(3.5*) Probably the creepiest book I've ever read, Andrew Joseph White absolutely nails the atmosphere of constant threat in The Spirit Bares Its Teeth, which follows autistic trans boy Silas through incarceration in a Finishing School for Girls and Sanitorium for magical beings afflicted by "Veil-sickness". I probably don't need to say more when it comes to guessing the horrors that lie in store for Silas and the young girls under the care of the sadistic doctors and surgeons in this Victorian Era hellscape.

rep: autistic trans MC; trans LI; t4t romance; Sapphic secondary and tertiary characters; autistic tertiary character.
cw: extreme medical gore; sexual assault; child pregnancy; child rape; forced incarceration; transphobia; homophobia; queerphobia; trauma; historically-appropriate ableist language; blood; violence; dysmorphia; dissociation; suicide ideation; references to abortion and miscarriage (further content warnings provided by the author).

As a reading experience, I found The Spirit Bares Its Teeth to have a very spiky profile. The atmosphere is excellent, as is the trans and autistic rep. Silas, the MC, has a strong voice and is haunted every step of the way by a "rabbit" inner critic that does a really good job of representing the hypervigilance of the traumatised. What held the novel back for me, as with Hell Followed With Us, is that I felt the wider cast were under-developed and largely pointless figures orbiting around an interesting main character in Silas, or Benji in the case of HFWU. Part of me wonders if this was purposeful, as a way of showing Silas' perspective on social interaction, but even if this is the case, I'm a reader who needs to care about characters to enjoy a book, so this is why my admiration for the novel ended up being somewhat limited.

I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of The Spirit Bares Its Teeth in exchange for an honest review.

I don't want to say this book was bad. This book was not bad! But I simply did not like it at all.

The biggest strength here is the concept. Spiritualism and eugenics lend themselves well to horror and pair well together, and White has done an admirable job of integrating those concepts into a believable world, though the supernatural elements are underused. But like a lot of historical fiction, there's a pervasive sense of moral pedantry that impedes that believability. White insists we know that our narrator Silas is improbably aware and critical of everything from British imperialism to Victorian medical hygiene practices, as if we the audience would hold it against him if he held any opinions that would be remotely plausible for a child of the 1880s British upper class. Maybe that's something that other people enjoy, but to me it felt like a shallow reckoning with historical injustice, and it left me rolling my eyes.

Also eye-roll worthy: most of the characters. I'll credit White that every member of the (unnecessarily large, IMO) ensemble cast is distinct and memorable. But they're all so one-dimensional that it's hard to feel any attachment to them, and the relationships between them feel strangely unreal, like children's toys that are now fighting, now in love, now fighting again. The only character I found remotely compelling was Mary, who floats around being vaguely antagonistic (which I enjoyed) before suddenly lurching towards plot relevance in the last act.

Overall, this was a quick and easy read with a cool concept and very uneven execution. Reminded me (not necessarily unfavorably) of other books I've enjoyed, like Molly Tanzer's Diabolist series and Libba Bray's Diviners.

PS thnx netgalley! Sorry I keep picking books that I don't like!

Thank you to NetGalley and PeachTree for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this! I devoured Hell Followed With Us in a couple of hours, and The Spirit Bares Its Teeth was no exception. You truly feel a sense of horror and dread throughout the book as it progresses. I think my only issue was that the world building of the world wasn’t explained as well as I would like. I got the impression that the AJW had a very clear idea of it in his head, but perhaps forgot that the readers don’t have the same information, and just forgot to add some of it to the story. However, this didn’t detract from my experience too much, and I was still able to understand and enjoy the book quite well. I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys a good boarding school horror, along with those looking for a trans and neurodivergent read.

I really enjoyed reading Andrew Joseph's White second YA novel. The Spirit Bares Its Teeth has a fantastic portrayal of a transmasculine character and the beautiful development of a relationship between two trans teens. The plot seemed a little weak at times and the ending was abrupt but I imagine that's partly due to this being an ARC. I would recommend this to readers (and have already done so to someone seeking to add it to a resource list of media for trans youth).

“The Spirit Bares Its Teeth” is an alternate history horror fantasy with a surprisingly sweet T4T romantic subplot. When I read its announcement, several things launched it to be one of my most anticipated books of the year.
-A trans boy protagonist stuck living as a girl in a Victorian society with the ability to speak to spirits. That premise alone!
-”Hell Followed With Us,” the author’s first with Peachtree Teen, was unlike any book I’d read before. I was horrified, transfixed, and obsessed, and I knew the next book by this author would be an instant buy.
-That amazing cover

I literally signed up for NetGalley so I could read this book early. I’m glad to say it didn’t disappoint. Like HFWU, I finished it in less than two days, and I’ve spent the rest of this week trying to think of how to do it justice with a review. That’ll be impossible, so I’ll just jump in with my list of highlights.
-Silas’s inner dialogue was brutally accurate. I’m also neurodivergent and my self ID is nonbinary (not a trans man like Silas) but, dang. The journey he goes on with his inner “rabbit” was probably my favorite part of the book.
-Meeting Daphne and that “knowing” of another person, just, wow. I loved their relationship. It was so sweet in an otherwise (genre appropriate) rough plot line.
-A small detail, but this is the first time I’ve seen a nuanced take in fiction (in a YA book, no less!) about pregnancy and trans characters. Of course, Silas starts out absolutely opposed and horrified at the prospect of carrying a child in his body. His family wants to force him into marriage and children, and he’s only 16. But later, that hint of “maybe it doesn’t have to be that way with the right person” was inclusive of trans men who choose to experience pregnancy. We don’t see Silas in the far future to know what he’d choose, but I appreciated the deliberate way the author didn't exclude these families, nor made having certain reproductive abilities gendered.
-The book was fast paced with lots of twists and turns, with some I predicted due to foreshadowing, and others I didn’t see coming. As I mentioned above, I read it in less than two days!
-The content warnings are listed clearly at the front of the book, and just like with HFWU, believe the author, take care of yourself, and take breaks/step away as needed. He doesn’t shy away from any details.
-Every character in this story felt so real. All those details I mentioned were necessary for us to be in Silas’s head, from the surgical processes to the complex emotions he experiences. The internal and external ableism was rough to read, but necessary for this story.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth is set during Victorian England where a veil between the living and the dead has thinned enough for violet eyed mediums to commune with the dead, all of this regulated by the Royal Speaker Society. Our story follows a young autistic transgender boy who faces the cruelty of the world, where the biggest horrors are not caused by the spirits of the dead, but the living themselves.

This was a tough read. At the start of the book there is a list of trigger warnings and for good reason, there is a a lot of very difficult topics / themes covered in this book, along with some painful scenes. Usually i can finish a book in a day or 2 over a few sittings but i had to space out my reading with this. None of this is a bad thing of course, while the themes and topics were difficult, they are important and i thought were addressed very well throughout the book.

The story and characters are all engaging, i felt very immersed with the writing and getting to see the thoughts and worries of the MC often. I was regularly sat at the edge of my seat worried about what might happen next to them.

Overall i would recommend this book (if you don't mind the triggers listed at the start of the book of course) and i am keen to see what future works this author completes.

This book was beyond every expectation I had for it—and my hopes were high. I loved Andrew’s debut. This book is even better. I felt a connection to the characters, to their struggles, to their prison. This book made me examine myself and the way I view the world in the best way. It’s everything I could have wanted in a novel, and I will be recommending it to everyone!

The representation in this book was SO good. Andrew’s skill with prose and body horror is exceptionally well crafted in The Spirit Bares Its Teeth. I love books that showcase the diversity of humans and give them claws to fight with.

Thank you Netgalley and Peachtree for the opportunity to read this eARC copy. Opinions are my own.

Thank you to PeachTree and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Tws: Graphic Violence, Gore, Transphobia, Misgendering, and Sexual Assault

The Spirit Bares its Teeth focuses on an autistic trans boy, Silas, who in his attempt to escape an arranged marriage, is sent to Braxton’s Sanitorium and Finishing School, a place meant to “cure” violet-eyed women diagnosed with the veil sickness. While Silas supposedly goes through training to become a good “wife”, he discovers dark secrets of the school when the ghosts start to reach out to him to uncover and expose the rotting within the patriarchy.

Having heard a lot about Hell Followed with Us on social media, I was excited when I saw that I could request for the Spirit Bares its Teeth to see how Andrew’s books were like. As this was my first book of his, I didn’t really know what to expect, or whether it would be up my alley. However, this didn’t disappoint. Even though horror is not my usual genre, I found myself enjoying it (albeit slightly sick to my stomach) due to the strong writing and imagery used. While I do not condone the violence portrayed by the top management, I unconsciously felt represented and seen by Silas as he makes his way through this strange and cruel environment.
This book was a really good example of trying to find your footing in a world against you, a society that sets normalised standards so that those labelled as “mentally unfit”, “stuck-outs” are forced to conform to. Throughout the book, I felt Silas’ consistent helplessness as he navigates misgendering by not just his family, but men in his life whom seek control.

I must say that it is quite an eccentric book, unlike anything I’ve read before, and while I was properly horrified, it was also very relatable at its core. I highly recommend if you enjoy horror, and/or would like a book that would get you thinking about the topics of humanity for a while.

Words cannot describe how good this book was. I actually got physically nauseous from some of the things that occurred! The writing!! Again, Andrew Joseph White just writes in such a way that it makes you feel as though you are being torn apart, reducing you to nothing with how seen you feel. All of the characters were so viscerally real that just couldn't not feel anything, you know? The historical aspects, combined with the fantastical created a world that was fantastical and so close to the reality of the past to make you uncomfortable. I couldn't put it down. I hope I'm making sense. It's incredibly important to me that you read this book.

So I went into The Spirit Bares It’s Teeth knowing I would be properly horrified and most likely sick to my stomach. I did not expect to feel so seen that I ached.

Does the main character graphically and in full detail perform a c-section? Yes! Are the horrors that those deemed “unsavory” to society are subjected to brutally splashed across the pages? Yes! But there is also a something at it’s core, some kind of acceptance and blood-soaked hope that made it, almost comforting to read. To see that with the scars and the bruises and the blood and everything telling you that there is something wrong, there’s the chance to continue breathing. Even if there is the desperate push to hide it, to cover it, to change it, it is still possible to emerge whole, battered maybe, but still the same person that the world tried so hard to repress, because that kind of person is worthy of life and love.

To see a trans main character, with a brain like mine, who gets overwhelmed and cries and apologizes over and over, who doesn’t really get people or what they try to say, who moves through the world so similarly to the way I do was something I am going to hold close. To read a book so darkly horrific, so brutally brilliant, and to point to the main character and go “hey, that’s me”, to deeply understand their reactions and actions, just damn. It’s special.

SO, all of that is to say is that this book is stark in it’s honesty. It’s horror is on full display, both from the artfully crafted gore and the acts that somehow come from other humans. Yet the allowance for humanity to exist in the face of this in all its forms - gut wrenching rage, overwhelming terror, inexplicable love - offers a comfort. Because this is one of the darkest books I’ve read, but it’s love for what has been deemed “too much” or “odd” or is where it’s true brilliance shines.

<i>Received for free as an EARC from the publishers.</i>

9/10, rounded up for good feelings.

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth is a gorgeously written book about the horrors of Victorian-era England and patriarchy through the eyes of trans man Silas as he tries to break away from his parents and make a life full of joy for himself. So this book entered onto my TBR through the author talking about it on tiktok, I hadn't read the authors first book because of my personal dislike of apocalypse media, but I had heard wonderful things about it, and <i>oh my god this book did not disappoint.</i> It's a terrifying read about bodily autonomy and the abuse that men in power often conduct on AFAB bodies and minds and the complicity of some women in this.

White does a fantastic job of really making these character feel fleshed out and real. While the book doesn't go too deep into some of them, those it does are really given a breadth of character to feel like real people with their own backstories and goals and thoughts. He gives everyone the space to exist as people, which really strikes you in a book about dehumanization.

While the worldbuilding isn't all that fleshed out, it fits the book well as the focus isn't on the world itself, but how what exists affects the characters. While I think I would've liked to see something about how the ability to summon spirits has affects how Britain colonizes places, as not discussing it, but throwing in comments about 'the colonies' felt somewhat white to me, it's lack of presence made sense for the context of the book.

White's pacing and style are super well done however. The pacing was flawless, never once did it feel like it was sagging, or pages were being wasted for the purpose of length, and his style is incredibly evocative of the terror that Silas faces. I felt so much anxiety while reading this book, and the author does a really good job of creating tension and paying it off.

This is absolutely about to be someone's favourite book, honestly probably a friend of mine's, and if you are into spirits, horror, and queer love, I would absolutely recommend reading it.

Thank you so much to Andrew Joseph White, Peachtree Teen, and NetGalley for the ARC of this title. I absolutely adored this book. I knew I would love it - I loved Hell Followed With Us, and I love White's writing style.
Set in Victorian England, this work focuses on Silas, a young trans-boy forced to live as his gender at birth. His family are members of the Royal Speaker Society, where violet-eyed men commune with the dead. With the Veil thinning and Speaker members speaking with spirits, Silas, also born violet-eyed, decides to try to gain his Speaker seal and live as a man.
When he is caught, however, he is sent to Braxton's Finishing School - a school for violet-eyed young women suffering from 'veil-sickness' (in Silas' case, not identifying as a girl and communing with spirits, not to mention being autistic), to be shaped into the perfect Speaker wife. At the school - which is his worst nightmare - he realizes girls are going missing. Silas must find out what is happening to the girls and protect himself from this perfect wife-shaped nightmare before it's too late.
As an autistic trans-masculine person, I knew this book was going to hit me hard in the best ways. This is not an easy book to read - it is brutal and honest about the hardships faced by autistic people and trans people and autistic trans people who have the truth of themselves beat out of them. In classic AJW fashion, this book is gory and gruesome, not for the faint hearted. But as a horror junkie and gore addict - I devoured this book.
The story is dark, yes. It is hard to read, yes. There is a botched c-section, yes. But it is also beautiful. The tender moments of connection between Silas and Daphne - my heart! The way that Silas finds others like him in more ways than one... I loved the character development and the moments of connection that Silas was able to find with others.
This is a delicious piece of gothic horror that will delight fans of gore and Victorian horror stories. Neurodiverse and trans folks will find themselves in these pages, too.
I devoured this book - and it will devour you.

Wow, that was incredible.

I'm not really a horror reader, but I loved Hell Followed With Us, so I wanted to give this book a try, too. And I'm so glad I did.

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth is absolutely amazing - it's dark, it's horrifying, and at the same time, it's also incredibly hopeful.

If you can handle the subject matter (content warnings are listed in the book and on the author's website), definitely read this book as soon as it comes out - you won't regret it.

In London 1883, the Veil between the living and the dead has gotten thinner. This allows those with violet-eyes to commune with spirits, but only through the guidance of the Royal Speaker Society. Silas Bell would rather do anything than become a dutiful Speaker wife. But according to his mom, he’ll be married by the end of the year. No matter his autism or the fact that he’s a boy and not a girl.

After an incident at the Society, Silas is sent to Braxton’s Finishing School and Sanitorium diagnosed with Veil sickness. But at the school, he realizes girls are disappearing and no one cares. It’s up to Silas to expose the secrets of the school–if those in charge don’t get to him first.

Thanks to Peachtree Teen and NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White to review! White jumped onto the YA scene last year with Hell Followed With Us, firmly planting himself in the YA horror field.

Let me start by saying this is not an easy book to read. It’s a little bit fantasy, a little bit history, with a heavy emphasis on the horror. It shows how dangerous the world was at that time for women who didn’t fit the mold. Women who were a little different. Women who were queer. There is some hard, dark stuff in this book, and if you’re not in the mindset for that, save it for a time that you are.

Despite the difficult nature of the text, it is beautifully written. There are lines in this story that feel like a gut punch, because you know that there are women who were treated like this at this time. And we’re not even going to get started on how trans people were treated, because it was much the same. White does the horror elements so well in this book. Teens looking for dark gothic horror will definitely be drawn to this book.

And the characters! The relationship between Silas and Daphne was just so wonderful. The book may be dark, but it is not without its moments of hope. Tender, sweet moments of hope that really keep them going despite the darkness.

The fall is really the perfect time for this book to come out, so if you find yourself looking for something dark and queer, definitely pick this one up!

I found this to be an intense book of suspenseful and gothic horror. A worthy sophomore effort from an author whose first book was a finalist for the William C. Morris Debut Award for a "first-time author writing for teens.” One of the things that fascinated me about this novel was the way that an autistic character is portrayed in a society in which no such diagnosis exists.

THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD!!!!!
I absolutely loved it the whole time, even when it made me want to rage and scream and break something. Because yes 👏
Andrew Joseph White can do no wrong imo 🤌🏼
Read it for:
- T4T (only a subplot so not that much page-time but still <3)
- neurodiverse characters (including the MC!)
- Victorian setting
- medical horrors, negligence and assault about women, people socially perceived as women, and neurodiverse people!
Highly, highly recommend!!!

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Wow. Wow wow wow. I read Hell Followed With Us on a recommendation from a friend and fell so in love with the gritty, raw, and horrifying world that was created and so when I heard this was available on NetGalley I immediately requested it. This is an absolutely outstanding sophomore novel and I want to spend a day inside Andrew Joseph White's brain. The main character, Silas, is compelling, fierce, and real, and I was cheering for him all throughout his adventures at Braxton's. This novel is brutally honest, horrifying (in a good way), and brilliant because within all of the terror and pain, there is humanity and an undercurrent of hopefulness that pays off in the end for Silas. So so great and I can't wait to add this one to my shelf!

This book sounds interesting, but I wasn't able to ascertain the plot. There's a LOT going on here. I didn't finish it, but I believe others might enjoy it. Sci fi themes with lgbtqia issues entwined- I think the main character is transgender? It was murky, which is why I wasn't into it.

In this paranormal reimagining of Victorian England, an autist transboy finds himself locked away in a school meant to turn him into the ideal Victorian wife.

I'm obsessed. This young adult novel has managed to capture every element I'm excited about in today's YA literature. The ghosts are truly chilling, the body horror is unsettling, and the main character is engaging and smart. It's the exact kind of novel I would have loved as a teenager.

All of that said, it does require some hefty trigger warnings. The only way to describe what happens to some of these characters is torture, and the ableism can get pretty brutal. But I've never been one to shy away from harsh realities, and in my experience, teens can handle it. If anything, I found reading this book to be incredibly validating. The narrative lays out the injustices waged against people with disabilities, those assigned female at birth, and other vulnerable groups in a way that I feel honors the victims of abuses. Personally, I felt it was a relief to read a text that acknowledged these things, especially in a society where those in power have repeatedly tried to gaslight us into thinking that 'things weren't so bad' and that atrocities against vulnerable groups are 'exaggerations.' This book proudly flies in the face of such deniers.

Working in a library, you notice that the books that tend to go missing are the ones that deal with hard things and offer hope to vulnerable teens. With that in mind, I have a feeling this is a book that will have to be replaced a lot.

A heart wrenching, horrifying, and absolutely brutal transgressive gothic story about escaping the confines of society and surviving the most brutal atrocities to be who you are. It is 1883 in London, and in this world there is something known as The Veil, a place between the living and the dead. Only violet-eyed mediums can commune with the spirits and all mediums are heavily regulated under the watchful eye of the Royal Speaker Society. Silas Bell was born as a violet eyed girl, and when his family threatens to marry him off to a speaker in order to breed more children for mediums... something Silas wants absolutely no part of. Silas has endured enough, from the relentless amount of tutors who forced him to find ways to hide his autism to the constant attempts made by his family to force him to fit into the confines of being a "girl". Silas only wants to be himself, to be the man he knows he is. Silas wants to be a surgeon, a doctor, he does not want to be forced into a marriage and forced to be a woman. Silas decides to take the most drastic step: enter into the medium competition for the society and receive a medium seal, ensuring his freedom.... but if he's caught he could be hanged... and when the entire event goes up in flames Silas is then sent to Braxton's Finishing School and Sanitorium, a cold facility where girls are taught, tortured, assaulted, and beaten into becoming the "ideal wives" perfect to be returned to society.... but Silas realizes that something much stranger and darker is going on, with so many girls disappearing... an he find a way to escape before he ends up six feet in the dirt? This was a BRUTAL and absolutely brilliant horror gothic story featuring an autistic trans protagonist. I was gutted, crying, and absolutely horrified for Silas. This story is not for the faint of heart but it addresses a lot of the violence in the patriarchy and the harm inflicted on trans youth who are forced to conform. This story was brilliant, it had me clutching my seat until the end. This was a literal horror story and I was rooting for Silas the entire time to survive. This was fantastic, seriously I will be thinking about this story for weeks to come.

*Thanks Netgalley and Holiday House / Peachtree / Pixel+Ink, Peachtree Teen for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*