Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

53 reviews

lizziaha's review

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

oh i feel sick 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Transphobia, Dysphoria, Sexism, Confinement, Abortion, Blood, Body horror, Deadnaming, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Medical content, Murder, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Classism, Homophobia, Grief, Lesbophobia, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, and Pregnancy

Minor: Animal death

mlovesbooks's review

challenging dark 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

5.0

Didn't expect to love it this much. Amazing and gut-churning.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Suicide attempt, Transphobia, Gaslighting, Sexism, Blood, Body horror, and Deadnaming

Moderate: Sexual assault, Ableism, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, and Pregnancy

Minor: Self harm and Miscarriage

felicitydevoria's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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: Gore, Medical trauma, Medical content, Dysphoria, Death, Transphobia, Suicide attempt, Homophobia, Violence, Torture, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Confinement, Child death, Rape, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Sexism, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Deadnaming, Body horror, Religious bigotry, Suicide, and Sexual content

sunflower7skull's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

This book took a lot out of me. It is heavy and gruesome and beautiful. I will admit the surgical body horror made me a little squeamish, but as a trans autistic person, I loved the way the main characters were written. I don't usually like historical fiction, but I really loved this fantasy take. Highly recommend to anyone who is invested in dark fantasy, the trans experience, the autistic experience, and Victorian times (especially from a gendered/medical view) Just make sure you check trigger warnings for this one!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Ableism, Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Transphobia, Child abuse, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Torture, Abandonment, Child death, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Gore, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Blood, Body horror, Deadnaming, Grief, Medical content, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Murder, Rape, Self harm, Abortion, Cursing, Animal death, and Mental illness

Moderate: Dysphoria, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, and Lesbophobia

anarmandameg's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Chronic illness, Confinement, Dysphoria, Torture, Transphobia, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Abortion, Blood, Body horror, Death, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Ableism, Gore, Deadnaming, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, and Sexual harassment

abitbetterbooks's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Andrew Joseph White does it again!

Hell Followed With Us was one of my top books of 2022, and I had high hopes for The Spirit Bares It’s Teeth. I was not disappointed.

AJW had a way of writing that makes me feel like, viscerally and violently ill, and deeply unsettled, and yet I can’t look away or put his books down. The writing is addictive; quick and panicky and frantic one second, luxurious and descriptive in the next, evoking a rich depth of emotion and connection to characters. 

The amount of violence and gore in this novel is extreme, to say the least, but AJW knows how to use it. It never feels shocking for the sake of it, but truly drives home the point over and over. You’re meant to be uncomfortable— you SHOULD be uncomfortable about what's happening to the students at Braxton’s, and you don’t get to look away from the true, sheer horror of it. 

I think queer & trans horror has something special to offer as a genre; for folks who have been subjected to all kinds of horrors, supernatural or not, there is something truly powerful in the reclamation of fear and danger. Of being the “monster” everyone thinks you are, and also being the hero of the story, because the real monster are the institutions and people that seek to break you. 

As a non-autistic reader I also appreciate the work of an #OwnVoices autistic author putting the focus on Sila’s autism in this story, and the way he navigated the interplay of being autistic and being transgender, without having the terminology for either experience. 

If you have the stomach for it, I highly highly recommend this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Body horror, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Gore, Deadnaming, Cursing, Abortion, Transphobia, Torture, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Death, Ableism, Violence, Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, Sexual violence, and Sexism

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Pregnancy

Minor: Miscarriage

evelynyle_88's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

Boom!🤯

What a journey it has been. Just another readathon with The Spirit Bares Its Teeth. This book is another level of horror. The story is beyond my imagination. I called The Spirit Bares Its Teeth as ❛sick❜, but it was a ❛sickeningly good❜ one.

The plot of the story was mindblowing. And I love the setting to be in a school that has too many secrets laid behind. Like it's a horror... but has thriller vibes to it.

And the rabbit. I think I should talk about it. I tried to imagine how to be Silas Bell; lived his life with the rabbit inside his abdominal that sometimes made him hard to breathe? I imagined myself as him. But, I adore Silas so much. He sometimes maybe careless. But, the fact that he is a witty boy, I applaud him.

But, most of all... the C-section scene was the most iconic for me. Thank you, A.J. White for another thrilling horror story. You're indeed brilliant! 

5⭐ worthy book; once again!

Mors vincit omnia👁

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Deadnaming, Forced institutionalization, Pedophilia, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Transphobia, Abortion, Body horror, Gore, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Bullying, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Death, Murder, Rape, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, and Pregnancy

Minor: Gaslighting, Grief, Miscarriage, Animal death, Xenophobia, Infertility, and Chronic illness

radtj's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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

Trans anger + ghosts, epic.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Deadnaming, Gore, Abortion, Blood, Bullying, Child death, Dysphoria, Homophobia, Transphobia, Ableism, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Medical content, Outing, Rape, Torture, and Sexual assault

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

onceuponatime's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

AJ White's writing always draws me in, and I couldn't put the book down until I finished it. It's incredibly compelling, gorey and the sense of being trapped is Real. 

I wished that the story was longer, I feel like the characters would've benefited from it (I had a similar problem with Hell Followed With Us – there is so much character impact that we miss out on!!). I also spotted some inconsistencies and such in the writing, but the sheer drive of the story carried and satisfied me, though I hoped for more in regards to the ending. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Gore, Body horror, Misogyny, Transphobia, and Medical content

Moderate: Dysphoria, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, and Deadnaming