Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Mary: An Awakening of Terror by Nat Cassidy

60 reviews

princess_marie's review against another edition

dark funny 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

It was a good and interesting story that did keep me engaged but it got a little too weird for my taste (almost to the point of being "silly").

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Emotional abuse, Animal cruelty, Death, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Misogyny, Murder, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Blood, Bullying, Forced institutionalization, Torture, Religious bigotry, Violence, Sexual violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Medical content

story_of_steph's review

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I’m not sure what I was expecting but it wasn’t that. Weird. I didn’t love it but didn’t hate it either.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Blood, and Violence

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Torture

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Excrement, and Mass/school shootings

brea's review

challenging dark emotional funny 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? It's complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Bullying, Murder, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Gore, Sexism, Sexual assault, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Abandonment, Death, Toxic relationship, and Rape

dehernandez3169's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This is easily one of the best books I've ever read. 

Written by a man, Nat Cassidy was able to write exactly what it is like being a woman, especially a middle aged woman. There were time where I had to put the book down just to process how he was able to capture everything so perfectly. 

The horror is JUST as good as feminist points. It is a rollercoaster and I had no idea how things where going to go. 

Read it. Just... Read it. (Or listen to the audio book. It just as fantastic.) 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Mental illness, and Body horror

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, and Emotional abuse

twistykris's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

4.25

This is a horror novel I'll be haunted by for a while. This was hard to look away from- mesmerizing but grotesque. Cassidy's writing is engaging and the plot twists were unexpected for me. The last 15% of the book or so had me sitting on the couch covering my mouth in horror and disgust (and also a little glee?).

The audiobook narrator, Susan Bennett, does an absolutely INCREDIBLE job. The emotion in her voice when Mary feels angry or scared or meek is just perfectly executed.

I think some of the book was too drawn out though and it could have been trimmed down a little.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Mental illness, Murder, Death, Animal death, Body shaming, Misogyny, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Confinement, Bullying, Death of parent, and Vomit

_meeg's review

NGL dude this one was just too brutal for me. Felt too unwell to justify continuing reading after the cactus scene.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Sexism, Vomit, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Confinement, Grief, Suicide, Death, Murder, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Drug use, Addiction, Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, Cursing, Excrement, Gore, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Stalking, and Suicidal thoughts

fleurhoplof's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

A fascinating first part, which plunges us into the loss of bearings of a woman about to go through menopause, between hallucinations, obsessions and self-loathing. Cassidy's writing is very precise and credible, and hats off to the author for his plunge into a woman's psyche. The second part, with the discovery of what's going on in the desert town, is rather dull, with the exception of a few scenes of body horror (which are sincerely not as graphic as some readers would have us believe). The novel's ending, which is a typical

revenge porn

ending, is frankly disappointing. Mary deserved better than that cliché wrap-up!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Body shaming

Moderate: Gore and Body horror

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders

novel_grace's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I went in expecting to love this book, and was still surprised by just HOW much I enjoyed it (as much as you can enjoy something this bloody). Despite this being a story hugely about a struggle for identity and reality and personhood, Mary had such a  distinct voice, that only got sharper and more defined as the book went along.

I was truly shocked when I realized a third of the way in that the author is a man, because it truly handled topics of womanhood with the subtly and honesty I would expect from someone who has experienced it first hand. The authors note preceding the book and the afterword truly put this book over the top for me. 

Beyond the incredibly valid and important discussions of patriarchy and womanhood, this book truly succeeds as a horror story. It was so CREEPY in so many way. I had to stop reading it at night because it unnerved me so much. 

Thrilling and genuine and terrifying and surprisingly heartfelt - this might be my new favorite horror novel. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Murder, and Mental illness

Moderate: Sexual violence, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, and Misogyny

vixenreader's review

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

Akin to the works of Ottessa Moshfesh, this is an intimate, scary study of a disturbed character going through ordeals that are both relatable and horrifying. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Religious bigotry, Confinement, Fatphobia, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Gore, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Blood, Grief, Toxic friendship, Torture, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Body horror, Body shaming, Death of parent, Bullying, Violence, Cursing, and Death

Moderate: Kidnapping, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Drug use, Abandonment, Racism, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Cancer, Animal cruelty, Ableism, and Child death

Minor: Alcohol, Excrement, Vomit, and Lesbophobia

Please be aware that there is ageism against middle-aged women, cult activity, family dysfunction, murder of a family member, and purposeful glorification of a serial killer.

bookswithmeghann's review

dark tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Murder, Animal death, Death, and Blood