The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White is a historical fiction horror story with depictions of the LBBTQIA+ throughout the story. This book is about a sixteen-year-old
transgender and autistic boy Silas Bell who is suddenly diagnosed with a disease called veil sickness which is contracted by women born with violet eyes. Silas gets sent to a school for students with this sickness called Braxton’s Finishing School and Sanatorium after attempting to open the veil between the dead and living world to commune with spirits. While at this school, Silas discovers that the girls who have died at the school are trying to talk to him. Silas and his assigned spouse transgender girl Daphne must find out why this is happening and expose the secret of the school to everybody before the school can kill Silas or make him a housewife. This book does contain mild descriptions of surgical gore and vile language and is a young adult book. My initial reaction to this book is that it would be hard to follow along due to how long ago it takes place and the language that comes with that. As the book goes on, I found it starts to get easier to follow along with and the characters are easy to remember. The book brings a lot of suspense to the reader and I found it to be quite enjoyable with relatable characters. This book is extremely educational on the topics of the LGBTQ community and the neurodivergent spectrum. In summary, I gave this book four stars because it is good for what it is and was a fun read. I believe this book is a little mature, but is a good read for those who are into Stephen King or other famous horror writers. As a romance reader, this book is definitely not for other romance readers. With that said, I don't think this book should’ve had romance in the first place. The main character is trying to not become a wife and to just survive. The type of love he feels for Daphne is a connection because they share something in common and want to be there for each other. For anybody thinking about reading this book, research the contents for. If you are prone to being squeamish or have triggers then I would do your research before reading. If you’re into horror and historical fiction then this book should be perfect for you.
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