Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

27 reviews

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

---

Content Warnings

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

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

possibilityleft's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• 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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Stalking, War, Vomit, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Dementia, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Murder, Suicide, Torture, and Violence

belladonnashrike's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense slow-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

3.0

so I think reading this sequel has summed up my feelings on how muir writes. she comes off as an amateur writer - whether that’s true or not, I have no idea, but that’s the root of all my critiques. I’m not a fan of the humor in this series, but even more so, all the characters (except for Harrow) have the same sense of humor, even when you would expect them not to, which sort of cheapens the dialogue and their individual characterization. the one (main) character that I feel does not share this quality is Harrowhark, who is written as the inverse of Gideon, so of course she won’t have the Gideon-like humor. I think Harrow is the best written character in the series and she is certainly my favorite which is why I think I enjoyed this book way more than the first. despite that, the fact that she is basically a Gideon foil feels a little lazy especially when you look at the dialogue. I love Harrow but I wish her traits and personality was independent of Gideon. I enjoyed Harrow’s perspective

but once it shifted back to Gideon’s (which I KNEW was going to happen… I hated the second person format but then realized very early on that Gideon was most likely not actually dead and she was speaking for Harrow) perspective, I felt mildly annoyed. I don’t dislike Gideon at all, but I’d simply rather not read things from her perspective, especially in first person. she’s fine as a side character! I just really do not like her sense of humor and again, it cheapens the story for me. especially when God - her father - said that very ridiculous, unnecessary dad joke upon meeting her. I legitimately rolled my eyes and sighed. I just can’t escape this sense of humor even when Harrow is leading the book!

much more. she is a very interesting character and I do have a lot of love for her. the worldbuilding got SO much better in this book, but it’s not perfect. some things are still left unsaid or as loose threads (which I feel is not a part of the mystery and definitely attributed to what I imagine is inexperienced writing). I am still invested in the story despite my critiques (I just find the concept so fascinating - I desperately wish that the execution was better) so I’ll be continuing on with the series. I hope Harrow is in these next couple books because I do adore her and would certainly miss her if she was absent from the storyline. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Gore, Blood, Gun violence, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Abandonment, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, and Vomit

thecatconstellation's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? It's complicated

4.5

A wild, confusing, horrifying, wonderful ride. You have to go into this knowing you will not know what the fuck is going on half the time, and even when you figure out what’s going on, there’s still so much we don’t know. 

I love the tone, especially in the second half. The humor and references sprinkled in kill me. “…none House, with left grief.” made me LOL.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Gore, and Violence

Moderate: Grief, Gun violence, Mental illness, Child death, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Self harm

Minor: Abandonment, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Alcohol, and Sexual assault

boglord's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense slow-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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Gore, War, Blood, Death, Body horror, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Alcohol, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Colonisation, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Cursing, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Minor: Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, and Ableism

fifiisbored's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense

• 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Abandonment, Death, War, Gaslighting, and Violence

solarel's review against another edition

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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

While I liked this one a fraction less than Gideon, the last third of the book hooked me yet again. The author is seriously phenomenal when it comes to unraveling a mystery one inch at a time. 

and those terrible jokes! I loved it there towards the end. “Hi I’m not fucking dead, I’m dad. Shut up John Hahahha.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Grief, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Body horror, Murder, Violence, Blood, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Gaslighting, Medical content, Physical abuse, and Terminal illness

Minor: Cannibalism and Death of parent

relin's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

I still am untangling so much of what happened. What a ride. Plan to reread because there are so many details that you are bombarded with that would have answers, but only if you knew which questions to ask.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Vomit, Gore, Murder, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Gun violence, Toxic friendship, Self harm, Mental illness, Body horror, Blood, Alcohol, Grief, Gaslighting, and Cursing

Moderate: Confinement, Abandonment, Eating disorder, War, Fire/Fire injury, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Genocide, Child death, Cannibalism, and Suicide attempt

abbyschalupa's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, and Medical content

leecyph's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

I preferred the first book in the series, mainly because I found Gideon better company than Harrow much of the time. For 3/4 of the book I had absolutely no idea what was going on. I trusted the process, and the last quarter was fantastic and so fun. Gotta say though, if book 3 is still more delayed gratification, I don't think I can handle it, and frankly, I'll be a little pissed.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, and Violence

Moderate: Abandonment, Child abuse, and Mental illness

Minor: Child death and Genocide