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daniellestarredpages's reviews
231 reviews
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White
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
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Abortion, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Suicide, Pregnancy
Threads That Bind by Kika Hatzopoulou
dark
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? No
5.0
I immediately fell in love with this book. The writing drew me in and Io's perspective and Io herself as a character were so interesting. I loved the relationship between Io and Ava, the love that was very obvious between them. The fact that Io very obviously felt an extreme amount of love for Ava but also showed extreme frustration with her behaviours felt very realistic. That brings me to Thais and Io's relationship. I loved how Io's thoughts on Thais were written, the fact that she realised that Thais was nothing short of a bully to her and felt a version of hatred towards her but she also still held love for her as her (Io's) older sister added quite a bit to both the story and Io's character.
I also loved Edei and Io's relationship. The fact that the relationship could've turned out to be unbalanced and toxic based on the fact that I could see the fate thread and Edei couldn't, but instead Kika Hatzopoulou did a wonderful job of taking what could've possibly been a a negative element for the book and made it something overwhelmingly positive (at least in my opinion). Hatzopoulou made it so that this dynamic weighed heavily on Io, wove it into the dynamic between Io and Thais as well as added the tension of Io trying her hardest not to fall for Edei but failing over and over again. Also, I loved Edei as a character so, so much.
Finally the world-building and magic system. I loved it so much. I honestly have no negative thoughts. The take on Greek Mythology and the glimpse we see of other myths and beliefs that will possibly be showcased more in the next book? I loved it. The explanations of powers and scenes where Io used hers were quite interesting and kept me gripped. The world that Hatzopoulou built felt very real (not realistic obviously) and I'm quite interested to learn more.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group for Young Readers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I also loved Edei and Io's relationship. The fact that the relationship could've turned out to be unbalanced and toxic based on the fact that I could see the fate thread and Edei couldn't, but instead Kika Hatzopoulou did a wonderful job of taking what could've possibly been a a negative element for the book and made it something overwhelmingly positive (at least in my opinion). Hatzopoulou made it so that this dynamic weighed heavily on Io, wove it into the dynamic between Io and Thais as well as added the tension of Io trying her hardest not to fall for Edei but failing over and over again. Also, I loved Edei as a character so, so much.
Finally the world-building and magic system. I loved it so much. I honestly have no negative thoughts. The take on Greek Mythology and the glimpse we see of other myths and beliefs that will possibly be showcased more in the next book? I loved it. The explanations of powers and scenes where Io used hers were quite interesting and kept me gripped. The world that Hatzopoulou built felt very real (not realistic obviously) and I'm quite interested to learn more.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group for Young Readers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Addiction, Alcohol
The Build Up by Tati Richardson
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
Unfortunately, this book was really disappointing. I had issues with the writing, the characters and the romance.
My first issue was the writing style. I couldn't connect with it; it felt flat and awkward. There was also quite a bit of telling without it being backed by any showing through the characters' behaviour. I also had issues with some small scattered things throughout the portion of the book that I read, but when you add that up with everything else it impacted my enjoyment. There were multiple times when a character would describe something as funny or laugh at a "joke" that wasn't funny at all. Also, in the first chapter, a character said they expected the FMC to be a man because of her name, but her name is Ari. Which to me is a feminine name.
Next the characters. I'm always up for reading romances that have plus-sized MCs but in this book, the author would frequently bring up Ari's size and I believe the intention was to show how comfortable Ari was with her body while other people had issues or how smaller people could take accommodations for granted but after a while, it just started to feel there was too much focus on her body and the other was showing a neon saying saying "remember Ari is fat". Also one of the partners at the firm came off as a cartoonish antagonist to contrast the other nicer partner and it just felt ridiculous.
Finally the relationship. It was very Insta- lusty and to me, the connections that the characters kept referring to was just not shown.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
Unfortunately, this book was really disappointing. I had issues with the writing, the characters and the romance.
My first issue was the writing style. I couldn't connect with it; it felt flat and awkward. There was also quite a bit of telling without it being backed by any showing through the characters' behaviour. I also had issues with some small scattered things throughout the portion of the book that I read, but when you add that up with everything else it impacted my enjoyment. There were multiple times when a character would describe something as funny or laugh at a "joke" that wasn't funny at all. Also, in the first chapter, a character said they expected the FMC to be a man because of her name, but her name is Ari. Which to me is a feminine name.
Next the characters. I'm always up for reading romances that have plus-sized MCs but in this book, the author would frequently bring up Ari's size and I believe the intention was to show how comfortable Ari was with her body while other people had issues or how smaller people could take accommodations for granted but after a while, it just started to feel there was too much focus on her body and the other was showing a neon saying saying "remember Ari is fat". Also one of the partners at the firm came off as a cartoonish antagonist to contrast the other nicer partner and it just felt ridiculous.
Finally the relationship. It was very Insta- lusty and to me, the connections that the characters kept referring to was just not shown.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Give Me a Sign by Anna Sortino
emotional
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
4.5 Stars.
I really enjoyed this book, in fact, I binged it in one sitting. The characters, the romance, and the discussions in this book were quite amazing to read.
I really loved seeing different characters with different thoughts and feelings towards their deafness and interacting with both deaf and hearing communities. I for one empathised when Lilah expressed feelings of wishing she was fully deaf to make it easier to fit into parts of the community or for hearing people to not underestimate her disability. While I am not Deaf I do find myself having similar thoughts about my own diagnoses. I, from a Hearing perspective, felt the way the author wrote the interactions in this book, either between Hearing and Deaf or Deaf and Deaf did a good job of exposing readers both to issues the Deaf Community faces as well as how communicating with other Deaf people can be an entirely different and refreshing experience, without feeling like the story was being paused to educated readers.
I felt a sense of pride reading Lilah's grasp and usage of ASL expand as the story goes on.
The characters in this book were so well written, they practically jumped off the page. Their varying personalities and the different dynamics and friendships being formed were a treat to read.
Finally, the romance in this book was quite cute and I was rooting for it from the start. I loved the development and a few bumps were handled very well and were written realistically.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Young Readers Group, G.P Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review
I really enjoyed this book, in fact, I binged it in one sitting. The characters, the romance, and the discussions in this book were quite amazing to read.
I really loved seeing different characters with different thoughts and feelings towards their deafness and interacting with both deaf and hearing communities. I for one empathised when Lilah expressed feelings of wishing she was fully deaf to make it easier to fit into parts of the community or for hearing people to not underestimate her disability. While I am not Deaf I do find myself having similar thoughts about my own diagnoses. I, from a Hearing perspective, felt the way the author wrote the interactions in this book, either between Hearing and Deaf or Deaf and Deaf did a good job of exposing readers both to issues the Deaf Community faces as well as how communicating with other Deaf people can be an entirely different and refreshing experience, without feeling like the story was being paused to educated readers.
I felt a sense of pride reading Lilah's grasp and usage of ASL expand as the story goes on.
The characters in this book were so well written, they practically jumped off the page. Their varying personalities and the different dynamics and friendships being formed were a treat to read.
Finally, the romance in this book was quite cute and I was rooting for it from the start. I loved the development and a few bumps were handled very well and were written realistically.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Young Readers Group, G.P Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
The Dunnie by Keith Thomas
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Unfortunately I was really disappointed with this book.
My biggest issue was the writing style. There were a lot of info dumps from the very beginning to the end of the book, the author would insert random information into sentences and they information was never brought up or useful after that.
I struggled to understand why Beth, would move far away from her abusive father and then have a child and bring him around her father so much that the son felt more comfortable in that house than most other places. Another thing was that Asher had a complete 180 in terms of personality, especially in regards to his behaviour towards his mother, and it was very sudden and I felt there was no substantial build up to it.
The horror element was the redeeming quality as I feel it was done quite well and definitely involved a creepy atmosphere.
The ending also felt very rushed and didn't do a good job wrapping up the story in my opinion
My biggest issue was the writing style. There were a lot of info dumps from the very beginning to the end of the book, the author would insert random information into sentences and they information was never brought up or useful after that.
I struggled to understand why Beth, would move far away from her abusive father and then have a child and bring him around her father so much that the son felt more comfortable in that house than most other places. Another thing was that Asher had a complete 180 in terms of personality, especially in regards to his behaviour towards his mother, and it was very sudden and I felt there was no substantial build up to it.
The horror element was the redeeming quality as I feel it was done quite well and definitely involved a creepy atmosphere.
The ending also felt very rushed and didn't do a good job wrapping up the story in my opinion
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Blood, Fire/Fire injury
Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- 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
5.0