Reviews

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

moodyboy's review

dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

i really loved white’s writing style! i thought it was very fun and unique; but while the plot was good, it also fell a little flat for me. i loved silas and daphne, but silas’ feelings seemed to grow very suddenly considering how he viewed daphne at the speakers event. i also wished isabella had more “screen time.” to be honest, i felt like all the girls at braxtons were there just as space fillers rather than as fully developed characters. 
that being said, i loved silas. he was very fun to follow as a main character and i enjoyed hearing his perspectives of being trans and autistic. i’m excited to read what else white has written and will write. 

hselwyn's review

adventurous dark emotional 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? No

4.0

elderflowercordial's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny 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? Yes

4.0

crickedcactus's review against another edition

4.0

This book has a big fantasy element (ghosts, mediums etc) but so much of it draws from real life that the real-life elements of this story are actually much much scarier than the fantastical ones. Because we know they are real.

bookgirl1861's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

sapphotoni's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

isaiahh's review

dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Have we made Andrew Joseph White the patron saint of angry trans teens yet?

As I've come to expect from White, this trans gothic horror was full f blood and innards and trans rage, but also of heartwarming romance and solidarity.

Victorian London; the Veil between the living and the dead is thinner than it has ever been. Violet-eyed men are mediums, communing with ghosts under the supervision of the Speaker Society; violet-eyed women are married off to breed violet-eyed children, barred from being mediums. Those who defy this are deemed sick.
We follow sixteen years old Silas Bell as he finds himself sent off to Braxton's Finishing School and Sanitorium, where girls diagnosed with 'veil sickness' are put, to become perfect wives, or to disappear. Strange things seem to be happening, and when the ghosts of school girls beg him for help, Silas must avoid death to expose the dark secrets of Braxton's.

With every A. J. White book I read, my inner child slowly but surely gets healed. Stepping away from the usual trans stereotypes, White's characters experience their gender in unique ways, close to how I perceive my own, and that never fails to warm my little trans heart. I've grown out of YA literature, but his books are my exceptions!

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth had everything a ghost story should have, and more; if you're looking for something gory, scary, with dark academia vibes, a dash of (t4t!) romance and good trans and autistic rep, this is the book!

bebe_elise's review against another edition

challenging dark 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? Yes

4.25

walentina's review against another edition

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

paterklatter's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

the spirit bares its teeth, like joseph white's last novel hell followed with us, doesn't utilize it's concept. as a blurb, an elevator pitch, the spirit bares its teeth sounds amazing and unique. unfortunately, it doesn't utilize its setting or fantasy elements. it many ways, just like joseph white's novel before this one, it could be set in the regular day to day of 2024 and still work if not make more sense. i really hope that joseph white does find his footing in truly embracing the high concept settings of his novels, because he clearly can make a mean elevator pitch, just struggles on bringing it home.