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A review by meshell
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I realize there is so much pressure on authours that write an incredible first book to live up to those expectations in their second book, and Andrew Joseph White's last book, Hell Followed With Us was something special. I think it's fair to say that his second book, The Spirit Bares Its Teeth is immaculate.
It is incredibly crafted, the words are so intentional, and the authour creates such a visceral ambiance of horror and discomfort. But in a way that for me was tolerable, didn't feel gratuitous, and at times, was even oddly uplifting. The characters are lovable or strongly dislikable. where appropriate, but they all feel very alive, flawed, wonderful, and/or terrible, and they could step out of the page at any moment.. The descriptions of the settings transported me to a dark creepy house/finishing school/institution while I was curled up with my e-reader, I simply couldn't put this book down and the pacing was great.
I'll admit, horror isn't generally my genre and I probably would have missed out on reading his first book without a direct recommendation from a trusted friend, but I really like what he's doing with his writing - this book held my hand a little, made me feel some feelings, and told an absolutely compelling story, that's brutal, but also loving and empathetic.
Does this book require content warnings? Yes. Does the authour provide many of them himself in his kind Letter from the Authour at the very beginning? Also yes.. I appreciated the encouragement to not endure the book if it wasn't what you were able to read at the moment. I also appreciated the authour note at the end - reenforcing that while this book is a work of fiction, real horrifying things have been done in the name of science and medicine, especially in history, and suggests two very good books to learn more.
thankful to the publisher for access to this one via NetGalley.
It is incredibly crafted, the words are so intentional, and the authour creates such a visceral ambiance of horror and discomfort. But in a way that for me was tolerable, didn't feel gratuitous, and at times, was even oddly uplifting. The characters are lovable or strongly dislikable. where appropriate, but they all feel very alive, flawed, wonderful, and/or terrible, and they could step out of the page at any moment.. The descriptions of the settings transported me to a dark creepy house/finishing school/institution while I was curled up with my e-reader, I simply couldn't put this book down and the pacing was great.
I'll admit, horror isn't generally my genre and I probably would have missed out on reading his first book without a direct recommendation from a trusted friend, but I really like what he's doing with his writing - this book held my hand a little, made me feel some feelings, and told an absolutely compelling story, that's brutal, but also loving and empathetic.
Does this book require content warnings? Yes. Does the authour provide many of them himself in his kind Letter from the Authour at the very beginning? Also yes.. I appreciated the encouragement to not endure the book if it wasn't what you were able to read at the moment. I also appreciated the authour note at the end - reenforcing that while this book is a work of fiction, real horrifying things have been done in the name of science and medicine, especially in history, and suggests two very good books to learn more.
thankful to the publisher for access to this one via NetGalley.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion
Moderate: Confinement, Deadnaming, Torture, Body horror, Medical content, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Misogyny, and Transphobia
Minor: Sexual assault and Colonisation