Reviews tagging 'Classism'

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

34 reviews

naomidanae's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Abortion, Body horror, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Transphobia, Blood, Child death, Deadnaming, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Murder, Suicide attempt, and Violence

Moderate: Cursing, Classism, and Abandonment

thatchickengirl23's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Transphobia, Dysphoria, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Medical content, Child abuse, Cursing, Deadnaming, Abortion, Blood, Medical trauma, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, Ableism, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Misogyny, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Homophobia, Sexual harassment, Outing, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Pedophilia, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Infertility and Miscarriage

bookenbee's review against another edition

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Dysphoria, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Medical content, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Outing, Deadnaming, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Murder, Violence, Sexism, Medical trauma, Death, Child death, Blood, Sexual violence, Abortion, Gore, Body horror, Vomit, Transphobia, Torture, and Child abuse

Minor: Ableism, Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, and Classism

chloeburton's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I don’t really know how to express how important this book is to me. I don’t think I have never felt so seen reading a book before. I don’t want to necessarily suggest this book to other Autistic AFAB folks because it’s full of the worst things that can (and have) happen to us, but if you’re like me and reading things that trigger you can sometimes feel cathartic—I think it will mean a lot. I couldn't stop once I started reading. It’s heavy, it’s upsetting, and the body horror is really gnarly and stomach churning. I appreciate the note about historical/medical accuracy, I do wish the author had expanded to speak about the evils of ABA therapy as well since it’s also a part of the narrative. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Deadnaming, Child abuse, Murder, Pedophilia, Torture, Violence, Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child death, Confinement, Death, Medical trauma, Outing, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Transphobia, Ableism, Sexual assault, Abortion, Sexism, Sexual violence, Dysphoria, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Forced institutionalization, and Medical content

marigoldgem's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Medical content, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Classism, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Transphobia, Body horror, Confinement, Deadnaming, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Murder, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, and Child abuse

fangirljeanne's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Vomit, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pregnancy, Classism, Confinement, Ableism, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Medical content, Medical trauma, Child death, Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Transphobia

jasper_is_atypical's review against another edition

dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Medical content, Domestic abuse, Blood, Misogyny, Murder, Confinement, Bullying, Sexism, Ableism, Abandonment, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Animal cruelty, Sexual harassment, Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, Deadnaming, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Death, Cursing, Chronic illness, Animal death, Violence, Self harm, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, Torture, Child death, Body horror, Abortion, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Rape, Pregnancy, Vomit, Mental illness, Dysphoria, and Sexual assault

Minor: Classism, Colonisation, and Miscarriage

mir_frog73's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

This was incredible. I have no words other then everyone needs to read this because I’ll never be able to shut up about it. I need to eat this author. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Deadnaming, Confinement, Child death, Child abuse, Body horror, Adult/minor relationship, Abortion, Abandonment, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Misogyny, Medical content, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Violence, Transphobia, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Rape, Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Dysphoria, Domestic abuse, Cursing, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Ableism, Murder, Homophobia, Grief, and Classism

atlastheninth's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

5.0

Synopsis: 

Silas Bell has violet eyes and can therefore commune with spirits. But he also has a womb and in the 1880s London that is all he's worth. Being seen as a girl, he is also strictly forbidden from communing with ghosts and is supposed to marry by the end of the year. 

All he wants to do, is be a doctor, do surgery, live as the boy he is. But after his attempt to escape this life fails, he is sent into a special mental institution. There girls either become obedient wives or they disappear. 

 

My thoughts: 

 

"We are the same species. We're all human. It's not that people cannot understand me; it's simply that most of them don't want to." 

 

This was everything I hoped it would be and so much more: unhinged, brutal, honest and absolutely feral. 

 

I flew through this book, it was so beautifully written. There were no low points, the tension just kept building up until the end and I could not stop reading it. 

 

It is very graphic, but it never felt out of place or like it was just put there for shock value. All of the medical gore fitted perfectly into the story partially due to anatomy/surgery being Silas' special interest. 

 

How Silas is trans, but he only really feels uncomfortable in his body when others perceive him as a girl? And him not understanding the social behaviour of others and always taking a bit too long to understand what they want from him? I can relate to him so much.  

 

It does deal a lot with misogyny and ableism and I thought it depicts it very well, but please, if you read this book, do look at the content warnings beforehand! 

 

Hell Followed With Us was amazing, this book is even better. And with that I will buy anything Andrew Joseph White ever writes. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Transphobia, Violence, Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Blood, Deadnaming, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Medical content, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny

Moderate: Confinement, Gaslighting, Grief, Homophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Rape, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Classism, Slavery, Colonisation, and Genocide

booksmellers's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Andrew Joseph White is 2 for 2, and definitely an author I will continue to watch in the future. I loved Hell Followed With Us so I kept my eye out for this one on NetGalley as soon as it was announced. Going in with high expectations can sometimes be a detriment, but in this case my expectations were met and exceeded.

White is the type of author that knows what he wants to say and is excellent at executing it. He writes the autistic, trans, and queer experience extraordinarily well, he creates compelling depictions of toxic families and their deep indoctrination into abusive systems, as well as complex characters with complicated relationships. What draws me to White's writing is his themes are clearly thought out and his writing makes a statement, but he doesn't coddle the audience and he isn't interested in being didactic. He doesn't overexplain identity but allows for nuance in these various experiences and his writing is more interested in the individual characters rather than appealing to the masses. These books will not be for everybody, but I'm glad that they do seem to have found their audience.

This book is still settling in my brain, but I think I liked it more than Hell Followed With Us. I could definitely see improvement from White's previous novel. The pacing was excellent, it was well researched, and all the connections were all there to make a great reading experience. This is definitely a great addition to the queer horror genre. And I have to say, the cover is so perfect.

If you love horror, historical fiction, and queer fiction, I'd highly recommend this book. You will definitely want to check content warnings because it is extremely graphic (I went in prepared, having read the warnings and his previous book, and I was still surprised).

Thank you, NetGalley, for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Misogyny, Blood, Child abuse, Animal death, Child death, Murder, Religious bigotry, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Gore, Torture, Ableism, Abortion, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Death, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Transphobia, Deadnaming, Pedophilia, and Pregnancy

Minor: Cursing, Miscarriage, Classism, Dysphoria, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Rape