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A review by kharlan3
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White
dark
tense
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
5.0
Top YA of 2023
The Spirit Bares its Teeth is a YA historical horror book about trans and autistic Silas who wants to be a doctor, despite his family's expectation that he be a proper, marriageable lady (and good magical breeding stock). He's sent to a creepy finishing school for, basically, unruly girls. This was, hands down, the scariest book I read in 2023, but also one of my favorites. The imagery is so vivid, and the ending is satisfying. Can't wait to read the next thing Andrew Joseph White writes!
The Spirit Bares its Teeth is a YA historical horror book about trans and autistic Silas who wants to be a doctor, despite his family's expectation that he be a proper, marriageable lady (and good magical breeding stock). He's sent to a creepy finishing school for, basically, unruly girls. This was, hands down, the scariest book I read in 2023, but also one of my favorites. The imagery is so vivid, and the ending is satisfying. Can't wait to read the next thing Andrew Joseph White writes!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical trauma, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Includes graphic vivisection