Nona the Ninth

Written by Tamsyn Muir

Narrated by Moira Quirk

Tamsyn Muir’s New York Times and USA Today bestselling Locked Tomb series continues with Nona … the Ninth?

In many ways, Nona is like other people. She lives with her family, has a job at her local school, and loves walks on the beach and meeting new dogs. But Nona’s not like other people. Six months ago she woke up in a stranger’s body, and she’s
afraid she might have to give it back.

The whole city is falling to pieces. A monstrous blue sphere hangs on the horizon, ready to tear the planet apart. Blood of Eden forces have surrounded the last Cohort facility and wait for the Emperor Undying to come calling. Their leaders
want Nona to be the weapon that will save them from the Nine Houses. Nona would prefer to live an ordinary life with the people she loves, with Pyrrha and Camilla and Palamedes, but she also knows that nothing lasts forever.

And each night, Nona dreams of a woman with a skull-painted face. …

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Sep 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9781705048580

Reviews for Nona the Ninth

[Lisa · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The fuh. This was excellent and I cannot wait for more.

[Tina Porter · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Once again I'm left with more questions than answers and once again I'm left wanting more. Discovering the mystery of Nona has been a wild ride. I really can't say more without risking spoilers. Action good. Dialogue good. Plot good. World building good. 10/5

[Noemi Shavit · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

confused as always! loved it! nona and noodle for everrrr

[Russ · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This series continues to surprise and delight me. I am a sucker for fish-out-of-water stories, and this book is fish-out-of-water, on another planet, after undergoing a full frontal lobotomy. It is bonkers and funny in all the right ways. I loved the masterful prose, and the humor, and the nice lady teacher, and the doggies, and the body-swapping. Immediately after finishing this book, I wanted to read it again.

[marie.madeleine · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really loved this series and this was a great conclusion. Didn't quite make it to the 5☆ for me, though

[EarlLemongrab · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The interactions and dialogue are superb, which keep me reading but there were so many times where I couldn't visualize what was going on. I'm okay with being confused; 60% of the series is basically a new book that reveals with a flourish to reveal that it was, indeed, a sequel. I'm not super comfortable with just mechanically following along hoping that I'll eventually have enough revealed to make sense. It even works well for some characters, and it's a bit more interesting with these Necroqueer vibes. It just felt... sloppy in the last third, when the last two books were pretty clever

[glennis.leblanc · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

review to come

I wasn’t in love with the previous book, but I really liked the first one so much that I grabbed the third book to listen to. The narration was great, and I think that kept me in more than anything else. Nona comes across as a young amnesia victim living with older people that care about her but not related to her. Her three caretakers watch for any signs of her changing or remembering more. They live in a city that is a under the threat of violence and Nona has to hide that she is different from everyone she meets. There is a subplot that tells the backstory of the Emperor Undying that ties into everything that has happened before. Fans of the series will love the ending even if you are left wanting more.

[lavaturtle · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I have really mixed feelings about this book. Nona is a fun character, and I really liked the relationships she has with the people who care for her and her school friends. But much like the previous book, when it comes to necromancer intrigue and the rebellion vs. the Houses, I was constantly confused. Maybe it would be easier to follow if I had re-read the previous books first? Or maybe we're supposed to be confused, because Nona is also unclear on what's going on?

[gaby dickson · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I did "enjoy" this series, although I still have no fkn idea what was going on! I think it may have been too clever for me, and too clever for itself!

[Stevie Freeborn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Really really really good but a bit hard to follow if you're only listening to the audio books but highly recommend

[quondame · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

WTF. This book isn't what I expected, which seems a common occurrence. Nona is a character with maybe 6mo of experience, a couple of unusual abilities, ready affections in a world which looks like it won't be around to finish out the week. She is being cared for by 3 people in 2 bodies and "works" as a teacher's aid. I've rated this 3.5 because that's mostly what I rate books that are interesting to read and don't annoy me, but really I have no idea, just I didn't love it or feel it carried enough substance to rate it more highly.

[macha_4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

go back and (re)read the first two books in the Locked Tomb series before you start; you'll be glad you did, and not only because it starts in medias res. the voice of this one, the very particular world of what a child chooses to see and feel, the colour of every moment, is so beautifully done. the whole world contained in Nona's small made family is alive to the touch and deeply, heartstoppingly real. meanwhile, we're finally introduced to the larger backstory - the sf tale of the apocalypse that once set up this death cult. an instant classic series with one more book to go.

[narilka · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"Life is too short and love is too long."Be prepared to toss out everything you think you knew and get ready for the strange and delightful ride that is Nona the Ninth, book three in Tamsyn Muir's Locked Tomb series. As a fan of the series I really should be used to this by now and yet it still caught me off guard at just how different this book was to what's come before. I absolutely loved it. I love Nona and Nona loves me.This is a slow burn story yet it never seemed to drag for me. The first half of the book deals with the day to day life of Nona and her family (eating breakfast, going to school, etc.) as the mystery of Nona and what's really going on begins to unfold. Plus the mystery of Camilla and Palamedes. Oh and the mystery of Pyrrah. Did I mention there's a lot of mysteries? I probably left some out of the list. This set up lets us see what's going on in the universe outside of the Nine Houses. It is disturbing. The idyllic moments don't last as the second half of the book explodes, almost literally, and the action starts. Then it becomes a frantic race to answer the question of Nona before it's too late. I had a hard time putting the book down I was so engaged.It's also a book of reveals. We are given John's origin story, which includes the background of the original Lyctors, told brilliantly using biblical imagery and references. Apparently those bible verse codes are an alphanumeric cypher which gives you a cool teaser for Alecto by the end in addition to the actual bible verses having relevance to that which is revealed. Thanks so much to my buddy read pal Iain for pointing this out! We also learn more about the Blood of Eden organization and what they're fighting for. The cast of Nona is brilliant. Nona is such a joy to read with her sweet innocence and quirks. I just wanted to hug her and be her friend. Camilla and Palamedes have cemented their position as my favorite necro/cav pair with their devotion to each other and Nona. The kids at the school and the dog Noodle are fun. Pyrrah is a tough nut to crack but even she won a small piece of my heart. I loved spending time getting to know everyone.In the end, this is all one big set up for events to come in Alecto. I hope we get to see some flashes of Nona in the final book. Her sweet innocence was so refreshing in this dark and strange universe.

[shrike58 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

By this point in the game I know better than to expect any preconceptions I might have about this series to play out as I suspect, Nona the character was certainly not the person that I would have bet on her to be. I also think that the publisher did everyone a favor by breaking up the original third novel into two books, as it would otherwise have been unwieldy. As for this installment, one learns more about what it's like to be on the receiving end of the Empire of the Nine Houses, besides getting the origin story of John Gaius (Necrolord Prime). And yes, the tomb is opened. I don't think that anyone who has read along this far will be disappointed.

[rookline · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the book that's converted me to a fully fledged Tamsyn Muir fan. Enjoyed the previous two books, but found it hard to get attached to this crazy bone world. This one retroactively improved them for me. Characters felt deeper and more grounded. The perspective of a young character was done masterfully - a depiction of genuinely weird/intense girlhood done well - reminded me at times of the early chapters of 'The Mill On The Floss' Honestly, would be a joy to read for her handling of language alone.

[gwendydd · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Just like the second book in the series, for a lot of this book I didn't necessarily understand what was happening, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. Nona is a delightful character: unlike Harrow and Gideon, she is sweet and innocent and trusting and affectionate, and the contrast between her and everyone else in this series is hilarious.

[rivkat_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Let me begin by confessing that I never had much idea what was going on in the previous books, content to skate on the surface of their wild fantastic imagination. But definitely by the end of Harrow the Ninth, I was beginning to think that these were the bad guys, and this book basically confirmed my take: When you tell me that Resurrection Beasts hunt necromancers because a bunch of planets died, even strategic silence on how those planets died will not avoid suspicion, especially since in Harrow they actually do kill a planet. Of course these particular people did not themselves start the system—that was God/John, and in this book we learn a fair amount more about what he thought he was doing. Nona herself is a passive, childlike presence through the book, very much acted upon rather than actor, and her emotions are often not deep or explained, which is a structural difficulty. I understand this began as a section of what is now going to be book four, and perhaps it ought to have stayed that way.

[thedivineoomba · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a filler book. But WHAT a filler book it is! I have no idea what is going on, but neither does Nona, so its okay. Does it make sense, I really have no idea. However, the characters are grounded, from Nona's Protectors, to Nona herself, a brand new being who just wants a birthday party. The history of the nine planets is touched on, including why John Gaius is God. That is also some crazy stuff. I quite liked that we see John going from reasonable, to not so reasonable as the book progressed.A few things. There's a lot of stuff happening, and it starts immediately there is no summarizing of the previous book and while it is an immediate sequel to the last one, the setting and events are so different, it feels almost like a stand alone. There are references to the first two books, but because Nona is so... innocent and doesn't remember, the reader is mostly bewildered about what's happening. I'm very curious what will happen in the next book, with this author, it could go so many ways.

[Thea Karan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love everything about this book. There's something about the soul of a dead planet getting to live her best life as a smol autistic lesbian with her little queer family and love dogs and fall in love with humanity and with the world that scratches an itch for me that i didn't know was there.

[black2lilly · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was fun.I had no expectations for it when I heard that a there will be another book before Alecto finally comes out, but I was pleasantly surprised by it.It is a crazy ride to figure out together with Nona who she is and in the end nothing is like it seems and yet everything is exactly how it seems, in typical Muir fashion. Nona is sweet, Nona is loved, or it least liked, but then "what's like except a love that hasn't been invited indoors?"