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artsbookhaven 's review for:
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth
by Andrew Joseph White
dark
tense
medium-paced
I don't know what to say besides 'Wow'. The horrors of this and the intensity of the feelings this conjures is just... immense. Although this is a fantasy novel, the realistic oppression and abuse suffered by people who simply did not deserve to be treated as 'less than' unnerved and infuriated me. It made me angry to hear how Silas and the women in this institution were being treated, and it made me sad in knowing that the book may be fantasy, but the suffering it depicts is real. Silas' innocence yet incredible understanding that he did not deserve to be treated unfairly made his character endearing and strong as a protagonist, it made me feel for him every step of the way.
All in all, I loved this. It made me want to scream and throw a fit on behalf of them all — and to make a reader feel that way, that's powerful. Silas says, "It's more work to be cruel," and he's right. We are all human and deserving of respect, love, and autonomy. Humanity is meant to be defined in compassion, empathy, and our pursuit of knowledge. To refuse someone the respect and compassion they are due is not only more work, but it makes humanity seem like they are constantly waiting to devour what is perceived as prey. There is no necessity for survival in that — no viable explanation, just baseless and oppressive cruelty. And that doesn't make it human, it makes the cruelty monstrous. It makes you the real monster.
All in all, I loved this. It made me want to scream and throw a fit on behalf of them all — and to make a reader feel that way, that's powerful. Silas says, "It's more work to be cruel," and he's right. We are all human and deserving of respect, love, and autonomy. Humanity is meant to be defined in compassion, empathy, and our pursuit of knowledge. To refuse someone the respect and compassion they are due is not only more work, but it makes humanity seem like they are constantly waiting to devour what is perceived as prey. There is no necessity for survival in that — no viable explanation, just baseless and oppressive cruelty. And that doesn't make it human, it makes the cruelty monstrous. It makes you the real monster.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Violence, Medical content, Abortion