Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

29 reviews

provo's review against another edition

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? Yes

5.0

I knew before reading this that the plot would not make sense until 2/3 trough, so I was prepared for the confusion.
The finale was something else and bumped my rating from 4 to 5 stars, incredibly satisfying to unwind all the what-the-fuck-is-going-on.
But: check trigger warnings before reading, like there’s a lot of really graphic stuff.
Also maybe not a book anyone should read during an active psychotic episode (this is not a joke).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Alcohol, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Violence, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Genocide, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Vomit, War, Death of parent, Body horror, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, Murder, Abandonment, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Gun violence, and Suicide attempt

amanda_bristol's review against another edition

adventurous challenging funny mysterious reflective tense slow-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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Abandonment, Violence, and Death of parent

Minor: Body horror, Murder, Medical content, Bullying, Vomit, Cancer, Cannibalism, and Gore

msradiosilence's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, War, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Death, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Infertility, Medical content, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, and Vomit

rtaire's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Murder, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Grief, and Medical content

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Grief, and Vomit

thereadinghammock's review against another edition

challenging funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Much like Gideon, I finished this book with more questions than I started with. They were mostly different questions then the one I started with, but questions nonetheless.

Harrow was a most unreliable narrator, by her own admission most of the time, and the hardest part was not knowing why she didn't trust herself, whether for her own protection AND plot device, or just as a plot device. This was also the first time I've read second person POV outside of a romance novel. It took a bit of getting used to, as it often does for me, and because we kept switching in and out of the second and third person narratives.

As I expect from all the Locked Tomb books, Harrow is heavy with world and lore building, but only occasionally felt bogged down by it. I felt myself zoning out a bit in longer Harrow 2nd POV chapters, mostly because Harrow herself is such a pill most of the time and she was a bit draining for me as a reader. But I am dreadfully interested in the massive left turn that Nona is going to take us!

Piecing together the signals that the nine houses are actually our solar system over the course of Harrow felt truly mind blowing at the time. Little hints that, at first, you write off as fun nods to pop culture as a reader turn into "oh no... these characters actually know meme culture." And then you start realizing that John/God might just be an elder millennial and you start to panic because you, too, are an elder millennial and also know the left pizza none beef meme...

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Bullying, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death, and Dementia

Moderate: Mental illness, Self harm, and Gore

Minor: Gaslighting, Grief, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Panic attacks/disorders

queenie_ofthe_void's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-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

4.0

Borderline impossible to understand the first time through. The second time through was a lot easier... things made more sense. Eye color is important so pay attention. One of the hardest books I've ever read. It was so cool... Harrow is so horribly sad, I love her she's great.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Eating disorder, Gore, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Violence, Gun violence, Vomit, Bullying, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Toxic friendship

nikenacs's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

GtN left me absolutely stunned and this one managed to top that effect, by far. The layers, twists and turns of this plot are out of this world. By the end, the plot was twisting so hard I didn't know which way was up and down. And Harrow, dear Harrow, I care about you so fucking much. Together with GtN, easily my favorite book I've read this year. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Violence, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Blood, Body horror, Vomit, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Grief, Gaslighting, and Death

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, and Child death

Minor: Genocide, War, and Xenophobia

toorsdenote's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

I had to put more WORK into this than I'm used to, because it so keeps you guessing about what is even HAPPENING. But it's worth it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Violence, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Toxic friendship, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

cal_the_queer's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Injury/Injury detail, and Gore

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Self harm, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, and War

Minor: Pregnancy, Terminal illness, and Cancer

hanarama's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

The Good:
• Expands worldbuilding
• Genre busting
• Complicated characters
• Wild reveal

The Bad:
 • Can be hard to remember who all the side characters are.

You Might Like this if You Like:
• Necromancers 
• Goth aesthetic
• Non-linear storytelling 

After the end of Gideon the Ninth, I wasn't sure what to expect, but Tamsyn Muir truly delivers. Harrow the Ninth builds off of what the first book set up. With Harrow as the main POV this time around, the cruel and distant necromancer is revealed to be vulnerable, perfectionist, and very relatable. 

Beyond the exploration of Harrow's character, Muir expands the setting a lot, showing the reader so much of the history of the empire, despite the somewhat minimal setting that the story takes place in. 

The storytelling is really unique. Totally unexpected from what happened at the end of Gideon the Ninth. The non-linear storytelling and inconsistencies with the previous book clue the reader in right away that something is wrong. However the slow reveal of what happened really deepens Harrow as a character. 

It can be difficult at times to keep all of the side characters sorted, because there are loads and loads of them. The main characters stand out though, and the issue is mostly a minor one. It's just that with so many characters, it's difficult for them all to be developed or to make a mark. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic relationship, and Violence