Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

92 reviews

immovabletype'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? Yes

2.75

Read my full review on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/p/CvwWKMqr1yh

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Medical content, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Abortion, Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Dysphoria, Grief, Medical trauma, and Murder

Moderate: Pedophilia and Rape

ender24's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.5

A wonderful story, with a lot of horror and gore. It’s a bit slow for the first half of the book, but it’s important for the overall story unlike some other writings. Already want a sequel, or something to expand the world of the story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual content, Body horror, Child death, Classism, Misogyny, Murder, Rape, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Violence, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Transphobia, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Toxic friendship, and Trafficking

pale_faced_fear's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore and Medical content

Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Torture, Transphobia, Ableism, Abortion, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Blood, Dysphoria, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Physical abuse

_teoeo's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.75

Prepare to be angry. Prepare to be disgusted. Prepare to get your heart broken and stiched back together, not neatly but still perfect. 

Oh, I enjoyed that book so much! After I've read "Hell Followed With Us" and loved it, "The Spirit Bares Its Teeth" was one of my most anticipated books this year. 
 At first, I have to be honest, it was a bit difficult to find your way into the story, for it felt like you just jumped into that world without any explanation of it whatsoever. But the more I read, the more I understood it. 
 It is a deep dive into being trans and autistic, what it means to be a man or a woman and how society tries to make rules about that. It also is a good example of how language changes the way we precieve

for as soon as Silas used she/her pronouns and Daphnes real name it totally changed the way I saw this character.

 Even though the plottwists are a little predictable, they aren't less shocking and especially the last 100 pages have the perfect arc of suspense! 

Thank you NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of this book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Animal cruelty, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual assault, Ableism, Blood, Abortion, Deadnaming, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Pedophilia, Sexism, Transphobia, and Vomit

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Child abuse

Minor: Pregnancy, Death of parent, and Suicide attempt

fanboyriot's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

Read For:

Ghosts

Hurt/Comfort

T4T (ftm x mtf)

Dark Queer Rage

Gothic Victorian Vibes

Absolutely beautiful in a dark and vicious way.  It was heavy and uncomfortable but in a way that made you want to fight for the characters in the pages.  Drawing you in with each chapter.

The trans representation in this book might not have been the happiest I’ve ever read but even though all the angst and hurt there were moments of comfort, of happiness and hope.

Silas was such a lovable main character.  I liked his passion for being a surgeon, trying and fighting for what he wanted even when nearly everyone failed him, time and time again.  Daphne was such a light in his life and to this book I couldn’t imagine it without her.  Again a very lovable character.

This book was not soft or lighthearted and I definitely suggest reading the content warnings beforehand; but this book was written so well.  The setting, the plot, the characters, even the cover of this book was amazing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author/publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

(First Person POV)

Spice: 🌶️ (lightly mentioned)

Rep: Trans MC (ftm), Autistic MC, Trans LI (mtf), LGBTQIA+ MC/SCs

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Medical trauma, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Torture, Sexual harassment, Mental illness, Cursing, Abandonment, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Murder, Dysphoria, Medical content, Transphobia, Deadnaming, Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Misogyny, Violence, Abortion, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Blood, Death, and Confinement

Moderate: Child death, Miscarriage, Suicide, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Animal death, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Vomit, Rape, and Animal cruelty

wondereads13's review against another edition

dark 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

4.5

This book was amazing. There are very few bad things I could say about it, and most of those are personal preference. Now, it isn't for everyone, as it's basically gothic horror to the extreme with some very sensitive topics. However, as long as you can stomach this sort of thing, I highly recommend this book. It's dark, tense, and not without some hope. My one technical gripe is how perfect Daphne seems, but that can be easily brushed past. I really liked the writing, especially with how the author played with the style and actual look of it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Medical content, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Deadnaming, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Domestic abuse, Transphobia, Dysphoria, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Animal death, Abortion, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Torture, and Violence

rileyswan's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? No

5.0

"This is what happens to people like me if we don't have the money for tutors, if we refuse to listen, if we don't have wombs that are worth the effort. He's scared. He's cornered. Like me."

THE SPIRIT BARES ITS TEETH, at its core, is a tale of solidarity and strength.

Andrew Joseph White's second novel follows Silas, an autistic trans boy, and his gnashing battle with a world that attempts to shape his flesh as it deems fit—and how hard he fights to take control of his body and life.

Juxtaposing the times he claws his way out of the basement, painted with mangled wounds where stitching was torn back by scalpel, are the times in which he burrows his exhausted face in the neck of his lover.

Daphne was an exquisite character. She is a delicate, brave woman, with an adoration for Silas so genuine it made me weep. Every moment the pair shared was held in place by incorrigibly horrendous events that occurred both before and after, which only made the sweetness more bitter. Even so, the few specks of time in which solace was found in their shared company were perfect. 

Silas's story is raw, tender down to the fragile bone. Every moment had me chewing my lip, clawing at my chest in an attempt to calm my racing heart. Every emotion was visceral, as bloody and brutal as the surgeries our ravenous protagonist performs.

"It distracts me for just long enough to make me laugh, and Daphne does too. Her eyes shine when she laughs. She's beautiful.

A beautiful thing. Here. I almost don't believe it."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Abortion, Violence, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Dysphoria, Death, Child death, Ableism, Gore, Transphobia, Sexism, Homophobia, Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Cursing, Sexual assault, Body horror, Murder, Deadnaming, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, and Blood

ajankloss's review against another edition

dark 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

5.0

never have i read something that had me stopping so much to think about how similar i was to the mc. silas made me feel so visible, the way he talks about his autism and transness (not entirely relating to eachother) is so resonating. silas and daphne are maybe one of the best portrayals of trans love i’ve seen written and i am obsessed with them. this book was disgusting, tense, full of queer rage, beautiful, dark, gross, and gory and also perhaps the one of the best books i’ve ever read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Death, Deadnaming, Transphobia, Child death, Murder, Blood, Torture, Misogyny, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Body horror, Medical trauma, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Ableism, Pedophilia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Confinement

mikkitooloud's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

I was so enthralled, it only took 4 hours to read this. I felt so close to Silas, the main character. AJW is writing about autism, and trans identity and abuse in poetic language, but it’s crystal clear what he’s getting at. The world he created is a fantasy setting but it is so grounded in history that it feels real. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Medical content, Murder, and Abortion

Moderate: Transphobia and Ableism

Minor: Rape

This book is pretty heavy. There’s a warning in the front. Please read it and take it seriously.

lydiareads247's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-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? No

5.0

"Everyone is made up of stories, when you think about it. You only really come to understand yourself by comparing other people's stories to yours; you find where things are the same, and where they're not."

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for granting me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

I have no words to describe how absolutely incredible this book was. What a hell of an adventure.

"The Spirit Bares Its Teeth" is a rollercoaster of emotions set in an alternative Victorian Era London, where some people are born with violet eyes and can open "the veil", allowing the dead to step back in the world of the living. The Speakers control and dictate who can interact with said veil and destroy anyone else they deem not worthy - which is to say anyone who was not born a man. The women born with violet eyes are to be engaged with whichever man bids the highest. This is to be the fate of our main character, Silas, who is very much against it. So, he takes a shot at his one chance to be free and leave London behind... which fails, and now he's a in school for those with "veil-sickness". 

First, I have to admit I'm not particularly fond of first-person narration but, somehow, the author made it work! I didn't have a hard time reading or was bored for any second of the book. The writing flows nicely and really captures the reader, it made me feel like I was inside the book. 

The concept of the book itself was very interesting and it was everything I expected it to be but, at the same time, so much more. There are definitely some scenes that are not for the faint of heart, and some of them left me truly shocked (and I had to close the app and lay down to reflect on my life), but it really conveys everything the book is supposed to be about and adds so many layers to the plot and characters. 

As for the characters, the author did an incredible job - he crafted them perfectly, in my opinion. I love how we are introduced to Silas, how afraid he is but he doesn't put his foot down either. He's been brave since the very first page of the book, but it's not until the very end that he sees and embraces it. I loved getting to know Silas and seeing his journey - I loved how we're shown his struggles and wishes and how we're there to see every single one of them fulfilled. Personally, I loved the journey of Silas figuring out that his transness and austim are separated, how one doesn't necessarily lead to another and how this disproves everything he's been taught. I can't express how much I cried when he first met Daphne. The book is set in such a dark world but that was such a bright and joyful moment. I could reread it a hundred times more. And the three little moments with the groundskeeper? It just made me wish there was more time for them to interact.

Daphne was also very interesting to get to know. She's not really a main character but every page she's in she shines. Every time she visits she shows a new side to herself and turns the story a little brighter. Her story culminates at the end of the book in a way that I loved (and hoped for). There is one thing I would have liked to see her do (which is stand up to her father in some way, even though I'm sure that's got to have happened at least once in the past. I would have liked to see it), but overall I liked how she was introduced, and how she played her part in the middle and am incredibly happy with her ending. Also, she saved me from one very stressful moment in this book and I will never be more grateful for that. 

There are other characters in the book that I loved - the girls Silas spent time with in the school: Isabella, Mary, Louise and Charlotte. Ellen and Frances didn't show up much but I did enjoy the few little moments they had. I liked the bonds between the girls and how they stuck with each other, most of all how they stuck with Silas too (mostly towards the end of the book). I loved how involved Mary got and how much of her character we got to see towards the end. 

There's also one character I have to mention. I will not say the name because of spoilers but I would like to point out that I did not trust this person one single second and I was so correct and I hate being correct about this. Given that last line of the book, I hope this person gets what they deserve (and if they do, I will be the first in line to a get a copy of whatever it comes written on, it can be a book or an article or even a pamphlet). 

Overall, this story is filled with adventure and ghosts and revenge. More importantly, it's about accepting and fighting for yourself. It's about society pressuring you to be one way, telling you to do certain things, when none of the ways you were ever presented a problem. The others were the problem all along, their lack of understanding and zero effort are to blame. It's a story about a boy who simply wants to live free and be happy - oh and be a surgeon. That part is important. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Blood, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Transphobia, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual harassment, Torture, Ableism, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Animal cruelty, and Animal death