Ohhhh, this book was so freaking good! I had fairly high hopes from the cover, title, and description, and this book did not disappoint--in fact, with its deep-southern-gothic (despite the northern setting)-meets-playful-YA tone, it was a delight. There are definite Shirley Jackson "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" vibes, coupled with a dash of "Wilder Girls" (particularly the theme of wildness and uncontrollable urges), and a pinch of a traditional YA vampire love story (though this gets much more complicated than it initially seems). Mostly, though, Szabo's novel is its own blend of folk and fairy tale, building off of long-held stories to make something new and mature. The way the novel handles desire, compulsion, consent, and violence/harm are fascinating and delve way deeper than it had to, and it left me with a lot to think about. It was also fucking scary! The only irritating thing is that now I NEED to buy a copy, and I have to wait. [Review based on an e-ARC.]

I was absolutely entranced by this book. The characters. The atmosphere. The mystery. So much to love.

A solid rendering of the the often complicated and nuanced meaning of what makes a family, even when that family has parted ways for reasons unique to them. This is as true in real life for reasons large or ones insignificant and using the conceit of monsters as What Big Teeth does only serve to add another, really engaging layer to this trope that makes it feel unique and interesting and highly readable. A really solid debuty by Rose Szabo that make me anxious to see what they do write next.

A strange and weird book with an interesting story and characters. It's definitely not for everyone and I'm still not entirely sure on my own opinions on the book, but it grabbed my attention and I enjoyed reading it.