Thank you to Netgalley for providing this ARC copy!

“It’s more work to hurt us. It’s more work to be cruel. And yet they continue”

I had loved Hell Followed With Us so when I heard about this book I could not contain my excitement. When I found out there was an opportunity to get an ARC copy I was even more excited.

White’s books write about the trans experience in ways that I have never seen in other books, and yet make me feel so seen. This book shares so many complex feelings touched upon and ways that those feelings can change situationally that made me feel as though he picked apart my own brain and threw my thoughts into a book.

I had never really read a medical horror before and as someone going into nursing I found it both fascinating but also disturbing especially as the book discusses medical experimentation. Though this book was often heartbreaking due to the treatment of the characters through the book, it hurt even more remembering things like this happened without all the fantasy. White does as amazing job acknowledging this at the end of the book.

At the same time, the ending is full of such queer joy. If you loved Hell Followed With Us, definitely give this one a read. I absolutely loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this beautiful ARC!
Both in Hell Followed With Us and The Spirit Bares Its Teeth, I loved Andrew Joseph White's writing because of how excellently he balances character-driven storylines and the larger plot. He delves deeply into character studies of his narrators while actively guiding them along horrific journeys, making us readers acutely feel their fear and anger and dysphoria and hopelessness. I am usually not a fan of horror, particularly body horror, but his writing is so simple yet beautiful that I want to keep reading, feeling the narrators' emotions and reacting alongside them. In this book, The Spirit Bares Its Teeth, I thought that the enmeshment of Silas' struggles as a trans boy/autistic teenager in a world rigged against him with the larger and more insidious oppression of the Speakers was fascinating, particularly with White's use of the "rabbit" to tie both together. The "school" setting and the experiences of the other characters allowed for an even deeper feeling of lurking terror, and I thought the setting was very rich overall. My primary criticisms are that I didn't quite ever understand what the Veil/Speakers/violet eyes system was, exactly; I felt like there was some explanation missing from the beginning. The ending, on the other hand, felt a little rushed and tied up too neatly in the final chapter, but the way that Silas and Daphne and the others succeed in their mission was very unexpected and gratifying. I anticipated the George twist but was horrified nonetheless. Silas' internal dialogue can be simplistic and then overly complex at times, but this didn't really bother me because I know that this is how teenagers kind of just are. Overall, though, I cannot recommend this book enough and will most certainly re-read it before White's next release (which I am already yearning for!).

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth will be the PERFECT fall (ish) novel for anyone who enjoys graphic horror novels. However; I got twenty percent into the read and while I found the story to be enthralling, I couldn't handle the gore that was discussed and uncovered.

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

Silas is our transmasc autistic protagonist who is desperate to escape from a family who won’t accept him and is thrown into an asylum for “sick” young women. The asylum quickly shows itself to be far from a place of healing as girls start to mysteriously disappear. Silas only has his beloved who believes him and tries to help him escape.

Wowwww wowowow wow. This book is vicious. It doesn’t hold back. It has non-stop medical gore and puts its characters in real life kinds of danger. I think a lot of times horror falls flat for me because the supernatural scary thing ends up not being that terrifying in the end- but this book is truly terrifying because the real terror is what humans are capable of.

Please read the content warnings that the author provides in the book because they are absolutely necessary.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley; all opinions are my own.

I'm struggling to write this review, only because all I want to do is gush about how amazing this book is. I read Andrew Joseph White's debut novel Hell Follows With Us last year, and rated it five stars - but somehow, The Spirit Bares Its Teeth is still leaps and bounds better.

This novel follows Silas, a trans autistic boy in an alternate Victorian era. He's sent to an all girls finishing school/sanatorium/horror show to 'fix' him so that he might bear violet eyed children for a Speaker. In this world, the Speakers can rip open the Veil and commune with the dead. While this is a gothic horror to its bones, the dead are also the least horrifying thing Silas encounters.

This book truly is a gory triumph. It's disgusting, and raw, and vulnerable, and so impactful. If you're familiar with this author's work, you'll already know how viscerally White can write. If you enjoyed Hell Follows With Us, you'll recognize the same themes of queer resilience, community, and anger here. The reclamation of body horror, mixed with a heavy dose of hope. The discomfort, the trauma, and the catharsis by the last page. This is a story about an alternate history Victorian era, but it's also about here and now, and doesn't that just make you ache?

God, I fucking love his work. How am I supposed to review a book that sunk its claws into me as deeply as this one? Honestly, all I can say is this is my favorite read of 2023 thus far, and an easy 5/5 stars. Pay attention to the trigger warnings on this one, but if you can stomach it, this book won't disappoint.

This book was a gory little gem. It did not shy away from describing how people who have historically been seen as "other" or "wrong" have been treated, and the dark history of medicine and misogyny associated with it (although, as the author also acknowledges, this often targeted racial minorities, which is not depicted in this book, and perhaps should have been acknowledged more in the text). This book is righteously angry, and horrifying, but still beautiful.

The book has very beautiful and descriptive prose, in a way that you could almost see and hear the scenes depicted in the book. However, there is quite a lot of gore in the book, so if that is something you cannot stand, I would give this one a skip.

I liked the depiction of spirits as well as the autistic and queer rep in this book a lot. The romance was not that well developed since Silas and Daphne knew each other for only a few days, but I did find it sweet all the same. If I had one criticism, it would be the length. I felt the book could have been a bit shorter with some tighter pacing which I prefer in my horror books, but that is a minor gripe.

This book kept me in utter awe with its every page and a special kind of mood that you can get only after finishing the last pages of a great book. From the beyond beautiful prose to the pacing and the fascinating and extremely graphic scenes of medical operations which the book doesn't shy away from, I immensely enjoyed reading it.

The focus on medicine in particular was a fantastic choice and I loved Silas' relationship with the subject. His character and point of view were always so engaging, from how his inner monologue shifted the story to his interactions with other characters, especially Daphne and the groundskeeper.

This book is gorey and horrifying, as the premise promised, so beware the warning, but I also loved how much love Silas was finally given by Daphne, how their relationship gave them both hope.

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth
by Andrew Joseph White
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

this book feels truly and utterly alive. I’m convinced The Spirit Bares Its Teeth has bones, lungs, a beating heart all it’s own.

reading The Spirit Bares Its Teeth feels like crawling out from the grime and tragedy life buries you in, emerging shaking and bleeding but still breathing. mangled but somehow still whole. it’s tender, angry, and hopeful all in one breathe. it HURTS and is an absolute masterpiece!

I can’t stop thinking about Sila’s journey and all the beauty and pain he experienced. and the unimaginable horrors the girls at the finishing school went through—my heart still aches. then there’s THE WRITING!?! the metaphors, the symbolism, the tragic beautiful prose spoke to my soul.

Silas and Daphne’s love story is so touching. when they first truly met I wept. the way they grew to know and understand each other so deeply makes me emotional.

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth is a brilliant mix of horror/fantasy/historical fiction. it is dark and heavy and so incredibly moving. a harrowing tale full of complex characters whose stories linger long after reading. highly highly recommend🖤

thank you @netgalley and @peachtreeteen for sending me this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a love letter to any queer and neurodivergent people but specifically teenagers. Even while reading the most horrific scenes, it still managed to feel like a warm hug. This, as always with Andrew's writing, was pure perfection.

Honestly, writing a review for a book has never been harder because I have literally nothing to say other than just how amazing it was. I’ve spent the day going back and forth with how to write this review, but I’ve genuinely spent more time messaging my friends that read to get them to buy this book as it is a must read.

The Spirit Bares its Teeth is hands down the best book that I have read this year. There isn’t a single thing that I would change about the writing or the story.

The prose is so eloquent and descriptive that I found it easy to practically smell, feel, and hear the things going on in this story.

This books has absolutely EVERYTHING I could want in a book from the time period, trans representation, autistic representation, plot and prose. So much so that I almost feel like I sat down with Andrew Joseph White, told him what I wanted in a book, and had it personally delivered back to me.

The absolutely trans boy joy this book is giving (even though the struggles are so real and present).

Basically, I needed this book, and you do too, so if you’re looking for your reason to buy it, let this be it.

The Spirit Bares It’s Teeth is Andrew Joseph White’s second novel and I feel like everything that didn’t work for me in his first book was improved upon in this one. While I really enjoyed Hell Followed With Us, there was something about the story itself that didn’t click with me. I loved the characters, the horror, and the lush writing so I knew I needed to read whatever this author came out with next!

This book follows an autistic, trans teenager as he is grappling with his identity in the Victorian era. Silas was such a complex and interesting character to read about. While there are a lot of moments of genuine horror throughout this book, the way Silas is treated and the fear that he has is where the true horror is. This book has a certain level of uncomfortableness to it because, while it is a fictional story, the historical aspect of what it was like to be a trans person during this time is sick and familiar. Despite there being over a hundred years between when this book takes place and now, the transphobia continues.

The writing style White has is so unique and beautiful that I know I will continue to read his books as long as he is writing them. This book is for an upper YA audience and it’s exactly the kind of story I wish I could have read when I was in high school. The dark and gritty atmosphere with the fantastical elements would have really touched my emo heart. That being said, I’m so glad to see books like this coming out today.

The ownvoices representation really shines in this novel. White is a trans author himself and I think this book is a perfect example of how much more impactful stories can be when the main character is a reflection of the author’s own life. I don’t know if White is autistic but I thought the autism representation in this book was so subtle in a way that felt very natural. Some books I have read with autism representation have been a little overboard to the point that the autistic traits felt almost cartoony so I appreciated the way Silas was handled.

I really enjoyed Daphne as a character. I felt like she added a good balance to the story.

I could go on and on about how much I enjoyed this book. I would recommend this to anyone who likes horror and can handle the content. There are a few graphic scenes and I would also say to look into content warnings before picking this up.

Can I be fair and objective with this book? Probably not because I want White's literary voice to have existed in my life 20 years ago when I was a teenager who desperately needed a voice like his even though I didn't know it at the time and I'm so glad that it exists now that I have no words. When I tell you that I literally squealed with delight when my ARC request was approved...

Alright, on with the review. White captures the small daily horrors of the autistic experience as well as the sweeping systemic ones and blends them masterfully with the supernatural, the result is raw, honest, and refreshing. While this book takes place in something akin to the Victorian era its commentary regarding ableism is shockingly and devastatingly timely. The pacing is a rather slow and steady one where the horror deepens through accumulation rather than outright shock. Silas is endearing as all effs and it makes the whole thing even harder to read because you just don't want bad things to be happening to him!

I loved every minute I spent with this book and I'm about to be as annoying with it as I was with Hell Followed With Us, I'd apologize in advance but I'm not actually sorry about it.

Thank you to Peachtree Teen and Netgalley for granting me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Wow, can I just say wow about this book. I was utterly unprepared for how much I was going to love this book when I got it in my Netgalley account. I signed up after reading the summary knowing it was going to be up my alley but I did not know how much I was going to be enthralled and sucked in as much as I was.
There are certainly some graphic scenes so please be aware there are some trigger warnings for some people. The character of Silas is stunning and so well portrayed and I can only imagine the London of 1883 would not have been kind to him, even as we see in this historical fiction perspective.
I love the gothic tones, the themes of horror and hysteria; there is so much that resonates with present day even though the setting takes place in such a backwards time as Victorian London.
Please understand when I say this, this is not a fun read, this is not an easy read but it is so incredibly worth your time to read this book. It is powerful, it is raw, and it does exactly what the title says: The Spirit Bares its Teeth.
I cannot recommend this book more and truly, truly plan to do a YouTube episode on this book very soon. Please read it.

Trigger warnings for The Spirit Bares Its Teeth includes: transphobia, ableism, graphic violence, sexual assault, discussions of forced
pregnancy and miscarriage, mentions of suicidal ideation, and
extensive medical gore.
☆
☆
The dedication in the beginning of this book spoke to me in a way I didn't expect. "For the kids with open wounds they’re still learning to stitch closed." That used to be me, and to a lesser extent still is. Through various things I've been through I've had metaphorical and literal open wounds and I'm still learning how to heal from all of it.
~
Books that contain body horror and gore aren't typically something I'll read, not because I'm squeamish or anything, I just don't tend to like those things in what I read. However, both Hell Followed With Us, and The Spirit Bares Its Teeth are two books I've thoroughly enjoyed which both contain those elements.
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“I can’t follow his train of thought. That’s nothing new; I usually can’t. People have a nasty habit of speaking in non sequiturs and confusing questions that leave me scrambling to follow.”
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"If you were meant to be a boy, you wouldn’t have to fight so hard to prove it."
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Not even halfway through the book there's already quotes I relate to so heavily. Having to fight to prove who I am, both in terms of my autism but also my gender. Not understand nuance of people's tone in comparison to their words, everything.
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“I am just as much a man as my father and brother, just a different kind.” This is something I think a lot of transphobic people fail to see or understand. Transgender people are just as much of their gender as other people, they just aren't quite the same type as others. Trans- as a prefix has been used in science for a very long time, and all it means is on a different side of, the same way cis- as a prefix just means on the same side of.
~
It interests me every time Silas refers to 'the other girls' or uses similar phrases, because he's including himself as one of the girls when he's a boy and he knows it. It almost feels like the way trans males refer to themselves as a girl when they're young is they haven't figured out their boyhood yet.
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I also really relate to what Silas says about the idea of comfort, and how people tell you to show comfort to others. I also feel like it's very performative, and it doesn't come naturally to me to show comfort in that way either. “Maybe that’s why my tutors called me callous and unfeeling.
I’m not. I never was. I just express things differently is all.”
~
As I said earlier in the review, for a book with such themes as this book has, I'm shocked and surprised at how much I related to parts of it, but I also feel like I should've expected that with how much I related to his first book too, what with having transgender and autistic characters in it.
•
Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an ARC copy of this book.

Andrew does it again! Hell Followed With Us prepped me for the gory writing, but The Spirit Bares Its Teeth felt even more emotional, dark, and horrific. The exploration of the Victorian era through the lens of a trans, autistic boy really reveals the misogyny, transphobia, and ableism that is still present in current times. Overall this is an excellent book and I cannot wait for more people to read it!

A brutal, gory medical horror set in an alternate Victorian England about an autistic trans boy who gets forced to go to a all girls finishing school & sanatorium due to him not complying with societies ideals for “woman” Speakers - basically people who can rip open the Veil and summon spirits. As women are not allowed to do this, they are essentially broodmares for the men, birthing new generations of sons.

This was fantastic and heartbreaking and emotional and very gory. It had a lot of body horror and some extremely gruesome scenes but ultimately ends in a satisfactory way.

I really loved the relationship development between Silas and Daphne, it was beautiful to read.

Highly recommend giving this a read but please check content/trigger warnings. The author details these at the beginning of the book.

I loved this book. LOVED it. I had never read anything quite like Hell Followed With Us, but Spirit was even better. White’s voice is so strong and distinctive, and his use of body horror is to illuminate his point is just *kisses fingers.*

Make no mistake—I know HFw/U was too much for some readers, and if you aren’t already a horror reader, PLEASE READ THE CONTENT NOTE. This book is quite dark, and there’s a lot of medical horror in here. That said, I would not call any of it gratuitous. White doesn’t temper his rage about the treatment of marginalized individuals. I was glad to see the note at the end, because all of the body horror is based on actual historical practices, although as he acknowledges, the English upper class would have experienced this far less than other socioeconomic groups.

Anyway…

I loved all of these characters, everyone’s arc is immaculate, and Daphne is such a babe. Touches on some similar material to Mindy McGinnis’s A Madness So Discreet.

I will literally devour any book White writes, and will now be patiently awaiting his next offering. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book as an ARC. Everyone go read it. It’s so good. 😭

This one's a blood-soaked triumph, and I'm here to tell you why it's a 5-star read.

Set in London, 1883, where the Veil between the living and dead has thinned, we follow sixteen-year-old Silas Bell, a trans, autistic protagonist who's fighting against an arranged marriage and a society that wants to force him into conformity. Diagnosed with Veil sickness, Silas is sent to Braxton's Finishing School and Sanitorium, where the ghosts of missing students beg for his help.

This book is dark, y'all, but in the best way possible. It's a gothic horror that cuts like a scalpel and reads like your darkest nightmare. The historical setting is rich and atmospheric, and the LGBTQIAP+ representation is both powerful and authentic.

White's writing is unapologetic and fearless, exposing the violence of the patriarchy and the harm inflicted on trans youth. The plot is a rollercoaster of emotions, filled with suspense, intrigue, and a touch of the supernatural.

What I loved most about this book is how it blends horror with a poignant message. It's not just a scary story; it's a battle cry against conformity and a celebration of individuality.

So, if you're in the mood for something dark, thrilling, and utterly captivating, "The Spirit Bares Its Teeth" is your ticket. It's a must-read for horror fans and anyone looking for a story that's unafraid to bare its teeth. 5 thrilling stars, and here's to many more reads like this one!

A big thanks to NetGalley and Peachtree Books for the chance to read this ARC!

Oh my gosh, I love this book! Loved, loved, loved! It's been a while since I've felt this strongly about a book and I am so so happy it's this book. Andrew Joseph White has done it again, and this one is even better than Hell Followed With Us, in my opinion.

I loved Silas as a character and very much related to the rabbit in his brain that tells him how to act, how to interpret others' actions, etc. The second-guessing of all the social expectations and situations was on point. The characterization of Silas as Autistic was so perfect for me, and it fits well into the story without taking too much away from other major conflicts and plot points.

George's character was so well done, I was gut-punched by what happened in the end. The solution to the mystery of Braxton’s Finishing School and Sanitorium was so much worse than anything I could've expected and I really felt for the girls and women stuck at the school the entire time. And while I suspected something was wrong, the twist with Silas's engagement left me shocked and enraged. This book is the first one in a while that has truly inspired some deep-seated hatred of the villains in the story. To that end, White did a fantastic job eliciting that response in his readers.

I think my only wish was that we could've seen more of Daphne's character and home life. I really enjoyed her and Silas' interactions, but they were always marred by the looming threat of the school. It's not that the book isn't perfect, it's that I need MORE, ok? Haha, I'm sure many book nerds can understand my plight.

Finally, I just want to say that when I read the acknowledgments and saw that White had been working on The Spirit Bares Its Teeth for a while, during which he published Hell Followed With Us, I could tell because so much work was put into this book. I can feel the blood, sweat, and tears that went into making this book as good as it is and I am so appreciative. White is officially a favorite author of mine, I will extoll his works to anyone who will listen and I will buy every book he comes out with. I just heard that a new book for 2024 was announced called Compound Fractures and I'm super excited!

First I want to thank Netgalley and Peachtree Teen for giving me access to an arc copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth is one of my favorite books of the year by one of my new favorite authors. There are some definite trigger warnings as there is a lot of surgical detail and physical assault. As long as those aren’t things that will ruin your experience please continue to read on.

Silas is his real name, but his parents still call him Gloria. They don’t know his real name or that all he wants in life is to become a surgeon and help people like himself. Their only plans for his future is to find a rich sutor who will look past his socially awkward behavior in favor of his purple eyes and the power that comes with them.

TSBIT is set in an alternate history Victorian England where the veil between the living and the dead has thinned and a subset of the population, all born with purple eyes, can open the thin membrane that separates our worlds. Silas was born into a society that has restricted the use of such powers to a fraternity of men who are deemed worthy, or wealthy, enough to become Speakers. Most people look at Silas and only see the young lady that his parents and tutors have tried to force him to become, and only value him for his potential to have a son born with those same violet eyes. After one terrible night Silas is caught passing for a boy and is sent to a sanitarium for “girls” like him whose magical eyes are making them “sick”.

This story creeped me out, but in the best of ways. Silas is a character that is impossible to look away from. I started this book while I was in the middle of a couple of other projects, but once I got to about the halfway point I had to put everything else down to get to the end. Given the setting I did expect there to be a lot more ghosts and ghouls playing into the story, but Silas has very little interest in the veil, possibly because of how much pain the speakers have put him through since childhood, and would rather focus on learning everything there is to know about human anatomy. There is a lot of medical horror that pops up and there is an obvious undertone that the people, mostly men, in Silas’ world are scarier than the ghosts that lie just beyond normal reach.

I can’t say that the book is perfect in every way, but I had a great time reading it and I would definitely recommend it to any fans of LGBTQ+ fiction and with a high tolerance for blood and bodily functions. Then if you like this one check out Andrew Joseph White’s first book Hell Followed With Us as that was another amazing horror story.