Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

The Death I Gave Him by Em X. Liu

10 reviews

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gore, Death of parent, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Murder, Violence, and Medical content

Moderate: Sexual content, Grief, Gun violence, and Confinement

Minor: Suicide and Infidelity

hazel_oat's review

dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Blood, Murder, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent

Moderate: Violence, Gun violence, Abandonment, Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, and Body horror

Minor: Medical content, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship

nithya_natalya's review

dark mysterious 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

5.0

I was looking for something moody and brooding and angsty, and this fit that need perfectly. I have always been a fan of how angsty Hamlet is, and Liu's interpretation was spot on. I loved the way they played up his obsession with death. At first, I was not at all into the footnotes and the premise that this story is being compiled by a researcher in some distant future. But it eventually really grew on me. The footnotes eerily hinted at an incredibly sinister future, but in such a nonchalant, clinical way. Placing this family drama within the broader context of scientific advancements related to immortality and AI was very cool. And the fact that this was set only 20-ish years in the future actually felt believable. I feel like we are not far off from neuromapping, and inserting AI right into our brains. ALSO

the AI sex scenes were incredible. The idea that AI inside your brain is using its control of your brain to make you feel certain things, or controlling the environment around you to get an embodied response. SO COOL AND INTERESTING.

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Gore, Murder, Body horror, Death, Medical content, Violence, Blood, and Death of parent

Moderate: Toxic relationship and Sexual content

samisreading's review

dark emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Murder, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Violence, and Blood

Minor: Sexual content

lilacs_book_bower's review

challenging dark emotional sad 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

3.5

This book is really interesting, and I definitely recommend it, but I don't want to read it ever again.  This is the weirdest locked room mystery, queer Hamlet re-telling that will ever exist.  Hayden's (Hamlet) father has been murdered and now the lab that the main characters are in has been locked down while Hamlet tries to avenge his father.  There are a lot of clever bits and allusions, and I definitely like that the Ophelia character has more of a personality, but she still feels lacking and her story still revolves around Hayden/Hamlet.  I am not sure how I feel about the Horatio character.  He is AI now and really in Hayden's head.  I don't want to say more due to spoilers, but I like the idea of Horatio and what happens, but I am not sure I buy into the execution. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Murder, Self harm, Grief, Medical content, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Death of parent, and Gore

bibliomania_express's review

challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death of parent, Violence, Confinement, Murder, Self harm, Medical trauma, Medical content, Grief, and Body horror

leanne_miron's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, and Self harm

Moderate: Grief and Gore

anntharai'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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Jfc I don't even know where to start. All I can say is that I'll be thinking about this book - against my will - for probably years. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Grief, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Sexual content, Death, Gun violence, Medical content, Murder, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Gore, and Suicidal thoughts

azrah786's review against another edition

3.25

 [This review can also be found on my BLOG]

**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

CW: violence, blood, injury, gore, body horror, self-harm, death, murder, death of parent, medical content, suicidal ideation, confinement, mild sexual content
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The Death I Gave Him is a sci-fied retelling of Hamlet with queer rep and an accompanying locked-room type mystery thriller storyline.

I’m going to straight up admit that this book wasn’t exactly my cup of tea but I did somewhat enjoy it. I know there will be a lot of people who will love it though, especially if you’re someone who loves anything with dark academia vibes.

It is told in an unconventional format – a compilation of interview excerpts, security footage transcripts and recordings and multi POV accounts (including that of an AI) to make up a non-fiction, thesis type recount of the events that transpired which I though was an interesting approach and one that easily keeps you engaged with the story.

However, there was then an aspect of predictability to it all which took the edge off of the mystery/thriller vibe you would expect from something penned as a locked-room narrative. Albeit this is a retelling so some predictability is expected, but as someone who hasn’t read Hamlet and knows only a handful of details from the play, I also felt like I was not able to fully appreciate all the nuances to the original and I think that added to why I didn’t fully enjoy it.

That being said I did really like the sci-fi elements as the science and technology that has been created in this world was pretty interesting and what Liu did fantastically was give us complex and messy characters that fit perfectly to that Shakespearean melodrama you’d expect.

The characters and their dynamics in a way made me think of those from Schwab’s Villains series and in that sense give the story a dark academia aura which is why I’d recommend this books to anyone who is a fan of that particular sub-genre.
Final Rating – 3.25/5 Stars 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Body horror, Medical content, Violence, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Murder, and Death of parent

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Confinement

Minor: Sexual content

charleshasalibrary's review

dark tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Thank you to the publisher for the DRC!

The Death I Gave Him hooked me from the very start. The tension in this Hamlet retelling is exquisitely written, using the sci-fi thriller genre to play with the familiar story in a uniquely captivating way. I loved the multiple perspectives and the original way that Liu told the story through the lens of an unnamed, anonymous narrarator from a future world that I was equally as curious about. There is something to be said about the fact that even as Hayden and Felicia's stories ended, I was left desperate for a sequel to tell me how the world went from what it was in 2046 to what it was in the narrarator's time. But by far what captured me the most was the queer reimagining of Hamlet and Horatio's relationship.

The impossibility of the love between Hayden and Horatio in this story was poignant. As a queer person myself, I felt their longing viscerally, the ache of distance between them such a perfect representation of the queer experience. They were what made this story most memorable for me. My deep desire for their story to continue will keep Liu's novel rolling around in my mind for a very long time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Mental illness, Death, Confinement, Death of parent, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, and Self harm