Reviews tagging 'Torture'

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

328 reviews

dark emotional 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: Complicated

I ate this book up. It was right up my alley and the way the characters are written feels raw and real. I enjoyed the whole read, and the plot twists were very well written- as was everything else

The fact that violet eyes are a very prominent feature in this book made me worried because all I could think of is the Y/Ns of fan fiction with violet eyes, but that notion quickly went away when I realized that is nothing like that lolđź’śđź’ś

I also love the romance between Silas and Daphne!!!

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challenging dark mysterious slow-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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

oh my lord, amazing book.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark mysterious medium-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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark mysterious 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: Yes

I read many dark books- this one is DARK. I really enjoyed it, but there are some gruesome scenes.

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dark 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

“the spirit bares its teeth” is a visceral novel about the medical horrors that occurred in victorian england and the men that let them occur. white weaves together themes of identity and repression with ghosts and what happens when the oppressed haunts the oppressor. 

the characters are really captivating, and this is the first romantic relationship in white’s books that i felt attached to. i think that the portrayal of the t4t relationship was beautiful, and it’s not something that i come across a lot in books, especially between a trans man and a trans woman. 

despite the twisted and horrific narrative, the themes are something that every trans and neurodivergent person can relate to—the pressure of conformity, the betrayal of someone we trusted being like everyone else, and feeling like society would take us apart muscle by muscle, vein by vein, in order to consume as as “palatable.” 

i also appreciated how white interweaves how a trans man can still identify with femininity, as that is what the world forces on him, and the infantilization of trans men being “confused” resonantes with today’s political environment. 

as always, white creates a world that captures the rage of trans people and turns it into an unimaginable power that leaves me wanting more.

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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adventurous challenging emotional 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: Complicated

I love this book so much!!! Instead of writing a paragraph I’ll just say, this changed my life! It’s been a while since I’ve read a book that made me feel so seen 

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dark emotional mysterious sad 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

the female rage was healing

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

The second of AJW’s published books- you can already tell the difference in his writing and storytelling. The plot is easy to follow with nothing rushed onto the reader, interesting characters and a thrilling, gore filled story. Overall a really great book!!

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