Set in 1883 London, The Spirit Bares its Teeth follows Silas Bell, a boy surrounded by a world determined to mislabel him. Unfortunately for Silas, he has violet eyes, which in this society means he can talk to spirits and must therefore be married off as soon as possible. He would rather dissect a corpse than play along. Unfortunately, society has other plans, and he ends up in a sanatorium that claims to fix girls who are wrong. And it does "fix" them, just not in ways anyone should be comfortable with. 

It's a good hook. The horror hits early and doesn’t really let up and is quite graphic. We get surgery, blood, corpses, and more. It’s physical, and often uncomfortable. There’s a constant sense that something is deeply wrong, and it keeps getting worse. 

I enjoyed the disturbing atmosphere of the sanatorium. It has cold halls, locked doors, and rules that feel like they were written by someone who hates you personally. The system of "fixing" people is genuinely horrific. The ghosts are, if anything, more helpful. 

Silas as a character is interesting, but also a bit frustrating. His voice is clear, and his anger makes sense. So do his goals. And yet, his perspective lacks nuance and feels narrow at times. I got what he stood for, but not always who he was beyond that.

The supporting cast doesn’t help much. A few characters stand out (Daphne has potential, Mary has presence), but most of the others blur together. They feel more like roles than people. The same goes for the villains. They’re effective, sure, but very one-note. To put it bluntly, they feel like walking embodiment of terrible ideas.

The plot moves quickly, so it keeps you reading, but the mystery isn’t especially mysterious. You can see most twists coming from a distance. The tension comes more from the question of how bad things will get.

I also felt he world could have been deeper. The whole Speaker Society and spirit system is intriguing, but lightly explored. We’re told it matters, but we don’t always feel how or why.

Long story short,  The Spirit Bares its Teeth knows what it wants to say and says it loudly, and with little subtlety. The themes of gender, control, bodily autonomy, abuse are effective and force emotional answer from readers. Not perfect. But definitely an experience.