Reviews tagging 'Vomit'

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

107 reviews

spark_879's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

i've been meaning to read this since i heard of its release (and after reading & enjoying hell followed with us last march) and it did not disappoint! i loved this book and would recommend it to anyone, but beware that it has a lot of dark themes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Blood, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Torture, Vomit, Death of parent, and Dysphoria

arrr's review against another edition

dark hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I don't typically read horror, so this was a bit outside my comfort zone. The story of transphobia and ableism in Victorian England mixed well with the addition of ghosts and the misogyny imposed against women and people who could manipulate the veil between worlds. I wasn't prepared for the medical horror and level of description. It wasn't as awful as it could have been, but it would have given me nightmares as a youth. I didn't really understand the ending before the last chapter. But I suppose it could be open to interpretation. Maybe that's the point. 

Well done. I unexpectedly enjoyed this. 

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Content Warnings

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

maddie_oz'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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Deadnaming, Gore, Sexism, Transphobia, Blood, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Rape and Sexual assault

vixenreader's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.75

The YA troupes are a bit more evident in this book than in the author’s previous work. However, it is a remarkable second novel with an effective plot structure, atmospheric from beginning to end, visceral in the horrors of what can be done to a human being (mind, body, and soul), and a big high-five for diving into the ableism directed towards the autistic while giving them the direction in learning how to shut up their own internal rabbits. Also, “George, we were all rooting for you! HOW DARE YOU!!!”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Outing, War, and Classism

Minor: Vomit, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol

A majority of graphic content in this novel addresses transphobia, abhorrent ableism against autistic folks, misogyny/sexism (the “biology” argument), nasty surgeries, medical content and trauma, physical abuse and violence, and sexual abuse. Any minor in the novel is aged 14-16. It also features familial rejection, pus, stitching up wounds, a graphic abortion, self-mutilation, execution, and a ton of injuries and gore involving glass. It can be a hard read at times.

kingsteph's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Mental illness, Rape, and Pregnancy

clockworkchild's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Deadnaming, Gore, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, and Abortion

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Rape and Vomit

ronjaorsomething's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad 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

I loved this book so much. The writing is incredible and I felt extremely close to the characters. The trans and autistic representation was so good and even though this book takes place in an alternate London the experience these characters had were still very accurate and can be translated to the real world at the time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Deadnaming, Vomit, Grief, Murder, and Sexual harassment

sunflower7skull's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad 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? Yes

4.25

This book took a lot out of me. It is heavy and gruesome and beautiful. I will admit the surgical body horror made me a little squeamish, but as a trans autistic person, I loved the way the main characters were written. I don't usually like historical fiction, but I really loved this fantasy take. Highly recommend to anyone who is invested in dark fantasy, the trans experience, the autistic experience, and Victorian times (especially from a gendered/medical view) Just make sure you check trigger warnings for this one!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Dysphoria

abitbetterbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Andrew Joseph White does it again!

Hell Followed With Us was one of my top books of 2022, and I had high hopes for The Spirit Bares It’s Teeth. I was not disappointed.

AJW had a way of writing that makes me feel like, viscerally and violently ill, and deeply unsettled, and yet I can’t look away or put his books down. The writing is addictive; quick and panicky and frantic one second, luxurious and descriptive in the next, evoking a rich depth of emotion and connection to characters. 

The amount of violence and gore in this novel is extreme, to say the least, but AJW knows how to use it. It never feels shocking for the sake of it, but truly drives home the point over and over. You’re meant to be uncomfortable— you SHOULD be uncomfortable about what's happening to the students at Braxton’s, and you don’t get to look away from the true, sheer horror of it. 

I think queer & trans horror has something special to offer as a genre; for folks who have been subjected to all kinds of horrors, supernatural or not, there is something truly powerful in the reclamation of fear and danger. Of being the “monster” everyone thinks you are, and also being the hero of the story, because the real monster are the institutions and people that seek to break you. 

As a non-autistic reader I also appreciate the work of an #OwnVoices autistic author putting the focus on Sila’s autism in this story, and the way he navigated the interplay of being autistic and being transgender, without having the terminology for either experience. 

If you have the stomach for it, I highly highly recommend this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Pregnancy

Minor: Miscarriage

dragnfary's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Vomit, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment