Thank you Netgalley and Peachtree for this ARC!

This book is visceral, in your face, and mind blowing. I loved EVERYTHING about this book and Andrew Joseph White will be one of my favorite, instant buy authors from now on. The way he writes horror and transness and queerness as something so human is so amazing. The light in the dark that is Silas and Daphne just makes me feel giddy and excited.

amazing, visceral and bloody in all the best ways. a perfect narrative voice that felt incredibly harrowing and yet fully heartfelt

Review posted somewhere else!!! Check my Goodreads/Twitter/instagram/tiktok for other reviews.
stars

Thank you NetGalley for granting me access to the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This book to me a while to get to. I picked it up and put it down so many times. However, this is not due to me disliking the book.

I think this book is written fantastically! It discusses many things that many people are too scared to discuss. It covers sensitive topics and helps the reader really feel all sorts of emotions.

I would highly recommend picking up this book for a good read!

Thanks to Netgalley and Peachtree Teen for an Advanced Reader Copy of this novel!

Silas Bell has one of the most valuable traits one can have in the eyes of the Royal Speaker Society: violet eyes. This should mean the power to see beyond the veil and be recognized as an asset to society. However, Silas was born in a body that doesn’t match who he is. The world views Silas as a women, and women should not have access to such power. This is how Silas ends up at Braxton’s Sanitorium and Finishing School - a nightmare disguised as a home for girls infected with “veil sickness”. Silas now has to last long enough to discover why Braxton’s has so many mysterious happenings.

This novel absolutely blew me away, I would give it one hundred stars if I could. Andrew Joseph White has followed a stunned debut novel with an equally fantastic second story.

My initial review is copied here:
“Perhaps one day I will be able to come back and write a proper review of this novel. However, any praise I could articulate in this moment would simply not do it justice. It is incredible.

Trans horror is the most interesting and original storytelling happening in the horror genre right now.”


Here I finally am, back to write a proper review. This novel absolutely blew me away. Once you hit the thick of the plot, it is impossible to put down.

The characters are well crafted and complex. White simply does not give a shit about making his female characters “likeable”, and it pays off big time. Each character is interesting and layered, even the villains and minor characters shown to have motivations and stories that extend beyond this one.

The horror in the novel is palpable, with an excellent mix of supernatural, gothic, and gore. I usually really don’t enjoy supernatural novels, but the reality based horror in this novel was still so palpable that it felt real. The fear and disgust you will feel at the treatment of the characters is incredible, especially scary when paired with the reminder of the reality in the authors note.

The plot was well-structured and moved at an excellent pace, giving readers time to take in the details while still progressing the story. You could feel a sense of dread building to certain reveals yet still be surprised and upset when it came to fruition.

I’m still not sure I’ve articulate my praise of this book well enough, so here it is again: this book is incredible. I cannot recommend enough that every horror fan should be reading this novel, and at this rate, keeping up with everything Andrew Joseph White releases. I will be eagerly anticipating his next novel.

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: Trans horror is the best and most interesting thing happening in the genre right now.

I love AJW I read Hell Followed With Us and from then on I was obsessed with his work. Every detail from the cover to the dedication to the story was immaculate. He’s gory and horrifying and on just the right side of wrong. I have never re read a book so quickly in my life - I will recommend this to anyone forever.

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is the first book of White's that I have read and I'll say I was pleasantly surprised. This book took me a little while to get into but once I understood to world and characters I couldn't put the book down. All of the characters felt realistic and I could find some way to relate to all of them.
I will definitely be reading any book White releases.

As always thank you to publishers and Netgalley for a free arc in exchange for an honest review.

The spirit bares its teeth is easily one of my most well written and loved books of the year. This book made me feel joy and feel pain to a point where it's an art form. I genuinely can't put into words just how much I adore this book and the complexities of the characters in it. The amount of care and beauty that is put into conveying such necessary and hard to read material is something I've never seen before.

Absolutely scrimp. Really good book. Read in one sitting. Would read again. I need more from this author

This is easily one of the best books of 2023. Andrew Joseph White has been such a break-out author since the beginning: intriguing covers, stellar writing, relatable characters, messed up books. I love a good historical, though I'm not always into fantasy. This book blends genres perfectly, though, paving the way for a real weird time.
As usual, the characters and story are just right for me in this one. It's a great companion to Hell Followed With Us despite being different genres. I would sell Daphne my soul, in specific. Of course there's some body horror, so if you're not a fan absolutely check trigger warnings.

I would like to express my gratitude for the Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of this book, generously provided by the publisher through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

"The Spirit Bares Its Teeth" by Andrew Joseph White immerses readers in a haunting world where the Veil between the living and dead has thinned, set against the backdrop of London in 1883. Sixteen-year-old trans and autistic protagonist, Silas Bell, confronts the oppressive Royal Speaker Society and its attempts to force him into an obedient Speaker wife role.

After a failed escape from an arranged marriage, Silas is diagnosed with the mysterious Veil sickness, leading to his confinement in Braxton’s Finishing School and Sanitorium. As ghosts of missing students appeal for his help, Silas resolves to expose the dark secrets within Braxton's walls, even if it means facing the threat of the school breaking him.

Andrew Joseph White's sophomore novel features a unique blend of historical setting, paranormal elements, and a courageous protagonist challenging societal norms. With a focus on a trans, autistic lead character, the narrative fearlessly tackles the violence of the patriarchy and the struggles faced by trans youth forced into conformity. "The Spirit Bares Its Teeth" promises a gripping and socially relevant exploration, earning it recognition as a Stonewall Honor Book in Young Adult Literature.

This book was a very emotional ride, it was great to see trans rep from a trans pov and I loved how it wasn’t a book that glossed over problems and felt very raw. Silas is such a well rounded character and it felt great to see a character that was flawed but continued to push on and continued to work on himself and didn’t pretend to be ok.

Andrew Joseph White? With a historical gothic horror? Sold.

Scary and important and horrific and everything I've come to expect from this author.
So highly recommend to any horror fans looking for something that will keep you up reading, because you can't sleep without knowing what happens next!

The most horrified, sad, happy, and seen I have ever been reading a book. Autistic. Trans. Horror. 1 of a kind greatness!

The Spirit Bares its Teeth is a YA historical horror book about trans and autistic Silas who wants to be a doctor, despite his family's expectation that he be a proper, marriageable lady (and good magical breeding stock). He's sent to a creepy finishing school for, basically, unruly girls. This was, hands down, the scariest book I read in 2023, but also one of my favorites. The imagery is so vivid, and the ending is satisfying. Can't wait to read the next thing Andrew Joseph White writes!

Full disclosure, I went into this book nearly blind. I’d read White’s Hell Followed With Us before and loved it, so I was excited to pick this up regardless, but I didn’t so much as glance at the actual book description before diving in. All I knew was what I had gleaned through following White on social media: that it would be set during the Victorian era, that the romantic relationship in this book would be between the trans boy protagonist and a trans girl, and that there would be an on-page graphically described caesarean section at some point. That was it. The fact that there were ghosts in this thing came as a surprise. I wouldn’t necessarily say that this is a book is an experience that’s improved by going in blind, that’s just the approach I happened to take, and it absolutely worked for me.

You might think that, because there are ghosts in this book, the ghosts are the source of the horror. They’re not. The source of the horror is the examination of misogyny and ableism and the violence inherent to both and how they intertwine.

Silas isn’t a girl, but as a trans boy living in Victorian England he’s perceived as being one, and thus is subject to the same misogyny and violence that cis women and girls are subjected to. Not being a girl doesn’t make misogyny not apply to him, or make it less important, or make it less damaging or violent, and this being explored was something I really liked about this book. Another thing I liked was the nuance given to the discussion of cis women and girls who accept the misogynistic society in which they live or who even do things to perpetuate the violence that ultimately hurts them too. Yes, it’s difficult to blame people for having never known any different, for having been broken down after a lifetime of abuse, or who are doing what they feel they have to do in order to survive even if it’s at the cost of everyone else around them. Yes, these people have the potential be just as dangerous as the ones who are truly calling the shots. No, despite what they might think they’re doing, they aren’t saving themselves at all. They’re just helping to make it worse.

The romantic relationship between Silas and Daphne was lovely!! Even before they started to fall for each other in earnest, they felt safe with each other, which is just so true. Any marginalised person knows that finding someone like yourself in an environment that’s otherwise determined to force you to conform can feel like a life raft, and that’s what Silas and Daphne are for each other. A life raft. Someone who they know for sure they can trust.

The on-page graphically described caesarean was excellently done. It’s also not the only source of body horror within this book, which is absolutely not gonna be for everyone, but I personally enjoyed it a lot!

If you like horror, scathing examinations of misogyny and ableism, and you want some of that with a trans and autistic main character, then you should 100% pick this one up. Just be wary if you’re squeamish.

The gothic horror novel IVE BEEN WAITING FOR! A perfect follow up to Andrew Joseph White's first novel, Hell Followed With Us(Also fantastic). Simply DIVINE.

Thank you NetGalley for “The Spirit Bares It’s Teeth” by Andrew Joseph White in exchange for an honest review. This is a novel that I went in blind, and I’m glad I did. I had no idea what to expect and I absolutely loved it. I cannot wait to read this over and over because it is truly brilliant. I recommend this to any horror lovers. Its anger is so visible and it was so vividly atmospheric. It’s gothic, it’s fantasy, it’s historical, and young adult. I wish I could scream to everyone to read this as soon as they can! I hope to own a physical edition one day.

Read the first couple chapters and immediately pre-ordered. The subject matter is definitely heavy, but handled beautifully. Highly recommend.

This was one of the best reads of the year. I'd heard of "Hell Followed with Us" before and it always had amazing reviews, so when I saw that the author was coming out with a new book I couldn't resist requesting it. And the book did not disappoint. I won't say too much cause I think it's best if you go into this blind but if you are looking for a queer horror, this is the book for you.