Not So Well Read | The Spirit Bares Its Teeth

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth

Andrew Joseph White

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INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! A blood-soaked and nauseating triumph that cuts like a scalpel and reads like your darkest nightmare. New York Times bestselling author Andrew Joseph White returns with the transgressive gothic horror of our time! Mors vincit omnia. Death conquers all.

London, 1883. The Veil between the living and dead has thinned. Violet-eyed mediums commune with spirits under the watchful eye of the Royal Speaker Society, and sixteen-year-old trans, autistic Silas Bell would rather rip out his violet eyes than become an obedient Speaker wife.

After a failed attempt to escape an arranged marriage, Silas is diagnosed with Veil sickness—a mysterious disease sending violet-eyed women into madness—and shipped away to Braxton’s Finishing School and Sanitorium. When the ghosts of missing students start begging Silas for help, he decides to reach into Braxton’s innards and expose its guts to the world—so long as the school doesn’t break him first.

Featuring an autistic trans protagonist in a historical setting, Andrew Joseph White’s much-anticipated sophomore novel does not back down from exposing the violence of the patriarchy and the harm inflicted on trans youth who are forced into conformity.

A Chicago Public Library 'Best of the Best' Book

A Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Book of the Year

A BCCB Blue Ribbon Book!

A Booklist Editors’ Choice

A Shelf Awareness Best Book of the Year!

A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

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Posts about this title from Not So Well Read

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Not So Well Read\ \ Courtney\ \ • Sep 27 2024

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Which one should I read first and what’s on your October TBR?

6 books

Posts about this book from across Bindery

Sunny's Book Truck\ \ CJ\ \ • Jun 21

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[Hi nerds,\ \ Last night we held our recurring event, Sunny's Salon. This month the prompt was to come prepared to talk about your favorite queer read for Pride month. Below you will find 20ish book recommendations gathered from the Yuma community.\ \ \ \

The Song of Achilles: A thrilling, profoundly moving, and utterly unique retelling of the legend of Achilles and the Trojan War from the bestselling author of Circe.\ \
Homosexual Intifada: A groundbreaking anthology amplifying queer Palestinian voices through art and storytelling that reclaim identity, resist erasure, and challenge stereotypes.\ \
Muñeca: A vivid, surreal Gothic about a queer, Latine, working class witch who sets out to rescue a bespelled heiress and loses control of her powers and her heart in the process.\ \
Cleat Cute: A sapphic rivals to lovers rom com for fans of Ted Lasso and A League of Their Own, where two soccer teammates are at odds before falling in love as their team gears up for the World Cup.\ \
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe: The award-winning, internationally renowned book that is a “tender, honest exploration of identity” ( Publishers Weekly) and distills lyrical truths about family and friendship through the unlikely connection between two teens.\ \
Dogs of Summer: My Brilliant Friend meets Blue is the Warmest Color in this lyrical debut novel set in a working-class neighborhood of the Canary Islands—a story about two girls coming of age in the early aughts and a friendship that simmers into erotic desire over the course of one hot summer.\ \ \ \ \
I'll Give You the Sun: The radiant, award-winning story of first love, family, loss, and betrayal for fans of John Green, Becky Albertalli, and Adam Silvera.\ \
What Move the Dead: A gripping and atmospheric reimagining of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” from Hugo, Locus, & Nebula award-winning author T. Kingfisher.\ \
Cemetery Boys: A trans boy determined to prove his gender to his traditional Latinx family summons a ghost who refuses to leave in Aiden Thomas's paranormal YA debut.\ \
The Black Flamingo: A fierce coming-of-age verse novel about identity and the power of drag, from acclaimed poet and performer Dean Atta. Perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo, Jason Reynolds, and Kacen Callender.\ \
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth: Featuring an autistic trans protagonist in a historical setting, Andrew Joseph White’s much-anticipated sophomore novel does not back down from exposing the violence of the patriarchy and the harm inflicted on trans youth who are forced into conformity.\ \ \ Open Throat: A lonely, lovable, queer mountain lion narrates this star-making fever dream of a novel.\ \ \ \
Pumpkin: Return to the beloved world of Julie Murphy’s #1 New York Times bestselling Dumplin’— now a popular Netflix feature film starring Jennifer Aniston — in this fabulously joyful, final companion novel about drag, prom, and embracing your inner Queen.\ \
Herculine: A “witty, often-chilling, compulsively readable” ( Vogue) horror debut following a woman who seeks refuge at an all-trans girl commune only to discover that demons haunt her fellow comrades—and she’s their next prey!\ \
Stag Dance: In this collection of one novel and three stories, bestselling author Torrey Peters’s keen eye for the rough edges of community and desire push the limits of trans writing.\ \
D'Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding: D'Vaughn and Kris have six weeks to plan their dream wedding. Their whole relationship is fake.\ \
Wife Shaped Bodies: Sorrowland meets Manhunt in this literary horror debut in which an isolated newlywed, covered in fungal fruiting bodies, strikes a precarious balance between following her husband's strict rules and pursuing an intense connection with a woman who makes her question everything.\ \
Astrid Parker Doesn't Fall: An interior designer who is never without the perfect plan learns to renovate her love life without one in this new romantic comedy by Ashley Herring Blake, author of Delilah Green Doesn’t Care.\ \ \ \ \
Cackle: A darkly funny, frightening novel about a young woman learning how to take what she wants from a witch who may be too good to be true, from the author of The Return.\ \
Giovanni's Room: James Baldwin’s groundbreaking novel whose frank exploration of sexuality and self-acceptance was decades ahead of its time—named one of The Atlantic’s Great American Novels of the past 100 years.\ \
Strange Beasts: In this fresh-yet-familiar gothic tale—part historical fantasy, part puzzle-box mystery—the worlds of Dracula and Sherlock Holmes collide in a thrilling exploration of feminine power.\ \
Looking for a Sign: A newly single queer woman moves to New Orleans and sets off on a mission to find her most compatible match by going on a date with someone of each astrological sign in this rom-com from the Lambda Literary Award–nominated author of Queerly Beloved.\ \
Saturn Returning: A smoldering, soul-splitting debut that tracks three friends through the celestial chaos of adulthood, love, and queer identity.\ \
Legends & Lattes: The much-beloved BookTok sensation, Travis Baldree's novel of high fantasy and low stakes.\ \ \ \ Love what we do? Become a paid subscriberfor less than a cup of coffee a month. Your ongoing support helps us plan ahead, fund causes we care about, and create meaningful programming for our community.](https://sunnysbooktruck.binderybooks.com/item/qhqwdGtxh5zmTWfKXN0w/)

What our community is reading for Pride

🌈🌈🌈

22 books

Two Stories Bookshop\ \ Queer-Owned Shelves🌈\ \ • Apr 25

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[It's Independent Bookstore Day and I know I'm late on getting this post out, but that's because I did a crawl to ten bookstores today with my friends! \ \ If you don't have a local store, please consider making us your home store on Bookshop.org and Libro.fm! \ \ Here are some books we recommend for today!\ \ Ryn:\ \

Lethal Kiss by Taylor Grothe (Out October 20, 2026)\ \
Seek the Traitor's Son by Veronica Roth (Out May 12, 2026)\ \
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (yes, we adore Star Wars in this house)\ \
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White\ \ \ Tori:\ \
The Sluts by Dennis Cooper\ \
Boy Parts by Eliza Clark\ \
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty (this is Tori's favorite book of all time)](https://twostoriesbookshop.binderybooks.com/item/ypN5YJtIDHGVAhRcWsqw/)

Happy Indie Bookstore Day!

7 books

ofpagesandprint\ \ Dahlia\ \ • Apr 16

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Author Interviews for the Trans Rights Readathon!

For this year’s Trans Rights Readathon newsletter, I interviewed @petralordauthor, @aidenschmaiden, @km_enright, and @danaiwrites and am thrilled to share our interviews with you all here. 🫶🏼

Thank you to Petra, Aiden, K.M., and Danai for chatting with me, and thank you to the @transrightsreadathon team for having me! ✨

#transrightsreadathon #authorinterview #fantasybooks #yabooks #bookishcommunity

9 books

Discotopia | Diverse Books\ \ Disco (he/they)\ \ • Apr 1

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Hi folks!\ \ The Trans Rights Readathon is over, and I hope you all discovered some great books. It was a bit different for me this year as it was my first one as a trans author, and I was knee deep in a new WIP so didn’t read as much as usual.\ \ But I DID read two incredible books, three fantastic short stories, and have two more books on the go!\ \ Books I read:\ \ Ander & Santi Were Here by Jonny Garza Villa.\ \ \ \ I cried 5 times while reading this book. It’s so, so emotional and so gorgeous.\ \ A non-binary Mexican American teenage artist falls for a waiter at their parents’ restaurant. But ICE is a spectre in the background, threatening their happiness.\ \ SO good.\ \ The Spirit Bares its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White.\ \ \ \ This is INCREDIBLE.\ \ About a young transmasc medium who tries to escape an arranged marriage but ends up in a school for ‘sick’ girls.\ \ As a trans man who was raised in an institution, it hit hard in a really cathartic way.\ \ Short stories:\ \ Making the Team by Akiva Lee.\ \ Read for free on Akivaleewrites.com\ \ Loved this adorable short story, about a trans swimmer falling for his team captain! It is sweet and spicy, featuring transmasc rep and Jewish rep.\ \ Don’t Press Charges and I Won’t Sue by Charlie Jane Anders.\ \ Read for free on Boston Review.\ \ Loved this terrifying short story.\ \ In a dystopian future, a trans woman is forced to undergo a horrifying procedure, administered by her childhood friend.\ \ Sad, scary, but cathartically enraging.\ \ To Balance the Weight of Khalem by RB Lemberg.\ \ Read for free on Beneath Ceaseless Skies.\ \ I adored this fantasy short story, about a young refugee trying to survive, setting out to sea for an uncertain future.\ \ Current reads:\ \ Somadina by Akwaeke Emezi\ \ \ \ I’m halfway through and it’s really intriguing so far! About a girl in a magical land with mysterious powers, trying to find her kidnapped twin brother.\ \ YA fantasy inspired by indigenous Igbo culture.\ \ The Exodontists by Drew Huff (ARC)\ \ \ \ I’m a third in, it’s freaking me out in the best way!\ \ A family of creepy supernatural dentists try to find a solution when their warehouse lair is taken over by a Halloween costume store.\ \ Drew also did the cover for my book, so talented!\ \ Much love,\ \ Disco\ \ Join for free or login

Trans Rights Readathon wrap up!

2 books

Queer as Books\ \ José\ \ • Mar 31

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\ \ Join for free or login](https://queerasbooks.binderybooks.com/item/TVz8wynkKCqWg1axSvBr/)

🏳️‍⚧️ 30 Trans Books to Read All Year 📚

Because every story matters. 🩵🩷🤍

30 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Oct 6 2025

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recommending banned books

‼️ ACTION ITEMS BELOW ‼️

“What can I do to support the freedom to read?” (Read the rest at the Banned Books Week site!)

Call a decision maker. Call school and library administrators, school board and library board members, city councilpersons, and your elected representatives to ask them to support the right to read!
Support an advocacy organization.
Join Unite Against Book Bans, a national campaign to protect the rights of everyone to access information.
Check out a banned book. Circulation matters! Checking out banned books or books about topics that are frequently targeted for censorship proves that the community is interested in reading them.
Buy a banned book. Censorship doesn’t just harm libraries and schools; it also impacts writers, publishers, and booksellers. One way you can support the people who make and sell books is to buy them!
Write a letter. Public input is very important for school and library board members, trustees, and elected officials.
Plan to attend a meeting. Attending school board, library board, and city council meetings one of the most critical actions you can take to fight censorship.
Volunteer at your local library.
Start organizing! The small number of people who are leading the charge against the freedom to read are organized, and they are counting on complacency, ignorance, and inaction to accomplish their objectives. 📚 books mentioned: - Transmogrify! 14 Fantastical Tales of Trans Magic edited by g. haron davis - Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé - The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson - The Spirit Bares its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White - Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

👗💄: - shirt is from Out of Print - (also if you have a question about my makeup or something i’m wearing, most of it is curated in my shopmy!)

Thank you to HarperCollins and Peachtree Teen for the gifted copies.

#LetFreedomReadDay #BannedBooksWeek #CensorshipIsSo1984 #readbannedbooks #bookrecommendations #freedomtoread #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #diversebookstagram #nycbookstagram #bookstagram @harpercollins @banned_books_week @americanlibraryassociation @harperteen @fiercereads @peachtreeteen @outofprint

5 books

Alyssa’s Library\ \ alyssa\ \ • Sep 29 2025

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in honour of a certain book coming out and just the state of the world, here are some books with trans, non-binary, and genderqueer characters that you should read. it’s so incredibly important to continue to uplift these voices and i hope you all enjoy these and feel free to comment some more recommendations!\ \ fantasy & sci-fi\ - the spirit bares its teeth / compound fracture by andrew joseph white\ - the unbroken by c. l. clark\ - the blighted stars by megan e. o’keefe\ - pet by akwaeke emezi\ - faebound / the final strife by saara el-artifi\ - these burning stars by bethany jacobs\ - she who became the sun by shelley parker-chan\ - lakelore by anna marie-mclemore\ - hammajang luck by makana yamamtao\ - the witch king by h. e edgmon \ - the city beautiful by aden polydorous\ \ -her majesty’s royal coven by juno dawson\ \ -light from uncommon stars by ryka aoki\ - a bone in his teeth by kellen graves\ \ -brighter than scale swifter than flame by neon yang\ \ -mistress of lies by k m enright\ \ -cemerety boys / the sunbearer trails by aiden thomas\ \ -sorrowland by rivers solomon\ \ -seven devils by laura lam and elizabeth may\ \ romance\ - a gentlemans gentleman by tj alexander \ - make room for love by darcy liao\ - love & other disasters by anita kelly\ - i wish you all the best by mason deaver\ \ -felix ever after by kacen callender

TRANS BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

27 books

Queer as Books\ \ José\ \ • Sep 14 2025

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👻🌈 Queer Books for the Spooky Season 🎃

Which ones are you adding to your fall TBR?

27 books

chronicallybookish\ \ Kaley\ \ • Jul 27 2025

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\ \ Join for free or login](https://chronicallybookish.binderybooks.com/item/oBU6nPET8D2zy9QDGnaw/)

Author Q&A Recording- To a Darker Shore with Leanne Schwartz

Recording of the Chronically Bookish Book Club livestream for their April pick To a Darker Shore with author Leanne Schwartz

15 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jul 5 2025

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hey hey hey! it’s your local disabled book creator clocking in for disability pride month!

📚 books mentioned: - The Maid and the Crocodile by Jordan Ifueko - The Necessity of Rain by Sarah Chorn - The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

thank you to Peachtree Teen for the free copy!

#disabilitypridemonth #disabilitypridemonthbooks #disabledbooks #disabilitybooks #disabilityrepbooks #fantasybooks #horrorbooks #starrysteph #nycinfluencer #nycbooktok #bookstagram #disabilitybookstagram #nycbookstagram @abramsbooks @abramskids @peachtreeteen

3 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Apr 2 2025

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reading road to rings

a reading road to rings update that somehow perfectly aligned with the @transrightsreadathon!! and now @kylewatkinsphotography is getting close to the end!

📚 books mentioned: - The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

#readingroadtorings #bookproposal #bookengagement #thespiritbaresitsteeth #andrewjosephwhite #horrorbooks #transrightsreadathon #trr25 #peachtreeteen #horrorbookrecs #nycinfluencer #bookstagram #starrysteph @peachtreeteen

1 book

Queer as Books\ \ José\ \ • Mar 20 2025

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🏳️‍⚧️ Trans Book Recs 📚

Perfect for the Trans Rights Readathon starting on March 21st!

15 books

Queer as Books\ \ José\ \ • Mar 18 2025

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\ \ Upgrade for $5 or login](https://queerasbooks.binderybooks.com/item/vhqijAdnPuxT9tj12CAl/)

🚀 Early Access 🚀 Trans Book Recs 🏳️‍⚧️ 📚

Perfect for the Trans Rights Readathon that starts on March 21st and all year!

15 books

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Mar 9 2025

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30+ trans & nonbinary book recs | trans rights readathon 2025 prep!

feel free to recommend your favorite trans book in the comment section (or pitch your own if you're an author)!!

let's fill these comments with love so this video doesn't end up on the scary side of the algorithm.

☆ featured links ☆ official trans rights readathon website (with TONS of resources): https://transrightsreadathon.carrd.co/ PLEASE sign up here to be included in the data: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/2025-trans-rights-readathon 💫 join me on bindery (celestial - exclusive content, discord, book club, and more): https://celestial.binderybooks.com/

☆ everything I mentioned (in order) ↓ - Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi - Dear Senthuran by Akwaeke Emezi - Pet by Akwaeke Emezi - Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi - The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi - You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi - Content Warning: Everything by Akwaeke Emezi - Little Rot by Akwaeke Emezi - The Deep by Rivers Solomon - Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon - An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon - Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White - The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White - Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White - The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros - Wrath Becomes Her by Aden Polydoros - Bone Weaver by Aden Polydoros - Ring of Solomon by Aden Polydoros - The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey - Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey - Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas - The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas - Celestial Monsters by Aiden Thomas - Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki - Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness by Da’Shaun L. Harrison - Heavyweight by Solomon J. Brager - The Seep by Chana Porter - The Devourers by Indra Das - The First Bright Thing by J. R. Dawson - The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia - Feed Them Silence by Lee Mandelo - Station Six by S.J. Klapecki - Junker Seven by Olive J. Kelley - Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto

↓ find me in more places ↓ 🎵 tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@starrysteph 📸 insta: https://www.instagram.com/starry.steph 🦋 bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/starrysteph.bsky.social 📚 storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/starrysteph 📖 goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/147956803-steph-starrysteph 💌 email: starrystephbooks@gmail.com more: https://beacons.ai/starrysteph

☆ resources ☆ 🇵🇸 learn more about the history of Palestine: https://decolonizepalestine.com/ 🇨🇩 learn more about what's happening in the DRC: https://friendsofthecongo.org/ 🇸🇩 Sudan Solidarity Collective: https://sudansolidarity.com/

34 books

Not So Well Read\ \ Courtney\ \ • Jan 30 2025

Trans & Nonbinary Horror to Help You Escape the Horrors

17 books

Not So Well Read\ \ Courtney\ \ • Jan 2 2025

2024 Missed Connections: Horror Edition

Pour one out for all the books I swore I was going to read this year. May they have better odds in 2025.

What books did you condemn to you infinite TBR in 2024?

#bookishreels #bookstack #horrorbooks #horrorbookstagram #tobereadpile #tbrpile

9 books

Queer as Books\ \ José\ \ • Nov 20 2024

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