As one of my favorite coworkers likes to reiterate: “BE THAT BITCH.”
Some of my top “bad bitches” of literature include the following:
–Hermione Granger – Bookish, practical, and unafraid to stick up for herself and what she believes is right. Her haughtiness may be frustrating for Harry and Ron, but it keeps them out of at least some disastrous situations. Hermione’s not afraid to get in a confrontation when it’s necessary. And ya girl knows how to navigate that library like ah boss!
–Stephanie Plum – In limbo with her personal and professional life, while also being in limbo between two smokin’ hot dudes. Steph enjoys housing some doughnuts with her sassy, body positive partner Lula, and she constantly finds herself in situations that wreck havoc on her hair and her ego…plus, she has the most bad ass grandma OF ALL TIME! Stephanie might seem like an unmotivated flake, but she gets the job done (dog doodoo in her hair and all).
–Robin Ellacott – Secretary turned detective, Robin’s an elegant young lady, raised in an upper crust family, with a spine of steel. As the right hand person to Cormoran Strike, Robin isn’t as dainty as her upbringing may suggest. She’s stealthy, observant, and willing to put her personal life (and well-being) on the back burner to the chagrin of her chauvinist fiance. Beauty, grace, and fragile like a bomb.
–Lisbeth Salander – Goth/emo/grudge tech head, with a bad attitude, and a “take no shit” lease on life. Her dark history makes Lisbeth both brooding and dangerous. It’s unwise to find one’s self on her bad side. Lisbeth has no qualms with ruining lives to ensure her own survival. One of the most harrowing scenes I’ve ever read involved Lisbeth being sexually abused by her legal guardian, and I’ve never been more satisfied than when she got her revenge.
What do all these ladies have in common (other than they’re part of different book series’)? They are all a little bit more than they initially appear. They’re flawed and broken in some essential manner, and they are all fighting the good feminist fight in one way or another.
So I have a NEW BA lady to add to my list, and I’m beyond psyched that she’s apart of a new series being written by the fabulous Leigh Bardugo, author of my favorite YA fantasy trilogy and duology, Grisha and Six of Crows. Branching out into adult territory, Bardugo has graced the world with her most recent release, Ninth House.
Galaxy “Alex” Stern is a misfit. Since childhood, she’s be bombarded by the unwanted company of the souls of the dead. Their constant presence in her life has led Alex astray in many ways. But it has also presented her with an undeniably fortuitous opportunity: a full ride scholarship to attend Yale University. The catch? Alex must act as the Dante for Lethe, an organization that’s in charge of keeping the boundaries between the eight secret societies and the afterlife intact.
In an attempt to leave the ravaged life she’s lived in Los Angeles behind (and the dark murders she might have been a party to), Alex accepts.
Once on the Yale campus, Alex quickly understands she’s been thrown into the deep end. As a high school drop out, the daughter of a staunch hippie, and a generally maladjusted 20-year-old ex-drug addict, she definitely does not fit into the high-brow crowd. This becomes especially evident, as she’s being trained by Darlington – an uppity prep school yuppie, with a propensity for making Alex feel like a schlub.
After the murder of a young townie girl, Alex finds herself drawn to uncovering the killer (though this reaches beyond her capacities in Lethe). As she navigates the precarious situation she finds herself in, Alex uncovers a slew of secrets with the help of a few unexpected accomplices. She finds that these are secrets that someone would be willing to open up the underworld to keep hidden…
A few amazing things about this book:
- It’s highly original. I have never read a book that delves into secret societies like this. Making a a connection between the secret societies and the realms of the dead is both creepy and fascinating. I look forward to seeing how Bardugo continues to flesh out this theme in the sequel.
- The descriptive writing is top-notch. “The campus has a way of changing faces from hour to hour and block to block so that Alex always felt as if she were meeting it for the first time. Tonight it was a sleepwalker, breathing deep and even.” Bardugo’s imagery is so poignant throughout the book, this is just one example I loved.
- There’s an epic cliff hanger. I know there are some readers who aren’t fond of being teased by an ending – I’m not one of those people. Give me an enticing promise for an intriguing sequel and I’ll be foaming at the mouth for its release. This book led me to even more questions and I can’t wait for their revelations!
Something that may frustrate readers:
This is a book that jumps between three timelines: Alex’s life in LA, her time working under the tutelage of Darlington, and the investigation into the townie girl’s murder. I’ll be honest, there were a few moments in the book I was completely lost and had to peddle back to figure out what was going on. This is definitely a book that requires your full attention to stay abreast of the developing story line. But it’s worth it in the end!
Ninth House – Click here to get your copy!
A few other amazing reads by Leigh Bardugo:
Shadow and Bone (The Grisha Book 1)
Happy & healthy reading!
Lexi
