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katiebella_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A psychological thriller or a nightmaric fever dream. From one moment to the next, the reader is hung is suspense and is never quite sure what is really going on. This book is highly underrated and overlooked! Honing in on the same feelings as reading a Poe short story, this author does a suburb job of capturing the horror of true evil.
Dr H. is a new young psychiatrist, newly assigned to a mental ward. with the zeal of the young he offers to take on the incurable patient "Joe." Joe has a bad rap of being a danger to those around him. The first few chapters are an ominous build-up of why everyone is kept away from him. Everyone who comes in contact seems to commit suicide.
Dr. H becomes obsessed with diagnosing him, convinced that he will find something that every Dr has missed in almost 30 years of incare treatment. But Dr. H is just smart enough to be a danger to himself as he begins to suspect everyone around him of gross negligence towards the patient.
This book is told in first person, from the perspective of Dr. H, as he relays it to an online support group. The writing is suburb. The characters are so well drawn out that you feel like you know them personally. The graphic description of events leaves little to be desired. I found nothing wanting or lacking in this book.
******trigger warning - child rape, child abuse, child death.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, and Medical content
coffeeandnonsense's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
dotweems's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, and Self harm
Minor: Domestic abuse
3008's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Blood, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Child death, Mental illness, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Rape, and Sexual assault
ariel_wolf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
The twist was kinda uncomfortable since we are following the story of a new doctor and his patient at an asylum in the early 2000s.
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Abandonment
reneebkreviews's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
stories's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, and Medical content
Moderate: Child death, Death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
dalmavatai's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I think maybe I don't enjoy overly gruesome or extremely dark horror, but this one was neither in my opinion. It was fast-paced and very engaging, it kept my interest all the way through. I love following psychiatrists and I like storylines about a case that no one can diagnose and where no one knows what's going on. The reveal in this one was so good, I really liked how all the puzzle pieces came together at the end. I also liked the conclusion of the story because it didn't get all doom-and-gloom, but obviously it wasn't a happy ever after either.
This was a really great read that I highly recommend to everyone who likes thrillers/horrors involving a psychiatrist POV and a seemingly unsolvable disorder with a touch of the supernatural. It didn't get very gruesome, dark, or terrifying so I think this is a good one for those who usually read mystery/thrillers but want to foray into the horror genre.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, and Abandonment
Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Violence, and Blood
the_escapist's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Rape, Self harm, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting
Minor: Incest and Pedophilia
maddmadds's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Abandonment