Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Het Negende Huis by Leigh Bardugo

106 reviews

ginnymay's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

librarianlayla's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

I'll admit that the first half of this book was a pretentious slog with little flavour however due to my interest in the premise I persevered. The second half however really picked up and the characters personalities began to shine through more and the magic-infused murder mystery really kicked off.

I look forward to seeing how this ends. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, and Murder

slowandsteadybooks's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, and Sexual harassment

b_lownds127'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

I inhaled this book, downed it, devoured it in a frenzied few days. I am a mother of three and sleep is tenuous at our house, yet I stayed up late reading until the wee hours 3 nights in a row. I cringed, I sobbed, at one point while listening to the audiobook actually stood up and paced. It was excellent. 
It also needs trigger warnings for absolutely everything. Seriously, I don't even know how to classify some of the things that happened in here. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Excrement, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, and Alcohol

Minor: Antisemitism

ebonycantread's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Addiction and Mental illness

anka_not_anchor's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

I think anyone who wants to read this should definitely check the trigger warnings for this book because it shocked me with how intense it is in comparison to Bardugo’s other stuff (understandably as this is an adult novel and not YA). However, it’s a very well written book that pulled me out of a reading slump and kept me on the edge of my seat. If you like mystery and the macabre, this is just the thing for you! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, and Vomit

renikajw's review against another edition

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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Rape, Trafficking, and Murder

queenstaves's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, and Toxic friendship

The author uses rape, date rape, sexual assault, sexual trauma, etc. in a way that reads as trauma being a character flaw/trait instead of a part of an emotional arc. It is used in a way that reads as "edgy flavor" and not the horrifying things they are. They are used to position the protagonist as an edgy savior. She "gets revenge" for women being date raped by forcing the men to eat shit (literally), and it's used as this "I really showed them!" kind of moment. It is a gross use of the content.

workingfortheknife's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense

• 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

it was a library read and i had heard so much about it but i absolutely loved it for what it was; it was everything i wanted at the moment i read it! i am so beyond excited for book 2, i hope it lives up to my now unrealistically high expectations (it probably wont, but i am at peace with that). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Blood, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

there is a brief scene which lasts for about half a page where the main character is sexually assaulted as a child, it's not graphic or goes into any detail and is based on the authors personal experiences.

lizzieinmt's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

I struggled to figure out what this book was really about, but on reflection I believe it's about the struggle for and abuse of power. And how people are willing to maintain, commit to and sacrafice themselves and others for power, often a power they don't fully understand. This is reappeared for us in the book over and over each time it becomes a larger and higher steaks example. I did enjoy it and it falls comfortably (or rather nice and uncomfortably) into dark academia. I do have a few criticisms that I feel didn't pull their weight in the story, but overall it was a compelling read with a heavy, deep magical feel.

I think the use of rape as a plot point repeatedly through the book did show the misuse of power and illustrate terrible people. But I don't think this was the only way that could have been done and I did feel that even with the big revenge ar "ground zero" she was really trying to make up for rape as a plot point. Like, why is murder and emotional/physical threat and mistreatment not enough? Why throw that in to. Didn't ruin the book but did make me like it less than other dark academia novels for sure

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Mental illness, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Toxic friendship, and Colonisation