (which you will NEVER be able to predict, i’ve tried), and the setting, nona the ninth takes readers’ expectations and not only subverts them, but laughs in the face of everyone who thought they knew what was going to happen.

tamsyn muir is a force of nature, and if she hasn’t been recognized critically for it in the past several years, it better happen soon; nona the ninth was genuinely one of the most original, gorgeous books i’ve ever had the chance to read. nona is single-handedly the most lovable person out there (and NOODLE OH MY GOD) and the cast of side characters is like an all star group from the locked tomb universe. the way everyone interacted with each other coupled with the dream sequences had me on the edge of my metaphorical seat. no one does sci-fi like muir. she truly ate the genre up with this one.

i can’t say much more about the book for fear of spoiling it (you really just have to go in not understanding anything; there’s no way to say more without ruining at least one big part of it), but i will just say that this series just gets better and better with every book. the ending of nona is the worst/best/worst thing that has ever happened to me, and i am beyond excited for alecto. THANK YOU TAMSYN FOR GIVING THE GAYS THESE BOOKS 🤩🤩🤩

as a final note: how the hell did she think she was going to be able to fit this AND alecto into one book,,,,,,,,

Anyone who has read the other offerings in the Locked Tomb series might think they know what to expect with "Nona the Ninth": a madcap, dense style of writing, rampant violence, humor and tragedy mixed with a gothic sensibility, and lots of queer yearning. "Nona" is all these things but slightly muted from "Gideon the Ninth"'s muscled, locked-door murder mystery or "Harrow the Ninth"'s grim space opera: Nona, as a character, is a riddle. Who is she? We know whose body she is in - these books love a good bodyswapping - but who is Nona? Why is this child-like, innocent, hopeful young woman the key to the growing fight between the Blood of Eden and... well, so many other people?

Having Nona as a brand new POV character is a bold choice, and Muir doesn't shy from those. This isn't a series you can dip a toe into; you can only acquiesce to its demands as it pulls your hair and drinks your beer and steals your girlfriend. Starting this book, I initially resented that we were in Nona's head, and not, say, any of the other loveable characters in this series. However, Nona swiftly won me over, and the revelations that ensued were truly mindblowing.

I encourage anyone who reads this series to refresh yourself on Harrow's plot, because I struggled a bit with what was happening, who was who, and what title corresponded to which character (because, of course, Nona never refers to anyone really by their name). However despite my confusion, Nona was a pleasure to read and I highly recommend it to fans of this series.

This book. THIS BOOK! I don't think I can accurately articulate how incredibly amazing this book is. It's extremely complex and I feel like this is a book that needs to be read multiple times to catch every morsel that Tamsyn gives us. The mystery surrounding this book still hasn't been solved for me, This book is definitely my book of the year, I need Alecto ASAP!

Discovering your new favorite series is going from a trilogy to a tetralogy is always good news. Nona the Ninth picks up seemingly where Harrow left off, but I honestly wish I had reread Harrow another time before starting this one. I loved the story, and yet I found myself constantly wondering if I remembered where all the characters fit in with one another -- this could be because Harrow the Ninth left me with so many questions about who is alive, who is dead, and who is somewhere in-between.

All I can hope for is that Alecto will give us more answers, but I'm happy to have met Nona along the way!

This series is everything and Nona was a perfect installment. I can't wait for the world to read this and I can't wait for Alecto!!

Tamsyn Muir has done it again—"It" being an intricately woven lesbian, science-fantasy epic with questions, answers, revelations, and hot sauce.

As the characters work through their penultimate book in the series the reader is treated to domesticity, divinity, and political intrigue. While the plot swirls Nona's undercurrent will resonate with readers as they and Nona ask the question: How to be when you are a mystery to yourself?

Nona the Ninth was impossible to put down. We're lucky to live in a world with this type of literature: Funny, phenomenal, and a fierce display of Muir's raw talent and craft as an author.

Tamsyn Muir's Locked Tomb series has once again taken a hard left turn in NONA THE NINTH, leading devoted readers on another merry unhinged necromantic adventure that - in typical Muir fashion - introduces more questions than it answers. Gruesomely wacky, viscerally human, and unexpectedly lovely, this surprise third Locked Tomb book will have you staying up way past your bedtime and chomping at the bit for next year's hellraising conclusion.

Once again Tamsyn Muir proves that this is her necromantic empire, and we're just living in it. Following in the footsteps of its predecessors, NONA THE NINTH is as surprising as it is original. Readers will be pleased to receive a few long-waited answers to the many questions in this perplexing story, even if the ending will probably leave most begging for the final installment immediately. With this next volume in The Locked Tomb series, Muir continues to deepen character relationships; explore the intersections between queerness, religion, and empire; and offer a masterful selection of memes.