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

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

Andrew Joseph White just keeps getting better and better. This was phenomenal. I thought Hell Followed With Us would be hard to top but he proved us wrong. This is vengeful trans horror in its perfect form. Everything was so beautiful. I had this book in my hands until I couldn’t read anymore. I needed all of it. Immediately.

I love Silas and Daphne as characters and as a couple. I ship them so hard. I don’t know if I’ve ever read a more perfect scene than Daphne coming out. I read it over and over again in sheer happiness. It was incredible.


And I felt so seen in all of the scenes about being both trans and autistic. But ESPECIALLY the autism parts. And I know AJW is autistic, but even if I didn’t know that ahead of time, you can tell it’s written by someone autistic because it comes out so AUTHENTICALLY! The way Silas stims, dissociates, repeats words, hyperfixates, gets overstimulated, everything. It’s just glorious.

And the way certain trauma is handled. The sexual assault. The fetus. They’re not described in detail. The abortion is, but there’s no wistful dialogue about how tiny and precious the fetus is. Shit gets graphic, but not in unnecessary ways. Which I’m so, so grateful for.


My only complaint is that George reminded me a bit too much of Theo. But given the character type, that’s to be expected. Though Theo at the end of his story and George at the end of his are very different.
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