Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage

12 reviews

mlynn2004's review

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

1.5

If the author truly wants to continue writing horror, she is going to have to figure out how to reign in her overwhelming ableism. I think— I hope— what she was attempting to do is destabilize the reader’s sense of reality: an admittedly effective way to incite horror. But in actuality, the most horrifying about this book is the nagging concern that the author is either compassionless, uninformed or hell-bent on pathologizing a seemingly neurodivergent and obviously traumatized child. 

Under the circumstances of the plot, this could have been a challenging an honest look at parenting through generational trauma, but instead the author chooses to demonize a child that is clearly suffering, even while presenting good reason for that suffering. It is a baffling choice.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Ableism, and Blood

Moderate: Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child abuse

laurenelise32's review

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Body horror

hazle_363's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

This book was compelling but I was anxious the whole time I read it

I didn’t like the open ending, I wanted to have Janna’s brain explored a bit more and a resolve to whether her and her mom would reconcile

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Excrement, Domestic abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Cursing, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Self harm, Blood, Violence, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Grief, Gore, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Body horror

ericaburns1's review

challenging dark emotional tense fast-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

3.0

Disappointing ending. Almost wish there was a sequel. Too many loose ends. Big drama and complicated feelings from both Suzette and Hanna kept me hooked and shocked. The book goes back and forth from mother’s to daughter’s pov. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Gaslighting, Grief, Chronic illness, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Blood, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Cursing, and Medical content

Minor: Child abuse and Death

Mentions of possession/demons/witches

ten_telegrams's review

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, Cursing, and Grief

brattymadi99's review

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Left me begging for a sequel!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Chronic illness, and Gore

lilacwhisker's review

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Very crazy and made me want to vomit. It likes how at the start of the book the main focus is on Hanna’s mental issues/psychotic behaviors, and then near the end we also get to see how Suzette reflects many of these. I thought the comparisons of mothers and their daughters throughout the story (Suzette’s mother, Suzette, and Hanna) was interesting even without the horror bits. Even so, this book could be a little repetitive at some points and I can understand why some people didn’t like it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Body horror, Cursing, Excrement, Medical content, Sexual content, Child abuse, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Eating disorder and Abandonment

Minor: Ableism, Alcohol, and Incest

kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

What a creepy book. It reminded me of The Push in some ways. Psychopathic children terrify the ever loving shit out of me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Violence

brindolyn's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Blood, Body horror, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Medical content, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Sexual content

onegirlandtheworld's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

Not a book I would have chosen if it wasn't for book club but the premise was intriguing. The use of the mother/daughter viewpoints worked really well but even then just as you thought you knew what each character was thinking or how they would respond the rug would be pulled put from underneath you. None of the characters were very loveable but that is kind of the point. Hanna is my favourite but I would not want her as my child! I frequently wanted to shake the parents and the ending really showed their true colours. I would be interested in a sequel but the book is equally good as a standalone story.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, Medical content, Violence, and Toxic relationship