Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu

202 reviews

erika102's review against another edition

hopeful mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• 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: Death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Child death, Chronic illness, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

arlaubscher's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-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: Grief, Blood, Cancer, Child death, Death, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, Animal death, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Body horror, Medical content, and Suicide

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Classism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cursing, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Dementia, Confinement, Mental illness, Gore, and Infertility

kitrook's review against another edition

adventurous challenging hopeful inspiring slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

this is one of those books where you read the synopsis and think to yourself, this is either going to be really good, or fall flat and be disappointing. thank goodness it was the former.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Child death, and Terminal illness

Minor: Suicide

nere's review against another edition

really compelling. but it centers a pandemic and i’m really not in the headspace to read something like this right now 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Death, and Child death

angievansprang's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

The writing in this was absolutely beautiful. Nagamatsu has a way of creating an extremely atmospheric setting while discussing profoundly sad ideas, yet still rounding out every chapter with a sense of hope among utter bleakness. The only reason this didn’t get a 5 star from me is because I’m not so much into the technology/space sides of sci-fi and I feel like several chapters incorporated those aspects. Would recommend if this sounds like it’s up your alley!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Terminal illness

sophiesometimesreads's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

I really enjoyed this and loved how the timeline developed through multiple different POVs spanning many years to tell the story of the Arctic plague and pandemic.

I did want a little bit more of the sci-fi elements, though. I felt by the end that I'd had enough glimpses into people and their loss and wanted more on the initial spreading of the plague from chapter one, the intergalactic exploration, or even more from that last chapter.

I also felt that there may have been too many characters and points of view, I'd have loved to revisit some or just spend more time on those chapters.

In saying this, it was still a wonderful exploration of human nature in the face of a disaster, largely showing instances of loss, love, and grief. I also think I might reread this sometime, given that I went in withoit reading the blurb and didn't expect the format, and so I felt like I didn't get everything out of this book that I could've.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Child death

Moderate: Suicide and Terminal illness

Minor: Pregnancy

victoriafrombookclub's review against another edition

hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced

5.0

I immediately want to reread this book. Namagatsu skillfully creates a deep and complex near-world future with a virus leaking from an ancient burial beneath the melting Siberian ice. Each chapter brings you close to the grief and hope of characters dealing with the pandemic in the immediate aftermath and decades and generations after. A truly epic spec fic novel that points to the cosmos just as much to the human heart.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Terminal illness, Grief, Death, Chronic illness, Child death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Medical content, Body horror, Medical trauma, Suicide, and Cancer

Minor: Pregnancy, Violence, Torture, Sexual content, and Murder

softanimal's review against another edition

Truly incredible writing. Creative, morbidly funny, moving, and unique. The performances in the audiobook were also very good. But this is just too sad for me right now.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Medical content

Minor: Car accident

lpdx's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, Classism, Confinement, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Chronic illness, Suicide, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Abandonment, Colonisation, Excrement, Pregnancy, and Vomit

ashleygude's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Fantastic book. Very emotional. Read twice, the second read through is totally worth it to further connect all the dots. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Child death, Death, Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, Terminal illness, Cancer, and Suicide