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A review by lycangrrl
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
4.75
"Mors vincit omnia - Death conquers all"
And so this visceral, raw book opens. At it's core, this book is about death. The ability to speak with the dead, dead violet-eyed girls killed by greedy men, men wanting to control girls who can reach beyond the Veil. But even more so, it is about the death of the self. The little deaths that occur every time you are forced to be someone you are not, forced to hide the truth of yourself from everyone for fear of repercussion. And above all, it is about the death of the old, ill-fitting self you were pretending to be when you are finally able to be who you truly are. Death and transness can be inherently linked in many ways and are never far from each other in this book.
Silas is a autistic trans boy in Victorian England. Born with violet eyes and forced to act "normal" and present as a girl, they are seen as nothing more to their parents than a stepping stone in societal graces. He is considered a Speaker because of his eyes and will be married off to someone in the Speaker Society, which is mostly made up of older men who want control over those who can reach beyond the Veil. After his brother marries and he loses his one supporter in his dreams of becoming a surgeon, he disguises himself and attends a Speaker Society gathering, pretending to be a boy who is meant to receive his medium's seal that night. If successful, SIlas will be free from their parents and able to live as they please. Unfortunately, it doesn't go as planned and Silas is discovered and sent to Braxton's Finishing School and Sanatorium, diagnosed with Veil Sickness. There, they and other girls are "cured," turned into dutiful obedient wives, or they disappear forever. Soon ghosts of these missing girls begin to appear to Silas and beg for help. With the help of the other girls and his betrothed, a trans girl named Daphne, he must try and discover the secrets the school is hiding and expose them - and stop the school from taking him down first.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Yes, there were many uncomfortable parts: some gory descriptions, the constant deadnaming of Silas and Daphne (though expected due to the nature of the time period and the book's own premise), the treatment of those seen as "othered", etc. it was still an amazing journey. The world building was fantastic and the characters fleshed out beautifully. There were many sweet, tender moments between Silas and Daphne, sandwiched between horrible depictions of abuse, torture, grief, sorrow, and pain. They were a breath of fresh air before diving back into this horrible world to find out what was truly happening and if Silas would succeed in exposing the school. It was truly a joy to read and I very much hope there will be a follow up novel with more of Silas and Daphne.
ARC provided by NetGalley
And so this visceral, raw book opens. At it's core, this book is about death. The ability to speak with the dead, dead violet-eyed girls killed by greedy men, men wanting to control girls who can reach beyond the Veil. But even more so, it is about the death of the self. The little deaths that occur every time you are forced to be someone you are not, forced to hide the truth of yourself from everyone for fear of repercussion. And above all, it is about the death of the old, ill-fitting self you were pretending to be when you are finally able to be who you truly are. Death and transness can be inherently linked in many ways and are never far from each other in this book.
Silas is a autistic trans boy in Victorian England. Born with violet eyes and forced to act "normal" and present as a girl, they are seen as nothing more to their parents than a stepping stone in societal graces. He is considered a Speaker because of his eyes and will be married off to someone in the Speaker Society, which is mostly made up of older men who want control over those who can reach beyond the Veil. After his brother marries and he loses his one supporter in his dreams of becoming a surgeon, he disguises himself and attends a Speaker Society gathering, pretending to be a boy who is meant to receive his medium's seal that night. If successful, SIlas will be free from their parents and able to live as they please. Unfortunately, it doesn't go as planned and Silas is discovered and sent to Braxton's Finishing School and Sanatorium, diagnosed with Veil Sickness. There, they and other girls are "cured," turned into dutiful obedient wives, or they disappear forever. Soon ghosts of these missing girls begin to appear to Silas and beg for help. With the help of the other girls and his betrothed, a trans girl named Daphne, he must try and discover the secrets the school is hiding and expose them - and stop the school from taking him down first.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Yes, there were many uncomfortable parts: some gory descriptions, the constant deadnaming of Silas and Daphne (though expected due to the nature of the time period and the book's own premise), the treatment of those seen as "othered", etc. it was still an amazing journey. The world building was fantastic and the characters fleshed out beautifully. There were many sweet, tender moments between Silas and Daphne, sandwiched between horrible depictions of abuse, torture, grief, sorrow, and pain. They were a breath of fresh air before diving back into this horrible world to find out what was truly happening and if Silas would succeed in exposing the school. It was truly a joy to read and I very much hope there will be a follow up novel with more of Silas and Daphne.
ARC provided by NetGalley
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Ableism, Blood, Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Gore, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Medical content, Forced institutionalization, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Abortion, Gaslighting, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Death, Rape, Classism, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Animal death, Miscarriage, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Vomit