Oh boy...
This book is for fans of:
- a Dark and Drowning Tide? (sort of dark academia with a toxic group of codependent friends)
- the Raven Cycle (paranormal and occult - and also an enmeshed friend group)
- the mortal instruments?????? (sort of love triangle)
- Shatter Me (for the florid writing style)

This book includes:
- very atmospheric boarding school setting
- a toxic and deranged group of besties
- murder mystery
- terrible parents
- TW: murder, self harm, death

Marin is convinced that her best friend and cousin, Sam, was murdered. No one believes her. The death was ruled as a drug related fatality, but she knows same better than that. The facts just aren't lining up. She decides to dawn a fake identity and solve the mystery on her own.

This book is intoxicating and twisted. The atmosphere of the boarding school tucked away in some rural Americana mountainside is all consuming. From the moment I picked up this book I was hooked. When the more paranormal these started to be intertwined into the story I was so pleased. In the end, I felt like there were too many plot holes for me to be completely satisfied by the story. It is clear the author spent a lot of time crafting beautiful prose, but I wish more time would have been spent executing the plot. It is also worth mentioning that this book is descried as LGBT, but it is not clear that there are any LGBT characters.

I received this eBook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Jenni Howell, and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the opportunity to review this book. This review has been posted across my socials under the username @tinynightingales, check out my GoodReads profile https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/62314863
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I really wanted to like this! I mean, just look at the cover?? I was wondering if this was a love corner, triangle, or polycule when I applied as an arc (fingers crossed with polycule!).

I felt disappointed. A lot of things were done well, but it just left too much. So many confusing parts, and not all ribbons were fully tied, you know? Things got messier as you got closer to the ending. The first 50% of the book was okay. I knew it would include some romance with the cousin killers, but it left me frustrated. The ending was not satisfying but just confusing.

Unpredictable? Yes. Good? No, sadly. I found myself wishing Henry and Graves were the main characters. That’s how flat and aggravating the main female lead felt. She was kind of all over the place. The more the book went on, the harder it was to root for her. The revenge aspect of her character fell flat and uninteresting. We don’t really get a reason to care about Sam either. I wish we got more Baz scenes. We don’t even know if she died or not. The mirror thing was also confusing.

Final words are very confusing but good aesthetics and vibes. Also a lot of philosophy put in for aesthetics rather then values…Chemistry between Henry and Graves was nice.

This is a very atmospheric read and there’s something sensational about Jenni Howell writing style. I do think I went into the book with different expectations after seeing it as “We Were Liars” x “The Raven Cycle”. “Boys with Sharp Teeth” is a paranormal dark academia revenge story. The characters give me similar feels to the characters in “We Were Liars” and theres the paranormal, scrying, and latin overlap with “The Raven Cycle” (not the found family that many readers associate with those books). We follow Jamie/Marin infiltrating into the elite Huntsworth Academy, to find the truth behind the death of her cousin, Sam. You do got to look past how she somehow forged a 23k dollar check and completely gets away with it. I did enjoy the first third of the book but towards the middle it started to drag and I wasn’t quite sure where we were going anymore.

This book was SO boring. The cover and the description made it seem like it'd be a gothic kind of dark academia push/pull, love/hate, hidden secrets thing, but I couldn't stand any of the characters and each chapter just felt like it was repeating itself. I really hated picking up this book to keep reading, it was a literal chore.

I’m in love with this book . I need it printed on my eyelids so everytime I close my eyes I can reread it.
I miss you graves you never did anything wrong ever😔

6/5 ✨

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!!!

BOYS WITH SHARP TEETH, is the debut novel of author Jenni Howell. I would say themes of Dark Academia, with enigmatic characters, and a tantalizing touch of the supernatural that seems just out of reach, until the very end.

We have Maren (who disguises herself as "Jamie"), who wants to prove that her cousin's death wasn't due to a drug overdose/accident, but murder. Her suspects are two boys and one girl from the elite boarding school near her small town--boys she felt were only pretending to be her cousin's friend because he was a groundskeeper there, and had keys to just about everyplace.

The central idea was believable enough, but how "Jamie" manages to get enrolled in this 23,000 a semester high school, with a forged check and fake transcripts, dyeing her hair, and NOBODY from her town (just down the hill) bothers to come looking for her, is a bit much to accept. Especially as the check isn't legit. Nonetheless, she is immediately brought up to her "suite" where she is the roommate of Adrian (suspect one), and down the hall from Henry and Baz (suspects two and three). Yes, co-ed rooms for teenagers in high school...

I felt that this would honestly have worked better if we were talking about young adults in a college environment, because these characters seemed much more mature than high schoolers.

The characters did draw me in--the mystery behind them was something I couldn't wait to unravel. Unfortunately, it felt like a lot of our MC second-guessing all of her feelings for most of the novel, and only getting to the point in the last 15% or so.

Overall, I did enjoy the three suspects and their dynamics. The ending was fast paced and "different" from what I expected. If the book had been 200 pages less, with more of the ending parts sprinkled throughout (instead of dumped at the very end), I think I would have appreciated it more. Still, the author has a unique voice, and I would definitely try her next novel.

*I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are uniquely my own.*

4.5 stars rounded up

If you like your dark academia extremely angsty with morally questionable characters, Boys With Sharp Teeth is perfect. Gothic horror meets The Atlas Six and The Secret History, but make it YA. Philosophy is woven throughout as the characters question good versus evil, the existence of humanity and more.

Marin James wants revenge. Her cousin died supposedly of an overdose, but she's certain he was killed by a group of students at an elite academy. So she fakes her way into the school with the intent of discovering the truth. She is drawn into a toxic dynamic with twisted games and dark secrets. No one in this book is good, but they sure as hell are compelling to read about. I'm still sitting on how I feel about the ending. I won't spoil things, but I feel creeped out about mirrors if that says anything! It's deliciously dark with very broken characters. I look forward to seeing what else we get from this debut author!

The audio narrator for this is perfect- exactly the kind of gravely, devil may care voice you want for Marin and she does a great job nailing the emotion of key scenes. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

Content warnings for violence, drugging, blood-letting etc.

Jenni Howell is a phenomenal writer and this book is an everlasting treasure. That being said, it wasn’t for me. I say that with so much love because I know deep in my heart that this book is going to mean so so much to so so many people. Many readers will fall in love with these characters and the climactic ending of the novel will have the characters ripping the readers to absolute shreds (in the best way of course). However, I sadly struggled to connect with these characters, and while I did like the ending, it just didn’t feel right for me due to my lack of attachment to our wonderful characterized main foursome. But again, I do not blame Jenni Howell in the slightest, she wrote a fantastic book that I highly recommend, I just painstakingly do not have the personality needed in order to devour this novel (as it so deserves).

It’s set as a dark academia with LGBTQ+. I was ecstatic about the overall premise of the story.
The cover is beautiful and haunting. It does pull you in.

However, I will say toward the middle and end it sort of loses the audience. I felt so confused by the MC’s motivations after a while. There is no flashback to full circle to the relationship of her and her cousin. There was no real connection.

There was some lost in descriptions because the set in housing made little to no sense. As well as, the adults in the story having no real power.

I will say the story showed the depth of how far someone will go but you also are reminded that they are teenagers.

One of the biggest things that bugged me was this was labeled as “LGBTQIA book” nope. We had some queer moments but nothing that is worth labeling it.

It comes down to fun and lust. I hate that they did it for fun but that says so much about their culture and the fact that Henry smiled.

I am not sure if the ending makes me happy or upset.




Thank you Netgally and Macmillan Publishers.

Thank you to for providing an ARC of Boys with Sharp Teeth in exchange for an honest review.

Although I do not typically go for dark academia I found the premise of the book interesting and wanted to give the book a shot. I was excited to dive into this debut, which promises a thrilling blend of mystery and suspense set in the world of an elite academy. The premise—of a young woman who enrolls in the prestigious school to unravel the mystery behind her cousin’s murder. Unfortunately, while the book started strong, I found myself increasingly disengaged as the story progressed and by 40% I sadly had to DNF.

This romantic dark academia is full of lush meditations on philosophy, twisty explorations and investigations of murder, and delightfully toxic romantic dynamics. 🔥 Sign me up!!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Roaring Book Press for the opportunity to read Boys with Sharp Teeth in exchange for my honest review.
Unfortunately, this YA Dark Academia debut about a young woman who enrolls in a prestigious academy to discover who murdered her beloved cousin did not work for me and I am DNFing this book at 31%.
Discounting that a teenager could pull off the ruse of impersonating someone else and enrolling into a school with the hopes of getting in and out within one weekend and achieving some good old fashioned revenge without raising any alarms is one thing, but the amount of disdain I have for all of the characters completely overrides any desire I have to continue with this book. The only character I have any sympathy for is already dead at the beginning of the book therefore whatever happens to the rest of them is of absolutely no concern to me.

My first ARC read of 2025 and it definitely had me on the edge of my seat. My nails are bitten to the quick! If you’re looking for a suspenseful, dark academia read that will have you guessing every second of the way, this is for you. For a story that borders on the paranormal, this piece will have you wondering if the main character is as reliable as she thinks she is as she also begins to doubt herself. For lovers of The Secret History and If We Were Villains, this is a must read!

I loved the beginning of this- I’m a big dark academia fan so this seemed to be right up my alley. However, the pacing really started to lag for me around 40%. I think the driving part of the plot faded and I didn’t feel compelled to keep going by then.

This is not the kind of book you skim because if you miss one word you miss everything. This book is intimate. The author makes the simplest of movements tying a tie full of yearning and angst. Nothing is mundane. Each character is full of intensity and every action down to the smallest twitch of their mouth is beautifully noted.

Read this book if you want dark academia with a haunting twist. There’s love, lust, obsession, rivalry, sacrifice, revenge, emotions of every kind swirling in this twisted plot that rides the edge of sanity.

I’m interested to see if the author changes anything about the ending when the final published piece comes out. As it stands, there are open questions and a bit of a cliffhanger.

We Were Liars meets The Raven Boys in this mind-bending YA debut about dark revenge, twisted desire, and the sinister secrets lurking behind the walls of an elite boarding school. Dark academia that hits the mark.

I don't read many dark academia books but i really enjoyed this one. It kept me engaged and I couldn't put the book down.

OMG! What a read! I thought I had it all figured out, but then BAM! It was dark, twisted, and confusing, but so captivating. It really delves into loss, hate, and love. You'll end up rooting for these characters. You gotta read it!

Interesting and the prose was great. I will say though that the vibe comes off as queer, though the book is in no way queer.

More Than Just Boarding School Shenanigans (5 Stars)

Boys with Sharp Teeth lures you in with the trappings of a dark academia boarding school story: a vengeful heroine, two devilishly attractive boys with too much power, and a tangle of tumultuous feelings. But be warned, this is no ordinary YA romance. Beneath the surface lies a darkness that's both captivating and deeply unsettling.

Jenni Howell takes these familiar elements and twists them, infusing them with a bleak, almost philosophical horror that steadily builds throughout the narrative. The prose is lyrical, the characters are beautifully flawed, and the atmosphere is thick with a sense of impending doom. This book doesn't just explore the complexities of human nature; it dissects them, revealing the ugliness that can fester beneath a polished veneer.

The climax is a punch to the gut, a moment of shocking violence that feels both inevitable and utterly heartbreaking. Boys with Sharp Teeth will leave you breathless, jumpy, and questioning the nature of good and evil. If you crave stories that linger, that challenge your expectations, and that aren't afraid to explore the darker corners of the human psyche, then sink your teeth into this one. You won't regret it, even if it haunts you.