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mtherobot 's review for:
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth
by Andrew Joseph White
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I don't want to say this book was bad. This book was not bad! But I simply did not like it at all.
The biggest strength here is the concept. Spiritualism and eugenics lend themselves well to horror and pair well together, and White has done an admirable job of integrating those concepts into a believable world, though the supernatural elements are underused. But like a lot of historical fiction, there's a pervasive sense of moral pedantry that impedes that believability. White insists we know that our narrator Silas is improbably aware and critical of everything from British imperialism to Victorian medical hygiene practices, as if we the audience would hold it against him if he held any opinions that would be remotely plausible for a child of the 1880s British upper class. Maybe that's something that other people enjoy, but to me it felt like a shallow reckoning with historical injustice, and it left me rolling my eyes.
Also eye-roll worthy: most of the characters. I'll credit White that every member of the (unnecessarily large, IMO) ensemble cast is distinct and memorable. But they're all so one-dimensional that it's hard to feel any attachment to them, and the relationships between them feel strangely unreal, like children's toys that are now fighting, now in love, now fighting again. The only character I found remotely compelling was Mary, who floats around being vaguely antagonistic (which I enjoyed) before suddenly lurching towards plot relevance in the last act.
Overall, this was a quick and easy read with a cool concept and very uneven execution. Reminded me (not necessarily unfavorably) of other books I've enjoyed, like Molly Tanzer's Diabolist series and Libba Bray's Diviners.
PS thnx netgalley! Sorry I keep picking books that I don't like!
The biggest strength here is the concept. Spiritualism and eugenics lend themselves well to horror and pair well together, and White has done an admirable job of integrating those concepts into a believable world, though the supernatural elements are underused. But like a lot of historical fiction, there's a pervasive sense of moral pedantry that impedes that believability. White insists we know that our narrator Silas is improbably aware and critical of everything from British imperialism to Victorian medical hygiene practices, as if we the audience would hold it against him if he held any opinions that would be remotely plausible for a child of the 1880s British upper class. Maybe that's something that other people enjoy, but to me it felt like a shallow reckoning with historical injustice, and it left me rolling my eyes.
Also eye-roll worthy: most of the characters. I'll credit White that every member of the (unnecessarily large, IMO) ensemble cast is distinct and memorable. But they're all so one-dimensional that it's hard to feel any attachment to them, and the relationships between them feel strangely unreal, like children's toys that are now fighting, now in love, now fighting again. The only character I found remotely compelling was Mary, who floats around being vaguely antagonistic (which I enjoyed) before suddenly lurching towards plot relevance in the last act.
Overall, this was a quick and easy read with a cool concept and very uneven execution. Reminded me (not necessarily unfavorably) of other books I've enjoyed, like Molly Tanzer's Diabolist series and Libba Bray's Diviners.
PS thnx netgalley! Sorry I keep picking books that I don't like!