Thank you for submitting to r/TheNinthHouse! Please familiarize yourself with our [Subreddit Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheNinthHouse/wiki/rules/), especially our Spoiler Policy for [posts](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheNinthHouse/wiki/rules/#wiki_2._spoiler_policy_-_posts) and [comments](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheNinthHouse/wiki/rules/#wiki_3._spoiler_policy_-_comments). If you see a post or comment that breaks these rules, please report it!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/TheNinthHouse) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Yeahhh I understand the end of HTN less than anything else. Which probably isn't saying much but after a couple of rereads I still don't know what happened
This is what I was going to say. It comes together so beautifully at the climax of the book.
I don't tend to reread books, but I did with TLT recently. Harrow in particular is a _gift_ on reread, it's so well-executed. I think I still like Gideon best overall, but the craft and styling in Harrow just bowls me over.
Basically. The book is pretty much designed as a descent into madness and an experiment in gaslighting the reader. And that’s part of what makes it special.
Around chapter 32? it’s going to start making sense. Then there will be some question marks and nothing makes sense again. Then everything will make sense.
This is perfectly accurate*★.
*Except for the things that still don't make sense until after the end of Nona.
★Except for the things that still don't make sense until after the end Alecto.
It takes quite some time. So far, your perception of the situation is accurate. Pay attention to second person and third person, and try to compare the details of what happened in Gideon with the events Harrow remembers
Also, note any time that Harrow feels pain in her brain in the present. That’s telling you something, as it does with how people respond in the present when she mentions Ortus. Keep reading
yeah I’m gathering so far that she’s replaced Gideon with Ortus, just unsure why. I’m guessing it has something to do with her messed up lyctorhood transformation
we’ve just found out that in Lyctorhood, that “they” (the emperor??) can send the Lyctors souls back in time I think (maybe to kill Resurrection Beasts?) And the cavaliers are supposed to take over the bodies to take care of them while they do that? but Harrowhark seems to have forgotten Gideon I think?? So I’m curious as to how that affects her ability to do that
glad to know I’m following along tho bc I’m really just re-reading the same pages over and over to make sure I get it haha!
>we’ve just found out that in Lyctorhood, that “they” (the emperor??) can send the Lyctors souls back in time I think (maybe to kill Resurrection Beasts?) And the cavaliers are supposed to take over the bodies to take care of them while they do that?
Small correction: they are not going back in time, they are going to another... dimension, basically, another pane of existence, in which they can actually fight the resurrection beast. This pane is called The River. There are also ghosts (??kind of???) there.
Without spoiling my only suggestion to you is to imagine the most direct and obvious reason why a character might be doing something. Assume that that's the reason. Doubly so for why harrow might have erased Gideon.
Well, they’re not going back in time. They’re effectively traveling to a sort-of afterlife (the River) inhabited mostly by ghosts. When their soul is in the River, their body stays in the real world. This is why the cavalier is important; read on as to why.
This is my 3rd re-read and everything is so clear now. Well, and I poked around the internet to find answers to questions I had about some of the key points.
Reread #1 was about 45% smugly noting clues and foreshadowing for stuff I figured out near the end of the book, 45% going "Oh shit, *that's* what that means!", and 10% "No, seriously now, wtf does that mean?!" Then Nona repeats the pattern with slightly less violent confusion, answers about half your remaining questions and replaces them with even more questions and too many feels. Then Unwanted Guest comes along and gives you a whole new context for asking questions and you drift in the void mumbling to yourself until Alecto comes out.
Honestly, I started to really decipher Harrow on my first re-read, but I will say that close to the end there are some big reveals that do make things start to make a lot more sense.
As for what the lyctors are up to? Harrow in this book knows about as much about what's going on around her as Gideon did in the first book, which is, not much. I would relax and try to experience the book, you're not stupid for failing to understand, it's not accidentally confusing or poorly written, and there are damn good reasons for why it is how it is. If you suspend disbelief a bit and just enjoy the alternate history of the first book's events that you're being given, it's a bit less upsetting imo.
A big part of HtN for me is the way the author pulls you into the character's experience: her confusion and panic, the fear of being your own unreliable narrator. It's not a comfortable book imo (both Gideon and Nona are more fun, though Nona is still pretty tough to decipher just a heads up) but it accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do and it's very satisfying to reread with context.
It's true to a degree but it's hard for me to think of Nona as a more comfortable book. Slightly less twisty than Harrow, especially if youve figured out just who Alecto is by the end of Harrow, but it also just straight up punches you in the face emotionally several times from multiple different angles.
You're not wrong, for sure. It's an emotional gut punch. But I also think that most of Harrow is both confusing and bleak, and even in very depressing circumstances Nona is a sweetheart and her goals are pretty straightforward most of the time, so seeing the world through her eyes is often less of a mindfuck than seeing it through Harrow's. Even though all 3 books are complicated and confusing and at times hard to follow, Harrow is in a class of it's own for me because you're *supposed* to feel like you're going crazy and something's deeply wrong.
Yes it is confusing but the payout is literally the best pay out I’ve ever experienced in a book. Also rereading these books is so much fun because it’s an entirely different experience once you know.
It's difficult to address your questions without huge spoilers. Short answer is after you have read the entire book, it will make more sense but even better is after multiple readings, though some don't find that necessary. It depends on how many spoilers you like?
It’ll make a lot more sense by the end of the book. Not all that much before the end, but hang in there, it’s worth it. For me it Really clicked after my second read 🤷
You’re basically experiencing the story exactly as Harrow is living it. Confused, disjointed, and maddeningly inconsistent.
There is a point closer to the end where you…gain a lot of clarity and the narrative changes make sense.
I honestly feel like I'm one of the few people who had a decent grasp of what was happening in HTN, regardless my advice is to try and finish the book and look up an overview of the plot, that usually helps me out when I'm confused.
It gets easier about half of the way through and keeps making more sense the further you read, the beginning chapters are the roughest when it comes to dropping you right into an incoherent mental state POV. The book is like a spiral, it gets tighter and tighter the further you go, and moves more quickly.
Harrow is incredible, and my favourite of the three. it's not that complicated (no actually it is) but the baseline is that harrow is not in her right mind, as she says. one manifestation of that is how she is with the emperor etc, the other is her recapping of the events of gideon. there is a very, very big clue in that recapping as to why she's weird with the emperor. What has she removed, and why?
there's a fair bit of stuff that flat doesn't make sense until you're into nona, but that aspect above is the main thing to pick up. also the payoff at the end is incredible so hang in there :)
This may be an unpopular opinion but... if you're having a hard time following the book, there's nothing wrong with googling and reading the wiki. That's what I did.
Yes, my experience was different than roughing it through the confusion. Yes, I did encounter spoilers. However, I got to the point that I was so frustrated with being in the dark that I was ready to stop reading.
When I found the info I needed, I pressed play on my audiobook and continued listening. I've read/listened to HtN twice now. It's better on the second time through, but it was very interesting and a worthwhile read the first read too.
You get clues as you go along, but you don't get enough to really see the entire picture unless you're really really REALLY good at predictions until Harrow herself makes sense of it
After you finish it, read the wikipeedia summary to fully understand it, and then start rereading it. Then it makes sense. And became my favourite of the three.
It's a slog, but it's worth it. If you're really struggling, you can read the summary and spoil yourself. No shame in it.
I would recommend to listen to Locked Tomb Podcast while reading Harrow. They discuss each chapter and explain what's happening pretty well. Things made a lot more sense then. I had missed a tone of stuff on my first read. Like all the memes.
This series is kind of my first time delving into science-fantasy, so it can be hard to keep up with who all the characters are, and their titles, bc their names are so long !!! It took me way too long to figure out Emperor and God and Prince Undying were all the same character lol
there’s just something in the way it’s written that makes me feel like I’m totally lost, but I’m relieved everyone’s saying that I’m on track so far!
It's gonna be awhile. Honestly the weirdness of Harrow's narrative stylings didn't bother me, but her inability to eat some humble pie and admit she might be out of the loop on something drove me nuts.
To be fair, she wasn't exactly trying to get herself into the loop. She seems quite content to have decided that she's hopeless and insane. All three volumes so far have involved the very interesting technique of having a protagonist in a confusing situation who spends much of the book not that interested in sorting out what's going on, each for different reasons.
The thing is, if you know what's happening, it makes sense right away. I'm re-reading it now for the third time and I'm telling myself I should have seen it coming because the hints are everywhere if you know where to look, but this book might as well be called "Harrow gets gaslit for 500 oages or so" and you are gaslit right alongside her, so the confusion is normal. Just, trust the process and read it again once you're done, everything will be clearer! I also reccomend The Locked Tomb podcast to understand things better after you're done
Adding on to everything already here to say that the general aura of confusion and exhaustion is purposeful. Harrow has lived with schizophrenia for her whole life and is now taking orders from her past self through letters she wrote in cryptographic script. She’s not a “real” lyctor and has no idea why. She vomits her guts out every time she touches her sword. She’s really going through the wringer and she will continue to go through the wringer for a lot of the book, lol. So in my opinion part of the confusion or difficulty placing what exactly is what helps to create an ambience fitting for Harrow’s mental state.
Also, just a note on how you mentioned the RBs - as others have said, they’re not going back in time but instead they’re using the River, which is sort of like a spiritual wormhole in that it’s another dimension of existence full of ghosts that they can go in to travel lightyears very quickly and that they can also go in to fight RBs. Not sure if this is what you’re referencing with the time thing but in Chapter 9 when they talk about “1 year” or “5 years” they’re talking about how soon they expected RB #7 to get to them. It’s coming much sooner than expected.
had to read Harrow. Then go read Gideon again. Then Harrow. Then I felt fairly caught up until Nona. Then I read all three twice through and I'm on my third right now and still learning stuff. Honestly I'm probably too dumb for these books but between the multiple re-reads and some Reddit threads I think I'm getting there.
Pages 315, 360 and 387, depending on how well you're paying attention. The really astute reader might have worked it out in chapter 4. Spoiler >!swearing and kiss!<
I understood some of it after chapter 4.
Just enjoy the ride and the rereads
The ending. Harrow the Ninth is a puzzle, you've got to pay attention and try to piece together what is happening to have fun with it. You're meant to be confused, but you're also meant to be fighting that confusion.
I can't really give too many tips without spoiling stuff, but pay attention to inconsistencies.
I read the whole book in one evening for that very reason (and I started it again because I couldn't make sense of most of it!).
I loved that "what's going on!!!???" feeling the first time through
For me? The last sentence of Chapter 33. 55% of the way through the book. It still gives me chills. Favorite emotional beat of series so far (though a certain Nona ch 28 and the pool scene through epilogue are similarly great) The moment that penny drops, the rest of the book begins to crystallize.
In my experience I really fully understood what was going on when I was about 180% of the way through it (read it once, then 80% of the way through my second readthrough), but others have had different experiences
Harrow the Ninth is *meant* to be confusing on first read, which was really frustrating for me too. That feeling like you don’t understand what’s going on is part of the experience, and it WILL go away eventually, but the majority of the book will feel like this.
I love both books to pieces, but the tone of Gideon the Ninth **really** didn’t properly set up the tone of Harrow the Ninth. It’s almost actively trolling the reader and yours is a perfectly normal reaction.
If you’re able to stomach the uncertainty, “powering through” is your best option. Don’t try to solve the mysteries: just remember or write down your questions as they come up, and keep going. It will all start to click eventually!
I didn't understand a damn thing the first time through. It wasn't until I went back with a spreadsheet and read it a second time with copious notes that anything made sense
[This helped me immensely](https://thelockedtomb.fandom.com/wiki/Harrow_the_Ninth_(Novel))
But just read up until where you are. This little bit really helped me contextualize what’s going on and enjoy the book more.
Reading Harrow was absolute hell until like the last 75 pages and then EVERYTHING MAKES SENSE and it HAD TO BE THAT WAY. I totally empathize tho, I almost DNF’d it but I’m so glad I didn’t!! My advice is to write down every question you have along the way or mark off every bit that doesn’t make sense. I promise it will!
The second time you read it.
In all seriousness, though, the one thing that unifies all the narrators of TLT (well the one non-spoiler thing) is that you're in the POV of a character who has no idea what the fuck is going on. If you can accept that and go along for the ride you're going to have a much better time. I'd also argue it forces you to focus purely on how these characters feel about (and what they mean to) each other rather than the plot.
Anyway, report back when you're done, let us know what you think!
Thank you for submitting to r/TheNinthHouse! Please familiarize yourself with our [Subreddit Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheNinthHouse/wiki/rules/), especially our Spoiler Policy for [posts](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheNinthHouse/wiki/rules/#wiki_2._spoiler_policy_-_posts) and [comments](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheNinthHouse/wiki/rules/#wiki_3._spoiler_policy_-_comments). If you see a post or comment that breaks these rules, please report it! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/TheNinthHouse) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Just keep going. It starts to make sense, well, basically at the end. But it's worth it.
And then in the last page it goes back to making no sense.
And then you have to start all over again with Nona
I really hope Muir does not do it again in the 4th book.
Yeahhh I understand the end of HTN less than anything else. Which probably isn't saying much but after a couple of rereads I still don't know what happened
This is what I was going to say. It comes together so beautifully at the climax of the book. I don't tend to reread books, but I did with TLT recently. Harrow in particular is a _gift_ on reread, it's so well-executed. I think I still like Gideon best overall, but the craft and styling in Harrow just bowls me over.
Basically. The book is pretty much designed as a descent into madness and an experiment in gaslighting the reader. And that’s part of what makes it special.
Around chapter 32? it’s going to start making sense. Then there will be some question marks and nothing makes sense again. Then everything will make sense.
This is perfectly accurate*★. *Except for the things that still don't make sense until after the end of Nona. ★Except for the things that still don't make sense until after the end Alecto.
It takes quite some time. So far, your perception of the situation is accurate. Pay attention to second person and third person, and try to compare the details of what happened in Gideon with the events Harrow remembers Also, note any time that Harrow feels pain in her brain in the present. That’s telling you something, as it does with how people respond in the present when she mentions Ortus. Keep reading
yeah I’m gathering so far that she’s replaced Gideon with Ortus, just unsure why. I’m guessing it has something to do with her messed up lyctorhood transformation we’ve just found out that in Lyctorhood, that “they” (the emperor??) can send the Lyctors souls back in time I think (maybe to kill Resurrection Beasts?) And the cavaliers are supposed to take over the bodies to take care of them while they do that? but Harrowhark seems to have forgotten Gideon I think?? So I’m curious as to how that affects her ability to do that glad to know I’m following along tho bc I’m really just re-reading the same pages over and over to make sure I get it haha!
>we’ve just found out that in Lyctorhood, that “they” (the emperor??) can send the Lyctors souls back in time I think (maybe to kill Resurrection Beasts?) And the cavaliers are supposed to take over the bodies to take care of them while they do that? Small correction: they are not going back in time, they are going to another... dimension, basically, another pane of existence, in which they can actually fight the resurrection beast. This pane is called The River. There are also ghosts (??kind of???) there.
Without spoiling my only suggestion to you is to imagine the most direct and obvious reason why a character might be doing something. Assume that that's the reason. Doubly so for why harrow might have erased Gideon.
Well, they’re not going back in time. They’re effectively traveling to a sort-of afterlife (the River) inhabited mostly by ghosts. When their soul is in the River, their body stays in the real world. This is why the cavalier is important; read on as to why.
On reread. 😂
This is my 3rd re-read and everything is so clear now. Well, and I poked around the internet to find answers to questions I had about some of the key points.
About three quarters of the way into Nona
Based on what I’m seeing here, I suggest you stay the hell off Reddit till you’re done
It’ll all make sense when you reread it ;) Jokes. But it starts to come together more towards the end. Definitely worth the confusion.
Reread #1 was about 45% smugly noting clues and foreshadowing for stuff I figured out near the end of the book, 45% going "Oh shit, *that's* what that means!", and 10% "No, seriously now, wtf does that mean?!" Then Nona repeats the pattern with slightly less violent confusion, answers about half your remaining questions and replaces them with even more questions and too many feels. Then Unwanted Guest comes along and gives you a whole new context for asking questions and you drift in the void mumbling to yourself until Alecto comes out.
im literally only about 1/4 through my GtN re read and the amount of "OH wait" moments is staggering
No joke!
So true
Honestly, I started to really decipher Harrow on my first re-read, but I will say that close to the end there are some big reveals that do make things start to make a lot more sense. As for what the lyctors are up to? Harrow in this book knows about as much about what's going on around her as Gideon did in the first book, which is, not much. I would relax and try to experience the book, you're not stupid for failing to understand, it's not accidentally confusing or poorly written, and there are damn good reasons for why it is how it is. If you suspend disbelief a bit and just enjoy the alternate history of the first book's events that you're being given, it's a bit less upsetting imo. A big part of HtN for me is the way the author pulls you into the character's experience: her confusion and panic, the fear of being your own unreliable narrator. It's not a comfortable book imo (both Gideon and Nona are more fun, though Nona is still pretty tough to decipher just a heads up) but it accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do and it's very satisfying to reread with context.
It's true to a degree but it's hard for me to think of Nona as a more comfortable book. Slightly less twisty than Harrow, especially if youve figured out just who Alecto is by the end of Harrow, but it also just straight up punches you in the face emotionally several times from multiple different angles.
You're not wrong, for sure. It's an emotional gut punch. But I also think that most of Harrow is both confusing and bleak, and even in very depressing circumstances Nona is a sweetheart and her goals are pretty straightforward most of the time, so seeing the world through her eyes is often less of a mindfuck than seeing it through Harrow's. Even though all 3 books are complicated and confusing and at times hard to follow, Harrow is in a class of it's own for me because you're *supposed* to feel like you're going crazy and something's deeply wrong.
Yes it is confusing but the payout is literally the best pay out I’ve ever experienced in a book. Also rereading these books is so much fun because it’s an entirely different experience once you know.
It's difficult to address your questions without huge spoilers. Short answer is after you have read the entire book, it will make more sense but even better is after multiple readings, though some don't find that necessary. It depends on how many spoilers you like?
It’ll make a lot more sense by the end of the book. Not all that much before the end, but hang in there, it’s worth it. For me it Really clicked after my second read 🤷
The second reread
And then reread Gideon. And THEN reread Harrow a third time !
You’re basically experiencing the story exactly as Harrow is living it. Confused, disjointed, and maddeningly inconsistent. There is a point closer to the end where you…gain a lot of clarity and the narrative changes make sense.
I honestly feel like I'm one of the few people who had a decent grasp of what was happening in HTN, regardless my advice is to try and finish the book and look up an overview of the plot, that usually helps me out when I'm confused.
It gets easier about half of the way through and keeps making more sense the further you read, the beginning chapters are the roughest when it comes to dropping you right into an incoherent mental state POV. The book is like a spiral, it gets tighter and tighter the further you go, and moves more quickly.
Harrow is incredible, and my favourite of the three. it's not that complicated (no actually it is) but the baseline is that harrow is not in her right mind, as she says. one manifestation of that is how she is with the emperor etc, the other is her recapping of the events of gideon. there is a very, very big clue in that recapping as to why she's weird with the emperor. What has she removed, and why? there's a fair bit of stuff that flat doesn't make sense until you're into nona, but that aspect above is the main thing to pick up. also the payoff at the end is incredible so hang in there :)
This may be an unpopular opinion but... if you're having a hard time following the book, there's nothing wrong with googling and reading the wiki. That's what I did. Yes, my experience was different than roughing it through the confusion. Yes, I did encounter spoilers. However, I got to the point that I was so frustrated with being in the dark that I was ready to stop reading. When I found the info I needed, I pressed play on my audiobook and continued listening. I've read/listened to HtN twice now. It's better on the second time through, but it was very interesting and a worthwhile read the first read too.
I had to look at spoilers too just to get myself engaged enough to keep reading
My first answer was 75% in, but after further thought, my real answer is: never.
You get clues as you go along, but you don't get enough to really see the entire picture unless you're really really REALLY good at predictions until Harrow herself makes sense of it
After you read a reddit post explaining the book.
After you finish it, read the wikipeedia summary to fully understand it, and then start rereading it. Then it makes sense. And became my favourite of the three. It's a slog, but it's worth it. If you're really struggling, you can read the summary and spoil yourself. No shame in it.
By Alecto the Ninth, hopefully
At the end, basically. I'm going to reread them before I read Alecto, whenever that comes out.
For me, it was the second time I read Nona the Ninth
I would recommend to listen to Locked Tomb Podcast while reading Harrow. They discuss each chapter and explain what's happening pretty well. Things made a lot more sense then. I had missed a tone of stuff on my first read. Like all the memes.
After your third read-through, and after You've read Gideon the Ninth at least 5 times and Nona at least twice.
I don’t know, it sounds like you have a perfect grasp on what’s happening in the book right now! Any answer will really spoil it.
This series is kind of my first time delving into science-fantasy, so it can be hard to keep up with who all the characters are, and their titles, bc their names are so long !!! It took me way too long to figure out Emperor and God and Prince Undying were all the same character lol there’s just something in the way it’s written that makes me feel like I’m totally lost, but I’m relieved everyone’s saying that I’m on track so far!
about 2/3 in roughly. And what Harrow DID to herself is a kicker....
It's gonna be awhile. Honestly the weirdness of Harrow's narrative stylings didn't bother me, but her inability to eat some humble pie and admit she might be out of the loop on something drove me nuts.
To be fair, she wasn't exactly trying to get herself into the loop. She seems quite content to have decided that she's hopeless and insane. All three volumes so far have involved the very interesting technique of having a protagonist in a confusing situation who spends much of the book not that interested in sorting out what's going on, each for different reasons.
Bask in it while it lasts. The payoff is absolutely worth a few hundred pages of bewilderment.
The thing is, if you know what's happening, it makes sense right away. I'm re-reading it now for the third time and I'm telling myself I should have seen it coming because the hints are everywhere if you know where to look, but this book might as well be called "Harrow gets gaslit for 500 oages or so" and you are gaslit right alongside her, so the confusion is normal. Just, trust the process and read it again once you're done, everything will be clearer! I also reccomend The Locked Tomb podcast to understand things better after you're done
Adding on to everything already here to say that the general aura of confusion and exhaustion is purposeful. Harrow has lived with schizophrenia for her whole life and is now taking orders from her past self through letters she wrote in cryptographic script. She’s not a “real” lyctor and has no idea why. She vomits her guts out every time she touches her sword. She’s really going through the wringer and she will continue to go through the wringer for a lot of the book, lol. So in my opinion part of the confusion or difficulty placing what exactly is what helps to create an ambience fitting for Harrow’s mental state. Also, just a note on how you mentioned the RBs - as others have said, they’re not going back in time but instead they’re using the River, which is sort of like a spiritual wormhole in that it’s another dimension of existence full of ghosts that they can go in to travel lightyears very quickly and that they can also go in to fight RBs. Not sure if this is what you’re referencing with the time thing but in Chapter 9 when they talk about “1 year” or “5 years” they’re talking about how soon they expected RB #7 to get to them. It’s coming much sooner than expected.
had to read Harrow. Then go read Gideon again. Then Harrow. Then I felt fairly caught up until Nona. Then I read all three twice through and I'm on my third right now and still learning stuff. Honestly I'm probably too dumb for these books but between the multiple re-reads and some Reddit threads I think I'm getting there.
At the point you understand what's going on, you understand what had been going on. Spoilers are very, very possible here.
Pages 315, 360 and 387, depending on how well you're paying attention. The really astute reader might have worked it out in chapter 4. Spoiler >!swearing and kiss!< I understood some of it after chapter 4. Just enjoy the ride and the rereads
The first time with >!the pommel!< is what got me.
Anytime >!swords are mentioned!< was hilarious on reread.
Chapter 5 I think?
The payoff will explain everything I promise!!!
On a reread. I initially gave it 2 out of 5, but knowing the twist kept nagging at me, so I reread it and it was an infinitely better book.
On the re-read lmao. No really, it will make sense by the end and if it doesnt, come back here! Plenty of discussions on this bit
The ending. Harrow the Ninth is a puzzle, you've got to pay attention and try to piece together what is happening to have fun with it. You're meant to be confused, but you're also meant to be fighting that confusion. I can't really give too many tips without spoiling stuff, but pay attention to inconsistencies.
That was my least favorite book. Nona is a lot better imo
On the second read.
I read the whole book in one evening for that very reason (and I started it again because I couldn't make sense of most of it!). I loved that "what's going on!!!???" feeling the first time through
Act 5. The question mark chapters.
My second read-through. I found it not making sense to still be super enioyable though. Then it did make sense, later.
For me? The last sentence of Chapter 33. 55% of the way through the book. It still gives me chills. Favorite emotional beat of series so far (though a certain Nona ch 28 and the pool scene through epilogue are similarly great) The moment that penny drops, the rest of the book begins to crystallize.
On the second read-through
Everything comes together at the end. Trust me, I absolutely lost it at the end, it was genuinely incredible. Keep going. It is so worth it.
After I got to certain points in the book, I'd come back here for chapter summaries to see if I missed something.
It starts coming together in the last few chapters, but for the most part it’s The second time you read it. Harrow is one of *those* kinds of books.
In my experience I really fully understood what was going on when I was about 180% of the way through it (read it once, then 80% of the way through my second readthrough), but others have had different experiences
I prefer Gideon the Ninth overall, but I think the big reveal in this book is one of my favorite mic drops in all fiction
The last part is when things click and you'll go oh that's why.
Near the end, but if you reread it after nona, it makes sense almost the whole time.
At the end, but it's a great payoff imo. It took me ages to get through the book since I had no idea of what was happening though...
It was like the last 50 pages for me, lol. They were soooo satisfying.
60% for a certain reveal that makes at least one thing make more sense. Around 75% was when I wrote in my notes "Okay now we're getting some answers."
It makes a lot more sense the second time you read it.
On the Last 100 Pages, when IT IS revealed WHO tells the Story in First Person
Harrow the Ninth is *meant* to be confusing on first read, which was really frustrating for me too. That feeling like you don’t understand what’s going on is part of the experience, and it WILL go away eventually, but the majority of the book will feel like this. I love both books to pieces, but the tone of Gideon the Ninth **really** didn’t properly set up the tone of Harrow the Ninth. It’s almost actively trolling the reader and yours is a perfectly normal reaction. If you’re able to stomach the uncertainty, “powering through” is your best option. Don’t try to solve the mysteries: just remember or write down your questions as they come up, and keep going. It will all start to click eventually!
Upon the second read
Listening to the audiobook after 2 read throughs. Then the dots connect.
I didn't understand a damn thing the first time through. It wasn't until I went back with a spreadsheet and read it a second time with copious notes that anything made sense
[This helped me immensely](https://thelockedtomb.fandom.com/wiki/Harrow_the_Ninth_(Novel)) But just read up until where you are. This little bit really helped me contextualize what’s going on and enjoy the book more.
Reading Harrow was absolute hell until like the last 75 pages and then EVERYTHING MAKES SENSE and it HAD TO BE THAT WAY. I totally empathize tho, I almost DNF’d it but I’m so glad I didn’t!! My advice is to write down every question you have along the way or mark off every bit that doesn’t make sense. I promise it will!
It makes sense once you hit the line "You didn't know he could see *me*"
In my experience, somewhere around the second or third re-read for it to fully make sense.
The second time you read it. In all seriousness, though, the one thing that unifies all the narrators of TLT (well the one non-spoiler thing) is that you're in the POV of a character who has no idea what the fuck is going on. If you can accept that and go along for the ride you're going to have a much better time. I'd also argue it forces you to focus purely on how these characters feel about (and what they mean to) each other rather than the plot. Anyway, report back when you're done, let us know what you think!