Reviews with content warning for Self harm - Зайчик

Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

Зайчик by Mona Awad

355 reviews

bugaboobear's review against another edition

2.5

dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

This was an interesting book, but it wasn't for me.

I really hate unreliable narrators and ambiguous endings and honestly I'm still not sure how I'm supposed to interpret this book. Was there any magic? Was it all just schizophrenia? If so, what the hell really happened with the Bunnies and Max at the end? I'm left with too many questions and a little pissed off.

Content Warnings

lorenag5's review against another edition

3.75

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

rustycups's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

This just might be my best book of the year and it's only March. The desent and continuous madness of this book is somthing I've never read before and I thurely enjoyed it. Many people find this book to confusing at certain points but I think it is ment to be that way and has a charm to it. This book has so many remberable quotes and is the first book I have ever felt the urge to tab. Overall I love this book

Content Warnings

eliya's review against another edition

3.25

dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I did have a lot of fun reading this book. I love horror, I liked the way the narrator would slip in and out of thoughts & conversations.

It was a little milquetoast in its character representation & ending. Like yeah of course they’re all white and of course they’re all thin and of course the outcast is a little alternative. Really disappointed with the use of the R word & ableism & fatphobia throughout the book.

The ending was also lazy. Ha-ha the villains are broken and that’s their comeuppance? Broken limbs? There could have been so many more twists and turns but it was really like the one graphic thing that happened and everything else was the come down. I didn’t need all that info on how she was just laying in bed and the different ways in which she was laying in bed lmao.

Content Warnings

cristina_margarita's review against another edition

2.5

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

This is a no for me. Was it well written? Ummm who’s to say, I think probably not. Could I tell you at all what happened? No. Did I try really hard to like it bc Margaret Atwood said it was genius? Yes.

Something was working because it made me feel very disconnected from myself & the rest of my life outside of trying to decipher what was going on. But for me, there’s no pay off. Sure Samantha’s unreliable but I don’t have even the faintest idea of what was real. I understand this was intentional bc neither did Samantha but to me that makes the book more flawed. I am wholly of the opinion that authors do have some sort of obligation to their readers to be coherent. If there had been just a couple of tangible things to hold onto, I think this could have worked. But ultimately it didn’t, the book just wants to be talked about too much & I just couldn’t bring myself to want to engage in that.

Content Warnings

kellan_writes's review against another edition

4.5

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I don't think I've ever read a book where even as I finished it, I'm asking myself, what did I just read? And why did I love it so much?

At times dark, disturbing, yet funny and satirical, it's a look at the ridiculousness of higher education. It is a story that gives a whole new meaning to open to interpretation and unreliable narrarator. Even now, having finished the book, I couldn't tell you what was real, and what may or may not have been all in Smackie's head. A mix of the Craft meets mean girls with a touch of Dark Academia thrown in, I couldn't put the book down.

Content Warnings

addie's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional funny mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

12dejamoo's review against another edition

3.5

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

A wild ride. 3.5 stars is probably harsh because the quality of writing was an easy 5 stars. But I just think this wasn't a 5 star read for me for whatever reason. Its pretty uncomfy to read in a good way, and all of the characters are kind of horrible. I've never been excellent at understanding books' deeper/true meaning, especially books which are specifically setting out to confuse, but at the same time it's all part of the experience where you go down this twisting, unreal, dreamlike rabbit hole alongside the characters.

Content Warnings