Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

316 reviews

nightshaderoots's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional informative mysterious reflective 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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I want to throw up in the best kinda of way.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Transphobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Vomit, Alcohol

Minor: Cannibalism

suiteheartts's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Gore, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy

Moderate: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Torture, Vomit, Grief

Minor: Miscarriage, Grief, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia

toadfairy's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark 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: Complicated

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This balanced the dichotomy of queer rage and queer tenderness better than I could have ever hoped. Loved this book so much, what a masterpiece.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Misogyny, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Deadnaming, Death, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Dysphoria

Minor: Confinement, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Abortion

catmilo's review against another edition

4.5

dark mysterious tense fast-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: No

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This was a great historical fiction novel centering a trans man. Now i want to read everything else by this author. It is VERY GORY as a heads up. So gripping & thrilling, i loved it. Incredible detail for a medical nerd like me. Only not a 5 star because there was little to no mention of race, except in notes by the author outside the story.
“I hope the scalpel is kind to you. I hope your sutures heal clean”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Murder, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Classism

mikajen's review against another edition

4.5

dark emotional mysterious tense 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: Gore, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Transphobia

oatmilktea's review against another edition

4.75

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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: Yes

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Gripping, gruesome, and so relatable. The author does a great job depicting the dynamic between women and trans men. All that we share despite being different—the kinship, the similar experiences because of how the world sees us—is sometimes not talked about enough. In an effort to assert that we are, in fact, men, having to defend our core identity against those who are doubtful at best and hateful at worst, many of us tend to position ourselves so far from women, womanhood, and femininity that we lose that kinship. White does not shy away from this or other, related subjects. He also portrays an autistic main character in a way that makes his condition tangible for me, a non-autistic person. At some point, the anatomy/surgery analogies became a bit much, but all in all, I loved this book. It was a visceral and an emotional experience. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Death, Gore, Sexism, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Abortion, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Deadnaming, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Outing, Dysphoria

vyoonnwe's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

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: Gore, Sexual violence, Violence

Moderate: Miscarriage

jeanwatts's review against another edition

4.0

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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I think this book wasn’t as strong as Compound Fracture but it came close. And I would strongly recommend it to anyone, teens especially, that love horror or ghosts. 

This book wasn’t spooky, gruesome, full of blood and gore, horrific, emotional, and vivid. This book had so much going for it. I truly loved it. 

I loved reading about a trans man figuring out his masculinity and how that looks. I also loved reading about spirits and ghosts. I loved the historical look at gender and feminism and sexuality. 

I think that some aspects were weak. The veil and ghosts could have had more explanation/development. Some of the girls felt very 2D to me. Some parts felt like it moved way too fast. 

But also it discusses trauma and autism and gender identity so good. So good. 

I would say more but I’m tired and need to go to bed. Overall very good. I recommend for teens/adults into horror or LGBTQ+ literature or wanting to widen their understanding/perspective of gender and identity. Fair warning that this book is sad and graphic and full of triggers. Abortion, rape, and transphobia are the first that come to mind but there are many many more. Please check trigger warnings before reading.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy

hannah657's review against another edition

5.0

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

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Just finished this, read it all in one go. I think this is my new favourite book. As an autistic person I've never read anything before that's made me feel so seen, it genuinely made me teary to see so much of myself on the page. This book has basically everything I like in fiction; horror, his orical setting, LGBT+ and autism representation, supernatural elements. The way the horror is in the parts of the story that are rooted in reality rather than in the supernatural parts really emphasises the horror of the real world issues depicted.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Vomit

haydenjakob18's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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This is genuinely one of my favorite books. This author is so talented and I always feel like I’m right beside the characters as the story goes on. I love a T4T romance. Normally, I don’t read historical fiction/period pieces but this one was an exception, probably because of the queerness of it all. AJW, you nailed it again. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Classism