Reviews tagging 'Classism'

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

34 reviews

ender24's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious tense slow-paced

• 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

A wonderful story, with a lot of horror and gore. It’s a bit slow for the first half of the book, but it’s important for the overall story unlike some other writings. Already want a sequel, or something to expand the world of the story.

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Content Warnings

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

k80mae's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

"The worst part about a spirit to me - what makes my heart hurt the most - is that their body takes the form of the worst thing ever done to them. Or the worst thing they ever did. Either one, whatever left the biggest scar on their soul."

Andrew Joseph White is quickly proving himself to have one of the most unique voices in literature. I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of this book through NetGalley and while it did take me a minute to make my way through it, I read the last half of the book with a ferocity that could not be contained even by my work schedule.

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth is an absolute masterful blending of genres. It is simultaneously a nuanced queer narrative, a historical fantasy, and a horror novel. Each character in this novel is nuanced and has a rich and complex backstory, even if Silas (and therefore the reader) never gets to know the true depth of it. White does such a good job of making the reader genuinely want good things for Silas and the girls of Braxton's that any tragedy that befalls them hits hard even when you know it is coming.

The body horror here is not nearly as intense as in Hell Followed With Us, but it feels more rooted in Silas' characterization. Even when I wanted to look away because it was gross and made me want to squirm, it felt disingenuous to do so because it was how Silas communicated his emotions and the world around him. And even though it may not be as intense or gory as what I found in Hell Followed With Us, it is overall far more visceral. There is one scene in particular that

involves Silas helping another girl perform an abortion via C-section

that is a completely necessary moment for his character arc and self-image, but was truly horrific to read and imagine. It is a scene that is definitely going to stick with me because I have never seen someone write something so horrific while still feeling gentle. I do not know how White managed it.

I cannot wait to purchase the physical copy of this book and be able to see how the formatting works in print, especially during the climax. I can't wait to see what White does next because this was an absolutely stellar read for me! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Transphobia, Child abuse, Classism, Deadnaming, Death, Murder, Misogyny, Sexism, and Dysphoria

lycangrrl's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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

4.75

"Mors vincit omnia - Death conquers all"

And so this visceral, raw book opens. At it's core, this book is about death. The ability to speak with the dead, dead violet-eyed girls killed by greedy men, men wanting to control girls who can reach beyond the Veil. But even more so, it is about the death of the self. The little deaths that occur every time you are forced to be someone you are not, forced to hide the truth of yourself from everyone for fear of repercussion. And above all, it is about the death of the old, ill-fitting self you were pretending to be when you are finally able to be who you truly are. Death and transness can be inherently linked in many ways and are never far from each other in this book.

Silas is a autistic trans boy in Victorian England. Born with violet eyes and forced to act "normal" and present as a girl, they are seen as nothing more to their parents than a stepping stone in societal graces. He is considered a Speaker because of his eyes and will be married off to someone in the Speaker Society, which is mostly made up of older men who want control over those who can reach beyond the Veil. After his brother marries and he loses his one supporter in his dreams of becoming a surgeon, he disguises himself and attends a Speaker Society gathering, pretending to be a boy who is meant to receive his medium's seal that night. If successful, SIlas will be free from their parents and able to live as they please. Unfortunately, it doesn't go as planned and Silas is discovered and sent to Braxton's Finishing School and Sanatorium, diagnosed with Veil Sickness. There, they and other girls are "cured," turned into dutiful obedient wives, or they disappear forever. Soon ghosts of these missing girls begin to appear to Silas and beg for help. With the help of the other girls and his betrothed, a trans girl named Daphne, he must try and discover the secrets the school is hiding and expose them - and stop the school from taking him down first. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Yes, there were many uncomfortable parts: some gory descriptions, the constant deadnaming of Silas and Daphne (though expected due to the nature of the time period and the book's own premise), the treatment of those seen as "othered", etc. it was still an amazing journey. The world building was fantastic and the characters fleshed out beautifully. There were many sweet, tender moments between Silas and Daphne, sandwiched between horrible depictions of abuse, torture, grief, sorrow, and pain. They were a breath of fresh air before diving back into this horrible world to find out what was truly happening and if Silas would succeed in exposing the school. It was truly a joy to read and I very much hope there will be a follow up novel with more of Silas and Daphne.

ARC provided by NetGalley

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Ableism, Blood, Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Gore, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Medical content, Forced institutionalization, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Abortion, Gaslighting, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Death, Rape, Classism, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Animal death, Miscarriage, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Vomit

mo345's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• 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

This book was a beautiful, gory, well-written story about what men in power will do to get what they want, and those who have to suffer because of their whims. It was a fantastic second novel and is, in every way, a perfect successor to Hell Followed with Us while still managing to be unique and tell its own story. I loved every second and I am immensely grateful to Peachtree Teen for the ARC. 

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Content Warnings

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