Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

55 reviews

lillauu's review against another edition

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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Abortion, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Child abuse, Ableism, Dysphoria, Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, and Gore

aklikethegun's review

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Abortion, Body horror, Child abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Rape, Police brutality, Miscarriage, Gore, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Death, Body shaming, Outing, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Fatphobia, Child death, Confinement, Vomit, Trafficking, Alcohol, Deadnaming, Medical content, Lesbophobia, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Classism, Torture, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Self harm, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Hate crime, Grief, Genocide, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Dysphoria, Drug use, and Death of parent

Moderate: Cannibalism, Infertility, Infidelity, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Toxic friendship, Excrement, and Drug abuse

Minor: Animal cruelty, Infertility, Excrement, Acephobia/Arophobia, Genocide, Infidelity, and Biphobia

aklikethegun's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia, Animal death, Trafficking, Suicide, Sexual violence, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Police brutality, Murder, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Rape, Classism, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Infertility, Hate crime, Homophobia, Dysphoria, Death, Cursing, Confinement, Ableism, Abandonment, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Biphobia, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Vomit, Transphobia, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Sexism, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Outing, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Medical content, Lesbophobia, Kidnapping, Infidelity, Grief, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Fatphobia, Deadnaming, Addiction, Eating disorder, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent

nikoops's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

Easily one of my favorite reads of 2024 thus far. Andrew Joseph White knocks it out of the park again with a richly described world with its own unique systems, and a cast of diverse characters. Great mystery, unexpected twists and turns, and ghosts! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Medical trauma, Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Abortion, Child abuse, Child death, Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, and Violence

Do not recommend this book if you are squeamish about detailed medical procedures.

alexlynx's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny 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

5.0

God, this was such a wild read. I feel like I wanna read it again, just to soak it all up one more time.
The queerness and neurodivergent aspects?! Damn, I felt really called out sometimes, in the best way.
I will say, I was and still am confused about the last chapter. But the whole thing? Masterpiece, damn.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Ableism, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Sexism, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Violence, Dysphoria, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Body shaming, Abortion, Rape, Torture, Transphobia, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, and Homophobia

twistedserval's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Transphobia, Abortion, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Violence, Torture, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Grief, Blood, Chronic illness, Death, Physical abuse, Bullying, Mental illness, Outing, Pedophilia, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Body horror, Child death, Dysphoria, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death of parent, Medical content, and Pregnancy

skrulls's review

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

i am going to be processing this book for a while.

i saw parts of myself represented that I have never known how to articulate.

i generally don't enjoy horror but at this point I'll read literally anything AJW writes. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Ableism, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Abortion, Confinement, Medical content, Self harm, Sexism, Blood, Bullying, Torture, Deadnaming, Death, Child death, Forced institutionalization, and Gore

Moderate: Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Rape

erinkellyreads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

I bought this book on Friday afternoon in support of the Trans Rights Readathon week going on right now, and, by Saturday at 6pm, I had already devoured it whole. When I hit the page, I immediately had to put the Kindle down, stare at the ceiling, and whisper "Holy Shit..."

Non-Spoiler Review Section:
White's "The Spirit Bares Its Teeth" takes on the style of a Victorian Gothic novel from page one, and the elements of horror and fantasy mixed in with medicine (both scientific and "of the time") made this so nuanced and unfolded like a beautiful, dying flower. Our main character, Silas, is both transmasc and autistic, trapped in the expectations and abuse of what he is "supposed to be" and "supposed" to act like. Add in that his violet eyes allow him to open the Veil and speak to the spirits of the dead (even though "women aren't allowed to use their powers"), and the audience truly feels everything, from sensitivity to loneliness to confusion to camaraderie, with him. The horrible men of the Speakers, full of evil and betrayal, and the women of the "reform school" simultaneously fighting to be alive and to be alive in their own way create a world and tension that you can't get enough of. I'm obsessed! 

Spoiler Review Section:

I just wanted to add how absolutely beautiful it was that Silas got to create relationships Daphne and the groundskeeper as part of the story. My heart fluttered at the realization of Silas seeing someone like himself and finding friendship and love in that. So freaking beautiful. I also loved both the growth, and also the constancy, of Mary the Wolf. She's easy to write off at first, and I love that White forces us to look at her in a different way and hold that up to her nature. Great writing!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Colonisation, Rape, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Trafficking, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Ableism, Abandonment, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Bullying, Slavery, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Confinement, Homophobia, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Transphobia, Child death, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Infertility, Suicide attempt, and Violence

jdieperink's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated

5.0

I’d like to thank the Trans Rights Readathon, Andrew Joseph White, and a well timed library hold for getting me out of my reading slump. 

It’s chock full of things that need content warning, brutal, horrific, explicitly gruesome, poetic, beautiful, and will make your whole being ache. 

Horror isn’t really my jam so I have to work myself up to it, but so far both this and Hell Followed With Us have been so so so worth it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Transphobia, Vomit, Abandonment, Deadnaming, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, and Blood

Moderate: Gore, Sexual violence, Death, Child death, Self harm, Bullying, Abortion, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexism, Physical abuse, Hate crime, and Suicidal thoughts

scoysciane's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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

Chilling, visceral, and as an AFAB person, cathartic.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Violence, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Torture, Bullying, Child death, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Body horror, Vomit, Death, Medical content, Deadnaming, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Murder, Physical abuse, Abortion, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Homophobia, and Suicidal thoughts