Common Sense Media Review
By Michael Berry
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Gothic horror has gore galore, soars with survival, hope.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
As THE SPIRIT BARES ITS TEETH opens, 16-year-old Silas "Gloria" Bell is diagnosed with "Veil sickness," an ability to enter the spiritual world that supposedly drives young women mad. Silas is not a girl, he's a boy who wants nothing more than to become a surgeon. After a failed escape attempt from his parents' care, Silas is shipped off to Braxton's Finishing School and Sanatorium, where he encounters illicit relationships between students and faculty and a conspiracy to keep everyone silent. When students who resist begin to disappear, Silas and his friends set out to uncover the conspiracy. They face all kinds of abuse in the process, but also eek out friendships, and Silas, even a romance, that helps sustain them in their bleak circumstances. But can they survive the forces that are trying to force them into lives they cannot bear?
Is It Any Good?
Writing such a visceral, horrifying story from the perspective of a queer trans person with autism is a major challenge, but the author meets it with aplomb. Andrew Joseph White's approach to gothic horror in The Spirit Bares Its Teeth is unique, full of unexpected events, furious politics, and strange, fascinating characters. It's also highly intense and not for every teen reader. Those who can stomach the graphic anatomy descriptions and nearly constant abusive situations Silas is placed in will be rewarded with an strangely validating story; others may want to stick with lighter fair.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how The Spirit Bares Its Teeth depicts the medical profession's treatment of anyone who is different -- transgender people, neurodivergent people, and especially young women. How are people from these communities treated today? How is it different or the same?
Talk about the portrayal of autism in this book. Do you think it feels accurate and fair? Do you think there are any problems with it?
Where can teens today get help with issues like anxiety, depression, suicide ideation, and other mental health concerns?
Talk about Silas and the other students' character strengths -- how did they manage to be so courageous, to persevere, and to work together to survive and support one another?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Friendship
- Character Strengths : Compassion , Courage , Empathy
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Peachtree Publishers
- Publication date : September 5, 2023
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 14 - 17
- Number of pages : 380
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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