Reviews tagging 'Blood'

With Teeth by Kristen Arnett

10 reviews

shoohoob's review against another edition

fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Stalking, Lesbophobia, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Child abuse, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Homophobia, and Mental illness

meghan4's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Cursing, Infidelity, and Injury/Injury detail

nearbethexperience's review

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.0

I disliked almost every character in this book but I also couldn't put it down?? It was like a very well-written train wreck.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism and Blood

Minor: Religious bigotry and Vomit

jes312's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Blood, and Sexual content

Moderate: Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Child abuse, and Cursing

Minor: Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Vomit

anxiousbookclub's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Miscarriage, Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug use, Child abuse, Animal death, and Blood

mosscovereddreams's review

lighthearted sad slow-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Alcohol

Minor: Blood, Alcoholism, Child death, and Child abuse

leah_alexandra's review

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I'm surprised I liked this as much as I did. This was a really well-crafted story. It was dark, and tense, and the tension never feels resolved, but it's clear that effect is purposeful. 

On further reflection, I do think the book suffers a bit from under-development of the secondary characters, especially Samson.

Based on the set-up and first part of the book, I expected it to go in a darker, kind of horror-esque direction, with Samson's odd behavior. But more and more I think his behavior was just being a kid who felt misunderstood, considering he evens out as a teen, and the second part of the book goes in a more typical direction of describing a woman's destructive tendencies.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Kidnapping, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Violence

spaghettireads's review

dark emotional tense fast-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

4.25

This books was wild! It definitely won’t be for everyone, but it worked for me. I just kept turning pages because I needed to know what happened. I heard it described like reading a thriller, and I totally agree with that description.

With Teeth is from the perspective of Sammie, who is dealing with her complicated relationship mostly with her son, but also her wife. From her perspective, everything seems super challenging and chaotic. Throughout the book we also see small snippets from the perspectives of some of the other characters in the story, giving their interpretation of what happened, and how they perceive Sammie.

I’m not sure that I’ve read a book that so effectively uses the unreliable narrator in this way. Through the end of the book you are constantly wondering what is really happening. When I finished, I was really unsure what to think, but on further reflection I think that I did really enjoy it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Blood, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Vomit

laurenparham's review

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Lesbophobia, Miscarriage, Murder, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Stalking, and Toxic relationship

caseythereader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

- This book was by no means an easy read - like Arnett's previous work, it was even downright difficult and uncomfortable at times. However, I truly appreciate that we've arrived at a place where not every queer character must be a perfect person, and we can explore messy and unlikable characters.
- I was there for the examination of queer adult/married life, and how the characters struggled with trying to match heterosexual norms while also losing their connections to other queer people.
- Every character in this book is just horrid and makes such terrible decisions, and yet you can't help but feel for them. It's quite a trick, and Arnett is the master of it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Violence