What is not in that review is my delight in the novel's idea of "magical" spaces, or places endowed with "power" of some sort. This is a theme I would love to investigate more deeply someday. Ninth House is a mystery fantasy novel about a woman who investigates a murder, and uncovers a massive nest of vipers among the eight frat houses on Yale University (remember, I said this is a "fantasy" novel) that specialize in magic. The book is rich with suspense and ghosts, lots of ghosts. Flowing beneath the entire narrative is the assumption that each frat house has been built upon a spot that was already naturally flowing with energy, with power.
Think about ley lines and feng shui, about cathedrals and temples, about ceremonial spaces and sacred lands. That is one off the topics I'm fascinated by, and that is an idea at the heart of Bardugo's novel.
Have you read Ninth House or its recent sequel? If you have, visit my "other blog" and let me know what you think of this book.