Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Kosogłos by Suzanne Collins

116 reviews

astrangewind's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

Mockingjay is a brilliant example of dystopian fiction. As a sequel, it draws on the previous books without replicating them, which is shockingly absent in much of YA fiction. It feels like a truly accurate representation of a true dystopia being taken down by a revolution, which is to say there cannot be a happy ending. And there isn't.

There's only the event, the grief that follows it, and the steady eventuality of learning how to live again, albeit not entirely happy.

Collins' expression of PTSD, through pretty much every character, is painfully accurate. No, the characters don't return home unscathed. It's a beautiful and necessary and heartwrenching book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Child death, War, Death, Violence, Torture, Grief, and Gore

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Physical abuse

Minor: Drug use, Drug abuse, Animal death, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, and Forced institutionalization

downsophialane's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

This book is by far the hardest of the series to read; it's just so bleak and so sad. Every character is so horrendously traumatised. It's hard to watch Gale becoming more and more warlike, especially knowing how that ends. It's hard to see Peeta as a twisted husk of the lovely boy he was before. The expansion of Finnick's character is emotional but very well done.

His death is just so incredibly unfair, and I had forgotten it... because we, and Katniss, are never given a chance to properly mourn him. Prim's death feels like such an obvious metaphor - an effective one - but we spent so much time with Finnick and understood so much of his trauma. And then, we aren't given a chance to mourn him - which is why I'm sure I totally forgot that it happened! In my mind Finnick will be living a long, peaceful life with Annie by the sea somewhere.

Mockingjay is a war book. It's not my subgenre and reading it is stressful and awful. But, some bloated pacing in the middle notwithstanding, it's a very good book, asking young adult readers challenging questions of culpability in oppressive systems. That passivity can be violent was a massively influential idea for me when I first read this book in 2010 (and forever after). 

It's wild that love triangle had the cultural grip that it did because it's actually so sophisticated and complex? The key relationships and characters are so fascinating. I will never not be thinking about Peeta Mellark and Haymitch Abernathy and Finnick Odair. 

Some of the pacing in the middle was a little bloated but that ending was something to behold. Every decision.

The rebels win the war.... off page? Our heroine is unconscious for it? Such an interesting subversion of the Chosen One trope.

Excellent narration by Tatiana Maslany. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Mental illness, War, Death, Child death, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Medical trauma, Grief, Gun violence, Medical content, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

Minor: Rape, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Miscarriage, and Self harm

daisdu's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

Reread. Really good conclusion to the series. I feel it tied up all the threads that have been laid over the course of the books, while still acknowledging that life goes on, and though this conclusion might not be perfect, it was still worth fighting for. Definitely some painful moments over the course of the book- I cried a lot, but I think those moments were done really well and felt worth something.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Addiction, Murder, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Medical content, Genocide, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Classism

reemoony's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

fire (literally) 🔥🔥🔥

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Kidnapping, War, Classism, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Murder, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Torture, and Violence

iactuallydontread's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

I really thought it was amazing (and it is) BUT THE ENDING GUYS
Katniss is horrible and nobody there is really likeable but the writing style and pace are so good

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, and Torture

Minor: Grief, Sexual content, Addiction, Child death, Death of parent, Self harm, and Suicide attempt

fkshg8465's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad 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? No

4.0

It’s hard to keep up a series at the same high quality all the way through. This one did a good job. Ended differently than I would’ve liked, however. In fact, I hated what became of Katniss in the end (before the epilogue) - felt like it defeated the point of the whole series. Also, I found the twist underwhelming. Rounding up to four foot storytelling, but the story itself, because of the ending, was a disappointment.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Drug use, Torture, Body horror, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Dementia, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Xenophobia

harmonygracie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

Peeta <3

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Drug abuse, Blood, Drug use, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Child death, Death, Grief, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Fire/Fire injury, Self harm, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Emotional abuse

lucyford's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense 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? Yes

3.25

I mostly enjoyed this book… until the last hundred pages or so, which was painful to get through and not even very enjoyable just because it’s so depressing… but otherwise, it wasn’t bad! I really liked all the politics of it and how complex all the characters were. Be warned before you read it, it’s not “fun” except for like 2 scenes maybe, but plot-wise I think it was a great end to the series.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Kidnapping, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Drug use, Mass/school shootings, Murder, War, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Slavery, Torture, Genocide, Confinement, Deportation, Gaslighting, Gore, Violence, Drug abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Police brutality

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Self harm, Medical content, Abandonment, and Toxic friendship

mermaidsherbet's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, War, Death, Violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, and Body horror

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Torture, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Genocide, Blood, Grief, Gore, Murder, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Mass/school shootings, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Medical content, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Alcohol, Suicide, Stalking, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Vomit, Self harm, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Slavery, Trafficking, Drug abuse, Drug use, Alcoholism, Kidnapping, Eating disorder, Infidelity, and Addiction

kendra_taylors_version's review against another edition

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Alcoholism, Child death, Addiction, Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Drug use, Classism, Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Confinement, Death of parent, War, Murder, Physical abuse, and Suicidal thoughts