Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Die leuchtenden Toten by Caitlin Starling

48 reviews

solleron's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional relaxing fast-paced

5.0

i was in a cafe reading this. i think i was alone. i flailed like crazy

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Gaslighting, Death, Abandonment, Body horror, Grief, and Toxic relationship

wrenny03's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Do not go into The Caves. The Caves are alive and malicious and they want you dead. This book fucks.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Drug use, Body horror, Death, and Vomit

Moderate: Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, and Confinement

Minor: Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic relationship

thelittlestrobot's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Abandonment, Gore, Grief, and Death

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Death of parent

celina246's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense slow-paced

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

3.25

I had high hopes for this book but I’m a bit disappointed. It was by no means awful; it’s what I call a “quiet” horror, which means not a lot is necessarily happening but the atmosphere is kind of creepy and tense. But it teetered on boring too many times, and all the climbing jargon and descriptions of the cave routes made my eyes glaze over.

 I wish CS had done a bit more with it, plot-wise, but it was character-centric and the characters were very annoying and unlikeable.  Still, I feel like it could be a good movie. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Confinement, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief

Moderate: Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Minor: Mental illness and Toxic relationship

hzamrzla's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense slow-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

3.0

I loved the premise and voice of this book, but the pacing and actual plot were so hard to stick with. There is only one REAL conflict: whether or not Gyre trusts Em, and we revisit it about 8 times with no real resolution. Reluctant trust, big betrayal, insistence on doing it alone, horrible failure due to the decision to do it alone, rinse, repeat. 

Specifically, I got so frustrated with Gyre by the end because of her

constantly refusing to let Em guide/medicate/STOP her, doing something stupid, and then being in a rage that Em didn’t guide/medicate/STOP her

. This happening once or twice seemed reasonable, and then for it to KEEP happening, as the only source of action in the book, felt contrived. 

Also, I hate

“turns out it was all in your head”

books. 

It got old, which is sad. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Medical content, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Classism, Death of parent, and Abandonment

dogearedbooks's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Grief, and Confinement

Moderate: Vomit and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Toxic relationship

zakura317's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad slow-paced

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

2.5

Meandering would be a kind way to describe this book. And the two leads have an incredibly toxic and dangerous relationship.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Confinement, and Emotional abuse

hailstorm3812's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? It's complicated

4.0

This is not my typical read but I actually liked it. It is tense, interesting, and a little trippy. I am not entirely satisfied on how the mystery ends up but the characterization and relationships more than make up for it. I really like the main character and think everyone reacts in ridiculous but realistic ways of a person in these circumstances. I had to stop listening a few times because I was stressed out, but I still really enjoyed it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Abandonment, Death of parent, Body horror, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Colonisation, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Drug use, Gaslighting, and Suicidal thoughts

aranmn's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-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

4.0

What I liked: the atmosphere, the horror aspect, the sci-fi elements, the originality of the setting. What I didn't like: the characters; they read very juvenile and melodramatic. 

If you can get past the characters and like slow-paced, psychological horror, I would say this novel is totally worth a read, though. I personally enjoyed it quite a lot even though I can see why many people don't.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic relationship, Body horror, Abandonment, and Gore

Moderate: Vomit

hfrancesh's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Injury/Injury detail