Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver

9 reviews

cloud_doggos's review against another edition

mysterious sad medium-paced

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

2.5

Read this from a bookclub recommendation, and it’s not a favourite for me. The strong recommendation set me up with high expectations.

The author does a brilliant job of building mystery, and it’s a well written book. There were plenty of moments where my attention was lost and I wasn’t excited to about the story itself.

I think I was expecting more escapism from the book, but it almost felt like some of the historically accurate facts were pulling me out of an immersive experience in the book’s world. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Murder

bookchatwithbeth's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-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? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual content

Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death

flickwitch's review against another edition

mysterious fast-paced

• 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Mental illness

thirza's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Miscarriage, Abortion, and Death of parent

mpeach's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, and Classism

doodeedoda's review

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• 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? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Blood, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Miscarriage, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy

Minor: Bullying and Vomit

florafauna's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, and Murder

Moderate: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Pregnancy

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Medical content, and Abortion

outsmartyourshelf's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.5

Maud Stearne lives at Wake's End with her father, mother, and younger brother, Richard. Her mother is frequently ill with what Maud refers to as 'the groanings', but it is not until some time later that she realises that her mother is suffering frequent pregnancies and miscarriages and/or still births. Counselled by his doctor to give his wife time to recover, Edward Stearne refuses to listen or take precautions and the worst happens and Maud, Richard and their new brother, Felix are left motherless. Maud grows to hate her father for this and for his relationship with Ivy the housemaid, which Maud discovers when she starts reading her father's diary.  Things take a very strange turn though when her father starts to write about a sin he committed when young and that he fears he is being haunted by a demon as punishment.  He starts to act erratically and Maud fears it is only a matter of time before someone is killed.

This is a strange read. It consists of chapters from Maud's point of view, alongside chapters which details the entries from her father's diary. Maud is a difficult character to like at first, she's very spiky but when you consider her childhood experiences it's not surprising. Maud sees herself as extremely plain and unattractive, and when she falls in love with the under-gardener, a young man called Clem Walker, she can hardly believe he feels the same, unfortunately it ends in tragedy. Edward Stearne is one of the most loathsome characters I've ever read about - a complete narcissist who thinks all women are brainless, money grasping whores (even his daughter). The supernatural side of the story is less believable than the idea that someone is slowly driving Stearne mad, and I think the author did a good job of showing how women were completely at the mercy of their male kin at that point in history. Overall I liked parts of it, but other aspects were frustrating, therefore I rate this one 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4).

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Head of Zeus, for the opportunity to read an ARC. I am voluntarily giving an honest review.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Mental illness

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death

words_and_coffee's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage

Moderate: Mental illness, Misogyny, and Sexism