Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

Tripping Arcadia by Kit Mayquist

25 reviews

nithya_natalya's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This was a very fun novel, and once I got into it, moved very quickly. Very dark and bitter, and a satisfying portrayal of the decay beneath the glitz of capitalism and celebrity.

The only reason that I didn't give this five stars is because I wanted it to go further than it did. While the atmosphere and general mood of the novel felt gothic, the climax and resolution didn't feel grisly and tragic and destructive enough. It felt like eat the rich, except we only got the appetizer before the novel was over.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, Death, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Child abuse, Addiction, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Grief, Ableism, Medical content, Vomit, Self harm, Murder, and Confinement

fseely's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Medical content, and Alcoholism

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Death, Classism, and Suicide attempt

thecriticalreader's review against another edition

tense medium-paced

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

1.0

 

Context:

I read Tripping Arcadia by Kit Mayquist because of Jesse On Youtube’s recommendation. I borrowed it from my local library through the Libby App.

 

Review:

Lately, I’ve been reading and watching a lot of stories about poor protagonists who work for ominous wealthy people/corporations. Tripping Arcadia certainly falls into this category, and I can see its potential; it has a strong beginning chapter and some interesting plot threads. Beneath its Gothic vibes, however, Tripping Arcadia is nothing more than a clunky debut novel that struggles under the weight of its stilted prose, flat characters, and convoluted plot. 

 

When reading Tripping Arcadia, experienced readers will recognize some of the common prose mistakes made by debut authors: awkward phrasing, the tendency to tell instead of show, overuse of passive voice, etc. It could have been worse—it didn’t prevent me from becoming engrossed in the story—but it also left something to be desired.

 

For me, the most interesting part of the book is the two wealthy siblings, Jonathan and Audrey. They appear to have a checkered past and Mayquist wraps them up in an aura of mystery; are they to be pitied, or to be feared? Unfortunately, we never learn much about them and they remain in enigmas rather than developed characters. Similarly, Lena, the protagonist, fails to come alive on the page. She claims to care about her family and friends but easily abandons them to hang out with the rich people she supposedly hates, and her supposed rage against the wealthy disappears at the drop of the hat when Mayquist needs to move the plot along. In the hands of a more capable author, this sort of dithering could be fascinating, but at the end of the day, Lena is confusing and boring.

 

One of the biggest appeals of books like Tripping Arcadia is the opportunity to see rich people behaving badly and hopefully get punished for it. The wealthy in this book do indeed behave badly, but not in any way that made me think that Mayquist has any solid grasp on what rich people and their lives are actually like. The result is a ludicrously convoluted plot that makes no sense. By the end of Tripping Arcadia, I had no idea what was going on—but I also didn’t care.

 

The Run-Down: 

You might like Tripping Arcadia if . . . 

·      You’re in it for the Gothic vibes, bisexual main character, and trippy plot

·      You’re looking for a thriller rather than a horror novel

 

You might not like Tripping Arcadia if . . .

·      You like well-developed characters and a believable plot

·      You want an incisive social commentary about wealth

 

 

A Similar Text:

The movie 2023 movie Saltburn, which at the time of writing this review is all the rage.  I liked Saltburn much more than Tripping Arcadia, so take this comparison with that in mind. Similarities include:

·      Family of rich, dysfunctional assholes who host lavish, drug-filled parties in their Gothic mansion

·      An outsider main character with devious intentions

·      Poison and murder

·      Sexual tension between the main character and two rich siblings

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Medical content, Suicide, Alcohol, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Moderate: Bullying, Vomit, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

courtney_scott1025's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I read this fairly quickly, because I fell into the story and was sucked in. I really enjoyed this book. I loved the characters, the pacing, the story. My only gripe is that some elements felt rushed, but it didn't make the book less enjoyable. I have read mostly horror, and I wouldn't say this is gory or anything like that. More mystery, but I loved it regardless. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse and Alcoholism

Moderate: Violence, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, and Suicidal thoughts

lizziewilson's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

2.0

Not very gothic horror in my opinion. Very confusing and kind of boring for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, and Drug use

jillaay_h's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Drug abuse

laketwentytwo's review

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Addiction, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Body horror, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Vomit, Terminal illness, and Blood

Minor: Suicide and Suicide attempt

turnipthebeet's review against another edition

The writing was a bit simple and not engrossing. I found myself mostly just wanting to know what happened but uninterested in any of the characters or the love interests / relationships etc. The intrigue was not intriguing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction

Moderate: Alcohol, Medical content, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Drug use

siriface's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Death, Alcoholism, Violence, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Sexual assault, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

city_girl_writer'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? No

4.25

This was really good. I loved the the gothic imagery of New England, the medical content regarding poisons, the bonds between Lend, Johnathan, and Audrey, etc. My only gripe was the reveals towards the end. I had a hard time piecing everything together. Maybe in a week or so, it would all make sense. Nonetheless, I would recommend this but it's not for everyone.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Alcohol

Moderate: Death, Addiction, Chronic illness, Blood, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Emotional abuse