What am I supposed to do after finishing this? Just LIVE?! Go about my day like I wasn’t just completely dismantled from the inside out? Don’t be ridiculous. I will need multiple business days to recover.

When Marin’s cousin turns up dead in a creek she knows it was no accident. Posing as Jamie, a new student at Huntsworth Academy, she’s determined to get close to the people she knows are at fault. The life she finds within the academy’s walls is almost as alluring as the pull she feels from Henry Wu and Adrian Hargraves and pulling off her plan becomes increasingly difficult.

The tension, the mystery, the thrill. It’s all here. There are moments that are chilling and other moments that are reckless and without a care in a way only teens can be. There are secrets on secrets on secrets while they’re attempting to play different games of 3d chess simultaneously.

It’s obsession, it’s longing, it’s a desperate aching want that you know will destroy you, and giving in anyway.

Jenni Howell’s debut is an excellent entry into the dark academia catalogue. It had me tight in its clutches from page one.

“I wish my dreams didn’t have such sharp teeth.”

Let me start off this review by emphasizing that this is probably going to be nothing like what you think it’s going to be like. This book is not a love story in a traditional sense. The love between friends and family can drive you to lose a part of yourself, a part of your soul. The drive to protect those you love can become a dangerous obsession. Secrets, lies, and twists fill the pages of Boys with Sharp Teeth.

“Why do you love him that much, and how can I make you love me more?”

I found myself craving this book, trying to figure out where the plot was headed. None of my guesses were ever right. Jenni Howell’s dark academic-style of writing cultivated a dark and twisted world full of dark and twisted characters.

“He’s letting me hold his jagged edges for him.”

In the end, I loved Boys with Sharp Teeth. I’m still mind blown I was able to read an early copy of it, and I don’t think this is something I’ll be able to shut up about for a long time coming. I can’t wait to see Jenni’s journey as an author, because I know she is sure to flourish if BWST is any indication.

Also, I will forever be an Adrian apologist and I’m not even sorry.

“I only ever played for you.” “Even before I knew you, the music was always yours. You don’t know how much I needed -- I could never find you ugly. You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever dreamed.”

Boys with Sharp Teeth is a book that lingers—both in its hauntingly beautiful prose and the emotions it evokes. I appreciate that I didn’t have the time to devour this in one sitting because it gave me space to truly sit with my thoughts and process how each chapter made me feel. Every time I put my Kindle down, I found myself still wrapped in its world, the weight of its tension and beauty settling in my chest.

The vibes? Immaculate. The tension? Chef’s kiss. The characters? They will live in my heart eternally. This is the kind of story that is so well-written, so deeply affecting, that I know I will be thinking about it years from now.

🪞“So much life in you,” he says. “I want it all.”🪞



୨ৎ Hot broken people 

୨ৎ Unlikable hot broken people

୨ৎ Ghosts, devils, vampires oh my

୨ৎ Unreliable narrator

୨ৎ Boys who play the violin and ride motorcycles

୨ৎ Secrets, lies, betrayal

୨ৎ Hidden identities

୨ৎ Philosophy and Shakespeare 

୨ৎ Horror and mystery

Rating ➡️ 3.5 ✨


What in the frickin frack did I just read?



This book took me some time to get into, and even then, I wasn’t quite sure of what I was reading. Honestly, I just vibed. I surrendered and let the story take me. The prose is often so verbose and meandering that if I stopped too long to puzzle over what was going on, I’d have dropped out of the story. Much of this book will feel like word soup. This story is disorienting and tedious just as Jenni wanted it to be, I suspect. Because of that, this book will be very divisive and probably won’t be palatable to a wider audience. However I have just enough freak in me I fucked with it.

I was captivated by the toxic push and pull between the characters and the dark games they played. I was rooting for Marin’s pursuit of justice as she untangled the dark web of lies she found herself in.
I have confidence that this book will find its right niche of people despite its misleading blurb.


Much of this book’s plot requires you not to ask too many questions and suspend your disbelief in order to enjoy it. Is it believable that Marin could so easily enroll into an elite boarding school by simply dying her hair? No, babe. Shh, don’t think about it too much. Just go with it.



Is it believable that the events of this story could take place over barely a month’s time? No. That’s not long enough to infiltrate a tight-knit group of friends and build enough trust that people would want to divulge their darkest secrets. But we vibe, we go with the flow, and we settle into the fever dream.



🪞“I wish my dreams didn’t have such sharp teeth.”🪞



While this book is YA and does lean into some well-known YA tropes, I felt the storytelling was mature enough that it didn’t read overly juvenile. There were some very dark themes that wouldn’t be appropriate for too young of a reader, and checking trigger warnings is highly suggested.



It is quite clear that Jenni Howell is a talented writer, and for this being a debut novel, I am impressed. With more heavy-handed plotting and editing, I think there is a very bright future for her stories, and I’m excited to see what she comes up with next.

Thank you, Net Galley & the publisher for the arc.

thought I was getting dark academia and vampires, and while we definitely got dark academia I kinda wish the vampires were there. As a mostly fantasy reader it’s admittedly hard for me to suspend disbelief for stories set in our own world.

I can accept that kids at a boarding school may have murdered someone, I can accept some of the actions of the characters and even their elitist, pretentious and aloof attitudes about life and philosophy. I cannot accept that an elite boarding school wouldn’t require tuition to be paid up front. I mean, even my kid’s daycare requires that!

Even without vampires, these boys do have some sharp edges and the story maintains a constant state of tension and unease. You know something is off, but can’t put your finger on it. The thing I found so impressive was the way I could feel Jamie’s desire and the tension between her and Henry and Graves and simultaneously still feel her hesitation of getting to close to their sharp edges. I don’t know how I feel about the paranormal aspects of the book- and the mirror and what is seen or not seen and who is viewing what was confusing at times- but it’s a cool concept that helps makes sense of the overall creepy vibe and I like the imagery it creates.

If I'm being honest, I don't know how to rate this book. I don't even know what to think about this book and it took me some times to write my review.

At first, Boys With Sharp Teeth had me. The premise was everything I wanted, and everything I loved: a prestigious and secretive boarding school for the elite, a murder mystery, a girl infiltrating that world and hiding herself behind a false/new identity to find her cousin's killer, a we were liars meets the raven boys mention in the blurb, and a gorgeous, gorgeous, cover. On paper, this book had everything I could ever want and dream for, but in reality? Not so much.

I was all in for a little while. The eerie atmosphere was there and I loved it (it's my guilty pleasure, really), the setup was intriguing and there were just enough hints of something dark lurking beneath the surface to keep me invested in the story for a while, and then.. nothing. If I'm being honest, it's the biggest problem I have with the book. Nothing happens. Or, if I want to be more precise, things happen but the way they unfold is so devoid of actual tension, so repetitive, so slow, so.. hollow, that it feels like nothing happens at all. And the plot was, unfortunately, predictable. I wanted to be surprised, for the paranormal/surnatural elements to take over and leave me speechless but instead of tension building, everything felt messy. At some point even their dialogue didn't feel real and the main characters lost their depth and became more vibes than people. I didn't like Jamie—I don't know if I just wasn't in the mood to appreciate that kind of character when I read but I found her insufferable—and the boys were.. a cliché. Pretentious and dull at the same time.

As I said earlier, the plot and major twists were, unfortunately, predictable. For a long time, supernatural elements were barely there, it felt rushed and underdeveloped as if it was added after to fit the story, and not as a part of the plot. It felt.. too late, and the pacing didn't help. The first half was promising and then the plot lost itself in repetitive scenes, dragged conversations and a lot of overused metaphors. And.. I won't spoil anyone about the ending, of course, but I was ready for something devastating and instead I got.. that. I'm speechless, but not in a good way.

As always and as I said in several previous reviews, it's my own opinion, nothing else. I wanted to love this book and it didn't happen for me, but I'm sure others will love it.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I will not be finishing this book and not posting a rating beyond Netgalley. I got about half way through before ultimately deciding this wasn't for me. I do think I thought this was a queer story and also more adult than it turned out being.

Unfortunately, the writing style wasn't my favorite and my suspension of disbelief was not strong enough to overcome key aspects of the story. It has an interesting main plot but felt like it was trying to hard with everything else.

Absolutely gripping from beginning to end. I couldn't stop myself, i had to know where this rollercoaster was leading to. Marin is multi-layered protagonist, i honestly quite liked how she juggled between all the grey areas of her personal life, trauma and the persona she gave to huntsworth academy. "when the real and supernatural begin to crumble". yes, absolute yes. from the beginning, the author is working crescendo with her blurred lines -- until you cannot say the sky from the earth. Marin never loses her reasons for her presence at the academy and that's really refreshing. we, as reader, are like her, we know what is our end goal and we know one thing: we are ready to do everything and more to see it through. until the castle crumble and give Marin the reality-check that she is human and is dealing with other human beings, she may be chasing the truth for someone who's dead -- but she's still well alive and the people she needs are too. catching feelings is the most human thing: love, hate. Marin doesn't play in between, at least that's what she wants to believe, but as the reader, you see the cracks in her walls, all the potential of who she could be if. always if. the end is as fitting as it could have ever been, the circle is circling.

While the premise was nice, the writing was... not what I expected. I wanted more from the characters because I felt that what was on the front cover and the front flap was not what we were given.

A book with queer vampires? That's going to be five stars for me. The plot, pacing, story, and characters did not disappoint as well. I highly recommend this book if it sounds remotely interesting to you.

“Death is the easiest thing in the world.”

plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
writing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

So incredibly thankful to be able to read a digital arc of this from the publishers.

This is my first five star read in quite literally months. This book was so beautifully written with characters that are tragic and yet beautiful, with so much depth. I read it in one sitting. I could not get enough, every time I would take a break this book was all I could think about. I was drawn to it.

This story has everything I could ever want: romance, mystery, the eerie feeling that something wasn’t quite right, characters that are interesting just as individuals- even when you take away the story.

It was an enticing tale of grief, love and hate- and what separates the emotions… and what doesn’t. I have very few books I would re-read in my lifetime, but this is one of them. Even now, writing this, I am still in awe at both the simplicity and the complexity of this book-and trying to figure out how it can be both at once.

Jenni Howell is incredible at giving the readers fascinating stories that aren’t too complicated and elaborate, but still have teeth.

Be wary of the things that look back from your reflection

| young adult fiction | dark academia | thriller | psychological thriller | philosophy | contemplative | mystery | paranormal | PNR | love and hate | eerie | spooky | reflection | mind bending | lush | gothic | murder | thought provoking | beautifully dark | captivating | debut novel | psychology | emotions | revenge |

Would I recommend it? Absolutely, yes.
Is it spicy? No, this is not that kind of story.

This is not a story of romance, but rather a twisted and teetering push and pull between love and hate, dream and reality. For fans of deep philosophical thought, this story is set in a world of dark academia. You may enter Huntsworth Academy bright-eyed and full of purpose, but inevitably, you will leave utterly reeling, lost, and on the brink of near emotional exhaustion.

This story will have you contemplating the meaning and reality of your existence and asking yourself abstract questions you may have never considered to contemplate. If you know anything about philosophy and the questions that arise in philosophical thought, you will find great meaning in this story.

A story of revenge containing all the twisted, dark, and depraved feelings of someone lusting after retribution. Reading this story felt like a fever dream, leaving me ravenous for its cavernous conclusion. Boys with Sharp Teeth will intrigue and infect you with doubt, lucidity, and delusion. Like a fever dream, you may wonder: Is this happening, or am I crazy?

The writing of Jenni Howell is not to be underestimated. The language, cadence, and complexity of her writing are like nothing I have ever read. It was powerful, beautiful, and lavishly lush. Full of complexities and descriptions that feel the way a secretive whisper lingers, like it is just for you.

I never read thrillers, but I was so intrigued by this story. It was so mysterious and thought-provoking that I could not describe the events or thoughts of this book- only that it is something you will understand, which cannot be explained.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley for review. This in no way affects my opinion of the book. Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan, for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Happy Reading, Friends xx

This is a spoiler-free review! This is an ARC review - Boys with Sharp Teeth will be available on April 8, 2025.

I would first like to thank NetGalley and Roaring Book Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. The premise of this book - and its gorgeous cover - drew me in immediately, and I was thrilled that a paranormal mystery would be making its way into my pile. This book does not waste any time in introducing the main character and the haunting reason on why she has enrolled in Huntsworth Academy. Right off the bat, I was reminded of how I felt when reading The Secret History by Donna Tartt - there was something sinister in the air, and you could tell that there were secrets hidden between the walls of this school and its students.

Marin has infiltrated this prestigious school in order to uncover her cousin's murderer, and in order to do so, she has enrolled under the alias Jamie Vane, and is quick to associate herself with the group of students she suspects of being guilty. With Henry, Adrian, and Baz at the top of her list, she begins her quest to gain evidence and confessions to the crime that took her cousin from her, all while trying not to tip them off or reveal her true identity. However, things are not as they seem at this school, and something much more unnerving has encompassed the lives of some of these students. As Marin grows closer to her peers, she unknowingly thrusts herself into a paranormal conundrum that has its talons in the very individuals she seeks answers from.

Henry and Adrian's relationship is so incredibly complex and as readers, we are able to see how co-dependent and intricate it is, even without necessarily having their perspectives throughout the book. We see their lives tethered together through Marin's eyes and the slow progression of Marin herself being weaved into their intimate and alluring dependency. My mind kept referring to the trio as the evil Challengers - everything from their interactions to their intimacies are convoluted and go well beyond the surface level. Adrian and Henry go in tandem with one another - where one is, the other follows - and this certainly causes some riffs as the story goes on and Marin develops differing relationships with the boys.

I fell in love with the setting of this book - Howell does an excellent job immersing the reader into the story and making you feel as though you are walking the halls or attending the parties with the students. The introduction of paranormal elements was a great choice - much like Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, we are able to enter a dark academia setting while experiencing something greater than mortal beings. This addition to the story only solidified my interest and captured me into the plot - we discover everything as Marin does, and it allows us to stay oblivious to the true nature of some of the students until the very moment the information is revealed and we are thrust into the mortifying truth.

Boys with Sharp Teeth was one of my most anticipated 2025 reads and it truly lived up to all of my expectations. Rarely do I see a young adult mystery that captures the true horrors of what people are capable of while also diving into the unknown and paranormal. This is the perfect book for those looking to ease into the genre without being overloaded with information. Howell's incorporation of Decartes and classical literature elevated the undertones of this novel to the fullest extent, and makes me even more excited to Meditations, which has been sitting on my shelf for a few months begging me to crack it open.

🪞ARC REVIEW🪞

• It's a bit difficult to find the words to describe what I think of this debut novel. I was entranced, in awe, disgusted, and felt so many raw emotions as I read this unique story. I was constantly in wonder over what would happen next.

• Boys With Sharp Teeth is a dark novel that intertwines philosophical ideas into its poetic writing, filled with love, hate, obsession, fears, and more. It dives into the complexities of life and death, and how not everything is black and white, easy to trust or understand. It makes you question the true reasoning for the death of the FMC's cousin.

• While I didn't like some of the situations that occurred in the novel, I can understand why the author wrote it the way she did. I'm still in shock, trying to wrap my head around the crazy ending. This novel was a delightful surprise, one that will live in my mind for many years to come.
.
.
🪞If you enjoy these tropes, give it a try:🪞

🪞Thriller
🪞Dark Academia
🪞Plot Twists
🪞Hidden Identity
🪞Murder Mystery
🪞Complex Characters
🪞Messages Exchanged With Unknown Character

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 4.5/5
.
.
TW: Please be sure to check trigger warnings before reading. Some included are alcohol, drugs, suicidal ideation, death, etc.

I really really wanted to like this book; unfortunately I did not.

✔ The writing style is really atmospheric and lush; it adds so much to the environment and world-building for this world.
✔ Given the dark topics, this was really well balanced between the expectations for YA and a mature storytelling style.

✖ It sometimes felt like the plot went on and on into nowhere. The beautiful writing style didn’t really successfully prop up how boring a significant number of scenes were. I felt like I was far too deep into Marin’s head and not in a good way - especially given how much she second-guesses herself.
✖ Given the slowness of the plot at times, it also didn’t serve the story that we begin with quite a few far reaches in terms of suspending disbelief. How could a 17-year-old successfully leave home, effectively “going missing”, without any police reports/anyone at all recognizing her and how did she fraudulently become a student? The explanation given wasn’t very believable or even sensical.
✖ Some of the characters read as “trying too hard to be edgy” in a way that didn’t always make sense. I appreciate a messed-up morality system as much as the next reader but you can be morally gray/interesting without being at the extreme of any given archetypes/personality traits.

2/5 stars.

Overall, I really hyped up this book and it did not live up to what I wanted out of it. I suspect that I would feel similarly with a reread or even future sequels.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Boys with Sharp Teeth was honestly one I was anticipating the most to read this year. That cover was obviously what grabbed my attention first. It is so stunning. As for the story, just when I thought I knew where it was going I was completely shocked by the twists. I really didn't expect a lot of it coming from the description. Im going to be terrified of mirrors for a while. It's definitely dark but stays in the YA lane. I understand that it is a standalone but it really didn't need to be so long. The short chapters with mini cliffhangers is honestly what kept me reading it. I pushed through because I needed answers and was overall happy with the outcome. I hope this finds its audience. I think the blurb needs to be revised for that to happen.

This was god awful. I don't recommend it in the slightest.

I spent so much of my reading time wondering, "What in the ever loving fuck is going on?" The prose feels so forced. It feels like the descriptions were trying too hard to give atmosphere to the story, to drive the story, to make the story more than it actually was. The dramatics of teenagers never ceases to amaze me (in a bad way). I think if I was 15 years younger I would've eaten this up, but I think I'm just too old or too skeptical of the language and behaviour presented here. I know teens are angsty and moody, but man, have a brain.

Howell wrote the main character with massive main character syndrome, which shouldn't ever be as obvious as it was. It just reeks of I'm-not-like-other-main-characters plus some incredibly immature thoughts provided to us from said main character. The main character is too aggravating for me. One moment she's at a loss, the next moment she's doing something that feels out of character for her. It doesn't feel as though the author has who she is locked in enough. I am aware of our pov and main character's limits here though.

The character interactions are either so blase they work against the story, or they're leaning in too hard with the dramatics. I often find myself much too distracted with the smallest things the characters end up doing or saying because a lot of it doesn't feel natural. The diaglogue feels so forced as well. It feels like the author is using that as a means to explain the character rather than other descriptors or actions. It's weak writing. There's entirely too much telling and not enough showing.

The relationship between the main character and the other three is not genuine. It is point blank forced for the plot. And I get that she's there to solve a mystery (she's a terrible detective) so she doesn't really need a real relationship with the trio, but she's not getting very far without it. The author does very little in trying to develop their relationship and make it help progress the plot. There's either too much focus on the characters or too much focus on the plot and not enough of a mix of both working well together. There's also very little, if any, character development on anyone's part.

It's entirely too bold of the main character to go to this school with like a very half-baked (if that) plan that starts with having no plan when she arrives. I find it incredibly absurd to swing from the death in one week to being like, "Yeah, I'm going to chase this mourning period with finding out what happened to him." ????? like girl your plan is non-existent and you're already shoving your foot in your mouth. The school setting was also not the best idea, it really hindered the story, whatever the story is.

The writing is too eager to explain and tell things the main character is thinking or assuming and it's entirely too obvious. It leads to poor writing. The scene transitions were also lacking. Much of the time it was too much description or the lack of description. Sure we can imply she got on the bike, but a lot of the choices the author made for stuff left me wondering what the hell.

The comparison to The Raven Boys is a little insane, besides the whole latin usage, and at best that's not even a good comparison. The Latin being used in here also feels rather.....bad? Poor? Weak? It's being used to move the plot along but not in a sufficient enough way where you NEED it. You could easily remove it and the plot seems to function just the same. I think this is reaching too hard to be like TRC.

Halfway through and I still had no idea what the plot was about. There wasn't even a slow reveal of parts of the plot really. Yes, mirrors scary, but okay? Not enough of it was in the plot. While I understand the main character is oblivious to what happened and how the school functions and the other three's relationship to one another, there is far too much time spent dancing around trying to get the plot to progress. Way too much of said plot progression is spent on dialogue.

If this wasn't an ARC I would've DNF'd this earlier on.

The only good thing about this book is its cover! The artist did such a wonderful job.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the eARC!

i enjoyed this book so much!!! Beautiful writing with a beautiful plot and complex characters. Overall, a wonderful story. I enjoyed the aesthetic of the story and it was truly such a great and fun book. No critiques from me!

ᯓ★ˎˊ˗ net galley review
Thank you so much to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for providing me with the ARC of this book.

I wanted to like this more than I did. I was very conflicted in my rating for this book, because I love the Raven Cycle Series and will read anything remotely similar, so when I saw this was pitched as being similar, I ran at the chance to read it. I was also excited at the hope that it would be queer but it lacked in that area too for me. If you read this with no expectations and comparisons, it is phenomenal and a really good read, but because I was expecting those things I was left disappointed.

After her cousin's death is ruled an overdose, Marin James decides to enroll in the private school where her cousin was a bodyguard, knowing that the bruises on the back of his arms tell a different story no one cares to listen to. As Jamie Vane, she seeks to uncover the truth of who murdered her cousin and make them pay. Her targets - his closest friends. However, as she gets closer to Baz, Henry and Graves, she learns not everything is as it seems and she becomes entangled in something much darker than anticipated.

Boys with Sharp Teeth is dark and poetic. It raises a lot of philosophical questions as Marin befriends her suspects and tries to find her true self while posing as someone else. I thought the conclusion of the book was wonderful. It was dark and bittersweet and left open ended enough to leave the reader speculating what will happen to the main character. However, the last 10% of the book does not make up for the rest of it. I wasn't fully convinced of the chemistry between the characters, especially considering the short timeline of the book. I know they're teenagers but the dark insta-love wasn't convincing or interesting. Because the focus of the boys with sharp teeth is them being mysterious, philosophical and brooding, they didn't feel like well rounded characters The author knows how to write a good ending, and I loved the plot but the execution of it just wasn't for me.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!