I really wanted to love this one. I loved the intense mystery aspect to it, & the constant twists & turns. But couldn’t get passed the writing style & seemingly randomness of some of the scenes.

It felt disjointed, & with all of the secrets + betrayal it was hard for me to get invested into the characters.

I do think there’s a large audience for this book, people who enjoy the more gothic vibe of the setting.

It’s just not a favorite of mine.

I so appreciate the opportunity to read this book early!

I don’t know how this managed to be absolutely predictable yet still not make any sense, so kudos to the author for that feat.

How do you even begin to describe a fever dream within a dark academia setting that pulls you and tugs you until you know you’re leaving a part of you with the story, no matter how many others you read?

This story had me hooked from moment one, and I truly had a difficult time putting it down. This is dark academia at its best, full of twists and turns, with a philosophical edge that continuously made me question what I knew and believed in. Jamie, Henry, Baz and Graves are each such unique characters, and I loved how Howell tied each of them together in different ways.

Howell’s prose was intense, and gorgeous, and absolutely unmissable - this is a book that makes you yearn to turn the page to continue on, but you can’t stop yourself from cherishing each word and the beauty it provides. These twists and turns as I said will sit with me and creep up when I’m least expecting it, each time I look into a mirror.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan for the opportunity to read and review this title!

Boys with Sharp Teeth is a story that, at first glance, might seem straightforward: a girl infiltrates an elite academy to avenge a lost family member. But it quickly unravels into something far more twisted, obsessive, and inescapable. I loved my time with this book! This book had all the vibes Summer Sons and The Raven Cycle throws at you: all the dark academia vibes you could want, wrapped in a slow-burning, moody mystery. The pacing was spot-on, too. I never felt it lag, and I found myself flying through pages easily!

What truly hooked me were the character dynamics Jenni Howell brought to life. The quartet (Jamie, Baz, Henry, and Graves) felt distinct and real. Jamie, hellbent on revenge, finds herself tangled in the group’s magnetic pull and undeniable chemistry. Baz is quieter, seemingly the most grounded, though her aversion to mirrors hints at something deeper. Graves, mysterious, poised, and with a violin in hand, was my favorite (yes, I’m a sucker for a pretty boy with a string instrument). Then there’s Henry, wild and sharp-tongued, the group’s resident agent of chaos. Together, they created a beautifully contrasting and compelling dynamic that kept me invested.

They felt so vivid that their midnight adventures and tension-laced interactions felt completely plausible within the eerie setting of the academy. There’s a fog of unreliability surrounding Jamie’s narration that made the mystery even more addictive. I kept wondering who really killed Sam. At different points, every character felt like a potential suspect. I made a guess, but I can tell you I was wrong!

If I had one gripe, it’s the believability of Jamie’s infiltration into such a prestigious institution. It felt a little too convenient, especially considering how tight-knit and exclusive places like that tend to be. But then again, when you’re diving into magical realism, maybe that’s not the hill to die on. All in all, this book hit nearly every note I crave in a dark academia read: twisted, alluring, and beautifully written.
4 stars from me!

Big thanks to Fierce Reads & Macmillan for the early finished copy!

First I would like to thank Netgalley for approving this arc for me in return for an honest review.

Full of tragedy, hatred, revenge, and longing. Marin shows us the path of what the cost of revenge gives at a cost for our humanity. The mor she sought revenge, the more she lost her humanity and discovered the loneliness that was held within her. We are taken on a whirlwind of trying to prove the ones who killed her cousin, at the loss of her losing herself as she is further drawn into the world of Adrian, Henry, and Baz. From those with innocence to those with foul play, and in the end whether if someone is truly innocent and what it means when revenge is enacted.

I loved this book, with how dark and tragic the story is I would not expect a happy ending from it.

Boys with Sharp Teeth is about a girl infiltrating an elite school to take revenge on her cousin’s murderers.

I decided to DNF the book as it was just not for me. I was not sucked into the premise and wasn’t a fan of the relationships/characters. However I think this is perfect for fans of this dark academia genre that delves into twisted secrets and ‘love.’

Unfortunately, I couldn’t get through the book and gave up around the 50% mark. It was incredibly slow paced and there was little to no character development. We needed more backstory or something to get the reader emotionally attached to any of the characters. I did like the flowery writing, but not enough to finish the book.

The absolute best part of this was the vibes. It's all incredibly atmospheric and keeps you immersed in the world itself. Everything was dreary with a hint of spooky and at times paranormal. Dark academia down to its very core.

The plot on its own is what immediately drew me in. Dark academia mystery filled with pretentiousness, murder, and a false identity? Sign me up. I feel like while we did get those things it was both drawn out and not fleshed out enough. I wanted more depth to certain areas and not getting it kind of led me to not care about the characters. The further we got in the more disconnected I felt from the story.

I truly did love the writing style, though. While this particular one may not be for me I would definitely check out the authors work in the future.

I had to decide to DNF this book. The plot was very confusing and the amount of suspended reality of simple things like the age of a security guard for a private school, the class size being basically four people, the dialog and mannerisms of people around this girl who faked her way i to school was just the beginning. i really wanted to like this one but the whole time I just felt confused and like I was missing something.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for an opportunity to read Boys With Sharp Teeth.
If you enjoy The Raven Boys, the mystery, the friendship, the angst, I believe you would enjoy this novel.
It was fun, it kept me reading more.
I really enjoyed it!

The premise of this book was promising, but I think it fell a little flat for me. The story started to become messy and a little confusing as I kept reading, which I think is good for a mysterious book, but too much with too little resolution makes it so that it becomes hard to follow. I didn't feel very connected to any of the characters and felt they were a little one dimensional. However, this story had some very lyrical writing that I think people would appreciate! I think this book just wasn't for me, but there is definitely an audience for it for those who like the mystery of a dark academia story and following along with characters who make some questionable choices.

Boys with Sharp Teeth left me with a lot of questions like, "what's going on" and "how did any of this happen", and mostly "where are these kids' parents?" But I love when a book makes me question everything, makes me race through to the ending, manages to surprise me. Jenni Howell crafts a gripping story set in the eerie Huntsworth Academy. Howell's prose really sets the tone. It flows and zig zags in ways that can be hard to follow sometimes, like the story itself, but that just adds to the tension and the overall feeling of uncertainty.
As a reader, there are a lot of things that need to be put aside in order to make this book work like the ages of the kids and the freedoms they are allowed and the ability of a teenager to enroll herself in a prestigious boarding school. I think this book would've worked better if the characters had been aged up and set in college. I also wish Howell explored the relationships between the characters more, especially Henry and Graves. I wish the characters had more time in general to spend together, because while the tight timeline adds to the tension, it does a disservice to the story.
However, these characters and their relationships are where the story shines. Like many other reviews I am asking for #JusticeForBaz because while the cover is gorgeous, it is misleading. Baz and her kindness are an integral part of this story. And as always, I will be out here stumping for a love triangle because I like them and think they work, especially in this case where there is no right answer and everyone is a little messed up.

did i devour this book or did it devour me?? oh my goddd you know when no books have been hitting like you want them to and then suddenly you find the ONE!!! this was the most intoxicating book i’ve ever read. this is what i love so much about dark academia - the spiraling obsession and the TENSION!!! so suffocating and exhilarating at the same time that you can’t tell the difference between resentment and love. there were a few times when i felt like the setting and scene could have been described more clearly to help the reader visualize what was happening, but these 5 stars are all about VIBES baby i feel alive again

thank you SO much to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for sending me this advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

3.5⭐️

Thank you so much to Roaring Brook Press and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not quite sure how I feel about this book. The whole book felt vague in a way that’s hard to describe.

This book follows Marin James in her quest for justice for her cousin. His death was blamed on drugs, but she knows that it has something to do with the two private school boys he hung out with. So, Marin infiltrates the academy and tries to unravel what truly happened to Sam. What she doesn’t expect is the twisted web that starts to weave itself between her and the two boys she suspects played a key role in the death of her cousin.

I thought that this book was very intriguing. The concept itself was good and the way that obsession, tension, and anger rolled together was beautifully executed. This is such a twisted little love triangle but it honestly works so well.

The plot of this book is rather predictable but not at the same time, mostly because the genre lines are so blurred. Sometimes, that can be a good thing, but this book just fell flat in that regard. From the beginning, it looks to be a murder mystery with thriller elements but lacking all level of paranormal horror. By the end of the book, that isn’t the case. I wish that the paranormal was more heavily incorporated and implied throughout the book, because it doesn’t become obvious until the end.

Overall, I thought the concept was cool, I just feel like the genre was overall lacking for what the author was clearly aiming for.

4.5 ⭐️ This book was an adrenaline high mixed with a fear-filled fever dream urgency.
SHOOK nearly the ENTIRE time I read it.

Our FMC was the definition of: "Anything you can do, I can do better, and I'll do it more viciously." Seeing the depraved depths to which she was willing to go in order to get both answers & justice was an exhilarating (albeit, terrifying) journey.

Dark academia, twisted desires, ghoulish secrets, f-ed up relationships, ever-building terror - I'll be honest, this did not feel YA but good golly, somehow it is. I say this as a HUGE compliment to the skill displayed through the writing, plot & deeply difficult topics explores in this book.

Overall... Phenomenal. I'm scared.

PS Not a spoiler, but as T1D who very rarely see herself in books, I adored reading a (supporting) character with the same disease as me and her being so utterly, imperfectly human.

Please check trigger warnings as this book handles both dark & delicate topics.

3.5 stars rounded up! Happy almost pub day :)

This book hooked me hard. Incredibly atmospheric, dark, eery, mysterious. Like a foggy winter forest night distilled onto paper and ink (or in my case, the screen of my computer). Fascinating characters. The need to know what really happened the night that Sam died propelled me through the pages. And I could never figure out who to trust until the very end. The whole narrative was so unreliable, and I loved it. Who can Marin trust? Who killed Sam? Who knows the truth about Sam's death, and why are they keeping it from Marin? Adrian/Graves was my favorite character by far because I couldn't untangle him as hard as I tried.

The writing was great. I empathized with Marin with every cell of my body, felt her grief and fear, her love for Sam. The book was filled with great lines like this: "I know who I am—I don’t know if she’s Jamie or if she’s Marin, but I’m this girl, the one who doesn’t cherish her body, only her mind. The reckless one, the wondering one, always reaching, making others uncomfortable because she sees too much and speaks too freely. The one who hurts too much, feels too much, needs too much, and will take and take and take until there’s nothing left to take and, somehow, I’ll be the girl who’s still empty inside."

However, here are some things that didn't make it a five-star read:

Everything to do with Marin's setup at Huntsworth seems just a little too easy...and the clues she finds. The keychain on Baz’s backpack, the phone on Adrian’s bed, the fact that Marin’s friend’s mom just happened to work in admissions at Huntsworth last summer.

Also, the last quarter of the book was confusing as hell. I finished the book and still don't understand what really happened. The paranormal twist wasn't explained with the depth it required due to all its complexities. In other words, I was very disappointed with how the story wrapped up because it had such great potential. Some of the deaths also seemed senseless to me and thus felt very unsatisfying, as I couldn't quite tell how they served the narrative. I would give the first 75% of the book a 4.5 stars and the last 25% of the book 2.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in return for an honest review <3

'Boys With Sharp Teeth' is a YA dark academia novel. Marin disguises herself as Jamie Vane to find out who murdered her cousin. The novel was well-written with some beautiful passages. However, I found it hard to engage at points. One of the main themes is the darkness within, how much of herself is Marin willing to give to find Sam's killer(s). 4 stars.

I wanted to love this book so badly. I'm always looking for the next book that'll crawl into my skin like The Raven Boys did. I found the pace of this book really difficult to sink into, and was unfortunately frustrated by the mismatch between marketing/cover and the story inside.

While the comparison to The Raven Boys is apt in the Ronan Lynch look-alike and the Henry who could've been Henry Cheng in another life, it was missing what I loved most about that series, and that was the connections between the characters. Marin faces a very similar situation to Blue in trying to assimilate into this group of rich, prep school, friends, but I never felt the love between Henry, Adrian, and Baz the way I felt the love Adam, Gansey, and Ronan shared. Boys with Sharp Teeth's group seemed to function purely on obsession, especially obsession with Henry, in lieu of true connection bonding them. I also found that by 50% in, I really didn't care about who killed Sam, and I really didn't care about any of these characters.

While the paranormal element towards the end had interesting potential, the way the prose is structured makes it muddled and confusing until almost the very end. I honestly wish more had been done with it sooner and clearer, because the epilogue was where I finally felt like I could see where the tagline for this book was coming from. I could see her potential to become 'worse' than the boys at that point finally, but throughout the book I found myself having a hard time believing that she was worse than the boys, especially so the deeper and darker this book twisted.

I honestly wish I had gone in blind on anything beyond the title because I might've enjoyed it more without having set any expectations of what I thought this book would hold based on the description. It also makes me a bit sad that Baz is completely absent from the jacket copy and cover when she's just as much a main character as Marin, Henry, and Adrian are.

Overall, I'm not sure that I'd recommend this book, and especially unsure if I'd recommend it to others who enjoyed The Raven Boys. I sincerely hope it finds its audience, but that audience clearly doesn't include me.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and netgalley for the eARC of this book!

Okay first off the setting was my favorite part of this book. Eerie and dark - set in Appalachia at a boarding school with the occasional trip to the woods? Sign me up! I felt immersed in the setting/atmosphere the author built.

The beginning grabs the reader right off the bat. But the plot felt disjointed at points and I got lost trying to figure out where we were, where we were heading in the story, and what was happening. It made it difficult to feel connected to the plot and towards the end, I ended up not caring much because I was left so confused.

I only felt connected to one character, one of the MMCs, and every time he was on page, I wanted more, I couldn't get enough. I was dying for a POV or some more backstory for him. The intense connection he had with the FMC, Jamie, was full of the yearning and longing I look for in books. However at certain points, it was difficult to be in Jamie's head, I struggled because she felt disorienting/confusing as a character.

No big emotional impact here, with the exception being around 60% when things heat up between Jamie and one of the MMCs. In those moments, the feelings between them were palpable and visceral,

If you enjoy a dark academia, the paranormal, and a dark atmosphere - I would pick this up!

Can’t tell if it’s my skill issue and I actually hate ‘philosophy quoting’ dark academia or if this is just a bad book

We have braved the storms... we have won the battle... What battle, you may ask. Well, dear reader, the battle of keeping my eyelids from closing because of just how much of a slog this was to get though, ofc :D

We start off the story with our main girl Marin enrolling into a pretentious boarding school intent on figuring out the true cause of her cousin's death. They say he died of overdose, but Marin is certain there is more... Right off the bat oh my god Howell would not stop hammering in the fact that Henry, Adrien and Baz MUST be responsible for the murder, which gets grating after the 3rd or 4th mention. The author does this a lot further down in the book too, and it's just bad writing. Miss Howell please have faith in your readers to not be rocks 😭

There are some merits to this book — the prose is poetic (though can be vague at times; I do have trouble visualising some things in the story but that might be a skill issue) and I thought the climax was entertaining enough, and by the 75% mark things did start becoming interesting. But tell me why I had to suffer through 200 pages of boredom in order to get to that point? The build up was so, so, hard to get through. The mystery that I was interested in promptly got side lined by an attempt to build up character relationships, but I don't think that was successful because I barely cared about any of the characters. In fact I kinda wanted all three of the main characters to die lol.

Marin was annoying; she was so emotional and impulsive but managed to do absolutely nothing (attempts were made, but they sucked and she failed) until the finale, at which point I was too tired to celebrate her first ever success in life. She's kinda stupid icl. Henry I think got dropped as a baby (rip) and Adrien is,, alright? Very emo and clownable. Baz was the only character that I liked but she was also one of the main reasons the middle of the book was so stagnant so I couldn't love her that much.

All in all, I really did have to trailblaze through this. I think I would have had a better time if this book was cut down to something like 250 pages, since I had fun reading about the core of the mystery. But to make me truly care about a book the characters have to be impactful and if this book can't do it in 400 pages, it won't help if it were only 250 pages. I suppose I would spend less time lamenting about how pretentiously stupid they all were though

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillian for the ARC in exchange for an honest review :D