Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

81 reviews

divine529's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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

Don't let the amount of time it took me to get through this book fool you. I really enjoyed it. The thing about this book though, is it can be really difficult to read because of what the main character (Harrow) is going through for the vast majority of the book. 

This book takes place after Gideon, but it's told in two timelines (second person and third person). Harrow has just become a Lyctor and is adjusting to and learning all about the inner workings of what that means all the while she's struggling to adjust to that. It's hard to say more than that due to spoilers, but let's just say, it's a wild ride and it's best read right after Gideon (trust me on this). It's a fantastic book and very well written and done in a very unusual style (two timelines isn't unusual, but out of order, fragmented, multiple voices like this is - if you've read it, you know what I mean). The character relationships are complex and messy and so good. One thing I will say is the vast majority of the time I forget we're in space and on a ship. It just doesn't feel like it and when I'm reminded of that fact it takes me a minute to re-calibrate my thoughts (I felt the same way about the first book). All in all a fantastic book, albeit a rough one to read at times (please heed the content warnings). 

I can't wait to read "Nona" and continue with the series!  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Bullying, Gore, Medical content, Blood, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Gun violence, Mental illness, Vomit, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Body horror, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Genocide and Sexual content

Minor: Death of parent and Suicide

valerian_honeybee's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Suicide, Self harm, Murder, Gore, Body horror, Death, Mental illness, Grief, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Violence

Moderate: Medical trauma, War, Toxic relationship, and Stalking

Minor: Sexual content

winged's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• 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: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Body horror, Death, Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, Gore, Dysphoria, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Colonisation, Medical content, Body shaming, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, and Sexual content

Minor: Vomit, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Self harm, Bullying, War, and Injury/Injury detail

julesfrigault's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Suicide, and Gore

charleyyyyy's review against another edition

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

waverleymoran's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Body horror, and Death

Minor: Suicide

emalderwood's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

After the last book's ending I thought I'd need a while before reading this but the characters wouldn't get out of my head, so finally gave in. Even with my heartbreak from the previous book this sequel did NOT disappoint. It was somehow like reading a puzzle with constantly changing rules and pieces and with the same weirdness and humour I loved from the first book (albeit not *quite* as pronounced due to the circumstances). Tamsyn Muir's use of POV and other clues to build to the climax was the kind of creative boundary pushing I want more of in my reading, and absolutely brilliant. You may think you can predict what's coming, but then there will still be twists you never expected and still more twists you hadn't dared hope for but were executed like a surprise gift just for the reader. I have no idea where this trainwreck is going next but I'll be on the next train because after this second installment I trust Muir to bring it to a spectacular and amazing conclusion. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, and Gore

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, War, Vomit, and Medical content

Minor: Suicide and Torture

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

smax's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious 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

Moderate: Violence and Gun violence

Minor: Suicide

shottel's review against another edition

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