The River Has Teeth is an expertly plotted mystery with a southern gothic feel. It follows two girls in their search to uncover the truth about a missing girl. It explores themes of grief, guilt, and longing while remaining engaging. The main characters are relatable and real. The mystery is twisty. Overall, this is excellent read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Natasha’s sister has gone missing and she is desperate to find her and very very angry at everyone. Della and her family are witches and she tries to help Natasha while keeping some major secrets.

Funny that I read The River Has Teeth immediately after finishing Girl One when they have so much in common—missing mothers, a bit of magic, a budding romance between the main characters. I liked Della but didn’t care for Natasha. Too much anger for the first 2/3 of the book and absolutely no reason for her to be only 16.

I loved this! It had the Southern Gothic backdrop with magic and mystery interwoven, and the setting was perfect. It was dark, mysterious, and full of magic. The river carved its way into being its own character, and the forest wasn't too far behind in making itself into its own character. The characters were great, too! Natasha's drive to discover what happened to her missing sister led her to meeting Della, who is trying to hold her family together and protect the world from the monster she fears her mother is. All in all, The River Has Teeth is a real page turner with an engaging mystery and interesting characters (including many who were members of the LGBTQ+ community). Everything was pretty much perfect. Della and Natasha's growing relationship, the side characters, the mystery. It all fit together into this beautiful, dark puzzle of a novel.

Many thanks to Netgalley and HarperTeen for this eARC. I really appreciated the opportunity to read this dark, magical, and mysterious tale!

Natashas sister is missing. Her car was found abandoned on the edge of a local nature preserve known as the Bend, but as the case goes cold, Natashas loss turns to burning anger.

This book managed to be many things all at once. Mystery, Romance and Horror. I feel like the eerie attention to detail made this book as well as they well written characters! A chilling, romantic and mysterious story!