Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee

18 reviews

taleofabibliophile's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Grief, Blood, Murder, Death, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Animal death

Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content, and Cursing

Minor: Alcoholism, Suicide, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, Racism, and Confinement

cianarae's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.75

Very slow beginning, it takes awhile for something interesting to happen. The writing itself was just alright. I liked the mystery/guessing and the characters.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Murder, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Grief, Gore, Gaslighting, and Death

Moderate: Sexism, Misogyny, Drug use, Blood, Alcohol, Animal death, Alcoholism, Eating disorder, and Addiction

Minor: Racism, Transphobia, Suicide, Alcoholism, Classism, Vomit, Cursing, and Confinement

jessisbest's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Sapphic yearning and feminine violence? What else could I possibly ask for?

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse

Minor: Suicide

luisereads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Alcoholism, Suicide, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Vomit

katherine_kelley's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious relaxing medium-paced

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

3.5

3 1/2 stars. It was so good for most of it. I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the writing. I’m so sad to say that they ending totally fell apart. The last like 5 chapters were where it lost me. The ending felt very rushed and the answer to the mystery was so obvious, I thought it had to be a red herring. It’s possible that I’m overthinking it. The end also does a pretty big heel turn on some of the characters. I loved the relationship between the two main characters, but I wouldn’t go in expecting a Romance. I was really disappointed by the ending, which sucks because most of it was fantastic.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Self harm, and Suicide

Minor: Mental illness

luxvestravitae's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Cursing, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content

Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Death, Suicide, Murder, Gun violence, and Gore

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Racism, and Toxic friendship

caseythereader's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

Thanks to Delacorte Press for the free advance copy of this book.

- Lesbian. Dark. Academia. Need I say more?
- Okay okay, I'll say a little more. I loved falling into the history and mythology of Dalloway with Felicity. A LESSON IN VENGEANCE had me second guessing myself, mistrusting everyone, and watching helplessly as the train jumped the tracks.
- I have some minor quibbles with the pacing, but when things get going, they REALLY get going. There are a couple points where new information is dropped and my jaw dropped along with it. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Mental illness, Murder, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic friendship, and Violence

librarianlex's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

Dark Academia is a genre I’m always fascinated with but don’t read enough of. Out of most LGBT ones I have read recently, this one was authentic in its queer characters and allowed them to exist with their identity without it becoming cliche or just a footnote representation. With a hint of meta self-awareness, A Lesson In Vengeance is a study of an unreliable narrator, that in turn causes the reader to question the realities of fact, manipulation, or teenage pranks. 

 

Mental health is represented here as complex and nuanced, building off the meta self-awareness of Felicity’s own thesis of how women’s “hysteria” and mental health is represented in the horror literature. I enjoyed the atmosphere of the Dalloway School and how feminist literature played a big role in the character's personalities and interests. I enjoyed this one, but the ending left me wanting a little bit more or a better explanation. There were a few questions unanswered and the motivation of some of the character's actions left me unsatisfied. 

 

This is a twisty, thriller for fans of Dark Academia who want to see LGBT representation and touch on the stigma of mental health (though, this could have been explored a little more in-depth). 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Animal death, Death, and Mental illness

Moderate: Violence, Murder, and Alcoholism

Minor: Gaslighting, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief