Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee

179 reviews

ada_rosales's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

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

2.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Toxic friendship, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Animal death, Death, and Murder

zoeelora's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

2.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Toxic friendship, Violence, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Blood, Gore, Grief, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Animal death, Cursing, Drug use, Gun violence, Stalking, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts

darquedreamer's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

3.25

The story was not what I expected. It was like Mean Girls meets Riverdale meets The Craft. It lagged in some places, but still kept my interest. There was a little bit of predictability and some twists and turns I didn't see coming. It was worth a read, but I wish it had been a little more dark, exciting, and witchcraft fueled. 

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Murder, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Mental illness, and Toxic friendship

libby_i_guess's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.25

The atmosphere, the vibes, the aesthetic, those were all there. They were top notch, it was a perfect dark academia story. I also think if I liked mystery and all that more, I would be rating it higher. I can’t say I didn’t mostly call the twist, because I was guessing at it halfway through, but it was still well done. Of course, the unreliable narrator is a tool for this book, but I would have liked to have some answers at the end of it all as to what actually happened, as opposed to just maybe 3 lines saying it, but only after she was shown to be wrong or lie to herself time and again. The epilogue was meh, but the final line was solid, I’ll give it that.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Murder

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, Death, Classism, and Alcoholism

peachani's review against another edition

dark 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

2.5

You should probably just read The Secret History instead...

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Abandonment, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Murder, Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Gun violence, and Mental illness

Minor: Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Suicide, Alcohol, Child abuse, Classism, Fatphobia, Gore, Lesbophobia, Outing, Racism, Sexual content, and Vomit

kryzysowa_narzeczona's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Grief, and Gaslighting

thaliareads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious 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

3.0

I love where this book ended up, I think the way all the events came to a climax was a surprise to me and really well done. However, I just had a hard time getting into it. I normally love witchy books, but this might have been a bit too much on the thriller side of the genre for me. 

I think that Felicity, and who she is because of what she's been through, makes for a compelling main character. I just think that either the action buildup was a bit slow for me, or her reminiscing on the loss of her friend was just a bit sad for me. 

I think this book will be worth a re-read from the physical book someday, but the audiobook just didn't catch my attention. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Mental illness, Murder, Violence, and Death

Moderate: Alcohol

Overall the content warnings of this book do work into the core plot, so I would advise if you don't like dark stories or will struggle with descriptions of death or murder you should probably avoid this book.

allisonmenck's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, Violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Toxic friendship, and Mental illness

Moderate: Alcohol

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, and Violence

brukneem's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense 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

4.0

This is YA as in it reads like you are watching a popular TV show- like Buffy or Sabrina. But the themes are DEFINITELY not YA! We love an unreliable narrator, mind games, magic, and murder.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Alcohol, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Panic attacks/disorders

squinnittowinit's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.25

Personally I'm not a fan of psychological thrillers, as I find the theme of obsession to be boring. As much as I still did not enjoy what this book was about or any of the characters, I have to admit that it is very well-written. The pacing feels both laid-back and dream-like, yet suspenseful at the same time, as

the narrator slowly reveals herself to be more and more unreliable as she deals with both past trauma and current manipulation.

This is one of those books where all the pieces come together in the end to finally reveal the entire picture, creating a satisfying wrap-up, if nothing else.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Child death, Mental illness, and Death

Moderate: Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Sexual content, and Addiction

Minor: Blood and Gun violence