Reviews tagging 'Suicide attempt'

Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman

58 reviews

willardpilled's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This might be my new favorite book. I was entranced. It got me out of a reading slump. This book was full of aha! moments and hope, and it was so insightful and relatable as someone who experiences mental illness.

I really loved how the contrast between the pirate ship and the hospital got less and less obvious as the book went on, both signifying Caden’s inability to identify reality, and as a way to show the reader parallels between the two stories more clearly. I wish I were better with words, because I don’t think I’m capable of capturing how truly brilliant this book is.

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212keatsk's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective 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? Yes

4.75

God what an phenomenal representation of mental illness. I felt viscerally uncomfortable as Caden did as he spirals into his own world and begins to lose touch of the reality he perceives. I’m never going to read this again, but I hope that everybody does read it. I didn’t understand what it was truly like to have bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and now I feel I can better empathize with those that experience it. 
Neal shusterman strikes again with another profound and powerful commentary on the human psyche. 

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mjkouele's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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fantasypal's review against another edition

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

5.0


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risemini's review against another edition

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dark funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5


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butteredtoastinbed's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was such an exceptional, emotional and thought-provoking novel that I really loved. The story as a whole felt very important and the final takeaway of the book felt deeply necessary, too. It did not feel like a stereotype - it was explained from a place of empathy and understanding, which I feel is more significant than almost anything else in the book. Having said this, I also loved the story just as a story; it was written so well, the characters were all multi-dimensioned with flaws and were all very impactful and lovable. The finale was perfect, the pacing was fantastic and I constantly found myself wanting to read more.
One of my favourite aspects was the repeated symbolism, motifs and hints between the two sides of the story that really helped both relate more with the main character (in the sense that I felt lost, confused and washed up, just as he did), but also read deeper into the story and appreciate the writing more. The style of writing was really enjoyable and matched the voice of the main character really well, along with the themes and feelings of the story perfectly.
The illustrations are not to be overlooked, too. They added so much atmosphere to the story while I was reading and they were great in helping me to connect more with the main character.
Overall, I would absolutely recommend this book to everyone, it was not only fun to read but is a hugely important piece of writing.

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jpt007's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is a masterpiece. It’s been years since I’ve had the chance to read it but after coming across a reel in Instagram I decided to seek it out.

Characters- 5/5*
Beautifully fleshed out. So much so that at time it’s very painful. I just wish I could give Kaden a big hug but I doubt that would do much good. Every character is so deep (pun intended).

Conflict- 5/5*
I don’t cry when reading books very often. I cried. I don’t know how Shusterman is able to put it to words so effortlessly but it was exactly right.

Plot- 5/5*
It shouldn’t have been that enthralling but it was. I did not want to stop reading it. Not even to get my sleep.

Setting- 5/5* 
Well developed and cryptic when it needed to be. The way he blended the two world together was seamless.

Theme- 5/5*
But it’s not going to happen today—and there is a deep, abiding comfort in that. Deep enough to carry me through till tomorrow.


Overall Score: 5/5⭐️

Read this book it is to good to not read.

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wormgirl's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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epohlig's review against another edition

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

4.75

This book was great! I really appreciated the perspective it provided on mental illness, especially Caden’s, since it can be so easy to fear and ostracize those who are different from us, even if they’re just trying to survive. 

I also enjoyed the two storylines and how
as they converged,
there was a blend of reality and imagination (that might not be the best word choice - sorry). 

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juliabegeman's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


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