Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

141 reviews

angelkate42's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional 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

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This book is amazing and BRUTAL. I would not have changed a thing, but be warned, it will absolutely wreck you. I actually burst into tears when it was over, just from the emotional intensity.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Transphobia, Medical content, Suicide attempt

devinjai6655's review against another edition

4.25

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: Yes

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This story made me feel so seen as an autistic person who doesn't fit into the inherent gender binary. This book is dark and tragic and the newest contender for what I like to call The Feel Bad Club. 
That being said, I love books that make me feel something, and this had me running through so many emotions. And, just so everyone knows, the ending is

relatively happy.

Silas and Daphne live together and are married and living their best lives as their authentic selves, but some characters dont make it...

Yall shoulda heard my sqeal when Daphne introduced herself to Silas the first time in the parlor. I was hoping she'd be accepting, but we love a well developed and supportive T4T couple!

PLEASE, check your triggers. This book is intense but so good! Take care of yourself and know your limits. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Abortion, Lesbophobia, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Death of parent, Outing, Classism

Minor: Toxic friendship

Silas is a trans man that is regularly dead named, forced to mask his autism, and the whole book essentially misgenders him because this is a historical fantasy set in a supremely misogynistic society and he is viewed as a girl by almost everyone. There's INTENSE medical scenes in here such as

a cesarean abortion he preforms on his teenage friend who was raped and impregnated by an adult man, some scenes of animal dissection throughout, gross depictions of self harm thoughts such as removing his own eyeballs, finding his best friend dead after gone through a vivisection, and other scenes.

There's also gross pedophilia and sexual harassment. While there isn't anything penetrative on page, there's gross implications and extremely disturbing scenes of old men being gross because they can be

like impregnating teenage girls against their will with the help of the institution. I'm being totally serious. The youngest we know is 14 in this book, Silas is 16.

There's lots of pregnancy talk in the general sense about other people and, for Silas, lots of "do i not wanna be because I don't wanna be a parent, or is it because of my dysphoria?" Yeah, the trigger warnings for this book is extensive and i wasn't expecting it so please take care of yourself and know your limits.

_charliereads's review against another edition

5.0

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: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Dysphoria

Moderate: Confinement, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Sexual harassment

rachie_leigh's review against another edition

2.75

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment

qingkhrome's review against another edition

4.25

dark emotional hopeful 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: No

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Another gripping story centered around the trans experience. I’m not really big on historical pieces but I loved how Silas’ story unfolded and the justice that was ultimately served. This made me cry a few times because of how real these experiences felt. AJW never disappoints 🥸

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment

carlyrosehughes's review against another edition

3.5

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

queenofvrything's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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4.5 stars. This was a hauntingly macabre novel that has left me reeling. It was hopeful, horrifying, enraging, anxiety-inducing, sad, and all of the other emotions you can imagine. The way Andrew writes made me feel like another person trapped within the confines of Braxton, rather than merely reading Sila’s story, and the visceral feelings evoked throughout really speaks to the power of his writing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual violence, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual assault

minervacerridwen's review against another edition

2.5

dark fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

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This was not the right book for me to read at this time. Sometimes the content warnings cannot list the bit that makes you break down.
Aside from that, I enjoyed the autistic and trans representation and the writing style that made this into a quick read even with low focus. However, even in better times this book would not quite be up my street, as very little light shines through its darkness, and I found certain character reactions difficult to believe.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Rape, Vomit, Gaslighting

Minor: Death of parent

cosmiccomet's review against another edition

5.0

dark mysterious 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

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Genuinely one of my favorite books of all time. I read it and have never been the same since.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Deadnaming, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Dysphoria

torismazarine's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional informative reflective 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: Complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Classism