While the premise seemed promising at first (enrolling at the school where beloved cousin died to avenge the people responsible) it was just too slow in moving along that I could not will myself to finish the book. Getting placed in a room in the senior floor as an underclassman and sharing a living area with the opposite gender? What kind of school would actually do that even in the modern era? And the MC's personality was really dry. Unfortunately a DNF for me.

I absolutely DEVOURED this book! I love dark academia and found this book to be very compelling, easy to become engaged and enraptured in given its setting and Howell's atmospheric writing. This book isn't necessarily a romance by any means (not that it's really being marketed as such, but I do think it's worth noting if people are drawn to it based off the cover (which, by the way, is stunning)); that being said, there is SO MUCH charged tension between our three MCs that I can definitely see people making their own inferences/headcanons while reading on whether said tension is rooted more in attraction or repulsion. I found this book to be such a delight and commend Howell on her debut work, as her writing style flowed beautifully and BwST is, overall, a very twisted & ambitious tale of obsession, revenge, power, and the razor thin line that exists between love and hate. Highly recommend and can't wait to read more of Howell's work in the future!

4.5 stars.

I kid you not, I read this within ONE DAY of being approved for it on NetGalley, and truly I would've read it in one sitting if I didn't care about my sleep schedule so much. Marin, Henry, and Adrian are the perfect combination of pretentious and raw, sinister and sweet. I was entranced by the relationship these three had, the way it danced from friendship to romance to something far deeper than either of those but a thousand times more menacing. The sheer toxicity of it all, and the careful threading of dynamics, had me zipping through pages right from the beginning. My only qualm: The author rightfully says that this book isn't queer, I would've loved to see on-page dissections of the queer undertones between Henry and Adrian, and Marin and Baz, because they undeniably exist. Other than that, this a wonderfully disturbing read that I'll be thinking about for a while.

Do heed the trigger warnings. There were several beautifully written, horribly disgusting scenes that followed me into my sleep, that could definitely be too much if I wasn't prepared for it. There are mentions of suicide, descriptions of dead bodies, self-harm, auditory and visual hallucinations, and some supernatural elements. Protect and listen to yourself while reading.

When I got the notification my request for the e-arc had been approved I genuinely screamed. I knew this was right up my alley as soon as I read the description so I pretty much spent months hyping it up in my head.

For the most part it lived up to those expectations, though it wasn’t without a rocky start.

To get to the good stuff you have to be willing to overlook the lack of realism quite a bit. I’m not gonna lie for about the first fifty pages I wasn’t sure I was going to like this because it required a suspension of disbelief I wasn’t sure I was capable of — and this coming from someone who can normally look the other way when things are “for the plot.” Even though I ended up liking the rest of the book I’d be lying if I said it didn’t bother me that Marin was SO easily able to infiltrate an elite boarding school with nothing more than a forged signature and fake printed test scores, no sort of background checks or anything. She’s also got a life she ran away from, and no one reported her missing for the weeks she was gone. Oh and, perhaps the most realistic of all, boys and girls share suites in this school. Realistically speaking, parents who are paying $23,000 tuition aren’t doing it because they want to see their daughters come home pregnant. And again realistically speaking, no boarding school where guys and girls share rooms wouldn’t be considered “elite” to begin with — even the worst college campuses usually have separate dorms.

There were also a few basic details in terms of establishing the setting that I think could have been added to make things easier for the reader to visualize. It’s established that Henry lives on the same floor as Marin, and she shares a room with Adrian while Henry shares a room with Baz. Somehow Henry and Marin can see each other from their rooms though and she can tell when the lights are on in there?? The thing is, there’s probably a clear explanation for how this is — we just aren’t given one. Even just a couple sentences describing the layout would have cleared things up completely. There were a couple smaller instances too where it’s so hard to imagine the room the characters are in that also could have been cleared up with a few small details.

The writing may have had an issue with a lack a clarification at times, but the style was gorgeous, especially considering this is a debut. It immediately sucks you in to the story, creating a gorgeous atmosphere that persists throughout. There were multiple times that I was so engrossed in the story I had no clue what was going on around me. In the end it has this fever dream quality to it, which is something I love as it is kind of similar to other books I really enjoyed in the past (for example Bunny by Mona Awad came to mind first).

I also really liked that this leaned into the more mature side of YA. I was a little scared that the story’s potential would be hindered by juvenile storytelling, but none of that was found here. It was just the right balance of the YA themes while still having mature topics and storytelling.

I want to talk about the characters so bad, because that was another thing that stood out here, but I don’t know how to do it without spoiling. So, all I’ll say is that I thought they all were very compelling and so were there dynamics, and I really enjoyed seeing all the different sides of them.

And in terms of romance, while they both were…interesting love interests to say the least, the better option was clear to me. And it wasn’t the guy I thought I would root for either.

When it comes to the ending, there were some minor flaws again in terms of believability. I’m pretty sure there’s no way people were looking for her but never found her when all she did was die her hair. Otherwise though I thought it was pretty fitting even though it didn’t work out for everyone I liked.

Overall, despite some flaws with descriptive details and realism, this was still an enjoyable debut. The characters, dynamics, plot and writing were all interesting so I would definitely recommend people give this a try. I would also definitely be interested in checking out any of this authors future work.


Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

🅞🅥🅔🅡🅐🅛🅛 🅡🅐🅣🅘🅝🅖: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

The thing with being an arc reader is that you have no idea what to expect. Aside from the blurb, there’s nothing else to suggest whether you’ll like a book, especially when it comes to debut novels. Initially, I had hoped that Boys With Sharp Teeth would be a 5-star read. Instead, I’m here about to share my issues.

Had I known Boys With Sharp Teeth has paranormal elements, I would not have picked this book up. Paranormal has never been for me. You’ll either catch me reading full-on fantasy or contemporary. This is because I prefer detailed world-building with explanation for the fantastical elements. That didn’t happen here and I was disappointed.

My second pet peeve: I was forced to take philosophy classes at university and I absolutely hated every minute. Imagine my surprise when the only class our MCs consistently attend is philosophy. There’s nothing wrong with this plot point. In fact, I think it fits well. I just did not want to hear another Descartes discussion, let alone during my R&R (rest and relaxation).

As a whole, Boys With Sharp Teeth felt like pages on pages of filler. The characters dance incessantly around what they already know about themselves and each other. This book is endless banter. The back-and-forth remarks dragged on so long that the final reveal felt underwhelming. Essentially, the more I read, the less I cared.

Also, I couldn’t comprehend why Marin, aka Jamie, would be interested in either boy. To me, this isn’t a romance. Their relationship is dark and twisted and needy, but it’s not a romance. It’s an obsession. Plus, reading about all these wealthy kids wasting their lives and their parents’ money rubbed me the wrong way. I couldn’t enjoy myself because this isn't a story I want to be a part of.

Speaking of wealthy students in a small town, I need someone to explain to me how nobody noticed Marin entering a tight-knit environment. Am I expected to believe that everyone would accept Marin’s story? How did the school administration allow this to happen? As someone who attended a small, private high school, I can guarantee you that more people would be questioning who the new girl is and where she came from.

I never feel right about leaving my reviews on a negative note, so here’s who I would recommend Boys With Sharp Teeth to:
– dark academia fans
– anyone interested in small-town secrets
– readers who love when morally-gray is pushed to the limits

Bottom line: Boys With Sharp Teeth feels like a fever dream.

What in the haunted Donna Tartt did I just read? No. Wait. That isn't right. What I just wrote implies a proficiency (to say nothing of craftsmanship) that was not...That isn't what we're dealing with here.

This book has a lot of beautiful writing in it, I highlighted a lot of quotes. It reminds me of the college I went to and gave poet society vibes. Plot wise I don’t think much happened but I’m giving the stars for how pretty the writing was

What a darkly twisted tale of power, obsession, and revenge. A story uniquely its own, Boys With Sharp Teeth will keep you on edge and leave you feeling off-center until the very last page.

This book definitely has the dark atmosphere and all the fall vibes ! The characters are brooding and mysterious. This book is comparable to the raven boys series. It was not written in a style I enjoy ? I will recommend it to the people who do enjoy this type of style of book overall it was a good time.

A dark academia for the philosophical folks, Boys with Sharp Teeth is a twisted story of delusion, obsession, love, hate and more. Jenni's writing is a gem to those looking for a dark academia that hits every mark, her style so easily capturing the spiralling obsession of our main quad and how they almost luxuriate in their own egos. We're reading a story infused with lies, unreliable in narration and constantly shifting in surety. It keeps you on your toes, wondering if you're reading a story of paranoia or the paranormal as everything we're being told becomes suspect.

Jenni Howell is a talent soon discovered and an author I cannot wait to see flourish, as I'm sure many will become just as enthralled with this one as I.

As far as the writing style goes, this one does have sharp teeth… perhaps too sharp for me. I didn’t get to see much of the boys, unfortunately. Marin was a tad bit too edgy for my taste and her moody/angsty teenage inner dialogue did her no favour at all. I just simply could not handle a messy love triangle (not poly, why tho) on top of this. I’d been thrown off this story from the very beginning and it was safe to say that this is indeed Not For Me. Others who read more than me may enjoy this and hopefully have a better time.

The best part about this book is the cover, I have the softest spot for the artist and Francis always delivers — 10/10 for them.

Thank you NetGalley for providing this eARC for a honest review.
This book was not what I was expecting in a good way. This book is an upper YA horror with a sprinkle of romance. What I loved about the book the most was how the characters interacted and hated and loved each other to the point you don’t know if you want the hate or love them either.

Wow. This was a TRIP down a dark and twisted path. I’ve already recommended it to everyone I know and I’ll be preaching it’s gorgeous prose and upsetting characters you can’t help but root for for the rest of time.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for a honest review.

This one is a really difficult one to rate! The prose was beautiful and atmospheric, I was hooked with the mystery, and I really loved Adrian and Henry's characters. I think this is going to be a huge hit and will be some the book of the year for a lot of readers. I do, however, think that the story's pitch left me with some mixed feelings because I went in expecting one thing, but got another. This is probably closer to a 3.5 for me, so I may have another read through without any pre-existing expectations soon.

So just a few notes: this is not a queer book (though there are pretty queer moments) and this is not a romance (though there were moments that definitely leaned in a romantic nature). The love triangle that *we* see is very much defined by the obsession between Marin/Jamie and Henry and Adrian. I'd actually have loved the story to take place over a longer period of time to really play with these dynamics. It's dark, but maintains a YA tone, I can absolutely see Howell's intent was to write a dark academia story but merged with some YA themes/character types. I'm not personally a fan of these YA tropes, but that's a personal preference. There are paranormal elements so it diverges from the dark academia books that exist to primarily critique academia as an institution. For what it's worth, I'd actually say this has some really similar tones and themes to folk horror books.

If you are intrigued by a dark YA love/obsession triangle, are a fan of Kelly Andrews' writing, and want a YA dark academia (with dark academia as a theme, not just an aesthetic), definitely pick this one up.

(Low-key would love a prequel of Henry, Adrian, and Baz.)

Boys With Sharp Teeth
By Jenni Howell
(A review by Jamilla @ A Guide to Portable Magic on Substack)

“Hauntings take more than mist and mountains.”

Boys with Sharp Teeth welcomes you to a world of grief, desperation and all the horrible choices we make just to feel alive.

“I thought it would be easier, this sinking into a made-up person’s skin.”

Marin’s cousin Sam is dead. Labeled an accidental death by the authorities. But she’s the one who found the body by the lake, saw the bruises by his arms. Someone held him down in the water, until he wasn’t Sam anymore and Marin knows exactly who.

Adrian. Baz. Henry. Three pampered rich scions from the fancy boarding school on the outskirts of Amberdeen where Sam worked as a night security guard. Sam thought they were his friends but there’s no way they would see a townie as a friend. They killed him and she’s going to make them confess.

“I could be anyone, with this many stories waiting for me. No, even more: I could be so many people, that maybe, just maybe, I could actually find myself.”

Infiltrating the prestigious Huntsworth Academy with a fake name, fake grades and a fake check she’s praying doesn’t bounce yet, Marin pledges to have the three culprits tied up in knots and off to the police station in chains in two days. But Huntsworth is not what she expects, there’s something sinister going on here and Henry and Adrian are far more mysterious and captivating than she had anticipated, she fears that in their dark gazes she truly begins to see herself and be seen.

Does she cling to their warmth and minacious comfort? Or should she continue on the path to finding out the truth of the night her cousin died, knowing that the knowledge could leave her ever changed?

“There’s something immortal in all of us. Unlearn the rest. Unlearn the fear.”

Boys with Sharp Teeth is exactly what I expect to read from the dark academia sub genre: an outsider with a bone to pick unraveling all the secrets of a mysterious group, attempting to destroy them but realizing that things can only ever be transformed. Moody, shadowy settings, eldritch horrors lurking in them and a question about life misunderstood and warped. A metaphor that you can’t quite nail down.

I loved the discussion on Rene Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy, loved the way the different allures of the boys spiraled around Marin like the cool coils of a snake, enclasping her until they were reformed, unable to be apart.

Although I’m not entirely sure that I liked this story, I found the prose to be so vivid and enthralling, creating an immersive world, filled with so many excellent moments that I can already see plastered all over booktok. The unfathomable Henry Wu and the forlorn Adrian Hargreaves with their intellect and wit will certainly tempt and coerce many to their side. Marin’s grief stricken quest for answers in the death of her beloved cousin will grip you into the mystery. And the revels certainly do intrigue. A solid debut that fans of The Atlas Six and The Secret History will love.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for gifting an eARC in exchange for a honest review.

"Boys with Sharp Teeth" delves into the darkest corners of academia with a narrative that is as haunting as it is compelling. Set within the cloistered halls of an elite boarding school, this debut novel weaves a mesmerizing tale of revenge, desire, and the intricate web of secrets that bind its characters.

From the outset, J plunges readers into a world where every whispered rumor and calculated move holds significance. The protagonist’s quest for justice is fraught with moral ambiguity, navigating a landscape where the line between right and wrong blurs with every twist of the plot.

The novel’s strength lies in its complex characters, each meticulously crafted with layers of vulnerability and deceit. The interplay between the vengeful protagonist and two enigmatic boys unfolds with a mix of tension and intimacy, drawing readers deeper into a narrative that pulses with raw emotion and psychological depth.

Atmosphere is key in "Boys with Sharp Teeth," with the boarding school setting serving as a character in its own right—a labyrinth of privilege and peril where alliances shift like shadows and secrets lurk behind every closed door. J’s prose is lyrical yet razor-sharp, evoking a sense of unease that lingers long after the final page is turned.

While grappling with themes of power dynamics and the consequences of obsession, J deftly explores the darker facets of human nature with nuance and sensitivity. The novel’s exploration of love and loss, tinged with elements of the paranormal, adds a haunting dimension to its already rich tapestry.

For readers captivated by atmospheric thrillers and the intricacies of dark academia, "Boys with Sharp Teeth" is a revelation. J’s debut marks the arrival of a bold new voice in contemporary fiction, offering a narrative that is as provocative as it is unforgettable.

There are 5-star books you love and stare fondly at on your shelves, and there are 5-star books that haunt you from time to time. BWST is the latter. This book's teeth are as sharp as those of its boys and its heroine, and no one, least of all you, dear reader, will leave unmarred by the bites they take out of each other.

The plot seems pat enough at first. A boarding school, a girl intent on revenge, two devilish boys with far too much power, and tumultous ✨feelings✨ arising and binding them all. But there's always something ugly whispering at the seams of these tropes that promises more and more. And oh boy, does this book deliver. There's a bleakness to its philosophy and a hungry horror that builds throughout, culminating in a moment that's as shocking as it makes complete sense. If you're a fan of flawed people, lyrical prose, and books that leave you a little jumpy, then I can't recommend BWST enough!

Thank you Jenni and NetGalley for the ARC!

I truly enjoyed Boys With Sharp Teeth! If you too are pulled to read this book quickly, congratulations, you're human. If you are able to understand the senior class discussions while reading quickly, my congratulations on your admission to Huntsworth Academy alongside Marin. If you discern the main characters' motivations as well as Marin's...good luck looking at a mirror the same way again! These characters are staring down their dark sides and forcing the reader to consider facing their own, too.

I will make Boys with Sharp Teeth available to my high school readers as supplemental/fun reading. It was really enjoyable to be completely surprised with the plot unfolding, but remain unsurprised with how each main character behaved. Well done--I was expecting creepy teen entertainment and instead was gifted a unique story I'm still turning over in my mind a week after finishing (not often accomplished in the YA I read).

I don’t want to look at mirrors anymore.

A definite page turner that’ll leave you hungry for more, but nothing is ever enough. Jenni crafted such a hauntingly beautiful yet twisted story exploring grief, revenge, justice, and so much ✨tension✨

"Dark twisted Raven Boys" *slams credit card on table repeatedly*

If you liked The Whispering Dark and Your Blood My Bones by Kelly Andrew you cannot miss this.

Right from the beginning, Boys with Sharp Teeth had me in a chokehold. The characters are not sane, they're out of their minds and I was <i>eating. it. up.</i> Jenni Howell's writing is so stunning and gorgeous and omg I wanted to live inside this book forever, I took my time reading it to draw out the experience as much as possible. And the ending? Y'all are not ready for the emotional damage.

6 stars, definitely one of the top 10 best books I've read this year.
Insane debut. I can't wait for whatever Jenni is writing us next.

I received a digital advance reader copy from the author via NetGalley (thank you so much I'm literally blessed). All opinions are my own.