Reviews tagging 'Dementia'

The September House by Carissa Orlando

35 reviews

nicolesanerd's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I’m not sure that I’ve ever facepalmed from a book as much as this one made me. The characters were frustrating, to put it nicely. The plot was also completely predictable. The book contained multiple instances of hints that made it very apparent while not saying it outright. I finished in hopes that it wouldn’t be the case, but unfortunately it was. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Mental illness, Body horror, Torture, Cursing, Violence, Vomit, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Police brutality

wordsareworlds's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I really enjoyed this twist on a more classic haunted house story. It had me guessing until almost the end which way it would go, and ultimately I was very satisfied by how everything came together. I keep thinking about the fine line the author walked in revealing the MC's past and wanting the reader to ask just how unreliable the narrator is. Strong themes about the cycle of abuse and how survival can manifest in very different ways for different people.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Physical abuse, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Dementia, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Murder, and Child death

Moderate: Alcohol and Addiction

Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Suicide

alicroz34's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.25

Attacking the haunted house genre from the perspective of an overly agreeable mom who just puts up with most of it is kind of hilarious. 

I devoured this in two days. 

I did notice 100% of adult men who died in the house did not get to come back as ghosts and did not get to have their injuries reversed at the end. I find that very interesting, but I did want an acknowledgement of that somewhere? Like we're literally watching all the children & adult women who died in the house heal & leave (if they want to) and then they just sit on the porch like... so Hal is dead. I'm down with it but I was like... is no one else seeing a pattern here hi hello.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Cannibalism, Violence, Death of parent, Death, Toxic relationship, Torture, Physical abuse, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, and Vomit

Moderate: Dementia, Gaslighting, and Fire/Fire injury

judassilver's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious sad tense medium-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Murder, Blood, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Animal death, Confinement, Violence, Vomit, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Cursing, Suicide, Dementia, Cannibalism, and Grief

Minor: Self harm, Forced institutionalization, and Fire/Fire injury

beholderess's review against another edition

funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, and Gore

Moderate: Dementia, Forced institutionalization, and Vomit

Minor: Suicide

saltycoffee'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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Body horror, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Gore, Vomit, Violence, Torture, Mental illness, and Kidnapping

aparker89's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Body horror, Cannibalism, Cursing, Death, Dementia, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Vomit, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Toxic friendship, Animal death, Blood, Confinement, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship

zeroshi's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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

4.5

I feel like this book hits different for victims of ab*se. This isn’t simply a haunted house book and while that part is done amazingly this is a commentary on breaking cyclical toxic patterns. Also the fact this is a debut novel??? Amazingly well done by the voice actor as well. Absolutely fell in love with the main character and her troop of pranksters. The daughter was a LITTLE IRRITATING at forst but once you realize what the book is REALLY saying you see the struggle she has with seeing her father in herself. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Addiction, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Gore, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, Dementia, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse

tabookish's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Cursing, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Gore, Physical abuse, Animal death, Blood, Alcoholism, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Forced institutionalization and Dementia

anissawren's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Blood, Child death, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, Suicide, Murder, and Police brutality

Minor: Dementia, Self harm, Cannibalism, and Forced institutionalization