Reviews tagging 'Death'

Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas

72 reviews

marcostorin's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-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

5.0

This book was amazing. It hooked me at the beginning with its description of Ines' mental health issues and her academic troubles, that was like getting punched by a reflection. The descriptions are amazing, the vibe is immaculate and the suspense was great. At a few points I wasn't really sure she was going to make it, still don't know if she did at the end, but I choose to think she won. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Alcohol, Confinement, and Mental illness

Moderate: Body horror, Medical trauma, Animal cruelty, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Vomit

criticalbooks's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Gore, Suicide, Classism, Gaslighting, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Violence, Blood, and Torture

ellenwilberg's review

challenging dark mysterious

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty

Moderate: Sexual content, Suicide, Grief, and Death

Minor: Car accident

victoriousbookworm's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol and Confinement

Moderate: Sexual content, Death, and Animal cruelty

cinnamon_'s review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

• love tiny details (like when someone needs to pee or have their period) 
• mental health awareness (ish) and queer representation 
- writing style was good just not my favourite 
° it was not really horror (although definitely gothic)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting and Mental illness

Minor: Death

emzhay's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

the girls that get it, get and the girls that don’t, don’t 

I absolutely loved this book. I liked the moodiness, the meandering story, the characters, the imagery, and the house itself. It reminded me of my own college experience, despite some major differing aspects of course. After reading the author’s interview, I think that I was exactly the type of reader this was written for/about. 

I often see this marketed as a dark academia thriller, but to me it was more an atmospheric gothic literary novel. It explores ideas, relationships and the self through its plot rather than using those elements to support the plot. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Confinement

Moderate: Death and Sexual content

alessiareads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Caterine House is deffo not a book for everyone. If you’re into dark academia  or mainly into books with a lot of academic problems then this book would suit you. It’s a very easy read , I finished it in two days. 


The book is about a problematic girl who ends up being accepted in a ghost-like school (more selective than any Ivy League school) with very strict rules and with very low chances that students can contact their friends of family for three years during their stay. She feels trapped but knowing she has nowhere to go and nothing to lose she accepts looking into the secrets of the school. The place has one priority and that is plasma, what it is and why it’s important is very little explained and that’s where I want to add a warning, you won’t get much closure from this book since it’s very mysterious and doesn’t give much details. It’s entertaining and fun but there aren’t any details presented almost at all. The ending is very dissapointing since it seems forced, overall I enjoyed it and highly recommend it! It could’ve had more pages though, 200 more pages maybe where the action went a bit further could’ve made the book better!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Suicide, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Alcohol

libraryghost's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Confinement

Moderate: Death, Confinement, Grief, Forced institutionalization, and Animal cruelty

Minor: Suicide, Vomit, and Adult/minor relationship

thefatpaperback'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

This book is a fever dream. I still think back on it and wonder if this was an actual book I read. It’s bizarre, but the writing is incredible. Big moments and shocking events are delivered like ripping off a band-aid: blunt and disorienting. The characters are great too. A friend and I were chatting about the book and he said he liked how it’s diverse without trying to be diverse and I agree. I 10000% recommend. I read this at the end of October and it was haunting for sure (but not scary…I don’t do horror novels!)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Gaslighting, Grief, Medical content, and Physical abuse

Minor: Animal cruelty

characters in this book attend a private collegiate college that performs, sometimes unbeknownst to students, experiments on their bodies and minds. I’m very sensitive to gore and horror—that’s not in this book. But it is a spooky, creepy read, so I wanted to be thorough in my content warnings.

klubbgodis's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol

Minor: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Grief, Death, and Animal death