Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

Tripping Arcadia by Kit Mayquist

5 reviews

nithya_natalya's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense 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

4.0

This was a very fun novel, and once I got into it, moved very quickly. Very dark and bitter, and a satisfying portrayal of the decay beneath the glitz of capitalism and celebrity.

The only reason that I didn't give this five stars is because I wanted it to go further than it did. While the atmosphere and general mood of the novel felt gothic, the climax and resolution didn't feel grisly and tragic and destructive enough. It felt like eat the rich, except we only got the appetizer before the novel was over.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, Death, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Child abuse, Addiction, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Grief, Ableism, Medical content, Vomit, Self harm, Murder, and Confinement

corikane's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

https://kanebookworm.wordpress.com/2023/04/12/tripping-arcadia-by-kit-mayquist/

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Vomit, and Self harm

Moderate: Alcoholism

anxiousnachos's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense

5.0

Fucking glorious. This book has slithered its vines into my head and completely consumed me. It haunts my soul. This bisexual hedonistic Gothic botanical horror has such exquisite vibes and such a wonderful pitch that I was a little worried it could never live up to what I wanted it to be - and then it did?! Iconic. It reads like a Baz Luhrmann film: somehow hazy and dream-like (or nightmarish), everything in slow-mo or reverse, I close my eyes and I can see scenes play out on my eyeballs so perfectly it has been carved into me. Poisons and sex parties and discussions of classism and murder and bisexuals and a sapphic relationship and a self-destructive man who longs for death ARE YOU KIDDING ME. 

This book was painful. It will cut you and carve itself into your soul and it will hurt. I loved every inch of it. 

Content warnings: drug use and addiction, alcohol use and addiction, chronic illness, chronic pain, non-consensual drug use including use of date-rape drugs, self harm, violence, blood, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt, murder, attempted murder, classism

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Drug use, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Murder, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Addiction, Blood, and Self harm

ca_risa's review against another edition

fast-paced

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

2.0

The ending was not well done I don’t think it made sense. The main leads girl betrays her and forces her hand and she just forgives her with little to no thoughts otherwise. Very inst-lovey. There was no chemistry between the main leads and  the main character was a terrible friend. Not really gothic there was no under current of darkness or horror very little revenge at all, her anger never felt fully realized.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Addiction, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Toxic relationship and Violence

Minor: Self harm, Vomit, and Sexual harassment

e_l_bee's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

3.5

i found the first half of this book a little slow, but then i read the second half in two sittings. a brilliant plot with a lot of twists that i didn't see coming and very morally grey characters. a fun gothic poison book that had a lot to say about class. i think it could've used another round of edits though as i found the writing on the sentence/paragraph level to be a little repetitive in ways that could easily have been edited out. (though absolutely stellar use of metaphor and simile and some beautiful descriptions throughout) 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Chronic illness, Classism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Medical trauma, Medical content, Murder, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail