Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

158 reviews

lucakocsis's review

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Such an incredible read. I've listened to the audiobook and loved the narration. The writing is very captivating, the characters are simple but so complex at the same time. 

The horror is more gore than anything scary so depending on taste that could be a pro or a con.

Overall I couldn't recommend this book enough.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual harassment

stepfarmer's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

2.5

i wanted to like this book so, so bad. i really did. but i think it just has too many flaws unfortunately.

for starters, this book is set in the 1880s. why? i honestly have no idea. the dialogue and narration does not read like it was appropriate for the time period, and comes off as very modern. silas feels plucked from modern day and shoved into victorian england due to his opinions and viewpoints regarding gender and sexism. this would have been more of an interesting book if an attempt was made to reconcile silas' transness through the lens of victorian england sensibilities. the narrative itself would've been stronger if it was straight fantasy with its own world instead of historical fiction with fantasy elements.

likewise, i found the fantasy portion of the book intriguing but flat. i wanted sooo much more about the spirit world and how mediums worked. again, if just more care was taken to properly flesh out the world instead of (poorly) trying to fit it into a historical setting, i think the fantasy elements could've been used more effectively.

silas himself is a frustrating protagonist, though it's partly the way he's written. i read the entire book and i only know three things about silas: that he's autistic, that he's trans, and that he wants to be a surgeon. later in the novel he speaks about himself and lists off traits that are in no way shape or form adequately explored. i've seen other reviewers mention this and at times he does seem like a checklist of symptoms. while i did resonate with several descriptions that related to his autistic experiences, i just think that it was too heavy-handed, though it's especially egregious due to the absence of any other traits. not going to lie, i didn't really care for silas, and as the book veered into torture-porn territory i just didn't care what happened to him.

the book felt very "us vs them" in the fact that no one was kind to silas unless they were also queer or neurodivergent. the fact  that

lord luckenbill turned on him in the end was especially frustrating and honestly the last straw for me.

like, i get it. i do. but the fact that silas didn't have anyone in his corner that couldn't directly relate to his experiences just felt so disheartening, even in a book like this. maybe even especially in a book like this.

regarding silas and daphne: i get the joy that comes with finding out someone is like you, and i understand silas is 16, but man. i wish there wasn't instalove, and i wish there was more pushback regarding

their marriage.

like i wish it had been explored more as a strong infatuation rather than definitive love.

i was getting very bored not even halfway through. the best part of it was toward the end when the characters were finally doing things rather than having things done to them. and, while i enjoyed the prose, the constant thematic references toward surgery and related topics started to grate on my nerves after a bit. also the whole bit with the rabbit was extremely stupid, i'm sorry to say. it didn't really add anything to the novel and i found it a bit eye-rolling.

i can understand why people love and enjoy this book. i wanted to do the same very badly, but i'm unfortunately a very picky reader. the queer and neurodivergent rep isn't enough to make this narrative compelling. i will however continue to read white's novels, as i'm confident he'll have a book for me sometime down the line.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Gore, Transphobia, Medical trauma, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Miscarriage, Rape, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, and Vomit

sharanya's review against another edition

challenging dark inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

*CHECK TWs AT THE START OF THE BOOK*

Oh. My. God???????? Everything about this book was utterly STUNNING. From the unforgettable protagonist, Silas Bell, to the dark, lyrical writing, to the intricate discussion of the intersections of gender, history, queerness & neurodiversity — every piece of this story had me spellbound from the very first sentence. A dark, compelling story that rearranged my insides & taught me something new about the trans & autistic experience. Whew. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, and Dysphoria

kryzysowa_narzeczona's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Outing, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria

baileybeloved's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Sat down & read through it in a day. I cringed, I cried, I was sick to my stomach, I shivered, & my skin crawled. Absolutely recommend. Perfect ending. I will say that some of turns of this story are predictable - but knowing where it’s headed almost heightens the dread? Screaming DONT DONT NO NO NO (along with the rabbit) when you know what’s coming or what he will find (but then being shocked & appalled anyway) happened a few times for me, but did not detract from the story. 

Heed the tags, but know that the content is there for a reason. It’s not torture porn or AJWhite trying to hit checklist of horror tropes - it’s a story with real roots. 

One small detail that really struck me - from the very end was hearing about

how the freezing had happened in other places too, like in India & in American plantations

. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Lesbophobia, and Sexual harassment

Frequent detailed descriptions of medical procedures the narrator wants to inflict upon himself to get rid of the parts that make him a target.

whatkatyread87's review

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

Holy shit. I have no words for how important this book is to people. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Biphobia, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Acephobia/Arophobia, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

kermittuesday's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

It was a little tedious at the beginning but then it picked up so I’m glad I stuck with it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

a_dara_ble's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This is one of the first books I've gotten all the way through in a while. I really enjoyed the world it was set in and the main characters. I personally didn't find it really Scary most of the time, but the author definitely doesn't shy away from descriptions, so I'd really recommend checking the trigger warnings if you have any issues with medical/body horror in the most literal sense. I have a pretty strong stomach for written horror, but this would not be a story I could probably stomach if it was in a visual media.
I'd love to read a second book with these characters, or at least in this world, maybe diving into more of the supernatural elements. But as it is, it's a really good stand alone.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Pregnancy, Outing, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria

avrija's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

This book — it’s certainly something. This is the first horror I’ve read in a very long while and it was very good. Please, please be mindful of the trigger warnings in the “letter from the author” at the beginning. It was very well written, I loved the characters, especially Daphne and Silas and it was suspenseful and gave you that sense of something creeping up on you. However, I think it deserves a mention that I don’t think this book is for anyone who is sensitive to transphobia and body dysmorphia regarding that. Even if you say, you can handle that, please do read this on a good day and check in with yourself. It’s quite heavy and mentally hard to read at times because the descriptions of Silas’ struggles are so very well done.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Murder, Outing, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Pedophilia, Abortion, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, and Abandonment

overbooked207's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism