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marywahlmeierbracciano's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexism, Medical trauma, Death, Gore, Violence, Misogyny, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Abortion, Deadnaming, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Murder, Ableism, and Grief
Moderate: Transphobia and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Bullying, Blood, Animal death, Dysphoria, Cursing, Confinement, Miscarriage, Lesbophobia, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Torture, Self harm, Pregnancy, and Emotional abuse
fanboyriot'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
5.0
Graphic: Gore, Medical trauma, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Torture, Sexual harassment, Mental illness, Cursing, Abandonment, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Murder, Dysphoria, Medical content, Transphobia, Deadnaming, Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Misogyny, Violence, Abortion, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Blood, Death, and Confinement
Moderate: Child death, Miscarriage, Suicide, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Animal death, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Vomit, Rape, and Animal cruelty
rileyswan'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? No
5.0
"This is what happens to people like me if we don't have the money for tutors, if we refuse to listen, if we don't have wombs that are worth the effort. He's scared. He's cornered. Like me."
THE SPIRIT BARES ITS TEETH, at its core, is a tale of solidarity and strength.
Andrew Joseph White's second novel follows Silas, an autistic trans boy, and his gnashing battle with a world that attempts to shape his flesh as it deems fit—and how hard he fights to take control of his body and life.
Juxtaposing the times he claws his way out of the basement, painted with mangled wounds where stitching was torn back by scalpel, are the times in which he burrows his exhausted face in the neck of his lover.
Daphne was an exquisite character. She is a delicate, brave woman, with an adoration for Silas so genuine it made me weep. Every moment the pair shared was held in place by incorrigibly horrendous events that occurred both before and after, which only made the sweetness more bitter. Even so, the few specks of time in which solace was found in their shared company were perfect.
Silas's story is raw, tender down to the fragile bone. Every moment had me chewing my lip, clawing at my chest in an attempt to calm my racing heart. Every emotion was visceral, as bloody and brutal as the surgeries our ravenous protagonist performs.
"It distracts me for just long enough to make me laugh, and Daphne does too. Her eyes shine when she laughs. She's beautiful.
A beautiful thing. Here. I almost don't believe it."
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Abortion, Violence, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Dysphoria, Death, Child death, Ableism, Gore, Transphobia, Sexism, Homophobia, Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Cursing, Sexual assault, Body horror, Murder, Deadnaming, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, and Blood
alki'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? Yes
4.25
I found solace in Silas worldview, and found myself nodding alone when he was talking about human biology and experiencing the world in black and white.
I found the romance to be VERY rushed, but I understood how those characters bonded so fast by being similar.
I really loved the descriptions, the horrors, the gore. I would have loved more world building though, at many points in the book the violet-eyes aspect seemed pretty unessecary and easily replaceable with the old good trope of ghosts just lurking around. I want to know more about this alternate england.
And of course I have to mention, how the book depicts womanhood. Even though the protagonist is trans, he doesn't detest it, and instead the narrative celebrates women, their endurance, bravery and rage. Overall, it was a haunting read that I'll remember and recommend.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!
Graphic: Death, Deadnaming, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexism, Murder, Lesbophobia, Dysphoria, Confinement, Child death, Body horror, Cursing, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Medical content, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Homophobia, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Abortion, Violence, Transphobia, and Forced institutionalization
fromthefoxhole'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
To articulate the way I feel about this book is akin to parsing out a translation from a language I don't know. I find myself grasping at words, feelings, pictures, anything, and all of it falls short.
This book follows Silas, a young autistic trans man living in a magical variant of the Victorian era. In this world, there is a veil between the living and the dead, and sometimes children are born with the capacity to interact with and manipulate that veil, to commune with those beyond. Silas is one such boy, but he is uninterested in spirits, in his words "I wanted the soul while it was still attached to the body, when it still thrummed with life." He, inspired by his doctor brother and unsanctioned visits to the operating theater, is a student of science and medicine, yearning for the day that he is able to live openly as himself and as a surgeon.
Instead, following an incident wherein he attempts to steal documentation that would allow him to do so, he is brought to Braxton's Finishing School and Sanitarium. The school operates under the claim that some young women who were born with that gene which allows them to manipulate the veil fall subject to Veil Sickness. The sickness is described as an ailment of the mind, having symptoms akin to hysteria and Braxton's exists as a place to experiment with various treatments. Here, Silas is only referred to by his dead name, he is threatened and harmed by the headmaster and his wife, and, perhaps most importantly he uncovers a web of deceit and abuse after one of the girls disappears overnight.
Despite being a fantastical horror, it's obvious that White did his research into the history of medical treatment for anyone society deemed "other." The layers of abuse, taunts, and medical experimentation are (pardon my pun) well fleshed out - multiple times during my reading of this I found myself gasping aloud, flinching in horror, gripping the nearest surface until my knuckles turned white. Some part of me felt that if I turned away, I would be complicit.
In the midst of this, there is hope, friendship romance. A beating heart to encourage me to keep reading, to see them through to the other side no matter what. The moments between Silas and Daphne and the begrudging friendship between him and Mary were so real to me. Their relationships were bright, vivid against the bleak situations they faced.
Sometimes, that is enough.
Graphic: Blood, Medical content, Abandonment, Ableism, Deadnaming, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Body horror, Child death, Death, Dysphoria, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Self harm, Murder, Physical abuse, Cursing, Mental illness, Pedophilia, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Sexual assault
corabookworm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Overall, this book was spectacular, a gorgeous blend of ghosts and power and horror and history all filled with beautiful writing and raw emotion. If you can handle the darker subject matter, I wholeheartedly recommend it.
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Transphobia, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Sexism, Sexual violence, Violence, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Misogyny
Moderate: Body horror, Transphobia, Deadnaming, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Abortion, and Cursing
mo345's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Medical content, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Torture, Child death, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Violence, Confinement, Abortion, Bullying, Child abuse, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny
Minor: Cannibalism, Colonisation, Infertility, Sexism, Dysphoria, Classism, Slavery, and Vomit