Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth

43 reviews

quiet_reader's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Drug abuse, Vomit, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Sexual assault, Sexism, Sexual content, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Lesbophobia

haleysversion's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Classism, Rape, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Hate crime, Child death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, Blood, Grief, Suicide, Body horror, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, Biphobia, and Outing

beccaand's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Body horror, Grief, Child death, Gore, and Death

Moderate: Suicide, Lesbophobia, Vomit, Homophobia, Drug use, and Sexual assault

Minor: Pregnancy, Forced institutionalization, and Fatphobia

celery's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny lighthearted mysterious 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Car accident, Child death, Death, Misogyny, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Animal death, Cursing, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Blood, Suicide, Violence, Body horror, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Stalking, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Vomit, and Sexual harassment

darumachan's review against another edition

adventurous dark inspiring 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting

Moderate: Biphobia, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Sexism, Self harm, Lesbophobia, Forced institutionalization, Domestic abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Bullying, Vomit, and Alcoholism

brookey8888's review

dark funny mysterious 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

This is such a hard book for me to rate and review. There’s so much I loved about it, but it was just so long and drawn out that I would find myself not caring or interested. It also was hardly spooky except like one part. I really liked all the character interactions and the plot when it happened, but there was just to much explaining. I did really like the queer relationships in this and that was one of my favorite parts. I do like how the author would talk to you at times as well as the footnotes. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Misogyny, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexism, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Forced institutionalization, Car accident, Gaslighting, Lesbophobia, Biphobia, Blood, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief

heather_harrison's review against another edition

dark medium-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

3.5

⭐️ 3.5 stars ⭐️ 

I loved the gothic vibe, cursed school, sapphic rep and creepy wasps. But my god this could have been shorter. 

I found that while I enjoyed the two story lines, the 1900s was definitely stronger than the present day Hollywood. The ending looked like it was all going to interconnect, but it just fizzled out and was so disappointing. 

+ 0.5 because the trifle scene made my physically cringe and internally scream. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Murder, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Suicide

Minor: Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, and Stalking

bookycnidaria's review

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual assault, and Murder

Moderate: Forced institutionalization

imrereads's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense 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

4.5

This was so good! If you're looking for something sapphic, gothic, dark academia-adjacent, a chunky story with multiple timelines and main characters, genuinely tense and frightening scenes, a really clever narrator and a whole bunch of yellowjacket wasps, then look no further! This wasn't what I expected it to be, and it uses some of my least favourite storytelling tools (narrator speaking directly to the reader, for one) but it does it in a way that make me love it. It just worked so well. This was so well crafted, and Danforth has such a great voice. 

Keep in mind that this is horror! You may want to check the content warnings. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Death

Moderate: Sexual assault, Homophobia, Biphobia, Suicide, and Drug use

Minor: Forced institutionalization and Fatphobia

ekmoore11's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Child death, Death, and Mental illness

Moderate: Infidelity

Minor: Forced institutionalization