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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
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Medical content, Suicide, Alcohol, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Moderate: Bullying, Vomit, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, and Drug use
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
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.
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
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Alcohol
Moderate: Death, Addiction, Chronic illness, Blood, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Emotional abuse
kumquats87's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Classism, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Addiction
Minor: Murder, Medical content, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
amandalorianxo's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The Great Gatsby esque allure was evident when you discover the world Lena finds herself in with the Verdeau family but it’s only obvious in the few parties she finds herself working. Lena, our main character, was living in Italy with her hand when she is told to come home due to her father’s health and the family’s need for an extra paycheck to keep everything afloat.
Lena soon finds a job as an assistant “doc” to one Jonathan Verdeau. It’s a little illegal / shifty since Lena dropped out of med school but no one questions Lena after she helps Jonathan when she’s trying to find her train pass to go home post interview.
Before Lena knows it, she is caught up bit by bit until it’s too late to stop. So I was expecting more gothic / dark vibes but that kind of flickers in and out. It’s more about the messed up mindset of rich people and unfortunately those they attempt to bring down under with them Lena is one of those people Martin Verdeau (the man that hires her) tries to throw under the bus. Lena is caught up fancying the daughter Audrey (I think both MC’s are bi?) If you are into a lightly dark novel (level 0.5/1 in darkness factor) with poison and plants with queer characters, all yours.
I don’t want to spoil anything but I was a little underwhelmed. The pacing felt a wii too fast towards the last 25% and it was all wrapped up a little too well.
Lena soon finds a job as an assistant “doc” to one Jonathan Verdeau. It’s a little illegal / shifty since Lena dropped out of med school but no one questions Lena after she helps Jonathan when she’s trying to find her train pass to go home post interview.
Before Lena knows it, she is caught up bit by bit until it’s too late to stop. So I was expecting more gothic / dark vibes but that kind of flickers in and out. It’s more about the messed up mindset of rich people and unfortunately those they attempt to bring down under with them Lena is one of those people Martin Verdeau (the man that hires her) tries to throw under the bus. Lena is caught up fancying the daughter Audrey (I think both MC’s are bi?) If you are into a lightly dark novel (level 0.5/1 in darkness factor) with poison and plants with queer characters, all yours.
I don’t want to spoil anything but I was a little underwhelmed. The pacing felt a wii too fast towards the last 25% and it was all wrapped up a little too well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Drug use
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
mikaylaxreads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Chronic illness, Death, Physical abuse, and Medical trauma