Scan barcode
fangirljeanne's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Vomit, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pregnancy, Classism, Confinement, Ableism, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Medical content, Medical trauma, Child death, Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Transphobia
ruththegreat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Abortion, Child death, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Misogyny, Rape, Abandonment, Gore, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Ableism, Blood, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
jasper_is_atypical's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Sexual violence, Medical content, Domestic abuse, Blood, Misogyny, Murder, Confinement, Bullying, Sexism, Ableism, Abandonment, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Animal cruelty, Sexual harassment, Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, Deadnaming, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Death, Cursing, Chronic illness, Animal death, Violence, Self harm, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, Torture, Child death, Body horror, Abortion, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Rape, Pregnancy, Vomit, Mental illness, Dysphoria, and Sexual assault
Minor: Classism, Colonisation, and Miscarriage
mir_frog73's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Deadnaming, Confinement, Child death, Child abuse, Body horror, Adult/minor relationship, Abortion, Abandonment, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Misogyny, Medical content, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Violence, Transphobia, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Rape, Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Dysphoria, Domestic abuse, Cursing, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Ableism, Murder, Homophobia, Grief, and Classism
booksthatburn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
THE SPIRIT BARES ITS TEETH is about a trans boy who is institutionalized for "Veil sickness", a condition which is basically a supernatural version of hysteria, itself a historical catch-all term for "that person we think is a woman isn't doing what we think she ought to do and we want it to stop". What's unique about Veil sickness as opposed to hysteria is that it specifically applies to people with violet eyes, a mark of those who can contact departed spirits. Violet-eyed British men are channeled and constrained by a strict social hierarchy and a physical mark that they are following the socially approved path of a Speaker. Silas is not a girl, he's an autistic trans boy whose interest in anything unfeminine is a threat to the Speakers' power. THE SPIRIT BARES ITS TEETH focuses on Silas as both trans and autistic, as well as times when he meets people who are one or the other but not both. These experiences help him parse the ways that these two facets of himself are so intertwined for him but are not necessarily linked for other people. He deals with an intersection of transphobia, misogyny, and ableism, as the times when he is dismissed for not following the social path of a woman can be inseparable from dismissal of him as an autistic person or not understanding the overwhelmingly allistic social hierarchy and assumptions. Trapped at the institution with few connections to the outside, Silas must try to figure out what's happening to the girls who disappear, and who he can trust to get answers.
As a nonbinary trans person, this was a hard book to read due to some overlaps with my personal experiences (thankfully not at the level of an actual horror novel such as this). I read it in large sections, taking a few days in between each to process and prepare myself for the next part. I'm very glad I read it and I definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys horror, especially medical horror (which features heavily). If you would prefer something more apocalyptic and less medical but are otherwise interested in themes of body horror and transphobia, I suggest reading Andrew's debut novel, HELL FOLLOWED WITH US.
Graphic: Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Torture, Gore, Medical trauma, Child abuse, Child death, Gaslighting, Murder, Abortion, Blood, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Sexual assault, Vomit, Ableism, Animal death, Death of parent, Outing, Pregnancy, Self harm, and Bullying
Minor: Slavery, Alcohol, Colonisation, Miscarriage, and Cannibalism
cronads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Medical trauma, Body horror, Abortion, Gore, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Medical content
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Bullying, Confinement, Dysphoria, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Self harm, Deadnaming, Violence, and Death
Minor: Misogyny, Pregnancy, Child death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Cursing, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Miscarriage, Sexism, and Vomit
booksmellers's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
White is the type of author that knows what he wants to say and is excellent at executing it. He writes the autistic, trans, and queer experience extraordinarily well, he creates compelling depictions of toxic families and their deep indoctrination into abusive systems, as well as complex characters with complicated relationships. What draws me to White's writing is his themes are clearly thought out and his writing makes a statement, but he doesn't coddle the audience and he isn't interested in being didactic. He doesn't overexplain identity but allows for nuance in these various experiences and his writing is more interested in the individual characters rather than appealing to the masses. These books will not be for everybody, but I'm glad that they do seem to have found their audience.
This book is still settling in my brain, but I think I liked it more than Hell Followed With Us. I could definitely see improvement from White's previous novel. The pacing was excellent, it was well researched, and all the connections were all there to make a great reading experience. This is definitely a great addition to the queer horror genre. And I have to say, the cover is so perfect.
If you love horror, historical fiction, and queer fiction, I'd highly recommend this book. You will definitely want to check content warnings because it is extremely graphic (I went in prepared, having read the warnings and his previous book, and I was still surprised).
Thank you, NetGalley, for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Graphic: Violence, Misogyny, Blood, Child abuse, Animal death, Child death, Murder, Religious bigotry, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Gore, Torture, Ableism, Abortion, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Death, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Transphobia, Deadnaming, Pedophilia, and Pregnancy
Minor: Cursing, Miscarriage, Classism, Dysphoria, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Rape
immovabletype's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Medical content, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Abortion, Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Dysphoria, Grief, Medical trauma, and Murder
Moderate: Pedophilia and Rape
ender24's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Ableism, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual content, Body horror, Child death, Classism, Misogyny, Murder, Rape, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Violence, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Transphobia, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Toxic friendship, and Trafficking
elazza3540's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Abortion, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Cursing, Deadnaming, Misogyny, Torture, Vomit, Medical content, Murder, Pedophilia, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Blood, Child abuse, Dysphoria, Violence, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault