Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - The Spirit Bares Its Teeth

hey yall remember when i said during my review for [book:Hell Followed With Us|57911600] where i was like "i wanted to like this but i didn't.... lets hope this was an issue with the plot and not with the writer because god i wanted to like it"
I WAS RIGHT!! I LOVE ANDREW JOSEPH WHITE!!
i think the biggest differences for me regarding this book & hfwu were the plot itself & the worldbuilding!
with hfwu, it was hard for me to understand as i grew up in a very agnostic household... i think ive been to a church once in my entire life. so grasping the undertones, backstory & context were hard for me! they weren't necessary for me to get cuz tbh i still had a blast but it did damper my experience. also, the worldbuilding felt lacking there.
NOT IN THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the worldbuilding here is phenomenal!!! i was a bit worried at the beginning cuz i was like "ohh... ummmm idk whats happening with the speaker society". but because the 'big bad' concept was a lot easier to grasp with no background information it ate soooooooo hard. delicious. it's so easy to immerse yourself in this story as most concepts aren't too hard to imagine - picturing the victorian aesthetic did not feel laborious on my small brain which i loved!
also!!!!! don't ask me to explain this but compared to hfwt.... the writing felt more sophisticated! like joseph white has truly found his comfort spot and is executing his art perfectly.
now lets get away from comparisons and let me just gush about this book;
- T4T ROMANCE!!!! BABY'S FIRST T4T BOOK!!! I LOVED IT!!!! SO MUCH!!!!
- i want to marry daphne sorry she's mine
-

mary and frances

are so sweet i want to fucking sob
- the plot twists were so fucking crazy but always in a good way. like

harriett? george being a dick? DAPHNE EXISTING? LORD LUCKENBILL KNOWING? AND SILAS KILLING HIS ASS? THE GLASS IN MRS FORRESTERS SHOES???

like no punches were held back and they all hit as equally strong.
- i loved this horror style!!! like leaning into the medical gore...... chefs kiss.
- autistic rep!!! ugh i love the way silas explains having autism. esp the rabbit. as someone with their own rabbit idk this made me feel all mushy inside. plus the groundskeeper???? im gonna CRYYYYYYY
i literally don't think a single part of this book fell even the slightest bit flat. i became so enamoured with this book i think im going to have to stare at fan art for the next couple of hours.
anyways now im listening to boys will be bugs by cavetown because that feels appropriate

Content Warnings

aklikethegun's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Content Warnings

aklikethegun's review against another edition

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dark sad tense medium-paced

Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Content Warnings

twistedserval's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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? No

5.0

Content Warnings

erinkellyreads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

5.0

I bought this book on Friday afternoon in support of the Trans Rights Readathon week going on right now, and, by Saturday at 6pm, I had already devoured it whole. When I hit the page, I immediately had to put the Kindle down, stare at the ceiling, and whisper "Holy Shit..."

Non-Spoiler Review Section:
White's "The Spirit Bares Its Teeth" takes on the style of a Victorian Gothic novel from page one, and the elements of horror and fantasy mixed in with medicine (both scientific and "of the time") made this so nuanced and unfolded like a beautiful, dying flower. Our main character, Silas, is both transmasc and autistic, trapped in the expectations and abuse of what he is "supposed to be" and "supposed" to act like. Add in that his violet eyes allow him to open the Veil and speak to the spirits of the dead (even though "women aren't allowed to use their powers"), and the audience truly feels everything, from sensitivity to loneliness to confusion to camaraderie, with him. The horrible men of the Speakers, full of evil and betrayal, and the women of the "reform school" simultaneously fighting to be alive and to be alive in their own way create a world and tension that you can't get enough of. I'm obsessed!

Spoiler Review Section:

I just wanted to add how absolutely beautiful it was that Silas got to create relationships Daphne and the groundskeeper as part of the story. My heart fluttered at the realization of Silas seeing someone like himself and finding friendship and love in that. So freaking beautiful. I also loved both the growth, and also the constancy, of Mary the Wolf. She's easy to write off at first, and I love that White forces us to look at her in a different way and hold that up to her nature. Great writing!

Content Warnings