Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

Orpheus Girl by Brynne Rebele-Henry

48 reviews

sisters26's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.5

one of the most heartbreaking book I've ever had to read. 

A book about conversion therapy, that sentence alone tells you everything you need to know. It has really graphic lgbtq+ phobia and is definitely a painful (& heartbreaking) read. it may be a short novel but the impact it has is for me much longer. I think it shows very well the dark side of ignorance and how it can lead people to violence and hatred. Places like that shouldn't even exist, not only are these useless (sexuality and gender identity are not a choice) but they are really harmful, they can lead to people hurting themselves or far worse. That's also why I think this book is important because it clearly show without filters the harm that's caused by those places. We're talking about torturing teenagers for who they love or what they identify as. As heartbreaking as it is, I also sensed a bit of hopefulness from the characters that choose to support each other in those difficult condition. 

On the artistic level, I loved the writing style of the author and how she referenced the myth of Orpheus throughout the book with the metaphor of the wings. I saw people naming it as "annoying" but I liked it, because for me it represents the "personality" of the main character. They may have cut her wings but she never stopped trying to fly.

If you plan to read it PLEASE do check the trigger warnings beforehand because it's really a lot to take.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Homophobia, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, and Outing

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Car accident, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Self harm, Blood, Vomit, and Abandonment

emcp's review

dark sad fast-paced

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

2.5

I’m always sad to give negative reviews to queer love stories, but I really struggled to get through this very short book. The characters all feel one-dimensional; Raya and Sarah’s relationship has no depth. It’s a lot of telling and very little showing — even the link to the myth of Orpheus was tenuous and had to be explained repeatedly throughout the story. Take these content warnings seriously, because 90% of this book is just pain and torture, and the ending can only barely be described as “happy.” 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Lesbophobia, Outing, Gaslighting, and Dysphoria

starship_olympus's review

dark emotional sad slow-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? It's complicated

1.0

I just grabbed this from the LGBTQ+ section at my library because if there's anything to do with Orpheus and Eurydice in any form of media I'm there for it. 

But the writing style wasn't really for me, and I wasn't invested in the story. I almost DNF but I had a few hours free so I kinda just skimmed the book stopping to read every few pages. 
I can definitely see why this book could be loved by some, if it had been my cup of tea I would've been all over the prose, the characters, their differences and their love. I did want a 'happy' ending (as happy as an ending of this book could be)

and I am glad we got it, with the girls and some kids escaping the camp, and the camp (most likely?) being brought down

but the journey there wasn't for me. 

I know Orpheus is a tragedy, and there was tragedy here. It's not a book for the faint of heart, or an easy read. Even just skimming it I had an emotional reaction to what was going on. I think it could be a wonderful and visceral and beautiful novella. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, Torture, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Acephobia/Arophobia, Lesbophobia, Outing, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Bullying, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Cursing, Death, Car accident, and Death of parent

daniboiii's review

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Child abuse, Cursing, Deadnaming, Drug use, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail

vanillaboom's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Self harm, Transphobia, and Violence

ryanshmyan's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.5

This book was enticing because it is short and LGBT. I wanted it to be great but the writing style (stream-of-consciousness) left me confused and wanting more. I’m sure this writing style is appealing to other people but I found it lackluster. The concept was good and you will definitely root for the success of the main characters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Homophobia, Mental illness, Self harm, Torture, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia, and Outing

emordnilap's review

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

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

4.25

heavy heavy read
not for those who have deep religious trauma related to being a member of the LBGTQ+ community
powerful read
also check out the author's poems!! they are very good

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Self harm, Transphobia, and Suicide attempt

megan_sullivan's review

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Lesbophobia, Outing, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Biphobia, Deadnaming, Eating disorder, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

shelbyy_myers's review

emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Outing, and Abandonment

thebluebookworm's review

dark emotional reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Self harm, Transphobia, and Violence

Moderate: Abandonment