Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

76 reviews

julesadventurezone's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

This is a book you really need to read at least twice to appreciate. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Violence, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, Genocide, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, War, Child death, Toxic friendship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Vomit, Toxic relationship, and Self harm

Minor: Eating disorder, Infertility, Terminal illness, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Cancer, Incest, and Abandonment

charleyyyyy's review

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Oh
Shit
Uh
Huh
Fuck
?????

That was so cool

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Body horror, Child abuse, Gore, Death, Suicide, Mental illness, Murder, Blood, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, and Cursing

ebp's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, Self harm, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Blood, Body horror, Mental illness, Gun violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Bullying, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Gaslighting

Moderate: War, Classism, Cannibalism, and Cursing

Minor: Cancer

steph_weigle's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Sexual content, Body horror, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Gore, Eating disorder, Infertility, Medical content, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Self harm, Confinement, Bullying, Cancer, Cannibalism, Chronic illness, Cursing, Violence, Vomit, and War

Minor: Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Suicide attempt, Infertility, Animal death, Genocide, and Suicide

alica2's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

ough......this one was rougher to get through than Gideon the Ninth, and way more confusing LOLOL but when it all came together it was worth it. I also felt super satisfied in calling one of the main twists, and I LOVE a good use of second-person POV (it was cool when NK Jemisin did it in The Stone Sky and it was still cool here). Much more chilling and creepy than Gideon the Ninth, I felt tense almost the whole time what with

the stalkeresque threat to Harrow on the ship, iykyk

. I LOOOVED the soup scene, like

the way that I wasn't expecting it all, the way that I could practically FEEL Harrow's paranoia and deliriousness from lack of sleep, the way she used her own freaking bone marrow, like girl??????

. Huge content warnings for self harm and just poor mental health in general. Harrow's visions and psychosis were particularly triggering for me and rough to read...

I cried again when

Gideon's POV kicked in

because like eugh the yearning and loneliness and despair... Also I really loved Ianthe in this one, like I hate her but I love her LOLOL she's an amazing character and I want to study her under a microscope. Ending spoiler

I almost yelled out loud when she saved the emperor from the hell hole or whatever, like girl!!!!! We were all rooting for you and you fumbled it big time!!!!!!!

Also

John's whole deal in general...I got completely fucking taken in by him and kept making excuses for why he wouldn't help Harrow and then he just like. Of course ends up being evil!!! Because no one should ever live as long as he has!!! But it was terrifying to see how frank and unconcerned he was about everything during the final confrontation with his Lyctors...like damn top ten villains for sure

.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Body horror, Violence, and Self harm

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis

ladythana's review against another edition

mysterious sad tense slow-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: Grief, Gore, Body horror, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Murder, Vomit, Violence, Blood, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Death

Moderate: Gaslighting, Dementia, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Gun violence, Self harm, Abandonment, Bullying, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, and Medical trauma

Minor: Body shaming and Colonisation

shottel's review

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Like Gideon the Ninth, the book-cover reviews and summaries don’t do it justice. Harrow the Ninth is a fantastic, funny, unique, genre-blurring novel whose worldbuilding and mystery-oriented storytelling makes it worthy of reading on their own. To an even greater degree, it is a poignant picture of psychosis and grief. I was not expecting to see in such detail a broken mind, agonized by self-doubt and the mistrust of others, and the crushing weight of immense loss.

Outside of the deep themes of regret, loss, absence, grief, and psychosis, there is much to say positively. Harrow manages to pull off pop culture references and memes humorously, without making me want to throw the book across the room. (Minimally spoiling example: A subtle joke invoking none pizza left beef.) This, combined with a tamer but still present version of the sense of humor that made Gideon distinctive makes for an enjoyable time. It doesn’t lag so hard in the first half like Gideon does (although I do feel it could’ve likely been shortened a good 50-100 pages). The ending was exciting, the payoff for working through over 400 pages of confusion (albeit a well-written 400 pages) deeply worth it. My only gripe is that, without spoiling anything, the last 5 or so pages are a bit confusing and sad in a way I don’t think fits, but this doesn’t harm it enough for me to say the ending was anything but excellent.

Overall, I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who has read Gideon the Ninth and would be interested in a good mystery or an evocative portrait of disturbed mental faculties.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Body horror, Gore, Mental illness, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, Toxic friendship, Murder, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Vomit, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, and Self harm

Minor: Pregnancy, Dementia, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

sdskuld's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

What an ambitious sequel full of head games any mystery, but it works. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Body horror, Violence, Murder, Blood, Self harm, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Injury/Injury detail

DO NOT START WITH THIS BOOK. Start with Gideon the Ninth

enyltiak's review

challenging 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

Gideon the Ninth was my first five star read of 2023, so I figured it was about time to continue the series. Where the beginning of the first book is a bit confusing in that classic new sci-fi/fantasy world adjustment sort of way, Harrow the Ninth is confusing in a trippy, clueless sort of way where you as the reader are completely in the dark alongside its titular character, feeling your way to some semblance of explanation. It's a slow burn for certain, and not for everyone, but I was personally a fan of the way POV is used in this book.

Despite the confusing nature, I managed to figure out that

Harrow had willfully replaced/removed Gideon from her memory in her grief (though I hadn't known fully why or how, of course)

. The last act of the book is action-packed and so fun. It really sheds light on everything vague that had occurred thus far, so you get some clarity seeing it through to the end. All in all, solid second book and definitely one that strikes a desire to re-read it and see it in a whole new light.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gaslighting, Vomit, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Body horror, Self harm, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Death

xosirenox's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Gore, Blood, Body horror, Vomit, Violence, Death, and Murder