A review by kiryomi
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

challenging 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? It's complicated

5.0

When the dead men come, we are waiting. We have been waiting so long. 
They must have convinced themselves they would never rot in the same dirt we do.

a gruesome, haunting, incensed, and most of all stunning portrait of mistreatment and the rot beneath sharp-toothed smiles. silas bell is a wonderful protagonist and one of the most interesting perspective characters i've ever read about — he has an almost luridly violent narrative style and is constantly thinking about taking himself/others apart to understand them on a medical level as a surgeon. he's soft, used to being obedient and hiding two crucial parts of himself (his trans-ness and his autism), but he undergoes strong development and by the end is this messy, wild, feral boy who's not afraid to commit murder but ultimately still soft at heart. i cared for him so much, and he was so easy to root for. his commentary about causation v. s. correlation and wondering, eternally, whether his autism caused him to be transgender or the other way around was a really neat look on intersectionality that i think is very true to people who are both queer and disabled, queer and with a mental disorder, etc.

i also adored daphne, the other trans character. she loves literature and poetry, and she has a fierce, untamed side to her. she looks after silas as best she can. their t4t relationship was so wholesome, and i thought it was a good choice to include both a ftm and a mtf character to showcase both experiences. the scene where they introduce themselves properly is one of my favorites of the entire book. i didn't find their romance rushed; having a gentle romance subplot complimented the dark tone of the story really well. don't even get me started on mary and frances's sapphic ghost/human girl relationship and the way they refer to each other as "wife". mary is also a well-developed character who contrasts silas, and i liked her redemption arc. all the girls at braxton's and their different perspectives made for an immersive atmosphere, even if their personalities were a bit one-note.

i love andrew joseph white's writing style. the rabbit metaphor for fear in silas's ribcage was something i didn't expect but came to adore, just as all the other parts of this book. the rabbit (a prey animal) is with him always, and it constantly tries to prevent him from breaking free and keep him caged because that's what's safe — inaction. the witchy victorian era setting was great, and it's so horrifying thinking about how people in power experimented on these braxton girls and how they treated disabled or queer people in the novel isn't too far off from what they did back then in the real world and what they still do now.

one thing i will say is i wish silas could've gotten revenge himself instead of what actually ended up happening at the end. i almost feel there could've been more rage from him, but i'm not too upset about it considering we have the quote above. additionally, i initially gave this book 4.5 stars because i wasn't too comfortable with the violence, but making you uncomfortable is the whole point. it's meant to be provocative and not just a little disgusting, so i have to applaud it for that. my gore tolerance is higher now, too. i never felt the violence was gratuitous.

if you like female rage, dark YA that crosses the line toward new adult, and queer/neurodivergent representation, i cannot recommend this book to you enough. i brought it everywhere with me just to keep reading, and i already want to do a reread — i feel homesick for the world and the characters. my favorite read of the year so far and definitely one of my favorites of all time now. 10/10. spectacular.
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