Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower by Tamsyn Muir

7 reviews

thebetterstory's review

adventurous dark funny tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

Well, that was glorious and really rather horrible.

I'll agree with the other reviews that well the ending kind of fits, the more you actually think about it the worse it feels for everyone involved, and tonally the cheeriness of it happening is completely off.

That said, if you've ever been the type to enjoy the flavour of darkfic or a certain kind of horror, particularly one about someone slowly being changed by their trials until they come out of it not quite right at the end—or if you've ever thought the words "I love a good yandere"—you could very well end up liking this a lot. Or if you think it might be interesting to watch one girl and one fairy of indifferent gender grimly and pragmatically figure out the best way to slaughter a tower filled with monsters using only the contents of one small living chamber and the friends body parts they find along the way. Really, though, this one's not for children unless they have strong stomachs, humorously censored swear words aside.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Gore, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Sexism, Fatphobia, Mental illness, and Suicide

atrue's review

adventurous dark funny medium-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? Yes

4.5

Delightful and messed up and I wish I’d read it with someone because it would be so fun to talk about. Peppered with sapphic delights as well. Bit gory! Changes pace radically halfway through. Would love to chat about the end so might try to make a friend read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Violence, Gore, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Suicide

tostita's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny fast-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? It's complicated

2.0

I loved the first half of this book, which made the ending all the more disappointing. 

What’s good: the voice, the wit, the scenario, the narration

What’s bad: Floralinda does not become empowered to be her real self; rather, she is broken and hardened by events into someone who is no more, and perhaps far less, her “real” self than the spoiled princess she started as. In the end she has become someone who turns to violence first, regardless of need, who now willingly upholds the same violent institution that imprisoned her in the first place. I also am not at all comfortable with the implication that one cannot be a girl and also be strong, or damaged, or anything less than softly pretty and meek, and that being tough and deviating from mainstream beauty standards makes one a “monster.” And then there is the uncomfortable incident where Floralinda forces agender Cobweb to choose whether to be a boy or a girl. I assumed the book would circle back around to that by the end and correct things, but it never did. 

This book started off so well. I wish it hadn’t let me down in the end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Animal death, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Gore

Moderate: Suicide

bfab's review

adventurous funny fast-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: Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, and Gore

Moderate: Blood, Death, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts

aardwyrm's review

adventurous dark funny lighthearted 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

4.5

Striking the balance between riffing on riffs and intentionally clashing tones is tricky, but with very few stumbles, achieved. There are a few moments that are downright precious, but overall a fun little subversion for the generation that grew up on already subverted fairy tales. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Animal cruelty, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Vomit, Blood, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Sexism, Suicide, Abandonment, Animal death, and Mental illness

kell_xavi's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

2.0

This is a difficult book to find a copy of, but it’s fairly easy to search up a PDF. I wasn’t that impressed with it, however, on the emotional/character development level or in terms of fight scenes. I’m not certain why Muir included so many monsters only to breeze past most of them. It’s a fun read, but not satisfying for me. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping

Minor: Suicide and Vomit

jenny_d's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Confinement, and Violence

Minor: Suicide and Vomit