What started out as an undoubtedly clunky read ended up turning into, for better or for worse, the most difficult review I’ve ever written. Not because of the subject matter hitting me hard or whatever, that was only the case with Lakelore(and that is staying on my now defunct Tumblr), but because although I can’t call this book a terrible read, it is not one I would recommend. 

I’ll start with things I liked. I haven’t read many books focusing specifically on the drag scene, that was nice! Especially drag *kings*, which, like our MC Nima, I didn’t know even existed until recently. (By that I mean 1-2 years ago.) Granted, it took a while for Nima *herself* to become involved and start doing drag herself, but she’s exposed to some sprinklings of the performance as she’s figuring out where she fits within the LGBTQ community. Not that she’s confused as to what she identifies as—she knows she’s a “girl who likes girls”, through and through—just unsure where in the *community* she is comfortable putting herself. Especially as she finds it difficult to be connected to terms she has only derogatory associations with(she faces some homophobia in this book, but only from a few characters). I enjoyed how drag was an outlet for that! And some of the little moments with the queens made me think of some drag folks I know, but if I were a little older and could mingle with their circles. I’m very glad that it maintained a relatively lighthearted story, and didn’t turn into a queer tragedy when these different forms of gender exploration and identity were introduced.

Nima in general was a darling, too!! I’ll defend her ‘till my last breath. Her teenage awkwardness was incredibly realistic and I could connect to her thought process. Yes, she was impulsive at times or didn’t think things through, but in my opinion, she noticeably matured. And nothing could make me hate her! Her heart seemed in the right place and I sympathized with the numerous emotions she underwent through the story. Because of her, a lot of “Kings, Queens, And In-Betweens” works as a coming of age novel. Her father was also very sweet, and made me miss my own at times. (He needs to check in with his kid more, though, lmao)

I was also one of the people who liked Gordon’s arc—although yes, I know I’m in the minority. He(?) definitely still has some shit to unpack, but Nima and crew acknowledge that, and although he is sympathized with and given a non-toxic environment to be better in, he’s not absolved of his previous behavior. It’s just emphasized he needed some kinder people in his life, and to actually open up to them. I also am okay with Gordon still questioning! I don’t care that he doesn’t find a label by the end, although it’s clear Gordon experiences some kind of gender dysphoria. The queer experience is not about fitting yourself into a neat little word or box all of the time, which was reflected in some of the expression present in this novel. 

But now that I’ve got those paragraphs out of the way, you’re probably very confused. I don’t blame you. My words are glowing, my praises are detailed, and I still have this a 2 star rating. Is there a catch?

Yes! There is one. I hated the romance.

No, I do not mean that it was too cheesy for me. I don’t even mean that it was only mediocre. I have read many a book romance, some venturing into either or both of those territories, and that is not my issue. Why is 21 year-old Winnow pursuing a 17 year-old Nima, and this is completely glossed over?!?! Yes, Nima had to lie about being 18 to get into some of the drag places, and that’s probably part of how that happened, but SHE KNOWS NIMA IS STILL IN HIGHSCHOOL EITHER WAY!! Back off!! And this book is a romance, so it is impossible to ignore. And never once is it addressed in the book, the relationship is even encouraged by two or so characters. (Which is why I had a couple issues with Deidre. I wanted to like her as a Fairy Dragmother, and she had some very sweet moments with Nima, but why would you encourage this lmao??) 

Nima’s introduction to Winnow’s world, specifically, also brought forth a lot of questionable ethics. Why are the bars Nima goes to conveniently not ID’ing? How is Nima’s dad okay with her going to Winnow’s house without actually meeting Winnow or knowing how old she is?!?! (I get he’s non-confrontational but oh my goodness! Again, CHECK UP ON YOUR KID MORE!) And in general, Nima had a couple interactions with her and Luce that I felt were too sexual considering they’re both old enough to drink and Nima’s a minor. Although I get that 17 is the age of consent in some places, again, SHE’S STILL IN HIGHSCHOOL and there is a clear maturity difference! And both Winnow and Luce are drag performers, something that feels especially icky when a current argument against drag performers existing or expressing themselves is that they groom kids. We don’t need to have a book involving them in minor-adult relationships, oh my god. 

This wasn’t an excruciating read the entire time—most of my issues with the writing style in particular(not the plot! We already went over that) came from the repetitive and comparatively more cringey first chapter. But I will say it was a very uncomfortable one.

At some times endearing, at others on-the-nose. The cast of characters was charming, but I can see the story working better if Mary was just a year younger. If you're a fan of the author, I recommend you still check it out, but I can't say it'll be the strongest work in her catalog. I also have not read the original Secret Garden story, some of the negative reviews came from aging Mary up but I cannot comment on (most of) it for that reason.

I did, however, really like the pacing of the queer romance. I was appropriately happy when Mary realized her feelings for Sophie, the two's dynamic was genuinely cute, and I liked that unlike a few YA novels, this wasn't a first love scenario. Mary's sapphic identity was revealed earlier on in the story, she originally spent the time thinking about a former crush-slash-almost-friend(which doesn't go anywhere, lol, it's just nice to see childhood crushes represented like that), but later on she develops an actual love for Sophie.

Easily, the Indigenous characters were the most fleshed-out besides Mary. (Which isn't surprising, considering the author.) Flora was a fun addition of much-needed snark when Rebecca was introduced.

Some of the story notes felt repetitive, though, like the titular "bright open" motif. I get that it was used only when needed, but my annoyance came from the tell-not-show writing. Some of the themes of community, loneliness, and different kinds of love could've been gathered from analysis and not spelling them out imo.

Works very well as a children's/middle-grade book, though, if you remove the occasional cursing.

Maybe higher? 4.25? I’ll see how I feel with my StoryGraph rating later. This is a book I’ve been waiting 8 months to read and I am so glad it wasn’t a disappointment! To be honest, though, I was dreading those first three chapters where you’re waiting for Silas to have that awful, inciting incident that kicks off the entire plot of the book, but after that I was hooked! His way of thinking, sensory issues, and his consistent stimming were such an accurate representation of autism imo and it was spectacular to see another trans character in a horror setting. (The last transmasc horror character I can think of, and that stuck with me, was Raul from Wendall and Wild!) One thing I can appreciate about Andrew Joseph White’s books is that he includes trans boys who, although they don’t present as traditionally masculine for one reason or another(Silas *can’t* do that, and Benji from “Hell Followed With Us” just didn’t feel like doing certain things like binding lol), they’re still respected in their texts and seen for their boyhood!! That’s very healing to me as a transmasc person who doesn’t pass. But obviously, the vivid gore and the subject matter made this a difficult read. I couldn’t fly through this in nearly one sitting like I did for White’s debut novel.

Onto my thoughts for the actual story now! Firstly, although I might be biased, I think the first fifth of this novel is the world-building at its best. Silas doesn’t infodump to the readers, instead talking about his world and surroundings like they’re a natural (albeit very alarming) part of life. The atmosphere was delicious, and I loved the imagery in this novel. I do wish, though, that we had more time with the Veil and more knowledge about it. It was opened infrequently, despite the sprits’ importance to the plot(although I get why…dangerous environment to do that in), and most of what we know about how it interacts with human history and medium practice comes from the beginning of the novel. That was kind of a shame.

Other criticisms: some of the characters? I didn’t take issue with the boarding school girls(some reviewers thought they were one-note but I thought they worked as side characters), but literally every male character—with the sole exceptions of Silas and the groundskeeper—was evil? Yes, I get the point is to show the patriarchal (and ableist) systems that led to existence of the school and the “veil sickness”. But even those who assisted Silas had a plot twist where they were willing to hurt him the whole time, if it meant upholding their own wants or a system they were part of. Instead of being a searing commentary on the numerous misogynistic claims of “hysteria” prevalent in the Victorian era, it resulted in this…odd implication that Silas was only better because of he was socialized as a girl. He wasn’t raised to accept a legacy of brutal conquest because he wasn’t born a cisgender man, his connection with femininity makes him more compassionate, gives him some morals. I don’t know how to feel about that.

Silas criticism, cont: I was willing to accept his disdain of corsets at the beginning because he found out about their “dangers” from the journals of his brother, who, while he is a doctor, also has patriarchal thinking. But I guess the little remark reinforcing the myth of corsets crushing the organs was meant to be taken as a *genuine* thing? (Many fashion historians have debunked that: corsets functioned as bras or, in a way, binders.) So it wasn’t just that mixed with sensory overload. Also, Silas has a rather progressive anti-Imperialist view when he comes from a sheltered, wealthy family, which while I get not wanting to enforce those views in your book even if it’ll be accurate to the character’s setting or time period, I don’t know how he ever got that knowledge or adapted that way of thinking? Certainly not from George. 

But, there are some more parts of this book that I *did* like/appreciate, hence the rating. Daphne’s character, for starters, was not only a great love interest but very engaging on-page. I was indifferent to the romance—although I appreciate it being T4T!—and can’t say I was immediately rooting for her and Silas to get together because he *did* fall for the first person who showed him decency(poor guy), though Daphne’s quick wit and kindness made her my favorite of the cast. I was smiling every time she made an appearance.

The gore was excellently written, too, just like its predecessor! There were some truly wild scenes in the book(the bathtub c-section?!?!) but between that and the scary atmosphere(no, I don’t mean “eerie” some of this shit was creepy as fuck) I was absolutely engrossed in the higher stakes, more action or blood-packed scenes of the story. Like, as a horror novel, TSBIT absolutely nails its genre. (…As a historical fiction book? Slightly different story. Some inaccuracies were purposeful, as given away by the author’s note, and others seemed like they weren’t.) 

Anyhow, my final verdict? Obviously I liked this, even with its issues. I may have not given it a 5 stars like “Hell Followed With Us”, but in this case, this does not mean it was a disappointment. At times, the writing even felt stronger. But heed the content warnings, if you want to give “The Spirit Bares Its Teeth” a try. (And don’t feel pressured—even the author’s note said you can opt out at any time.)

3.75 stars. I liked the importance and weight of how the author wrote about the culture and trauma of being an immigrant in America. (Especially one of color.) Zara’s determination, even in the face of an uncertain future and terrifying hatred, was admirable. I like how she was able feel both that uncertainness and fear, while being resilient(and even hopeful, at times)—without it canceling that out. I also was not expecting Zara’s queerness to be so important to the story! It’s not regarded as anything controversial or a twist(although she does get some shit from an aunt for it), she outright says she’s bisexual on page, and her Muslim parents are very supportive. When grappling with the decision of whether to stay in the US or not, though, she knows that if she goes back to Pakistan she won’t be able to be openly queer without jeopardizing her safety. 

Unfortunately, I felt this book was held back by its writing style. The topics tackled by Zara and her family are nuanced, and have a lot of room for in-depth, hard-hitting writing. But a lot of the descriptions were very tell-not-show. Instead of illustrating Zara being crushed, or joyful, it would say that she “felt sad” or was “on a cloud of joy”(the second metaphor was used around three times, I think?). It felt younger YA in a way I wasn’t expecting, and the only time I feel the on-the-nose writing worked was a quarter through the story when Zara’s inner and outer conflicts were just introduced and her emotions were fresh. Her grief(?) about her father broke my heart, when his health was an uncertain point of the story. (I’m sure some of that in part is due to my father passing away and revisiting that old fear of living without him, though.)

Some other issues I had were that I wish Chloe was more developed as a character before she started dating Zara—we don’t really know why Zara likes her aside from her being pretty. (Although Zara gets to be open with her later on in the book, that’s..tens of pages away, and not an initial point as to why she cares so much about this girl.) I wish we got more closure on Maria(or at least saw her have more importance), and towards the end a lot of Canada’s issues were glossed over so the ending would be more optimistic.

Please listen to me though when I say that this is a flawed book, and I criticize parts of it, I still have tremendous respect for its existence. Not many stories of people with struggles like Zara’s are published, or become mainstream. I’m sure there are people that this will resonate with that are immigrants, Muslim, PoC and queer like Zara. If you read this review and decide “Zara Hossain Is Here” is a worthwhile read for you, I say go ahead and check it out.