Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

122 reviews

coffeenoldbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

This book was everything! I loved it so much! I will say there are some difficult parts to read in this book so please PLEASE read the content warnings if you’re gonna pick this up. Also that ending! Yes I loved it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Forced institutionalization, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Medical content, Abortion, Blood, Physical abuse, Transphobia, Emotional abuse, Gore, and Pregnancy

aklikethegun's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia, Animal death, Trafficking, Suicide, Sexual violence, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Police brutality, Murder, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Rape, Classism, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Infertility, Hate crime, Homophobia, Dysphoria, Death, Cursing, Confinement, Ableism, Abandonment, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Biphobia, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Vomit, Transphobia, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Sexism, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Outing, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Medical content, Lesbophobia, Kidnapping, Infidelity, Grief, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Fatphobia, Deadnaming, Addiction, Eating disorder, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent

bea_reads_books's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Physical abuse, Body horror, Child abuse, Gore, Abortion, Blood, Death, Grief, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Violence, Child death, Deadnaming, Forced institutionalization, Transphobia, Ableism, Pregnancy, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Rape, Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Lesbophobia, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Homophobia, and Dysphoria

Minor: Animal death and Cursing

katiescott's review against another edition

dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense slow-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Body shaming, Abandonment, Confinement, Miscarriage, Torture, Body horror, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, Animal death, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Self harm, Toxic relationship, and Violence

thecaffeinatedlibrary's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Transphobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, Sexual violence, Self harm, Miscarriage, Mental illness, and Abortion

solenodon's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.5

visceral body horror going on

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Violence, Transphobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, Sexism, Physical abuse, Blood, and Child abuse

Moderate: Sexual harassment and Self harm

Minor: Colonisation and Sexual violence

skrulls's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

i am going to be processing this book for a while.

i saw parts of myself represented that I have never known how to articulate.

i generally don't enjoy horror but at this point I'll read literally anything AJW writes. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Ableism, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Abortion, Confinement, Medical content, Self harm, Sexism, Blood, Bullying, Torture, Deadnaming, Death, Child death, Forced institutionalization, and Gore

Moderate: Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Rape

lokes's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

They must have convinced themselves that they would never rot in the same dirt we do.

This book has left me carved out and cut open, lovingly handing me the needle to stitch myself together - and I devoured it.

I already loved Hell Followed With Us, but this book just had it all. The queer characters, the very gory descriptions, the fury and rebellious spirits and the love each of the characters held for each other. There were a few plot lines I would have liked to read more about, like the sanatorium, the relics, the way historic colonialism by the UK was adapted into the fantasy/horror context, more in-depth exploration of the anti-autistic ableism and general sexism of the time, & etc. But I guess that’s to blame on the „YA“ part of the book 😅) 
Even though the story meant to rip you apart, ask you to just let go and give into the graphic descriptions of medical horror, of a society not so much different from our own, the book was weirdly comforting. At times, I definitely felt a bit squeamish (never thought I’d read a really graphic, long description of an at-home Caesarian abortion, but here we are), but it was definitely one of the most beautiful things I’ve read lately. Because it is truly okay to hurt sometimes. And it is okay to slash back when the rabbit-hearted heart screams to just amputate the parts society doesn’t like to see on (young) people. 

And oh, how they fought back.

(Also loved the very trans* main characters and their love story. Same with the (female) rage and the portrayal of a small rebellion, starting in the very walls meant to keep them silent.)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Emotional abuse, Grief, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Gaslighting, Medical content, Murder, Gore, Abortion, Blood, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Torture, Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Ableism, Body horror, Adult/minor relationship, Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Forced institutionalization, Sexism, Death, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Abandonment, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Self harm, Child abuse, Body horror, Sexual assault, Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Miscarriage, Sexism, Torture, Classism, Eating disorder, Outing, Blood, Domestic abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Biphobia, Colonisation, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Violence, Confinement, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse

jdieperink's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated

5.0

I’d like to thank the Trans Rights Readathon, Andrew Joseph White, and a well timed library hold for getting me out of my reading slump. 

It’s chock full of things that need content warning, brutal, horrific, explicitly gruesome, poetic, beautiful, and will make your whole being ache. 

Horror isn’t really my jam so I have to work myself up to it, but so far both this and Hell Followed With Us have been so so so worth it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Transphobia, Vomit, Abandonment, Deadnaming, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, and Blood

Moderate: Gore, Sexual violence, Death, Child death, Self harm, Bullying, Abortion, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexism, Physical abuse, Hate crime, and Suicidal thoughts

estruch's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I really, really loved this book. I felt seen and a profound peace while reading it. But beware, because there are extremely painful and gory scenes within it. The peace I felt was because someone put into words things I was feeling already, things that sometimes I don’t know how to express. So despite de C-section without anesthesia and despite all the violence and gaslighting, I enjoyed it with a calm smile. 

I’d recommend to everybody to check the content warnings and proceed with caution. However, if you are a trans person with a lot of feelings about what is expected of your body, check it out. Maybe you’ll find peace too.

Second book for the #TransRightsReadathon of 2024.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Blood, Medical content, Misogyny, Abortion, Gaslighting, Self harm, Physical abuse, Deadnaming, Forced institutionalization, and Murder