Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

Ariadne by Jennifer Saint

77 reviews

clarissajs's review against another edition

dark emotional

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and War

madammejay's review against another edition

adventurous reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

i really enjoyed this read - after i got through the first 80 pages or so… it definitely starts off slow and honestly it feels like there were multiple stories crammed into one book at times. but i did enjoy the feminist approach that Ariadne gives, how the narrator talks about the fates of women being decided by the decisions of men etc.
not one of my favorite books but still enjoyable, especially the last couple chapters when it all begins unraveling.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide

Minor: Child death and War

caroliiineb's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death and Suicide

Minor: Incest, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts

theequestrianslibrary's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative reflective 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? Yes

3.0

**DISCLAIMER: This may or may not be a full list of every trigger/content warning found in the book, Ariadne by Jennifer Saint. Please take this list with a grain of salt as the book is a Greek Mythology retelling. Some triggers and content warnings may contain spoilers!

To start, as I'm rewriting this review a second time because I accidentally deleted the first one, I was very happy to see a retelling of a Greek Myth that wasn't Persephone & Hades (though I do love that pairing immensely.) For about the first 1/3 of the book, I was unaware this WAS a retelling, but that may have simply been my own oversight, considering the names Theseus and the Minotaur were also mentioned. I digress.

After about 1/3 of the book, I did do a search to see if the main characters, Ariadne and Phaedra, were in fact real characters in these Greek myths. Because of this, I discovered they were and carried on with reading, though now I had some additional information such as pertaining to who ended up with who based on the legend.

The book's writing retains a "formal, prose-y" type of speech, especially when characters are talking. There weren't very many instances that I was confused by a word or a phrase, but did take note of how the characters spoke. The descriptions of scenes and setting was flowery, and as a more flowery writer myself, I tend to appreciate this type of description. However, there were instances in the book, mostly in the first 1/2 that involved numerous references back to past events in the characters' lives. While this is usually fine, it did get a point where it felt very repetitive and almost annoying. By annoying, I mean, "Yes, yes, we know this happened to them, we've been over this, [...]" etc. Etc.

The book also utilizes timeskips. For most of the book, you have no idea how long has actually passed between the very first chapter, to the very end of the book. You actually do not find out how much time has passed until the very last 5 or so chapters. Which, some of the ending chapters were extremely short, some having only two pages, while others earlier on were bordering having ten. While short chapters can be useful in short, choppy scenes, it felt rushed and like larger plot points were simply ran past, in a way that was very reminiscent of, "Oh, okay, we're already past that then." Admittedly, this may have affected my reaction to the end, as well as my brief research into the character' original identities.

When the book ended, I did not feel any overwhelming emotions. I was simply ready for the next one, unlike other books that can leave you in emotional disarray for days on end. I didn't dislike the book, but I would border it more to a 3.5 rather than a 3. The book, to me personally, feels like a one-off. You read it, mark it off your list, and then keep it on the shelf for its pretty cover. I would recommend it simply because it is a retelling of a myth not often touched upon, as it's a good one to simply sit down, read, and enjoy for what it is.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Abandonment

Abandonment, Abuse/Neglect, Alcohol Consumption, Animal Cruelty/Abuse/Tortue, Animal Death, Arranged Marriage, Asphyxia/Strangulation/Hanging, Pseudo-Banishment/Exile, Bestiality, Blood/Gore Descriptions, Childbirth, Dead Bodies/Body Parts, Death of a Parent, Death of a Sibling, Grief/Loss Depictions, Genocide, Psuedo-Incest (Stepmom/Stepson), Pregnancy (Wanted/Unwanted), Rape/Sexual Assault, Suicide (via Hanging), Suicidal Ideation, Starvation/Dehydration Depictions

magic's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

It took me 7 hours and 21 minutes to read this over the course of three days (I took a  break part way through). This book is much like Cerci in its content and presentation, but deals with a very different set of Greek myths, and follows a mortal perspective throughout. For me the tragedy shines more so based on the emotional pain of the characters rather than the actions they see or experience (although that is one of the major cause of their trauma). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Blood, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Moderate: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

ahse1dances'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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and War

alireads's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gore, Misogyny, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Rape and Abandonment

Minor: Child death, Incest, and Murder

tramonta's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Abandonment

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Genocide, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Murder, Alcohol, and War

Minor: Rape

karen191's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

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

4.75

What a beautiful book. A tale of two sisters, their lives

ruined by the men and gods around them. It was warned that women were often punished for the acts committed against them, though I still hoped for a happy ending for them

The entire novel read like one long poem. 
I enjoyed it from the get-go, but I found that the book really found its footing around part two. Definitely a good read, I may have even shed a tear or two. 
 I’m amazed that people aren’t as loud about this book as they are about Song of Achilles, it has similar themes, and made even better with two female leads. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pregnancy

Minor: Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

sarahna's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol