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snleck's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Miscarriage, Dysphoria, Body horror, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Pregnancy, Murder, Misogyny, Hate crime, Transphobia, Suicide, Sexual assault, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Physical abuse, Outing, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Medical content, Deadnaming, Bullying, Body shaming, Death of parent, Death, Confinement, Child death, Blood, Torture, Self harm, Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, and Abortion
clovetra's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
I WAS RIGHT!! I LOVE ANDREW JOSEPH WHITE!!
i think the biggest differences for me regarding this book & hfwu were the plot itself & the worldbuilding!
with hfwu, it was hard for me to understand as i grew up in a very agnostic household... i think ive been to a church once in my entire life. so grasping the undertones, backstory & context were hard for me! they weren't necessary for me to get cuz tbh i still had a blast but it did damper my experience. also, the worldbuilding felt lacking there.
NOT IN THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the worldbuilding here is phenomenal!!! i was a bit worried at the beginning cuz i was like "ohh... ummmm idk whats happening with the speaker society". but because the 'big bad' concept was a lot easier to grasp with no background information it ate soooooooo hard. delicious. it's so easy to immerse yourself in this story as most concepts aren't too hard to imagine - picturing the victorian aesthetic did not feel laborious on my small brain which i loved!
also!!!!! don't ask me to explain this but compared to hfwt.... the writing felt more sophisticated! like joseph white has truly found his comfort spot and is executing his art perfectly.
now lets get away from comparisons and let me just gush about this book;
- T4T ROMANCE!!!! BABY'S FIRST T4T BOOK!!! I LOVED IT!!!! SO MUCH!!!!
- i want to marry daphne sorry she's mine
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- the plot twists were so fucking crazy but always in a good way. like
- i loved this horror style!!! like leaning into the medical gore...... chefs kiss.
- autistic rep!!! ugh i love the way silas explains having autism. esp the rabbit. as someone with their own rabbit idk this made me feel all mushy inside. plus the groundskeeper???? im gonna CRYYYYYYY
i literally don't think a single part of this book fell even the slightest bit flat. i became so enamoured with this book i think im going to have to stare at fan art for the next couple of hours.
anyways now im listening to boys will be bugs by cavetown because that feels appropriate
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Torture, Transphobia, Deadnaming, Medical content, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Sexism, Violence, Misogyny, Death, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Emotional abuse, Dysphoria, and Body horror
Moderate: Suicide, Child death, Sexual harassment, Abortion, Pregnancy, Self harm, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Kidnapping, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Abortion
solarwitchbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Suicide attempt, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Ableism, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Body horror, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Medical content, Murder, Transphobia, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death and Adult/minor relationship
aklikethegun's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Ableism, Abortion, Body horror, Child abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Rape, Police brutality, Miscarriage, Gore, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Death, Body shaming, Outing, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Fatphobia, Child death, Confinement, Vomit, Trafficking, Alcohol, Deadnaming, Medical content, Lesbophobia, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Classism, Torture, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Self harm, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Hate crime, Grief, Genocide, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Dysphoria, Drug use, and Death of parent
Moderate: Cannibalism, Infertility, Infidelity, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Toxic friendship, Excrement, and Drug abuse
Minor: Animal cruelty, Infertility, Excrement, Acephobia/Arophobia, Genocide, Infidelity, and Biphobia
aklikethegun's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia, Animal death, Trafficking, Suicide, Sexual violence, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Police brutality, Murder, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Rape, Classism, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Infertility, Hate crime, Homophobia, Dysphoria, Death, Cursing, Confinement, Ableism, Abandonment, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Biphobia, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Vomit, Transphobia, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Sexism, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Outing, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Medical content, Lesbophobia, Kidnapping, Infidelity, Grief, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Fatphobia, Deadnaming, Addiction, Eating disorder, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent
bea_reads_books's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Medical content, Physical abuse, Body horror, Child abuse, Gore, Abortion, Blood, Death, Grief, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Violence, Child death, Deadnaming, Forced institutionalization, Transphobia, Ableism, Pregnancy, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Rape, Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Lesbophobia, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Homophobia, and Dysphoria
Minor: Animal death and Cursing
samgray's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Deadnaming, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Misogyny, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Ableism, Slavery, Child death, Death, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Violence, Vomit, Suicide, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Medical content, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Gore, Sexual content, Transphobia, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Body horror, Child abuse, Dysphoria, Hate crime, Sexism, Sexual assault, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Religious bigotry, and Torture
kng_writes's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Vomit, Transphobia, Physical abuse, Medical content, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Body horror, Ableism, Dysphoria, Pregnancy, Death, Deadnaming, and Blood
murderousscottishgremlin's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Suicide, Sexual assault, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Sexism, Transphobia, and Rape
daniellestarredpages's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Andrew Joseph White has done it again. Another horror book that blew my mind. While The Spirit Bares Its Teeth is a bit less action-packed than White's previous book "Hell Followed With Us", I enjoyed it all the same.
Andrew Joseph White seems to have found his niche in writing Trans characters fighting transphobia their own way and escaping their brutal circumstances in gruesome but self-led ways. I loved Silas and his determination to take his life into his own hands. The way White wrote about Silas facing prejudice surrounding his autism but also gave Silas bits of self-acceptance and an eventually accepting community was quite beautiful. I loved the fact that things like Silas' stimming, special interests and stimulation issues were not only mentioned to be berated during scenes including ableism and physical or emotional abuse. Another thing I found particularly interesting about the way White wrote Silas was the voice of the Rabbit that tormented Silas. The Rabbit seems to be a personification of his negative and/or intrusive thoughts.
The other characters in this book were very well-written and played off Silas well. The Veil and the magic included in this book intrigued me quite a bit. The magic system was well thought out. Andrew Joseph White stated he took creative liberties with the historical elements but these elements were very well researched.
Finally, I loved the connections that Silas made in this book. Both friendships and romantic connections. Silas found a community while suffering at Braxton's Sanitorium and Finishing School. Silas himself expressed both joy and frustration at these connections, stating that he was glad to find people like him, whether other Trans People or other Autistic People but hated the fact these connections were found at such an awful place. While I loved the relationship between Silas and Daphne and do understand the constraints of working around things like chaperones and courting and also the fact that Silas was at a boarding school, I do wish there was more development in their romance.
Trigger Warnings:
Physical Abuse, Emotional Abuse, Transphobia, Misgendering, Dead-Naming, Conversion Therapy, Ablesim, Sexual Assault, Death, Mysogyny, Graphic Violence, Medical Gore and Experimentation, Cesarean Section, Gaslighting
Graphic: Medical content, Adult/minor relationship, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Abortion, Animal death, Self harm, Sexual assault, Violence, Cursing, Transphobia, Blood, Death, Grief, Domestic abuse, Ableism, Deadnaming, Murder, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Mental illness, Suicide, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Pedophilia