basil_touche 's review for:

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

4.75

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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: Yes

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Been a while since I've read a book where I had to take a break due to how graphic a scene was. An enthralling, compelling read that had my heart beating as fast as the rabbit in Silas' chest and a story that uses it's fantasy elements to dismantle the cruelty of the victorian era and show it for what it was. 

I also loved how Silas' experiences of transness and autism felt real and how these facets of himself are able to be explored without the modern terminology. 

The one thing that kept it from being perfect was the love story, while it was sweet I felt that it needed more time to be fully convincing rather than just a relationship for survival. 

However, I am still deeply impressed and I hope to read more of White's work in the future.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Deadnaming, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Pregnancy

Minor: Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Cannibalism, Death of parent