As a proud student and member of  Las Vegas Academy’s (LVA) book club, I understand the struggle for reading time amidst schoolwork. So here for Ghost’s book reviews, I will let you guys know which books are worth your time and which aren’t. Today’s review will be on The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White. 

We follow Sillas, a 16 year old transgender boy in the 1800’s. In this world spirits and ghosts can be communicated with, however, you can only open a door to the other side if you are graced with purple eyes. When Silas reveals he is transgender, he is sent to a school that claims he has ‘Veil sickness,’ a so-called madness affecting women with purple eyes. At this boarding school, Silas meets other girls deemed ‘sick’ and uncovers a sinister truth behind their treatment.

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth blends fantasy, horror, mystery, and a dash of romance. This book immersed me extremely quickly, as I learned about the other girls at this school and  what their types of ‘sicknesses’ are. The reader watches Silas try to uncover the mysteries of the disappearance of one of the girls. Every character is complex with their own goals and fears. We see the headmaster’s brutality and seeing his wife play along with him, seeing the nonverbal groundskeeper attempt to help Silas. All of it builds an immaculate atmosphere of fear and unease that radiates throughout the novel. 

This book also has amazing representation. Silas describes the trans experience authentically as well as autism representation. He also has a trans love interest. We get heavy implications of a saphic relationship. This book is kind of a mix of a bunch of genres. One of my favorite things about the novel is its horror elements. Silas has a huge interest in becoming a surgeon because his brother is one. Most of the time Silas will describe situations and feelings using surgical, gory descriptions. If you do end up checking out this book, the trigger warning should be the first thing you check. The description may lead one to believe this story is a sad one, but it has a happy ending. 

I give The Spirit Bares Its Teeth a 5-star rating for its amazing writing style and its fascinating characters. This book is especially good for the spooky season.