Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - The Spirit Bares Its Teeth

Reviews tagging 'Injury/Injury detail'

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

203 reviews

konohimawari's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Masterpiece. So many instances when I felt like I was looking into a mirror.

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alexlynx's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad 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

5.0

God, this was such a wild read. I feel like I wanna read it again, just to soak it all up one more time.
The queerness and neurodivergent aspects?! Damn, I felt really called out sometimes, in the best way.
I will say, I was and still am confused about the last chapter. But the whole thing? Masterpiece, damn.

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dreareads_'s review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Pain. So much pain.

If there’s something Andrew Joseph White can do is write body horror that will have you squirming in your seat. Add to that the presence of medical trauma and you have a book that will give you nightmares.

But of all the body horror, and misery that this book covers it was its discussion of womanhood and trans masc identity that elevated it for me. Joseph White did a brilliant job at exploring the complexities of these identities while simultaneously maintaining a clear critique of the cis patriarchical system in the story (as well as real life).

I loved the relationship between Silas and Daphne. Their first meeting warmed my heart and brought me to tears. In addition, I just love how good Joseph White is at writing relationships between characters. Like I FELT the betrayal in the story.

My main “critiques” or caveats would be that the book gets bogged down in its metaphors and imageries at times. Towards the middle of the book the imagery that Joseph White was trying to evoke through his use of stylistic language felt repetitive, and disruptive of the flow of the text.

I would also add that although there is a historical note at the end of the book explaining how medical experimentation was racialized in the real world, you could really feel the lack of intersectional examination in the text.

Overall, another excellent book from an author that quickly becoming one of my favorites.

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karenreadsbooks's review against another edition

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emotional tense medium-paced

5.0

I still need some time to process this book, but it was so incredibly good. In contention to make my top 10 for the year. There were parts that were difficult to read, but the characters and the challenges they faced and how they met those challenges made me go through a lot of emotions. Will try to write more after I think about the book a bit more.

Read as part of the Trans Right Readathon for 2024 (March 22-29).

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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!

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