Thank you to NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I don't think I could love a book more if I tried, and I doubt I have the words to do my feelings about it justice.

From start to finish I loved every second of reading this. Even before the novel starts, the dedication and letter from the author pulled at my heartstrings. The letter from the author informs the reader of the myriad of dark and potentially triggering topics contained in the book, and is already a demonstration of Andrew Joseph White's stunningly emotional writing.

To say this story means something to me is a grotesque understatement. I didn't know how much I needed to read about a character like Silas, and I could not have guessed how emotional that experience would make me. Silas' depiction as an autistic trans boy was not only very well executed, but it also resonated with me. His internal monologues, his self-doubt, all of the questions, and all of the anger were so familiar it sometimes felt as if they were taken straight from my brain. Knowing I've related to so many of his fears and anxieties at at least one point in my life, and then seeing him find acceptance and recognition with the groundskeeper and Daphne had me tearing up multiple times.

As announced in the author's letter, this book can get extremely heavy throughout, but it is never done without regard. Despite the prevalence of dark themes like sexual violence, transphobia and gore/medical content, they are never justified, romanticised, or let go by without having acknowledged the impact their depictions can have.
I was never left feeling like something I had just read was unnecessary or out of place. A.J.W.'s in-depth grasp of the characters, plot, and themes of the story were reflected in every one of its beats, like Silas' characterisation. It is distinctly and tightly woven into the narrative, and he shines so blindingly as a protagonist, no matter how shrouded in loss and horror.

As a whole, The Spirit Bears Its Teeth isn't a happy story. It is horrifying, visceral and honest; a brutally stark tale about what it means to be other. It is told unapologetically, and I would not have it any other way. It is terrifying, yet there is hope to be found in it. 

Andrew Joseph White created an amazingly twisted book—its setting, all of its setpieces, and characters—and breathed life into it with his vividly thematic prose and masterful depiction of emotion. 
It is written with care for not only the integrity and historical context of the narrative, but also the reader and I am beyond thankful this book exists. I know I needed it to, and I hope everyone else who is waiting to see themselves in the pages of a book also gets the chance to read this.