Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

Los visitantes by Jonathan Stroud

7 reviews

bookishmind_13's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Fatphobia, Blood, Medical content, and Fire/Fire injury

theirgracegrace's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-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

4.0

Recommended by a friend, I enjoyed The Screaming Staircase quite a lot. The setting of this alternate London is similar to our own, but coloured by the supernatural in a way familiar to fans of the Bartimaeus trilogy - which I read ages ago but remember fondly. Not only do the trio of Lockwood & Co. have to deal with the unquiet (and often grotesque and violent) dead, but also the political machinations of the British gentry and the attempts of rivals to close down their agency. The story progresses like a horror-filled Sherlock-esque mystery, and the ending is incredibly satisfying.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Cursing, Forced institutionalization, and Vomit

kryolitee's review against another edition

funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Sexism, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

alicecrumbs's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Body shaming and Fatphobia

directorpurry's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

Amazing. Brilliant. Wonderful. Fantastic.

There are not enough adjectives to describe how much I loved The Screaming Staircase. It was actually hanging around a solid 4/4.5 stars for most of the book, but those last 100 pages? Magnificent. The writing is beautifully creepy and evocative, one of my favorite haunted house sequences I've ever read in my life!
To be honest, I'm not often a person to be put off by solving the mystery before the end, so it may affect others differently, but I solved most of it relatively early on and it didn't affect my engagement one bit. There was also a nice little quirk that Stroud included that I (personally) should have figured out a little earlier, but I really loved that reveal.
One of my favorite things about Stroud's writing in general is that he doesn't pull his punches. Even keeping in mind his middle grade to YA audience, he puts his characters in real danger with really creepy, scary things happening and he does it so well.

I can't wait to read the sequels!!!! I already know this is going to join the Bartimaeus Sequence as one of my favorite series. And I know the series has been optioned for a Netflix series and let me assure you, I will watch it on premiere day. This is going to make a spectacular piece of media.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Medical content, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Child death, Death, and Murder

Minor: Death of parent

claudiamacpherson's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

50 years ago, the Problem started: the dead no longer stay dead, but come back as “visitors” whose touch results in injury and even death. Only children have the ability to perceive these ghosts, so many choose to train as operatives for psychic detection and removal agencies. Lucy Carlyle comes to London looking for a job after a traumatic experience in the field, and is hired by the charming and charismatic Anthony Lockwood of Lockwood & Co. After a few crucial mistakes during a job, the Lockwood agency is in danger of being shut down. In a last ditch effort to come up with the money they need, Lockwood agrees to take a case in the most haunted house in England: Combe Carey Hall. 

This book felt like what you might get if you took Enola Holmes and added paranormal activity (and also made it even better). I loved the characters: smart, intuitive Lucy, selfless, charismatic Lockwood, and stubborn, curmudgeonly George. The mystery was fun and engaging, and I’ve always liked stories that placed importance on youth in connection with the fantastical (in this case, only young people can see or sense visitors).

Happy ending meter (no specific spoilers, just the general vibe of the ending):

Happy!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Death, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Medical content, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail

creepypiespice's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Murder

Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Torture, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Sexism