Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses by Kristen O'Neal

12 reviews

khakipantsofsex's review against another edition

funny hopeful

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content

Moderate: Eating disorder, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts

lynxpardinus's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful reflective

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Ableism

Moderate: Blood, Vomit, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Body horror, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, and Self harm

Minor: Police brutality, Animal death, and Gun violence

strawberrytheauthor's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny informative 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

Took me longer to read than I wish it had, but that had nothing to do with the book itself. It is a great read with a lot of wit, it is very targeted towards Gen Z and their type of humor and at some points was a bit much.

I really enjoyed it and I felt like I learned a lot about Chronic Illnesses that I didn’t know before. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Chronic illness, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

Moderate: Cursing

Minor: Ableism, Gun violence, and Abandonment

amberinpieces's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective slow-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Blood, Body horror, Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content

Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Dysphoria, Gun violence, Mental illness, Car accident, Gore, Vomit, Infertility, and Self harm

theespressoedition's review against another edition

adventurous challenging slow-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

3.0

I have such incredibly mixed feelings about this book.

On the one hand, I absolutely loved the representation. As a spoonie myself (for all you healthy people, that's what some of us with chronic illnesses call ourselves), it was really refreshing reading about others who deal with some of the same challenges that I do. From obnoxious MLMs telling us we can solve our health issues with essential oils, to the way it's so easy to fall into depression when going through flare-ups, to just feeling all the feelings (and all the pain). I appreciated it so much because I felt seen in so many ways.

I thought that creating a "chronic illness" out of lycanthropy was incredibly creative. It definitely manifests itself similarly to spoonie symptoms with "flare-ups" each month, strange changes in the body, not feeling yourself, etc. This low fantasy that read more like contemporary was really well done!

On the other hand, it was so slow. I couldn't believe how long it took for the werewolf discovery to occur. I'm used to contemporary novels being about 6-8 hours tops on 2x speed narration. This one was almost 11 hours on 2.5x speed! And the reveal didn't happen until 3 hours in! I was baffled. I also found it really annoying to listen to the Discord chat conversations - reading a physical copy would've been better for that (that's not a diss on the book, just a personal thing while listening to an audiobook). It got obnoxious every time someone did a keyboard smash or shared a link because hearing "adscxzhuiweufbjdksfj" read aloud is just... ridiculous-sounding!

In addition to that, I definitely felt my age. The fact that the oldest person in the chat was 25 (26?) and I'm several years older than that right now had me feeling distinctly millennial grandma (cue laughter). Yes, I realize this was YA (though I guess it's more technically NA since the main character is 19), but I hoped I'd be able to relate a bit better. It just really screamed gen-z.

I would definitely recommend this in a physical format for spoonies looking to feel seen and for others who want to learn more about what it's like to have different chronic illnesses.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gore, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Mental illness, and Medical content

aviery's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious tense fast-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Chronic illness, and Body horror

Moderate: Gore, Medical content, and Mental illness

Minor: Animal cruelty and Cursing

malloryfitz's review against another edition

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism and Chronic illness

Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Cursing

tristonleeann's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

It is a great, inspiring, relatable book if you struggle with chronic illness. I am few years younger than the main character and have a different chronic illness, but I could still really relate to how she is struggling both mentally and physically while trying to come to terms with her new reality and trying to learn to cope with and manage her symptoms.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Body horror, Blood, Gore, Cursing, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Confinement, Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief

Minor: Abandonment, Animal death, and Suicidal thoughts

It might just be the most chaotic book I’ve ever read. It includes a group chat fillies with chronically ill, gen z people that is both a mess and can be emotional when they talk about their struggles.

You will get Rick rolled if you search the YouTube links. Also poor Spencer was just trying to do his job but ended up being bitten by a werewolf, becoming friends with said werewolf as well as her friend, and covering for her when she turns in the middle of an Olive Garden.

grvhppr's review against another edition

emotional funny fast-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

3.0

Okay, so this book was full of emotions across the spectrum. Ngl, I’m trying to ease away from YA books, but the title sucked me in. Plus, it was the book I wanted to read in another group and didn’t get selected by one vote. Sooo I had to read it, and I’m glad I did! It definitely evoked some feels and understanding of chronic illness. However it’s definitely a paranormal book and should be thought of as such. 

I loved the full circle that Priya lived with her illness. Having to drop out because of being sick and then with medical school on the possible horizon at the end was wonderful. Not to mention the friendships created from dark and lonely times. With COVID, lots of folks turned to Discord for group forming and social mingling. In that respect, the book felt relatable.

The scenes where Brigid is in wolf form and Priya and Spencer have to capture/trap her are so great. Felt like it was right out of a movie. Just some good old fashioned humor and paranormal fun.

The book isn’t challenging to read and the pages keep turning with its fast-paced feel. So if you’re seeking something out of the ordinary, this is a book that I’d recommend. That being said, there are some strong triggers with regard to mental and physical health, so please make sure to keep that in mind before starting. Additionally, the diverse representation in the book was legit. That’s always appreciated.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Mental illness

Moderate: Grief

kisahofswords13's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring fast-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

3.5

I really liked this. I thought it was funny and original. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Medical content, Grief, and Ableism