This was an absolutely amazing read and I loved every page of it. It gave an insightful look inside a trans womans mind. Beautiful imagery.

I first picked up Andrew Joseph White's Hell Followed With Us on release day because of his videos promoting it. It was honestly one of the best decisions I have ever made, and I absolutely devoured the book. So when he announced this book (and also Compound Fracture!) I RAN to get my preorder in (and subsequently request an ARC).

If you enjoyed Hell Followed With Us, if you want horror novels that take place in Victorian England with LGBT+ and autistic characters, and most importantly, if you want to feel disgusted to your core, this is the book for you.

Something I really love about White's books are the letters at the beginning that give a little taste of the book and provide content warnings. Not only are the content warnings extremely valuable in helping readers decide if the book will contain any triggering topics for them, but White presents them in such a caring and reassuring way. He emphasizes the importance of taking care of yourself and that it is okay to walk away if it is too much. I will also say, please do heed his warnings because this is, in many ways, one of the most disturbing books I've read.

The book follows violet-eyed teen Silas Bell as a failed attempt to join the Royal Speaker Society (an upper class, white male society who control spirit work) traps Silas in an unwanted engagement and imprisons him in a Finishing School/Sanitorium that "cures" women of veil sickness (an alleged affliction that drives women who dare mess with spirits mad). Except, Silas is not sick, and there is something sinister at the school.

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth has ghosts, medical/body horror, and so much more that will make you sick to your stomach (intentionally so). At times reminding me of the ghost children in Coraline and the absolute horror that is being trapped in an asylum like in American Horror Story: Asylum, this book goes all in and was an absolute disturbing delight.

This book was not fun, it was not happy, but god was it good. As a cis woman, I still found myself relating to a lot of Silas' thoughts about wo/manhood, masculinity, and femininity. The depictions of autism in this were also incredibly validating and made me smile despite it absolutely not being something to smile at. It handles misogyny and female hysteria/rage so poignantly and makes you seethe at the indignity of it all.

The whole book is icky. It made me uncomfortable, and itchy, and squeamish, and shy. But it also made me feel so seen and loved and nurtured for who I am and who I will never be, and made me feel like that's okay. As an adult, I feel like I've more or less come to accept my flaws for what they are, but it made me feel so vindicated that I was never Wrong, they just didn't know how to handle the things that didn't fit right.

TW for sexual assault, sexual harassment, transphobia, ableism, misogyny, pedophilia, gore (eye-related and the rest), abortion, parental abuse

Prepare to be entranced by the exhilarating world of "The Spirit Bares Its Teeth" by Andrew Joseph White! This mesmerising gothic horror/fantasy novel transports you to the captivating and tumultuous Victorian Era. Brace yourself for this is a thrilling journey filled with mystery, supernatural phenomena, and societal intrigue. If you like you gothic fantasy/horror, it won’t disappoint!

White's impeccable research sets the stage for a historical and fantastical adventure. Our courageous protagonist, Silas, defies societal norms as a person born biologically female but identifying as male. He is inspired by James Barry (a high-ranking military surgeon who improved conditions for the poor and sick all his life—and when he died, it was discovered by a nurse that he’d been biologically female).

Silas has unique abilities like violet eyes and the power to summon spirits, which also challenges the restrictive rules governing spirit-work imposed by the Speaker Act of 1841. Their story takes on added layers as they navigate societal expectations, medical experimentations, and yearn to be recognised for who they truly are.

"The Spirit Bares Its Teeth" delves deep into the oppressive gender roles and lack of understanding prevalent in Victorian society. Women of the era were confined to marriage, child-rearing, and household duties, with any deviations leading to medical institutions created solely to control their autonomy. The novel cleverly taps into the supernatural, horror, and taboo topics that enthralled the subversive subculture of the time.

This is going to be a reading experience that awakens all your senses. Andrew Joseph White doesn't shy away from vivid and blood-soaked shocking descriptions. Through the gripping plot, we also witness the systemic injustices faced by racial minorities in the face of medical experimentation.

Silas's determination to become a doctor and their involvement in a suspenseful Gothic mystery adds another layer of intrigue to the story. As they join forces with a group of diverse girls at Braxton, one of ‘those’ medical institutions, where they are sent, a series of mysterious disappearances sets the stage for an adrenaline-fuelled quest. What ensues is a rollercoaster ride of gore, surprises, and soul-searching as Silas and their companions delve into the unknown, challenging the boundaries of personal identity, societal constraints, and the limits of medical science.

"The Spirit Bares Its Teeth" is an atmospheric journey, whisking readers away to the hidden secrets and profound themes of Victorian England. White's masterful storytelling transports you to a time and place where the supernatural and the intricate web of societal intrigue reign supreme. This is a spine-chilling thrill, an unforgettable adventure that will resonate long after you turn the final page.

Wow wow wow this book. Andrew Joseph White is so incredibly talented, and after reading this and his first book, he has become an insta buy author for me!

This book is raw, full of rage, horror, and love, and acceptance, romance, and found family. It tore me open and Silas sewed me back up. I couldn't put it down, I read it in one day.

I still can't get my thoughts in order, I just know I loved this book, and honestly can not think of a single thing I didn't like about it. It was brilliant, if you loved Hell Followed with us, you'll love this too!

Thank you NetGalley and Peachtree for the ARC!!

This book was DEEP - and it had it all.

Supernatural fantasy? Check.
Inclusive characters? Check.
Historical time period? Check.
Romance? Check.
Dark and twisty? Check.

Definitely not for the faint of heart, take the authors note at the beginning of the book seriously but it was such a good read!

WOW.

This is beautiful and horrible and emotional and I loved it.

I'm not a horror person, never have been, but this book just sucked me in from the synopsis. This is not an easy read, and I really do suggest trigger warnings, but WOW was it good. The writing was beautiful, gory and lyrical all at once.

I've always been interested in necromancy as a magic system in books, and the concept of the Veil and how it was incorporated into the Victorian setting was so interesting. At first I kind of wished to have a more in-depth understanding of the Speaker society, but reading on in Silas's head and seeing how he and other AFAB violet-eyed people are pushed down and treated like both ticking time bombs and objects for the men to use, never knowing what the Speakers are truly doing, it added to both the literal horror and the horror of this society.

I loved Silas from the get go, and seeing the pain he went through was almost painful to read. Throughout his time at Braxton's, I really felt for all the 'patients' (or, more accurately, prisoners) there, and I appreciate that none of them were demonised for just wanting to survive the day. I even loved Mary by the end (and I really want to know what happened between her and Frances). I loved Daphne and her relationship with Silas, and for all that I hated George, I was still hoping until the end that he was truly a good brother, for Silas's sake.

I don't even think I can fully talk about all the themes present. I loved how, despite all his hardships, Silas was truly secure in his identity and never let anyone take that away from him. I loved the autistic rep, and as an autistic person I really related to so many of the things Silas felt (the restlessness, how overwhelming feelings can be, hating certain fabrics or textures). I know it wasn't historically accurate, but watching Silas be accepted for who he is was really heartwarming.

Of course, this is still a horror novel, and damn does it deliver. The descriptions were visceral and clinical at the same time, so unique to Silas and his way of thinking. His surgical knowledge threw me off at first, but as it got into the meat of what Braxton's is, it really helped set the atmosphere. I grew so attached to almost everyone that I desperately hoped they'd all be alright, even though I knew logically that it's a horror and that's not how it works, and the antagonists disgusted me so much I wanted them to die in a fiery pit.

Overall, this was absolutely incredible, and if I can I definitely want to get a physical copy.

3.5 stars

<b><i>if we still had the fingers to take out their eyes we would feast on them like witches</i></b>

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth is a mean little fantastical horror novel set in the 1800s. In it, we follow Silas, an autistic transgender boy as he gets shipped away to Braxton's Sanitorium and Finishing School because he gets diagnosed with this mysterious disease called the Veil sickness.

Mediums - recognisable because of their violet eyes - are able to pull back the Veil and communicate with spirits on the other side. But only women-mediums succumb to this mysterious disease, sending them into madness.

<b><i>Do you know how angry the dead can be?</i></b>

I absolutely loved a lot about this book. I loved the parallels the author drew between this Veil sickness and "female hysteria". I loved the trans representation (I mean, a trans girl and trans boy romance!? Yes!). I loved Silas' interest in surgery. It's mean, it's horrific, and it made me very angry. Which are all good things, I promise. It took a little while for me to get really into this story, but once it got me, it got me good. It's not an easy read, and it wasn't meant to be an easy read, but it's pretty darn great. The characters were great (both Daphne and Silas were amazing characters to read about) and I loved the autism representation too.

<b><i>They must have convinced themselves they would never rot in the same dirt we do.</i></b>

The thing I mostly missed is world building. One of the things that made it a little difficult to get into the story was the barely-there world building. Once you get into the story and Silas takes you by the hand, you kind of ignore the speculative element of it. So, yes, you get to immerse yourself into in this period of time where gender roles are violently enforced and psychiatry is a tool for oppression. But there was definitely something missing. I wanted more. I wanted to know more about this Veil, how it works, how did this Speaker Society came to be, and dammit, I wanted to know more about the groundskeeper.

<b><i>Mors vincit omnia</i></b>

While I absolutely loved the themes it explored, the story definitely missed the mark for me every once in a while, especially in the world building/speculative department. Having said that, I think it's going to be a great and affirming reading experience for transgender people. Even though it doesn't really focus on trans joy, it has amazing heart: you are enough, you are not broken, you don't have any missing pieces. You are perfect, no matter what the world tries to tells you. And yes, you will find your people, even in the most unlikely places.

<i>Thanks to Peachtree Teen and Netgalley for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

I don't even know where to begin with this one. I expected to be horrified (the c-section scene was brutal) but I was taken by surprised how much I was moved by the main character and the overall story. The autism rep is done so wonderfully in this.

I (clap) HAVE (clap) NO (clap) WORDS (clap)

What an amazing book! I hate reading books that make me emotionally broken but this kind of broken is the one that makes you appreciate every single word you read. To me it was like walking with Silas hand by hand in every step he took. I honestly believe this book is one everyone should read, it will honestly stay with you forever. London 1882 with super natural/spooky/gothic/feminist vibes? YES PLEASE!
Do yourself a favor and pre-order this book. I really recommend checking out the trigger warnings first.
As for me I will be purchasing a physical copy because of how special it is.
BRAVO Andrew amazing world building and story!

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth was equal parts gut wrenching, achingly beautiful, and terrifying. The main character Silas is perfectly written. The trans and autism representation was handled amazingly by Andrew Joseph White, and is beautiful in a way that only someone who feels similar things can convey. Showing all the emotions and under-the-surface feelings of a character can be tough, especially when the character is as complex as Silas, but through metaphor and gorgeous prose the message is conveyed beautifully. The setting of this book was also amazing and very well researched and thought-out. The Victorian setting lent well to the horror side of this book and mixed fantasy with medical experimentation that happened in real life. This book is not for the faint of heart and I would STRONGLY suggest everyone read the trigger warnings before reading. The Spirit Bares Its Teeth is easily a five star book for me and one of my favorite reads of the year thus far. If you want a book that is capable of making you grin like a maniac and also scare you enough to turn the light on, this book is for you.

I really want to say I loved this book, I certainly felt a massive connection to the characters and god I did love the storyline, but the pacing really fell short. I felt like nothing happened at a speed that made sense, the first hundred pages just felt like the story was going nowhere. The last hundred pages were probably paced the best, but the ending also fell short, I wanted a bit more, just something else to explain what was going on, it was the only time that i felt the story was moving too quickly. However, I think this story has such amazing representation, my heart melted at Silas and Daphne finding each other, and in Silas connecting with the gardener. The magic in this book was devastating, but i felt that it was so accurate to the story and the time period. This book definitely transported me into another time, and i definitely formed a connection with all of the girls in the story and I think their story was an important one to be told. This book covered an amazing bout of history and I'll definitely recommend it to other people because it has everything a story needs to be fallen in love with, it just didn’t hit the mark with me.

Thrilled to see trans rep. Unfortunately how contemporary and American the writing was made it quite difficult to suspend disbelief that this could be set in Victorian England.

Absolutely breathtaking, as in it will reach out and steal your breath away until you’re gasping and pleading for air.

This book is absolutely not for the faint of heart and there are some very severe triggers, but if you want to challenge the way you view gender and the horror genre this is an amazing book to do so with. Andrew Joseph White grabbed me with his first book and this book has me coming back for more and more and more. We absolutely need more representation like this of queer, genderqueer, and trans characters and authors and I will be recommending this book to all of my friends.

this book reads like a nightmare you can't stop thinking about, it follows you even when you're awake and doesn't give you a single moment of clarity. andrew joseph white's writing is so horrifyingly surreal, I can't believe his book(s) aren't being talked about more.

'the spirit bares its teeth' is full of themes that I don't see very often in the YA genre, specifically gore at this level, but everything works so well. from the trans and autistic rep to the historical aspects of the victorian era, AJW strings it all together in a way that would be immensely eye opening for a young adult. the representation throughout this book is extraordinary, I'm not trans or autistic but reading about characters who are and to see their point of view in such a raw way still taught me a lot about their experiences. when it comes to the gory aspects of this book, I loved it. I'm such a sucker for anything horror and gory in film, but it's hard to find a book that does it well on a page and AJW does it perfectly! I felt like I was watching everything happen in front of me (I won't go into detail, but just know that it can be a lot in a few scenes). I got the chills, I even teared up a few times and I had to put the book down for a few minutes to think "noooo way did I just read that"

ever since reading 'hell followed with us' I've been such a fan of AJW's writing and ability to take stories like these and refuse to sugarcoat a single thing about them. these stories are honest and brutally horrific, but that's what makes them GOOD and completely unforgettable.

*Thank you so much to NetGalley and Holiday House / Peachtree / Pixel+Ink / Peachtree Teen for sending me an ARC of this novel in exchange of an honest review!!*

A warning before anyone picks up this novel, there are plenty of trigger warnings: transphobia, ableism, physical assault, sexual assault (discussed and heavily implied), gore, surgical procedures (depicted and discussed), pregnancy and miscarriage discussed, etc. Keep these themes in mind before reading, and take Andrew Joseph White's advice to take a break when needed.

With that all said, this is one of the best novels I've read halfway into the year, hands down.

A brutal horror YA novel, Silas' story is not a pleasant one. He's an autistic trans boy in the 1880s being set up to being the perfect Speaker wife and having to deal with violet eyes he didn't want - violet eyes associated with mediums and the Veil. On top of that, he ends up getting sent to Braxton’s Sanitorium and Finishing School to treat "Veil's Madness", surrounded by other girls in need of "being cured". It certainly doesn't help when there ends up being the ghosts of missing students beg him for help, leading him into solving the mystery as to what happened to those missing girls. With unexpected allies at his side as well as a handful of foes to deal with, he faces many horrors along the way - much of them more real than we could imagine.

I enjoyed Hell Followed With Us, and it was the same case with The Spirit Bares Its Teeth. A protagonist we can root for and sympathize with, along with other complex characters to make up the supporting cast, we get the feelings of dread from the setting and plot points. In addition, we get a vivid image of the settings, the descriptions of the characters' appearance and the feelings the characters go through. Also, the story knows when to convey a sweet moment or two - if you know, you know.

Please pick up this novel when it comes out.

got this arc from netgalley, thanks!

all the content warnings. death, abusive parents, abusive teachers, gore, pregnancy, queerphobia, brainwashed pick me's but it's 1881, literally anything you can think of if it's traumatising you will find it here.

this book tries extremely hard to be a take on misogyny and eugenics. it kind of manages that. clunkily. it is extremely exhausting to have the endless bigotry thrown in your face, and unfortunately the book didn't manage to actually get its message across, because it was too busy forcing sexism and a teenager with weirdly modern sensibilities down my throat. i think this story could have been extremely compelling. but it was not. read on to learn why! (kind of poorly formatted list shape)

i really liked daphne! she was cool. loved her confidence and her belief in what was right and all that. good character give me more please.
the whole ghost system was pretty cool too except we spent so much time railing against the endless bigotry and oppression that it didn't get the time it should have. for shame.

i liked silas as a character, but i never understood his modern understandings and opinions. he was raised in an extremely sheltered (and abusive) environment where he was only exposed to colonial and imperialistic understandings of the world. while i did like that he already knew that all that was wrong at the beginning of the book, the way he phrased it all was so fucking modern it didn't make any sense at all. also, silas is ridiculous about corsets. i get why he personally doesn't like them for himself. that bit makes sense. BUT, a properly fitted corset does not move organs out of shape or deform the body or any of that nonsense and it is patriarchal myths that perpetuate that misunderstanding. this book, and silas, use corsetry as shorthand for the oppression of women and female-presenting people, which is lazy, inaccurate, and boring. do better. also, corsetry changed throughout the time it was used and saying it was meant to accentuate every curve or whatever is not accurate? it was also about smoothing and chest and back support and the silhouette changed dramatically throughout even just the last quarter of the 19th century.
there are actually lots of ways that this book pretends to be historical but just isn't (i am aware that this is a fantasy novel). it was so divorced from historical reality as to make putting it in england a waste of time. just make up a world! then you don't have to pretend to have done research! one thing that kept sticking out to me in this front is the lack of understanding about titles. if a man is viscount luckenbill, his last name is not also luckenbill. title and name are separate. it should be lord (first-name last-name), viscount luckenbill. supposedly this book takes place in 1881, and from my very short (and possibly incorrect) research, the first mention of the "husband stitch" was in 1885.
i don't know why we ever needed to learn silas' deadname, or possibly even daphne's. however, i am not trans so i am ready and willing to be wrong on that front. it just didn't feel to me like it added anything and it could have been easily written around.
it extremely pissed me off that george spoiler>was bad</spoiler>. it didn't serve a purpose other than to make silas even more alone in the world. story-wise, it wasn't helpful. it didn't move any thing along other than my disgust for this book.
i couldn't tell the girls at the school apart for most of it. sorry, i just couldn't. too many names, not enough personality traits. what's a girl (me) to do.
medical matters-wise. "running stitch" is definitely not the one to use on a body. prove to me you don't know anything about sewing or getting stitches without actually saying so. i looked it up, and continuous stitches are used on people. but i doubt they are the same as a running stitch, which is specific and not suited (as far as i can tell) to skin.
silas LOVES to explain his bisexuality by adding on bits and pieces about how he loves women different from how everyone else because he doesn't want to just control them. yawn. if this kid is so exposed to modern sensibilities how has he not met a single nice man before? like, good people weren't an invention of the twenty first century my dude.
silas basically fixated on daphne immediately and its just like... dude do you really need to fall in love with the first person who is nice to you? isn't that a little boring of you? especially since i don't get why they were so in love. it was great they had stuff in common and teamed up to fight the big bad! good for them! not a good basis for a relationship though, unfortunately. also i hate any character who is all like "i never saw the point of kissing but then you kissed me and now it's my favourite" jesus christ let people not want to kiss it isn't the end of the world.
can we stop making the teenagers pregnant. pretty please. also it extremely annoyed me when silas was like "oh she fell down a flight of stairs and put her arms around her belly so she must be pregnant" no she FELL DOWN A FLIGHT OF STAIRS SO HER BODY IS OUCHY SERIOUSLY but then she was pregnant so i was a) proved wrong and b) really fucking mad.

anyways. if you want blunt force trauma in the shape of a book go ahead but i would not recommend

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Holiday House/Peachtree/Pixel+Ink/Peachtree Teen for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
–

Trigger Warnings:
- Transphobia
- Ableism
- Sexual assault
- Gore; medical gore; explicit mentions of performing a cesarean section and removing the uterus
- Pregnancy
- Miscarriage
- Violence

–

“There’s a difference between weakness and survival.”

This book is a wonder. It’s bloody, and violent, and freeing. It lets you be yourself, guts and all, and doesn’t shy away from honesty and being true to oneself.

Our main character Silas (“Gloria”) is trapped by convention to be nothing more than a wife to produce (male) children. Despite his interest in anatomy and becoming a surgeon, and absolutely no interest in being a wife or a woman at all. However, when he tries to break away from the life forced on him, he’s caught and sent to a kind of finishing school to turn “women” like him into perfect wives - or else. This is a great setting for a gothic horror. Our main character is trapped, with no or very few allies, and must do whatever he can to save himself before it’s too late.

The society clearly takes its inspiration from the spiritualist movement of the early 1800s. (I personally just want to mention this because this era is so fascinating to me, and I almost love every novel I’ve read that takes direct inspiration from it.) I thought it was interesting that originally women were the ones doing the medium work, but once it was discovered how to use the power for war and money women were banned from doing it - or risk becoming ill. And this begs the question - is this “Veil-sickness” real, or is it manufactured to ensure compliance?

–

I thought the worldbuilding for the setting was phenomenal - it’s not just simply info-dumping at us. Concepts that we learn more about as the novel progresses - the importance of the purple eye color, the existence of ghosts and mediums, the society controlling the use of contacting spirits - are casually brought up with the understanding that the person being talked to understands it already. Personally, I much prefer this type of worldbuilding, as I don’t like it when it gets to “anime-conversation” style, where I’m being explicitly explained concepts that, by all means, the character should already know. It’s much more natural to piece together the information we’re given, and to discover the whole picture more naturally.

We aren’t told until a conversation with his brother that our main character is even a trans man who secretly goes by the name Silas, which I thought was a nice change of pace to some books just Telling you. In the same way we’re told how the main character is autistic, simply by his reactions, his brother’s help, and how he reacts and thinks. It’s entirely naturally built into the character, and nothing feels manufactured.

The inner voice of the character - constantly mocking him, telling him to shut up, to behave, etc - being internally seen as a rabbit was an interesting choice. I felt it had a lot of symbolism, in the fact that we typically see rabbits as cute and nonthreatening, and yet the things it is saying to Silas are cruel. I thought it served as a nice mirror to the idea of their society “protecting” women (or anyone it deems to be women) by forcing them to be small and meek, and this being seen as a positive due to them being “the weaker sex.”

There’s also really well-done tension with the characters that Silas meets, where even when nothing is explicitly going wrong at that moment, you pick up on something being off. There were multiple characters that we met at the beginning who had some mildly reddish flags popping up for them, but otherwise were benign. But then, as the novel progressed, these issues became more pronounced until by the end you were almost expecting their heel-turn, but you were hoping the entire time you were wrong about it.

–

This novel ties together a lot of concepts and ideas extremely well, kept me hooked until the last page and even wincing at times. I highly recommend this book.

The synopsis for this book sounded wildly intriguing to me, but in the end, I wish more the spiritualism aspect would have been explored with more nuance. There was a whole lot of telling and not a lot of showing which I think was a missed opportunity.

That was also a problem for me in the area of character development. While each of the many characters were distinctive, none were very fleshed out feeling. I went along because I knew who I was supposed to view as the goodies and badies, but
I didn't feel truly invested in anyone.

This was a very quick read, and, again, the idea of combining the supernatural realm of spirits with Victorian, patriarchal ideology was really cool. I just wish the end product felt less forced.

I did VERY MUCH appreciate the content warnings that the author included in the beginning of this book. It is very dark and gore-filled, and I appreciated knowing that going in.

I did DNF this book it was too slow for me I would pick it up and just put it down ten seconds later I don't know if it was because it was YA and I mostly read adult. The ideas were there but the pacing of the writing just did not keep me interested. I did find the characters a little service based.