Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

216 reviews

tangleroot_eli's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

Bloody, brutal, and utterly compelling.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, Death, Medical content, Medical trauma, Blood, Child abuse, Body horror, Violence, Abortion, Physical abuse, Sexism, Gore, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Confinement, Deadnaming, Dysphoria, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Ableism, Colonisation, Vomit, Rape, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Self harm and Miscarriage

Graphic:: Saneism, Misgendering, Toxic masculinity Moderate:: Slut shaming

corvidsyay's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, and Abortion

Moderate: Sexual assault, Ableism, Misogyny, Rape, and Death

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

aidenm's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

The premise of this book seemed a bit similar to HFWU but different enough that I knew it would still feel surprising. I could still guess a lot of what was coming next, all side characters seemed very similar over the course of the book, but I really enjoyed reading it. Romance is not at the center of this book but it is very sweet and gives hope. T4T I love you so

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Domestic abuse, Gore, and Transphobia

Moderate: Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, and Physical abuse

Minor: Violence, Blood, and Vomit

leaflit's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-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

This book was so gruesome but so good.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Misogyny, Murder, Self harm, Transphobia, Abortion, Body horror, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Child death, Gore, Blood, Homophobia, Torture, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Lesbophobia, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Death, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, Animal death, Forced institutionalization, Bullying, Sexual violence, Medical content, and Mental illness

Moderate: Slavery, Classism, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Grief, Miscarriage, Vomit, Rape, and Panic attacks/disorders

bastardbimbo's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Abortion, Transphobia, Sexual assault, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death

dominosmum444's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

i’m calling it - this will be one of the best books i read this year. the audiobook narration was an EXPERIENCE and i loved it!! it was beautiful and horrific - so, so many content warnings required but it was excellent. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Violence, Sexual violence, Body horror, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Medical trauma, Murder, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, and Transphobia

welgan's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

4.5

I new I was going into a story that was raw and punched you to you guts, and I was ready for it ; I wanted to feel this righteous anger about the horrors who happened, about what they say of the horrors that still are. It delivered - it was raw, and hard, but not as much to me as it may be for someone who would feel represented as autistic or trans person, I think (giving how I emotional I was when I reacted to a book that represented *me*, I can only see how this book would open an autistic/trans person insides and lay them bare). I was very grateful for the autistic representation as I was looking to learn about the experience from first person point of view to better understand autistic people, but as so I can not judge if the representation was accurate or a bit exagerated. At some points it felt a bit forced (as the character explained "I am like this", "my brains does this"), but I think I'd need that to fully grasp something that is foreign to me, so I think it was the right thing to do. 
I enjoyed all the imagery and metaphors about surgery and body gore because I could really feel the special interest of the main character, and also it fit very well in the narrative, I could feel the despair and rage to control one's own body, and the adequacy of the imagery with the horrors happening. 
I also appreciated that there was hope and comfort to be found in kinship - this person is like me, I can be myself and true and safe with them. It helped going through a story with such hard events. 

Be warned if you're a sensitive person though : beyond the horrors that would happen to a person perceived as a girl who is not complying to society's standards, and to a trans person, in a Victorian era, the writing also invite quite a gore imagery. It fits very well, but if you're bothered by body and wounds imagery, it will probably be hard to read for you. There are also a lot of sensitive topics touched, so please look at the warnings if you're unsure. I felt the book did a great job exploring the topics without too much voyeurism, but the subjects are here nonetheless. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Body horror, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Abortion, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Ableism, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Sexism, Pregnancy, Misogyny, and Medical content

Moderate: Rape, Self harm, and Medical trauma

Minor: Homophobia, War, Suicidal thoughts, and Miscarriage

saccharinewoe's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

"i have to keep my boyhood safe. i have to keep it hidden, deep in my chest where nobody else can have it."

as someone that is afab and struggles with their identity/presentation, this book was deeply painful at times because of how real it is but that's exactly why it's so so important and so needed. to see i'm not alone in how i feel is so comforting yet so terribly sad to think about. to think i still live in a country that perpetuates the archaic norms that are rife in this and that i, too, have to find ways to survive like silas did. the way misogyny is targetted towards anyone with even a proximity to womanhood... god it's the most horrifying thing in this book. i can't speak for the autistic experience that is laid out with so much heart in this but i know that this, too, was so so needed. but also on a less serious note, i fuck so heavily with the medical horror, murder mystery and historical and paranormal aspects of this lol. the writing was so gripping that i found it physically difficult to put down... there were so many elements lovingly crafted into this and they worked so well together. this was really fantastic and i'll be thinking about it for a long time. i'm really glad this exists and comes from a voice that understands.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Abortion, Ableism, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Gore, and Murder

Moderate: Transphobia and Sexual harassment

kerryem's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Body horror, Gore, Abortion, Death, Ableism, and Medical content

Moderate: Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Forced institutionalization, and Dysphoria

marcostorin's review against another edition

adventurous dark inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I already planned to give this book 5 stars, but when I reached the ending of the book, I was literally putting my phone (where I read it) down multiple times because I just couldn't believe the twists I was reading, and I mean it as an absolute compliment. They were perfectly done and absolutely in character and believable and yes, they still had me shocked. The epilogue was the sweetest and realest ending this book could have had. I loved the previous book this author did and, seeing as two out of two books by them have been some of the best reads I've encountered lately, I'm absolutely following whatever they put out next.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Gore, Hate crime, Pregnancy, Sexism, Blood, Ableism, Animal cruelty, Child death, Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Abortion, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Pedophilia, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Torture, Transphobia, and Violence

Moderate: Rape, Colonisation, and Bullying