Reviews tagging 'Schizophrenia/Psychosis '

Das neunte Haus by Leigh Bardugo

19 reviews

blancake's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The first part of the book was such a struggle to get through. The author was trying to be mysterious but all she managed was to keep me confused and not caring about the characters. At some point (around 50%) when the characters backstories are completely revealed the book picks up significantly, but Leigh Bardugo owes me those first hours of the book back

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Rape, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

jessreadreceipts's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual assault, Mental illness, Vomit, Medical trauma, Rape, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Animal cruelty, Stalking, Trafficking, Gun violence, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Toxic relationship

mattiedancer's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.5

Writing: 5⭐️/5 

The writing in this novel is stunning. Bardugo moves easily from highly controlled and crafted prose to snippy, sassy quips with ease. Part of the reason it took me a few hours longer to read than I would have guessed is because I spent so much time writing brilliant, eloquent quotes into my notes app. Absolutely stunning writing. 

Characters: 5⭐️/5

The characters felt real and fully developed. I enjoyed how much time was spent seeing characters from other character’s perspective, giving us insight into how each character presents themselves, as well as their internal bias and judgement they push onto others. Certain characters that, at the beginning felt fairly flat, were given time and space to showcase their personalities later, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I also thoroughly enjoyed the way the female relationships were explored in this novel. The care in which these relationships were engaged made me very happy both as a reader and a woman.

Plot: 4.5⭐️/5 

**Spoilers below**

I took one issue with the plot, which was the employment of a rape scene. Personally, I felt this scene was unnecessary both to the development of our main character, as well as the progression of the plot. This particular scene didn’t really fit for me and could have been written in a different way to give the same effect. My main takeaway from the scene was that it mostly read as an easy way to give our MC “trauma,” which could have been done in a number of more interesting and less triggering ways.

Otherwise, the overarching plot was entirely enjoyable to read and kept me thoroughly engaged until the end. 

Who Should Read This Book? 

• Lovers of dark academia, fantasy and/or magical murder mystery novels
• Those who want an adult fantasy read with a spark of romance and little to no spice
• Readers wanting an engaging world and well-established magic system
• Someone looking for a strong fantasy read with strong female relationships 

Content Warnings? 

• Rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, sexual content, gore, blood, vomit, medical trauma, death, abandonment, drug use, alcohol use, excrement, injury, pedophilia, 

Post-Reading Rating:  5⭐️/5

I was engaged until the final page. Excited for the sequel. 

Final Rating: 4.5⭐️/5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Gore, Medical content, Sexual content, Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Violence, Vomit, Murder, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Forced institutionalization

Minor: Toxic friendship, Classism, and Stalking

ginnymay's review against another edition

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Sexual violence, Vomit, Addiction, Blood, Sexual assault, Violence, Death, Drug use, Gore, Grief, Rape, and Excrement

katielaine_w's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Cursing, Sexual violence, Rape, Gore, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Classism, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, Violence, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Physical abuse, Mental illness, Drug abuse, and Domestic abuse

orndal's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

Could have been real great with a better story structure and more world building. Linear storytelling would have helped with upping the stakes.

The ending came out of nowhere with little to no setup for the reveals. As a mystery novel, this is terrible.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Racial slurs, Rape, Addiction, Vomit, Violence, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Medical trauma

Minor: Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Death, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Cancer, Car accident, Classism, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, and Murder

antjeliest's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Rape, Violence, Classism, Cursing, Gun violence, Murder, Sexual violence, Blood, Hate crime, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Drug abuse, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Misogyny, Excrement, Gun violence, Sexism, Cursing, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Torture, Vomit, Cancer, Panic attacks/disorders, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

egurgens's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I am now in desperate need of book two. I listened to the audiobook, so when I saw 30 min left, I assumed there was more story. Nope. There was an author interview, so I was left on an unexpected cliffhanger. However, this story is so interesting, that I had no issues paying attention and keeping up with what was happening. There are two points of view, there are 3 different time frames, and is just so good! I can imagine that the time skips would be confusing to some, but the book is complicated and interesting enough to keep the reader engaged. When I began the book, I didn't realize it was part of a series, so its safe to say my heart broke when the book ended, but the story continued.

 I definitely recommend reading this book, but be warned there are several difficult topics. Drug use, sexual assault, graphic death, bullying, and more. However, the cast of characters is pretty diverse; not perfect, but definitely better than other books I have read. The magic is pretty realistic, as its use is modern, and takes place in the modern world. No hidden world, just a secret society of magic users, that can use it for good or bad. 

So many plot twists, you end up hanging onto every word. Friends are enemies, enemies are your greatest allies. No one is who you think they are. Bardugo does POV and time changes well, as each is labelled at the beginning of the chapter. Highly recommend reading this book. Realistic fantasy, secret societies, magic, ghosts, monsters, just so many good things. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Terminal illness, and Vomit

deadmosquitoonmywall's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Gore and Grief