Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

In the Watchful City by S. Qiouyi Lu

8 reviews

lonelylooper's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad 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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Blood, Death, Grief, Self harm, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Kidnapping, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Colonisation, Medical content, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Torture, Dysphoria, Classism, and Child death

abookwormspov's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This is an absolutely stunning work. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, War, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Murder, Suicide, and Toxic relationship

laurareads87's review against another edition

dark reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

With In the Watchful City, author S. Qiouyi Lu has produced a novella that feels like a novel given how much is included... yet that somehow doesn't drag.  The author describes this as biocyberpunk, and the novella touches on many themes one would expect from that description - surveillance, biological/technological interfacing, the relationship between body and consciousness, and more.  I liked a lot about this, including the intermingling of multiple genres and how utterly and unapologetically queer the entire story felt.  I did like the 'stories within a story' structure, though some components were stronger than others and I found myself wishing that some sections were longer.  I definitely want to read more from S. Qiouyi Lu.

<i>Content warnings:</i> suicide on page (drowning), suicidal thoughts, death, violence, mention of a past suicide attempt, sexism, colonization, medical content, grief, blood, consensual cutting/scarification in a sexual context

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death, and Violence

Moderate: Suicide attempt and Medical content

Minor: Colonisation and Sexism

krystalg's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood

Moderate: Abandonment, Suicide attempt, Confinement, Death, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

sophiesmallhands's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective 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: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Death, and Suicide

Moderate: Suicide attempt

mwp_'s review against another edition

challenging inspiring reflective 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? No

4.0

There was a lot that I had to wrap my head around in this one. And honestly, I’m still not sure I fully grasped everything in this novella. That doesn’t change the fact that I did find this well written and thought provoking. This novella explores life, death, emotions, and exploration.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, and Death

Moderate: Abandonment and Grief

aardwyrm's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective slow-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

Anima's arc feels more like a frame story that outgrew itself than like a complete tale of its own, but the world crafted and the other lives tapped by the daring narrative make this one worth the visit.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Death, and Abandonment

ellieturnsthepage's review against another edition

mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Animal cruelty, and Self harm