Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling

71 reviews

inamerata's review

dark mysterious tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Is it creepy or wet? It's a good book.
 
This is a new favorite and I bought my own copy as soon as I returned the library's. 

Also, the author’s playlist is great and lovely, but I do need to add my personal anthem for this is Sum 41’s In Too Deep. I imagine little AMVs in my head every time it comes on the radio. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, and Medical content

nerdinthelibrary's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

4.5

annihilation: who are you?
the luminous dead: i'm you but better and stronger in every way. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Vomit

noellelovesbooks's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

4.25

 

Content Warnings: Claustrophobia, death, loss of parents, child abandonment, loss of body autonomy, non-consensual administration of drugs, nightmares, hallucinations, feelings of isolation, blood/gore, loss of limb, and suicidal ideations.

I’ve let this book sit on my shelf for a while before finally deciding to dive in. As a huge fan of watching horror/thriller movies/shows I’ve been pretty nervous to read any…for fear that reading it will prolong the unease/anxiety/etc. After seeing a few trusted Booktok accounts discuss the book I finally felt ready to take it on. Although I did make sure to break up the reading over multiple days and also read a happier book when I needed to. 😅

The way this book was written I could easily see it turned into a fantastic horror film. The whole being alone, in a privately owned cave system, with only the voice of your handler as company. Fear of not knowing if you can trust what you see and hear and constantly having a sense of being watched. The suspense alone had my anxiety peaking constantly…always curious and afraid of what the next section of the cave would lead to.

As I’ve never read a book like this before…I can’t say what books it reminds me of. I can however tell you about movies and video games that I was reminded of while reading this book. Without reasoning I’ll just leave my list: The Descent [movie], Until Dawn, As Above So Below [movie], and Man of Medan. Honestly, there are probably a ton others that have similar vibes but these are the four that I kept randomly thinking about as I made my way through the book. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

quetzel90's review

adventurous challenging 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

fictionalportal's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Coming back to add to this review almost eight months after reading the book because I still think about this story. It's an absolutely haunting meditation on grief and the havoc it can wreak on the human psyche. Safe to say I never left the cave besties <3

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

boglord's review

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

---

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

hyliansee's review

dark mysterious tense medium-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

5.0

if mommy issues were a book

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Abandonment

cinnamon_'s review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Vomit and Medical content

rtaire's review against another edition

challenging 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

5.0

Really interesting characters. Loved the risk the author took in writing a book that was literally two people and the setting. Forced the characters and their flaws and their growth to be in the unrelenting spotlight. There is almost no plot to fall back on, the characters had to carry the story, and I think they did phenomenally. Also, this book is just further proof that I will never ever go underwater caving. Fuck that shit. Perfect for a horror story as a result.

---

Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Body horror, Drug use, Gaslighting, and Classism

ghostbirds's review against another edition

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, and Grief

Moderate: Body horror, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Gore, Blood, Vomit, and Medical trauma