Dear Leigh,

Here we go again. This dance you and I have has become all too familiar. You know, the one where you make me anxiously await your next book release, and then I read it and you stomp all over my heart in the best possible way of course. Why do I keep coming back for this kind of emotional distress you may ask? I don’t know, I guess I like torturing myself or maybe you have a magic way of making sure I come back for more. Either way, I have a bone to pick with you.

How is it that you make me care so much about all these characters? How do you make them feel so familiar, like a long lost friend? I did not set out to like Alex Stern from your recent book “Ninth House”. In fact, I was so sure that she would be one of the characters that I would dislike. How naive I was to think such a thing. When have I not become emotionally attached to one of your characters? Answer: never. I did not even realize when I started liking Alex and when I started mentally applauding her and yelling out “YES QUEEN!”

Then you go and introduce me to Darlington. You have a way of making all the brooding men in your books vulnerable, layered and heroic. You also have a way of ripping out my heart and squeezing it but lets not get into that right away. I loved the dynamic between Alex and Darlington. Thank you for letting me accompany them on their creepy adventures.

I also have to thank you for the lack of sleep and all the times I jumped out of my skin when I heard a noise in the middle of the night. You basically took the thing that scares me the most and turned into something even more terrifying. How does one make ghosts scarier? Those “Grays” gave me chills and a few of them may have haunted my dreams. You made me want to sing those spells that cast away the Grays that might be lurking around (FYI those songs do not work for annoying humans unfortunately).

I wonder, have you ever thought of becoming a tour guide? No? It’s a shame because I thoroughly enjoyed the tour of your Alma Mater. I felt like I was one of those students in the background passing by the beautiful buildings of those secret societies, not knowing what magic lurked within. I feel as if I may never look at a school campus the same way again, thanks for that!

I must say that you approached truly devastating and all too common issues like drug abuse and sexual assault in such a powerful manner. My heart broke for Alex repeatedly and all I wanted to do was offer her a blanket, a cup of tea and a beautiful view from her window (preferably one without Mr. Bridegroom lurking around). You did a phenomenal job in giving me a look into Alex’s childhood and making me understand what lead her to become so angry and mistrusting. You also filled me with hope when Alex started knocking down her walls and letting people in.

You have outdone yourself once again Leigh. I feel like we are on a first name basis because of all the times your stories made me cry, cheer and shout in frustration. As I place Ninth House in my bookshelf next to your other books, I will not say goodbye to Alex Stern. I know we will meet again very soon. Looking forward to the next round of emotional turmoil.

Yours truly,

Shazia, mourning reader.