Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

66 reviews

crusoe's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark mysterious 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: Yes

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This book was everything I imagined it to be: a nuanced exploration of what it means to be trans, a mystical historical fantasy with a fascinating (and horrific) structure of power, and a hell of a lot of gore with very little comfort to be found. White has shed the first-time-author things that were less appealing in Hell Followed with us and -in my opinion- presented a story with a stronger plot and characters while keeping the things that make his work unique.

All I'm saying is: if compound fracture is better than this book, Andrew Joseph White has officially broken my bookrating scale. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Miscarriage, Classism

Minor: Animal death, Infertility

avrija's review against another edition

4.75

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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This book — it’s certainly something. This is the first horror I’ve read in a very long while and it was very good. Please, please be mindful of the trigger warnings in the “letter from the author” at the beginning. It was very well written, I loved the characters, especially Daphne and Silas and it was suspenseful and gave you that sense of something creeping up on you. However, I think it deserves a mention that I don’t think this book is for anyone who is sensitive to transphobia and body dysmorphia regarding that. Even if you say, you can handle that, please do read this on a good day and check in with yourself. It’s quite heavy and mentally hard to read at times because the descriptions of Silas’ struggles are so very well done.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Murder, Outing, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Pedophilia, Abortion, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Abandonment

xosirenox's review against another edition

4.25

challenging dark 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Outing, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail

quitethespectacle's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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An incredible book. Visceral and cutting - it pierced me to the core. I read the whole thing over less than 48 hours and am sorely tempted to immediately begin it again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Outing, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Biphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Trafficking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Lesbophobia, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria

Minor: Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Terminal illness, Cannibalism, Colonisation, War, Classism

Eye gore

Vivisection

Wrist injury

Self surgery

hannahspence's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

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, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Hate crime, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Rape

river_jean_sterling's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Toxic relationship, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, Dysphoria

sammymilfort's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark hopeful sad tense slow-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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

sharpwords_softheart's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional 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: Complicated

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This book really touched a piece of me as a trans person. I feel many of us have a similar rabbit in our chest that Silas struggles with. This book is so complex, but not in a bad way. Do I think everyone will find this book acceptable? No not at all. But please take it with a grain of salt and really look at the material. What an interesting world Andrew Joesph White has written. Thank you for writing it honestly.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Self harm, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Dysphoria

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault

bastardbimbo's review against another edition

4.75

dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Abortion

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death

marcostorin's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark inspiring mysterious 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: N/A

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I already planned to give this book 5 stars, but when I reached the ending of the book, I was literally putting my phone (where I read it) down multiple times because I just couldn't believe the twists I was reading, and I mean it as an absolute compliment. They were perfectly done and absolutely in character and believable and yes, they still had me shocked. The epilogue was the sweetest and realest ending this book could have had. I loved the previous book this author did and, seeing as two out of two books by them have been some of the best reads I've encountered lately, I'm absolutely following whatever they put out next.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Rape, Colonisation