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Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

166 reviews

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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dark mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional 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

To be honest this book was brutal. Andrew Joseph White does not hold back and that’s what makes this book hauntingly beautiful. Definitely read the content warnings and letter from the author before beginning the book. 
This book also had amazing autism representation. I saw myself in Silas’ in that regard

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dark emotional hopeful 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

Dark. Brilliant. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional 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: Complicated

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional 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: Complicated

Felt like having my soul ripped open and I had to take breaks to pace anxiously, but strangely I think I'd do it all again

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
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

The Spirit Bares It's Teeth is set in an alternate Victorian London where those with purple eyes can open the veil to the spirit world. Women are forbidden from accessing the veil but the society of the Speakers uses them to throw out purple eyed sons by marrying purple eyed girls to their sons. Purple eyed Silas was born in the body of a girl. He'd give anything to be a surgeon but instead, he's sent to a creepy sanitarium/finishing school to become the perfect wife for the head Speakers son. With murderers afoot, hijinks ensue.

This book is heavy - definitely check the content warnings for this one. The supernatural element takes a bit of a backseat with horror being the central element to the story. Whilst there are classic horror aspects throughout the story, it's often the experience of the trans and female characters in a male dominated Victorian world that is scariest. The suspense is immense and coupled with the main character's fixation on describing aspects of life in relation to surgery, the book is visceral.

It's ⭐⭐⭐⭐ from me. Though a great book that kept me hooked, I can't say that I fully enjoyed it. I felt for the characters throughout, their fear and hope, but ultimately the unease was too much for me to rate it five stars. Then again, for a horror story, is there a better compliment than that?

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark 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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings