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*

So freaking good!! This made me feel physically ill multiple times, the body horror was woven right into the writing. I also loved the autism and trans rep in this (obviously), it felt really genuine and fleshed out throughout the book. Sometimes I felt the language used around it was not super historically accurate, and a bit too matter-of-fact, but mostly only at the start. I would've loved to see more happy moments and domesticity between Daphne and Silas (maybe in the next book), like please let these queers get some peace and happiness. Overall, made me mad, grossed out, sad, hopeful, and at the end left me bittersweet.

I was not a huge fan of this book. While it had a good setting and I appreciated the gothic vibes within the story, I thought the characters fell a bit flat. I would check out more from this author in the future though!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for this eARC

I am blown away, Andrew Joseph White has written something I don’t know I’ll ever recover from. This was my first time reading YA Horror and I don’t know if anything will top it. From the pacing to the characters I am in utter awe. With teeth bared I devoured this book. From the moment this book began I knew I was in for a ride. The ominous black pages and the stunning prose ensnared me. The cold open about the dissection, not to be confused with a vivisection, was haunting and instantly I knew I needed more. The terror that follows you through the book is palpable and horrific. I loved it! Daphne and Silas are so darling, they truly deserve the best. The foundation of this book was Silas and the relationships or lack of relationships he had. And how we got to see him present to certain people as his true self, allowing for him to flourish. He was such an easy character to root for his determination and desire to help others even when the world had been extensively cruel to him was inspiring. He deserves to want good things for himself. I could read about their daily lives over and over. Here’s to hoping for a sequel! I can’t get enough of this!!!

One possible spelling error, on page 71 bottom half of the second paragraph the word gir is used likely supposed to be girl?

mr. andrew you've done it again

i read hell followed with us on a whim when it first released last year, after being immediately pulled in by its stunning cover. now, almost a year later, i've read andrew joseph white's second novel, and i have to say: i somehow like it even better than hell followed.

so tense! so atmospheric! so terribly sad! yet at the same time, it managed to make me feel both immensely seen and hopeful, both as a trans person and an autistic person. the way silas discusses his autism and anxiety resonated with me in ways i hadn't thought possible. also he and his love interest daphne are completely adorable and i loved everything about their relationship.

if the gore/body horror in hell followed was too much for you, spirirt should be easier to stomach depending on your taste for medical horror. obviously read the tw's, but if you think you can handle it, please give this book a read when you can. it is nothing less than excellent. 

thank you to andrew joseph white, peachtree teen, and netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

e-arc provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review

"if a dead girl prays to god can he hear her?"

i had to sit on this review for two weeks and i'm still lost for words. what can be said about a story so all-encompassing?

there is something terrible going on in england. people are born with violet eyes and the power to see through the veil that separates the living from the dead. for men, this means power and influence. for women, this is as good as a death sentence.

i won't spoil too much. this is a book you need to go into blind. if detailed descriptions of surgery are not your thing, this book might not be for you, but everything is written in a way that makes you see even the gnarliest of operations as beautiful and complex, the way our protagonist does.

we follow silas, our violet-eyed trans boy protagonist, as he is forcibly shipped off to a sanatorium for girls suffering from veil sickness, a mysterious illness that only seems to befall disobedient girls. but even in a place as quiet as that, the dead do not rest.

something is terribly wrong. something is terribly wrong, and silas will not rest until the injustice is uncovered.

(it should be noted that this book contains graphic scenes, body horror, and explicit depictions of violence, which may not be suitable for all readers. please be sure to check the trigger warnings.)

Rating: 3.5/5 (rounding to 4)
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White is a horror novel set in London, 1883. The story revolves around Silas Bell, who finds himself trapped in a society that enforces patriarchal standards and subjects individuals to gruesome medical practices. It has a strong focus on the exploration of gender identity, societal oppression, gender roles, and the mistreatment of women.

One of the book's strengths lies in its characters, particularly Silas, who is a remarkably well-written character you will root for. White's portrayal of Silas's experiences sheds light on the struggles faced by those who do not fit society's narrow definitions of normality and serves as a rallying cry for empowerment. The supporting characters also add depth and nuance to the narrative.

While I really enjoyed the book, I wish that it delved deeper into the Speaker society and the Veil. Having more context and explanation would ground and enhance the depiction of the setting and society.

Andrew Joseph White's skillful storytelling and compelling characters make for an engaging and unputdownable reading experience. If you are drawn to dark historical paranormal tales that challenge societal norms, this book is a recommended choice.

Thank you to Holiday House / Peachtree / Pixel+Ink for a digital ARC of this book.

i never thought id say my favourite scene from a book was an incredibly graphic c-section but wow turns out my favourite scene in this book was an incredibly graphic c-section. this was a horror novel to its CORE and i loved every second of it. authors who are desperate for representation for themselves always do the best rep, and our autistic trans mc was a prime example of that. the writing made me feel so seen which really shouldn't have been that unexpected as it was, because horror is one of the best mediums for exploring the themes of grief and guilt and forcing people into boxes that they should never have been in in the first place.

and i wasn't even that bothered by the instalove between silas and daphne, which is usually my biggest hatred in books, because for the first time maybe ever in a book, the instalove had a really valid reason for being instalove!!! huge win!!!! t4t romances u have my heart <3

the only issue i had with this book was the inconsistency of the pacing especially around the school scenes. there was a bit of a struggle to build realistic tension between the students for me in the early half through the lessons and their education, because a lot of the time was just glossed over and the amount of time that passed wasn't really explained, but the second half made up for that quite well.

the book is set up really nicely at the end for a sequel, but resolved enough that i could be happy with just this. a really fantastic read.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for providing me an e-ARC for this book in exchange for an honest review.

WHAT A WONDERFUL AND EERIE EXPERIENCE!

I am not gonna lie, when I first read the book's description, I am intimidated at how I think this book would be such a gory read (spoiler: it is). But is it strange to be so drawn into this book after reading the author's note? In the author's note, he reminds the reader the trigger warning and that it's okay to not continuing the story and he reminds the rest that the story is not justifying the real history.

"True history is often much heartbreaking than any horror novel can depict."

I enjoyed reading this book despite its heavy topic and explicit body horror and transphobic slur mentioned throughout the book. To be honest, I don't know words how to describe how eerie it is when I read this book. The strange things happening, the horror I felt, the gory details of ripping out someone's body... I couldn't believe myself I could go through all of this. Sometimes I have to take a break because of how graphic it is, tho. But something in it is making me drawn over and over again.

The way the characterizations feel so alive and real. All of the characters, I feel like, all have purposes and not just a mere 'character' filled for the plot. The world building is not that easy but simple enough to grasp what's going on. The veil sickness mentioned is portrayed as women that do not fit into the ideal category of how women should behave in society and it's ok to 'use' them as an experimental object.

It's so disheartening to read and think that there are marginalized people, or people that are considered odd to have to go through dehumanization process for societal experiment or similar to it. The romance in this book is a good little touch that refreshing through all of the dark things that going on.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy.
This book was atmospheric and extremely heart wrenching to read as the story goes on. It deals with all the trauma that autism and mental illness can bring, as well as identity searching. I really loved it, such a beautiful story that left a deep impression.

This beautiful, heart wrenching, and oddly calming book spent 381 pages burrowing into my chest and I wouldn’t have it any other way. To steal a metaphor from Silas, the main character, reading this book felt like the first tug on a knot my muscles have never learned to let go. Painful at times, brimming with tears, but healing in a way I never thought possible. An historical horror book filled with fear and rage that follows Silas, an autistic trans man. Silas is like me and he gets to find people like him in the horrible world he is forced to try to survive in. And he does survive. And I am surviving. I could fill my own 381 page book with notes about how and in what way this book means the world to me but I think you should probably just read it yourself. If you are trans, if you are queer, if you are neurodivergent, if you have ever felt like a means for someone else to experiment, then I highly suggest reading this book because you will feel reflected in a way you never have before. And if you ever want to be an ally to me, then this is required reading because even though I do not have the same experiences as Silas, I do have the same pain for the same reasons. This book truly did rip me open before sewing me back up with a brand new sense of hope and love.

This book is an extremely hard read however it was an amazing read. Well researched for the time period and great representation of autism spectrum disorder. Highly recommend this book however read authors notes on triggers if you need them

The Spirit Bares its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White horrifying and disgusting and I loved every minute of it. This was one of my favorite books thos year.

Set in an alternative Victorian era Englad where the veil between our world and the spirit world can be pierced, Silas would do anything to avoid an arranged marriage. And when he does get out of it, he is locked away and diagnosed with Veil sickness. And because no one sees him as the boy he is, he locked up with girls also diagnosed with Veil sickness at what is supposed to be a finishing school. But something dark is happening at the school.

Content warnings for this book should definitely be heeded.

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth was a fantastic read. Horror is not my normal genre, so I wasn't entirely sure what I was in for going into this book--seriously, check the trigger warnings before diving in--but I took away so much more than I was expecting.

Silas is such a well-crafted protagonist, and my heart ached for him as he struggled against the barriers Victorian society set for him. I felt his internal struggles and his anger at the world, and he is a perfect lens for viewing the ways that misogyny, transphobia, and ableism take root and perpetuate in society.

So while there are plenty of gore and ghosts in this novel, it is clear that the real horror in the story comes from the patriarchy. The violence that Silas and the others faced at Braxton's, as well as the love that formed in spite of it, were incredibly visceral and felt well-earned. I also appreciate that whether characters perpetrated that violence or were indifferent to it, the book condemns them all the same. This book was honest and brutal, and I know I'll be thinking about it for a while.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers

Once again White has written a horror novel that rocks you to the core. I enjoyed the story of Silas and this historical gothic story of suppression of women and transgender characters. Lots of trigger warnings as well. White doesn’t shy away from intense subjects that are weaved through out this story.

Mors vincit omnia. Death conquers all.

Andrew Joseph White is a great voice in horror. Like his first novel, Hell Followed With Us, The Spirit Bares Its Teeth is a very well-written queer horror that will rip your heart out and stomp on it. More, please!