Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling

30 reviews

lira_the_recluse's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

World building was interesting, characters were okay. I liked that there was a very limited cast of characters (effectively two). I did not like how it seemed like Gyre had few decisions pan out. She bounced from one crisis to the next and later in the book this just lands her in the right place at the right time.

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Content Warnings

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

haleybre's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

eldritch_archivist's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Gave me real life anxiety reading this, absolutely shitting myself during the back half. I'm now much more afraid to read more books by this author.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Suicide, Gaslighting, and Classism

yellow_ylugbug's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment

ladyinverse's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, and Abandonment

Minor: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, and Medical trauma

sargasso_c's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense medium-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

3.0

The writing was very good, but as a whole the book rambled. It would start threads, abandon them for chapters and chapters, and then hurriedly try to tie them up when the main character was nearing the natural end of their journey. Contradictingly, some major plot points were not foreshadowed properly.

Even so - the writing style was quite enjoyable and this isn't at all bad for a debut novel.

The wlw representation was extremely satisfying to read, and I'm delighted that none of the conflicts centered around the queerness of the main characters.

I'm interested in reading more work from this author. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, and Classism

Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Drug use, Mental illness, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Gaslighting

beccaand's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Medical content

Minor: Vomit

_sappho_wannabe's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad slow-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: Body horror, Confinement, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail

boglord's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Colonisation

charley34's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail