Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

192 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

taratearex's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

 This was really great. I liked it even more than his debut, which I also thought was great, but he's really elevating his skills in this one, and the way he writes trans and autistic characters is just so good and so needed. With this book it solidified that Andrew Joseph White is a must-read author for me and I'm even more excited for his adult novel now.

I read the audiobook for this, which lead to a bit of confusion at times with the narrative not always being clear, but for the most part that didn't take away from my understanding or enjoyment- I did have a physical copy with me that I just never got around to picking up to see the written structure, I may still do that at some point. So I'd recommend the audiobook, but it may be nice to have the physical book too.

Definitely check trigger warnings on this one, I really appreciate the author intro with a trigger warning at the beginning. Some CW: a lot of medical/body gore/body horror, sexual assault, conversion therapy, transphobia, pedophilia, abortion, miscarriage, death, murder 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Blood, Murder, Abortion, Confinement, Dysphoria, Sexism, Transphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Deadnaming, Physical abuse, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Rape and Miscarriage

mobymaize's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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

4.0

Damn this book is crazy, and it was great, but at times it felt like torture porn. I get that that’s the point, but

glass in the shoes

is fucking horrific. Additionally, for a novel with spirit in its name, it didn’t entirely have a huge emphasis on ghosts in general

(except for the destruction of Braxtons of course)

. Great horror, not super for me though. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Sexism, Body horror, Blood, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Transphobia, Violence, Misogyny, Rape, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Homophobia, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Medical content, Sexual assault, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Torture, Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Self harm

akatperry's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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: Pregnancy, Murder, Forced institutionalization, Dysphoria, Transphobia, Medical trauma, Sexual violence, Sexism, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Child death, Self harm, Physical abuse, Gore, Violence, and Deadnaming

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Miscarriage

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

bootrat's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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? No

5.0

AJW just doesn't miss! I wasn't sure that any of his later books would compare to how excellent his first was, but it does! I read this book in a day, and I loved it. The character and the storyline were so great, I had a great time reading it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Blood, Transphobia, Murder, Violence, and 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

brittybcl's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Physical abuse, Self harm, Body horror, Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Gore, Pregnancy, Blood, and Death

Moderate: Murder

cheriepie's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

Hard to articulate how I feel about this one lads. I couldn't put it down, but also the writing felt very juvenile, the plot predictable and the dialogue just anachronistic enough that it took me out at times. I feel like if this was given to me ten years earlier when I found Fight Like a Girl/The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls for the first time I would've lapped it right up though.

EDIT: this is just a book that makes me say "if I was a teen librarian, this book would be the absolute top of the recommendation pile for any edgy troubled kids that come to my desk. too bad i'm nearly 30 and not a teen librarian, so i'm not really getting much out of it." 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Gore, Murder, and Transphobia

Moderate: Rape

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