AJW always knocks it out of the park. After the author's debut, I wasn't sure how excellent the second book would be since sometimes there's a sophomore slump. Not here!!! AJW is going to write an amazing story with gorgeously complex queer characters and the story is going to hurt every single time.

I specifically loved this book because it's a Victorian ghost story set in part in a creepy girl's school. That's a story I've loved since my own childhood and AJW put his own spin on it which made it refreshing and intriguing. The story swept me up and kept me locked in until the end. The characters were original and complex but still so relatable. As always, the body horror/gore SLAPPED.

I can't wait for the next AJW novel!!! Would recommend this to everyone. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC!

It’s always hard for me to write a review for books I really enjoy because I struggle with putting into words what I enjoyed about it. I don’t always have the right words or sometimes I don’t have any words at all and so my mind ends up staying blank. Silas’ autism is much like my own and it was.. refreshing yet raw to see someone act like me in a book, to see someone and go ‘yes, I also do that, and I was also ridiculed for it’. This book is beautiful and heartbreaking and so very autistic that it made me indescribably happy. I love horror, I love medical things, and I think Andrew Joseph White did such a wonderful job of blending everything together in this book. I can’t wait to see all that he does in the future.

I did not get very far in this one before NetGalley yanked it from me. What I was able to read was extremely dark, extremely wrought and very tragic.
This is an alternative history, magical realism Queer identity book that I will (at some point) be getting from the library so I can finish it.

I absolutely LOVED this book!
My favorite so far from Andrew Joseph White!
This was my 2nd favorite read of 2024. Everyone needs to read it!

This book reached deep down inside me and pulled something out, like all Andrew Joseph White books. I felt wrung out after finishing it. He can't keep getting away with this.

Thank you to Penguin Random House for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

What a horrifying, stunning read!

I normally do not tend to reach for horror books but I've AJW's works have always piqued my interest ever since I read Hell Followed With Us.

Horror and gore are always, to me at least, done best when they are executed to make some societal commentary -- because that's when the horror-fantasy elements start to feel entirely possible and real and when I start to feel entirely moved and sucked into the book.

At the core of the violence here, is a wider allegory to be made about those who are shuttered away by society, who become voiceless and discarded and used as the playthings of those with rich sociopolitical capital determined to control those who do not fit into predetermined socially constructed categories, ie those who are not heterosexual, able-bodied, white rich men. The resulting emotion I kept diving back in and out of was a great sense of tragedy, anger, and intense nausea. Yet, AJW doesn't intend to leave you nor these characters in this mindset, as he sets out to carve out alternative forms of agency and self-determination that the characters, Silas and Daphne in particular, engage in.

Reading this contemporarily, AJW's writing overall shows that regardless of whether it's the Victorian or Modern era, there is always hope and warmth to be found in the most cruel and oppressive moments, particularly in the nexus of gender identity, neurodiversity, and resistance.

Andrew Joseph White has had a stunning writing career so far-- THE SPIRIT BARES ITS TEETH is just as potent and scary as HELL FOLLOWED WITH US. Raw and brutal but full of heart (bloody, messy heart). I'm so excited for COMPOUND FRACTURE.

I ended up reading this book after being published. I greatly enjoyed it! Absolutely love AJW's work. Unfortunately my read was more than 6 months ago and I don't think my review now would reflect my feelings all those months ago. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book early.

My god. What an utterly horrifying, amazing, awful, wonderful story. Another stunning trans horror from AJW. Everything about the world were thrust into really is horrifying and amazing. I’m so interested in the spirits and the violet eyes - and the Speakers! I’m absolutely nauseatingly disgusted by these men and their organization, but I want to know more. Not in this book - the world building and the amount of information we get in this is perfect!

As are the main characters. They’re flawed, scared, fragile, strong, wonderfully real people struggling so hard to be who they are. Relatable to anyone, but especially trans people. The cast is excellent, everyone is so vivid and rich and. I’m just. In love with this book.

Everything this author writes is so incredibly gorey, horrific, but somehow still beautiful. I absolutely loved this.

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth is a dark, haunting, and utterly mesmerizing gothic horror that I couldn’t put down. Set in an alternate Victorian England where mediums communicate with the dead, this book explores themes of gender, identity, and survival in a world that’s as oppressive as it is eerie.

Silas Bell is an unforgettable protagonist—determined, sharp, and full of defiance against a society that refuses to see him for who he truly is. The exploration of gender and identity was beautifully done, capturing the struggles of being forced into a role that doesn’t fit and the quiet, fierce strength it takes to push back. I especially loved the autism representation; Silas's unique perspective adds so much depth to his character and to the story as a whole.

The love story threaded through this dark, gothic setting was unexpected but tender, bringing a glimmer of hope and warmth to an otherwise chilling tale. It was subtle, real, and heartwarming, perfectly balancing the intense atmosphere of Braxton’s Sanitorium and its sinister secrets.

Andrew Joseph White’s writing is raw, vivid, and compelling, with a world that grips you from the first page and doesn’t let go. If you’re looking for a book that combines gothic horror with a powerful exploration of gender, identity, and resilience, this is the one. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy!

Andrew Joseph White, you know how to pack a punch with your visceral writing. While such descriptive horror writing absolutely terrified or disgusted me at parts, it also spoke so deeply to me with its raw connection to true inner thoughts and feelings.

This read just had an incredible way of making my jaw drop in horror while also making me aggressively nod my head in complete agreement with how the main character describes their personal experiences.

Thanks NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Everything Andrew Joseph White touches turns to gold, or in his case, incredibly well-written books. I first discovered Andrew with his debut, Hell Followed with Us, and immediately knew I’d be wanting to read whatever he wrote next. The Spirit Bares Its Teeth is a tour de force in queer literature.

It has taken me several months to sit down and write. The story resonated so deeply and beautifully that I wasn’t sure I had the words. Initially, I was hesitant to read this book because I was worried the character would get lost in stereotypes but I was very glad to find out I was so wrong!

Silas was amazing and his struggles with being neurodivergent in an even more unaccepting time feet all too relatable.

I could keep gushing about the exquisitely written the characters, but I want to give some time to the story itself. The elements of suspense and horror and gore were perfection. I can not encourage you enough to read this book!

I loved this book! Andrew Joseph White depicts autism, transgender identity, girlhood and boyhood with such expertise and nuance. Silas's bravery and strength in the face of religiosity and oppression is inspiring. The plot is fun, grotesque, and powerful.

Thanks to the author, Net Galley, and Peachtree for this ARC.

3-3.5 stars.

As my first introduction to the horror genre, im not sure how to feel about this book.

On one hand, its very complex, I liked the setting and Silas' pov, but...it doesnt feel right to say I enjoyed the story. maybe Im faint-hearted, idk .

Either way, I can at least say it was good literary work.

This book is amazing. The autistic representation is what really stands out to me and made me absolutely adore this book as reading about a character who acts and thinks the same as me is so healing. The difficult topics handled in this book are devastating and it makes me so so emotional despite the many times I have reread it the writing is so emotive and each character is so full of personality it feels like I really know them.

I loved the premise of this book, and I love how devoted the author is to providing representation of different types of people in his books, but I unfortunately struggled to get through The Spirit Bares Its Teeth. The characters feel shallow and one-dimensional, including the MC. The historical aspects of the book are ambitious, and I get we're meant to look past some of the inaccuracies in order for the story to be told, but it's hard to do when it feels like stuff is swept under the rug because it didn't fit the plot. Maybe that meant the plot didn't make sense and needed to be changed instead? I think a modern mindset could possibly be written into a piece of historical fiction very delicately, but this was too heavy handed to be believable at all. I can tell a lot of work went into writing this book, but I don't think I would read it again or recommend it.

I absolutely loved Hell Followed With Us so I was very excited to receive this ARC and see what came next from this author. Horrific and traumatic - he did not disappoint.

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth reminded me of The Savage Instinct with the amount of detail that was included about women who did not fit the mould in this time period. White makes a point to address this in the end - that while some historical facts are accurate there was much worse done to so many. The fantasy aspects only helped the emphasise the absolute horrors of the acts being done to these women.

I did get pulled out of the story a few times due to the large cast of characters and trying to keep everything straight but White always found a way to pull me back in. Usually with some very gory and specific medical details that I probably could’ve done without. I’m an optometrist but even I struggled with the amount of enucleations that were mentioned.

I am truly a fan of White's writing and I can’t wait to see what’s next. Hell Followed With Us andThe Spirit Bares Its Teeth were so different I couldn’t even begin to guess what he might write about next.

This book has left me spellbound. Every single word of this novel has bewitched me and is crafted with care and precision. I immediately fell in love with the characters, and I want to cradle them and their sharp teeth to my chest.