Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

25 reviews

theirgracegrace's review

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.25

Annihilation starts off with a series of questions, but its ending does not answer them to incredible effect. The plot centres around an expedition of four scientists who are the twelfth expedition to a place called Area X, where a strange historical event has led to the complete removal of human civilization. What this "human civilization" is replaced with, and what the four uncover about each other, tells a harrowing tale about what it means to be human. 

I was recommended this by a friend who was into biology, and I can definitely say it was a worthy recommendation! I read it all in a handful of sittings over the course of twenty-four hours and this was because I could not put it down. Each revelation is followed by something even more tense and terrifying, and the ending leaves so much unanswered...leading nicely into a second and third book. An amazing read, all in all!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Alcoholism, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Gore, Alcohol, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Death, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Bullying

Minor: Suicide and Cursing

One of the characters uses hypnosis on the others, including a (ineffectual) command to kill themselves.

zany25's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

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

5.0

The vibes I get is either you’re going to love this book or hate it with little in between. The narration is detail oriented to a fault and I feel it perfectly suits a scientific protagonist, and I find the perspective of a scientist who’s slowly eroding witnessing nigh indescribable events to be peak fiction. 

Maybe I just love women transforming. A gaming friend recommended this to me because he thought I could relate to the protagonist. I feel called out but I enjoyed it immensely. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

Moderate: Violence and Suicide

Minor: Cancer and Alcoholism

Existential at many points.

sophieamreacher's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Strange and intriguing, I just had to keep reading. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Cancer, Gore, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Confinement, Abandonment, Death, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, and Suicide

judassilver's review

adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Grief, Animal death, Blood, Death, Confinement, Gun violence, Murder, and Violence

Moderate: Alcoholism

Minor: Cancer and Suicide

eatyourenglish's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Suicide

Moderate: Alcoholism and Animal death

bibliosexual's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Blood

Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual content, Animal death, Violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Cancer and Alcoholism

keegan53's review

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• 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

4.75

This book is the kind of book that makes you stop, ask yourself “what the heck did I just read”, and reread the sentence. I mean this in the best possible way. Annihilation is such a mind-bending story. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Body horror, Violence, Murder, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Gun violence

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Alcohol, Cancer, Sexual content, Self harm, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, and Suicide

A note on the body horror:

things that should not be made out of flesh are made out of flesh

lordofdisorder's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Confinement

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Alcoholism

itisnatal's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Blood

Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, and Bullying

mosshaunt's review

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

sometimes i found the text confusing, and either too detailed or not detailed enough, but i feel that is the most appropriate way to experience the world of area x, in the same way the biologist is compelled into it.

would i say it is incredible? no. but because of its flaws, i loved it.

sidenote: multiple major characters are confirmed to not be white in the sequel, but it is not brought up in this book at all.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Body horror

Moderate: Violence and Murder

Minor: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cancer, and Sexual content