Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling

66 reviews

rain02's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Death

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment

anracli's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

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

3.0

The book is quite long and repetitive, much, I suppose, like a cave. It took a while for anything to really happen, and by the time that point came around, I didn't really care for either of the characters. The back and forth wasn't particularly enjoyable, and the ending wasn't particularly satisfying.

I almost certainly won't reread this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Gore, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt

brioches22's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Blood, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Vomit, Medical trauma, and Death of parent

spaghettii's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.5

The ending was an interesting choice

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

nittiotvaan's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Drug use, Medical content, and Medical trauma

wrenny03's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.0

Do not go into The Caves. The Caves are alive and malicious and they want you dead. This book fucks.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug use, Vomit, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Confinement, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, and Blood

Minor: Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

danimacuk's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Abandonment

Minor: Blood and Medical content

smolhandsdan's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-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

This not a story for everyone, it doesn't focus on monster and super natural, they do makw an appearance here and there in the story - enough for me to be on edge when they pop up.

The main drive for the characters in this story is grief and trauma. And the fucked up system of needing money and putting yourself in a dangerous scenario just to get what you need. I liked that reality. I liked the pull and give between the characters learning to trust each other and recognize their faults and how to move past that.

The horror of cave diving, swimming through tight places, and relying on gear was enough to get me in HELL NO, NOPE headspace anxiety for the the main character. I think at times it could be a touch repetitive in the experiences chapter by chapter. The author was good at weaving new existential dread, frustration, despair, mental trauma that kept it fresh. I was sitting here wondering if the end would be depression hell or if it might turn out alright somehow.  I enjoyed the grief, I think that kinda dark place isn't something everyone understands but damn was it powerful. 

I enjoyed the audiobook I'm excited to check out the other authors works!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

hzamrzla's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

3.0

I loved the premise and voice of this book, but the pacing and actual plot were so hard to stick with. There is only one REAL conflict: whether or not Gyre trusts Em, and we revisit it about 8 times with no real resolution. Reluctant trust, big betrayal, insistence on doing it alone, horrible failure due to the decision to do it alone, rinse, repeat. 

Specifically, I got so frustrated with Gyre by the end because of her

constantly refusing to let Em guide/medicate/STOP her, doing something stupid, and then being in a rage that Em didn’t guide/medicate/STOP her

. This happening once or twice seemed reasonable, and then for it to KEEP happening, as the only source of action in the book, felt contrived. 

Also, I hate

“turns out it was all in your head”

books. 

It got old, which is sad. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death of parent, Abandonment, and Classism

smarzipan's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Excrement, Grief, Gaslighting, and Abandonment