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

5.0

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Andrew Joseph White did it again. The Spirit Bares It’s Teeth is an incredibly heart wrenching book while somehow also heart warming. It held the balance of being very hard to read due to graphic gorey scenes and then intimate scenes around friendship and identity and love. 

I’m not going to lie, my two gore topics I avoid are eyes and pregnancy and this book hit both of them and yet I didn’t ever want to stop reading. Andrew’s writing is so captivating and poetic it’s hard to put down. Even though this took me almost a month to read, it wasn’t ever because I got bored or didn’t want to be reading it. It was constantly on my mind and I already wish I could keep reading it. 

The characters really embedded themselves in my heart. I was so deeply invested in their stories and what would happen to them. Silas felt very special to me as a person both in the trans community and neurodivergent. I related to the struggles he faced and how his mind worked. All the girls were also so well written and I wanted to know more about all of them, just like Silas. I was also so attached to the groundskeeper even if he wasn’t in a ton of scenes. The element of spirits and the veil were both scary and intriguing at the same time. I really enjoyed that. 

I am still fairly new to the horror genre but this is the first book that I’ve physically felt my heart pounding and my eyes trying to skip ahead to find out what happens and if the characters are okay. I was in such a state of anxiety but for once, it was enjoyable. It was a really intense reading experience. 

This book has made me much more interested in looking into the history of forced institutionalizations of women / minorities. Horror based in history and real life hits so much harder and really opens my eyes to things I didn’t put much thought into previously. Even if it isn’t a completely accurate representation. 

Overall, I would highly recommend this book!! I would especially recommend it to my fellow queer and neurodivergent readers because this just felt so special and I want more people to experience that! Thank you Andrew Joseph White for writing such incredible books and I can’t wait for more! 

CWs : graphic violence, sexual assault (both implied and on page), medical gore, on page c-section, abortion, transphobia, ableism, medical / psychiatric abuse, gaslighting, physical / emotional / verbal abuse, forced institutionalizations, body horror, dysphoria, torture, confinement, death of parent, murder, adult/minor relationship, self harm