Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage

17 reviews

brindolyn's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Blood, Body horror, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Medical content, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Sexual content

cursivewolf's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I liked the dual perspectives, seeing both sides of the situations. Seeing how Hanna rationalized her own behavior. Extremely well-written. Reviews compared it to We Need To Talk About Kevin, and I agree. But it’s good in its own way, it takes that concept in its own direction. The ending fell flat to me, and I do wish the last chapter had been cut. I feel like that would have made for a better ending. But overall I enjoyed it. 

I wanted to beat Alex Jensen with a mallet. Suzette Jensen I am so sorry you endured the shit you did.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Blood, Emotional abuse, Violence, Cursing, Torture, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

abbeyhuffine94's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The little girl is very eerie and the story is enthralling but I was a little disappointed by how predictable the ending was.

Side note: this further confirmed my decision not to have children.
Another side note: Is it bad that I related a little to Hanna (remembering child me)? I wasn't psychopathic like Hanna but I definitely liked causing trouble and felt smarter than everyone. I would never have been able to be silent though lol

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Medical content

casber's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Excrement, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Self harm, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Child abuse, Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Abandonment, Classism, Body shaming, and Death of parent

chronicallyplotting's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book had me on the edge with every single chapter. Every character had so many sides to them. I am still left with questions, in a good way. I can't tell you who is the true villain in this story, I question both Suzette and Hanna. When I say I had trouble putting this book down, I truly did not want to. stop reading because I had to know what was going to happen. And of course as all good psych thrillers/ suspense books do, you still will not have it all figured out. Super glad I was able to read this book. And it was cool that the setting wasn't too far from home. 

I also want to add that the author has a chronic illness or knows someone close who does because some of the thoughts and feelings Suzette described were spot on for all warriors, not just those with the same condition as Suzette.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

Minor: Bullying, Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Stalking, Torture, and Vomit

anotherlxver's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Violence, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Blood

lorie336's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I sat on this review for a day because you either love or hate this book. I love it. This is not a horror book and that could be why some people hate it. This is a psychological thriller with flawed characters. You have Hanna who is 7 and won't talk, but is highly  intelligent, yet there is something wrong with her and we see the depths of that. Suzanne is the mother, who isn't an innocent party, either, as she tries to be a good mother, but isn't always and there are some things I observed that question her as a person. Lastly, there's Alex, husband and dad, caught in the middle, but I feel is temperamental and trying to stay oblivious until he can no longer do so.

We only get Hanna's and Suzette's perspectives. We see why Hanna does what she does and why. We get Suzette's history with her mother, how she's trying to be better than her mom, and how she feels towards her daughter. 

Warning spoilers next:

Here's my thoughts about this situation. I think Suzette wanted a child, but after Hanna was born she had to stay home and take care of her while Alex was free to go to work or whatever. His job allowed him the freedom to work from home, so when Suzette needed a break to at least get out of the house, did he not do that because in the book there was an incident when Hanna was a toddler where, toddlers being toddlers, was throwing food or spitting it out making a mess and Suzette force fed Hanna until the little girl started choking. It scared Hanna and Suzette, this is when Hanna didn't like her mother and where her war with her mother began and where Suzette could have used a break from her child to gather herself to never do that again. We know this never happens and the mental well being of both goes down hill whereas Alex is fine and oblivious to the mental stability of his family. I felt Suzette near the end to be selfish, yet if I had a child as mentally ill as Hanna, I don't know how I would feel except guilt that I didn't do a good job, but there are examples that I feel that maybe she could have done more and realistically why didn't she seek out a therapist to begin with if she's intelligent? I think Hanna was born with this illness that manifested early due to the traumatic event of her mom accidentally making her choke on her food. I believe it was mentioned early that Suzette's grandmother was mentally ill, her mother may have had more than just depression, and I think Suzette has a form of a mental illness, so I feel that part of what's going on with Hanna is genetics at play, but the rest, disturbing as it is for a little girl to do what she does and think the way she does, is partially to do with Suzette. I don't think Suzette had the patience then or now to raise a child, and I can see examples of it throughout the book. At the end of the book when Hanna finally speaks to her parents on the phone and wants to come home, she asks "Don't you love me?" and her mom's reply "Not enough." Then hangs up on her child. Now, knowing what Hanna did and know she's being manipulative who would say that to their child? This is where I believe Suzette should have never been a parent to begin with and I feel that Hanna after maybe 3 years will go back home and act like a good girl, but I know in the future she will probably murder her mother.

This book raised many questions and made me think why and how, but I enjoyed it and would recommend if you want a psychological thriller.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness and Mental illness

Moderate: Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Violence

Minor: Abandonment and Child abuse