Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

Glitterland by Alexis Hall

20 reviews

jencolumb0's review against another edition

dark emotional funny inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Parts of this book are hard to read, particularly if you have any direct or tangential experience with depression. Nonetheless, it all ends up okay and is a tender love story, which makes the difficult bits thoroughly worthwhile. (The easy, rooted perspective of Darian’s glitter pirate helps too.) The insight into the experience of depression and what it takes to re-establish oneself among the living is particularly important to have depicted in literature and I am glad that Hall has done so here.

As a Hall fan who read Boyfriend Material first, I thoroughly enjoyed the annotations to/extras included in this edition. Though they occupy different worlds, it was fun to see thee bits of Luc and Oliver rooted in Glitterland. Definitely a worthwhile read on multiple levels.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Toxic friendship

Minor: Biphobia, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Alcohol, and Classism

kcbatts's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Self harm

Minor: Biphobia and Forced institutionalization

jazzlioness's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body shaming, Cursing, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

Minor: Transphobia

There’s a brief bit of banter at one point that feels not particularly trans inclusive. I know the author cares about being trans inclusive so he may have revised that in the new edition but the audiobook is not being updated. Similarly, there’s an incredibly fatphobic conversation that just has no excuse for existing. Even in his newer work he has issues with anti-fat content so I’m not sure that there will be any changes to this part.

meganpbennett's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

Glitterland was recommended to me by an Alexis Hall fan, so when I saw that it was on NetGalley, I requested it. It... it wasn't what I was expecting, even having read several AJH books before and knowing how he plays with his genres and his readers. It was a lot darker than even the trigger warning at the beginning would have suggested, much darker and much more detailed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the eARC!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Body horror, Chronic illness, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

bonriki's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was a touching, and at times heartbreaking, depiction of love and mental illness. Ash suffers from type 1 bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety. He’s a successful novelist who struggles to find joy or meaning in his everyday life. One day he meets Darian, a flamboyant model, and what begins as a one night stand becomes something more. 

I loved several aspects of this book, particularly the way Ash’s mental illness was portrayed. I myself have diagnosed major depressive disorder and anxiety and found Ash’s struggles highly relatable. He’s not a perfect person, he can be cowardly and cruel, prickly and judgemental. He often engages in self-sabotage and pushes away the people he cares about. Through all of this, you can see a complex picture of a flawed human being and he is masterfully written. 

Darian is also lovely, there’s far more to him than Ash’s initial (low) impression would lead you to believe. He is steadfast and caring, an optimist who values honesty and loyalty. He and Ash shouldn’t work but they really do, opposites attract and Darian brings out the best in Ash. 

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content

Moderate: Sexual assault, Grief, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

mandaraffe's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content

Moderate: Ableism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Fatphobia and Abandonment

cheye13's review against another edition

emotional funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content

Moderate: Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, and Classism

Minor: Alcohol

dobbsthedog's review against another edition

5.0

Reread May 2022 via audio.

Nicholas Boulton can do no wrong.  My god, he’s so good with the accents!  And I love how he narrated Darian’s Nan’s cottage pie recipe.  Perfect!

Reread January 2022, rating upgraded to 5 stars

This book is so lovely! I wish it was longer.  Even with Aftermath, I still wish it was longer.
I love Darian, the glitter pirate, he’s just so himself.  Like, he knows who he is and he’s confident in that.  And he sees Ash for who he is, more so than even Ash can.  I think that all of the mental health stuff was done really well, and as someone who has an ongoing relationship with depression and anxiety, there were so many things that rang true.  I also love that in the end Ash still has depression and anxiety, and that’s just who he is.  Darian doesn’t need to fix him and he doesn’t try to.  I also love how Darian stands up to Niall at Essex Fashion Week when Niall is such a colossal asshole to Ash.  I honestly have such a hate on for Niall, I don’t know how he will be redeemed in his own book (whenever that happens).
There are so many good bits in this, I wish I had the e-book so that I could highlight them.  
I’ve also been trying to envision what a glardigan might actually look like and if I would actually wear one, because I kind of what to try knitting one…

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Forced institutionalization

craftyhilary's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Aargh, so many complicated feelings. Ash is a jerk. Niall is a jerk. This is filled with painful scenes of people being terrible to each other. Darian and his friends are lovely and yet some combination of the deliberately written dialect and the snobbery of Ash’s set really made me feel like the whole book looked down on them. Intellectually, I know that’s not true. Emotionally, I feel like Darian is there to be the magical fool who makes Ash willing to live. It was beautifully written and moving and quite a good portrayal of what mental illness can feel like, but I would not say I enjoyed it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Self harm and Suicide attempt

Minor: Forced institutionalization

nemaria's review against another edition

emotional hopeful fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Drug use, Homophobia, and Forced institutionalization