Greenteeth was a wonderful trip into a piece of folklore! I had already heard of the existence of the Jenny’s before picking this up so I was excited to see where it went and what it did with it. The writing was easy to follow and the characters and setting were really unique, this is what kept me reading: now what the hell is going to happen next? The inclusion of fae was cool and unexpected, I thought that would just be in the sense of Jenny is fae, and was surprised to hear of a king and queen setting them on their quest. I love all of the magical aspects and the background on the Jenny’s.
Ultimately though, I did find the plot to be a bit slow. Of course the characters were always doing things, but the way the quest was structured made the whole middle feel quite repetitive. The end twist felt like it came out of nowhere in the sense that I could not connect the entire plot to that being the reason why the book ended the way it did, it felt like it came out of left field as there was no sort of hint to it? It felt kind of like “well of course they win she has Excalibur and is a descendant of Arthur” when none of that is really mentioned at all anywhere else to even add a layer of mystery, it just made the end feel totally disjointed from everything else I’d read, along with Jenny’s actions to our other journeymates.
I did remove a star for the gruesome murder of the dog. I just don’t think that was necessary and it didn’t even contribute in the sense Jenny felt connected to the dog more from their journey so it fuelled her anger, he’s just used through the entire middle and then killed :( I did enjoy my time with Greenteeth but unfortunately it fell just a little short.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

What an adventure! This book is perfect for those who enjoy faerie tales and Arthurian legend, but enjoy delving into a character. Jenny Greenteeth is a solitary, cold-blooded creature who learns how to be warm while fighting off the great evil. With grand tasks and self reflection this story took you through.

For those who don’t enjoy romance: this is for you! No romance present and definitely no spice. A welcome option in the fantasy realm.

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC!
I loved the beginning and end of this book; quick, engaging, and colorful. The middle floundered. I loved all the folklore and historical tie-ins, but neither the plot or the characters were quite compelling enough to keep momentum up consistently. I do think Molly O'Neill's adaption of Welsh, Scottish, and British mythos is one of the best I've read; her love for those stories is so apparent and I am excited to see what she writes next, as I feel she will only get better.

Honestly, this was a hell of a surprise, in the best kind of way. You have a Jenny Greenteeth who becomes entangled in a woman's quest to save her husband and children from a parson who has convinced the town that she's a witch, and what is honestly a reflective and meditative book on what it means to be the last of something as things are on the cusp of changing again, and a great blend of sweet but really dark shit on characters' parts. Also sometimes as one does in British legend, Arthurian lore shows up for fun. Pick this up in February and enjoy the ride.

Thank you for the eARC!!

Do you ever finish a book and wish you could read it again for the first time immediately? That’s Greenteeth for me!

The story follows Jenny Greenteeth- lake monster, Temperance Crump- witch, and Brackus- goblin, trying to save their small village from an evil entity. There is folklore, magic, quests, and a true sense of adventure in this novel!

The writing is superb and funny! I absolutely love the premise of a “monster” getting to tell their story and the way Molly O’Neil is able to build a world and keep a story moving is truly amazing.

A fun little story. The book opened with a very nice voiciness that unfortunately got lost during the fetch quests in the middle.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC and the chance to review this title.

#Greenteeth #NetGalley

I really liked how this book started out. Jenny's narrative was immediately so different from that of a human. But, throughout the book, I felt like she seemed more and more human, and I was disappointed to lose that unique narrative. The book is marketed as a cozy fantasy, and I can see it at some points and also not. The pacing was kinda wonky. I didn't love the three quests thing, especially because it was mostly Jenny doing stuff. The other characters felt like they were only there so she had someone to chat with, and they weren't super helpful for the quests. So, the book started out pretty great, and I was enjoying it, but past the first 30%, it was hard to get through.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books for this Arc!

I immediately loved the tone of this book. Jenny had such a strong, funny narrative voice that, combined with the fact that she’s a monster, made for a really interesting dichotomy that was really fun to read and grabbed me right away.

A book featuring a lake monster (who eats kittens!) and an accused witch doesn’t sound like it should be cozy, but it really was. I also loved how the author integrated all sorts of British mythology, like kelpies, faeries, and more. The worldbuilding was great, making our world feel a bit more magical and layered. There was just enough stakes to keep the pacing quick without becoming stressful or confusing, making for an all around great read.

I absolutely adored this novel, and it was one of the best books I read in 2024. I cannot wait to introduce this title to my customers!
I loved the completely fresh twist on the Arthurian Legend, and that the author didn’t shy away from Greenteeth’s Dark urges and base tendencies. This is one I know I’ll come back to, and I can’t recommend it enough.
4 BIG stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a fun story centering on Jenny Greenteeth, a thousand-year-old lake monster who encounters a witch thrown into her lake one day. There's a lot that happens in this book, which is a cozy fantasy, and also a quest narrative. The cozy fantasy aspect and the characters were top notch, but the traditional fantasy tropes and the quest were a little lackluster, due to which the middle of this book feels drawn.

Jenny is an endearing protagonist, morally grey and whimsically fearsome, and I greatly enjoyed the story from her, or the "monster's" point of view. The introduction to this fae world and integration of many English, Welsh and Scottish folklore led to beautiful and nostalgic imagery as I read this. The conclusion to the story is quite interesting, albeit parts of it were a little predictable. I'm not sure if the book should be classified as cozy or traditional fantasy, but I know that I was both entertained and a little bored in places. I'd recommend this to fantasy lovers who like a dash of folklore, found family, little to no romance, and quests!

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books for an eARC of the book in exchange for an honest review!

More cozy fantasies! There's something so beautiful about taking those warm feelings of belonging and family and transporting them into a fantasy world, and Molly O'Neill certainly delivered.

For some reason, I kept putting off this book, and after finishing it, I wish I hadn’t. While it isn’t exactly an exact match for items I like in my books, I still really enjoyed it. Jenny and her companions are so much fun, and it’s really a heartwarming tale. I don’t know that I’d necessarily call this a cozy fantasy, because it’s just a whole bunch of other things, too. I love how the author uses many different types of folklore in this, and I learned some new ones, including the titular character. This book is a heroic quest, but it’s also a tale of overcoming loneliness, banding together, and working together. Don’t be fooled, though; there is a little bit of darkness as well. Well-written, lovely, fun, and with a surprise twist, this is worth a second glance. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

5 stars. A monster, a witch, and a goblin walk into a bar. And by "bar" I mean, they go on an epic journey to retrieve magical items that will help them defeat evil, finding friendship (that feels more like family) and themselves along the way. Greenteeth is such an incredibly strong debut. The writing quality itself is fantastic-- it's flowery and descriptive, and some my find it slow, but I find it to be a testament of O'Neill's ability as a writer. The characters, especially Jenny, sucked me in from the very beginning. She was so used to being alone that she truly had no idea how lonely and small her life had become, until Temperance literally fell into her lake and shook things up. I love cozy fantasies and I especially love when they come equipped with found family, which is truly one of my favorite tropes. And Greenteeth delivers in giving you all of the heartwarming feels that cozy fantasy should, but also delivers a compelling plot steeped in mythology and British history. I can't say enough good things about this book. It's only January, but I think Greenteeth will certainly go down as a top read of 2025 for me. Thank you so much to Netgalley, Orbit, and O'Neill for the ARC in exchange for the honest review.

This book was an unexpected gem. Even made me cry. Jenny Greenteeth is my favorite character of the year, truly.

Overall, this book was interesting. The story line and the idea of found family was intriguing. However, I did find some points to be a bit slow, which made them hard to read through. The last several chapters definitely contained the big punches for the overall story and did wrap the story itself up nicely.

The cover may be pretty to look at but I found this book to be soooo dull and boring. Most of the dialogue between characters was meandering and didn’t feel necessary. More to fill in the gaps of a mediocre story. Thankfully it was short sooo there’s that going for it.

Greenteeth by Molly O’Neill was an exciting little cozy fantasy that I enjoyed very much! I haven’t read too many books directly based in Arthurian legend, but I enjoyed that aspect of the story. I also appreciated the way the characters seemed to tie in with those legends.

Mostly, I enjoyed the folklore and learning about different creatures and tales and such! I had to look some up, which is always a bonus for me!

There were a couple of contradictions within some of the character’s personalities, but I don’t feel like it took anything away from the book. Overall, if someone were looking for something that was cozier but still had some excitement to it, I would recommend this book!

(Please give me more fantasy books from a true creature's point of view. I will BEG if I have to.)

Jenny Greenteeth--a green-skinned, shark-toothed, lower water fae--is a wonderfully descriptive narrator with a unique and curious voice.

When Jenny decides, rather arbitrarily, to save the iron-shackled witch who is unceremoniously tossed into her lake, her more than one thousand year long streak of peace and quiet is well and truly ended. Setting off on a magical quest to save Britain from an ancient evil with said nearly drowned witch and a cheeky goblin peddler, Jenny makes some beautiful discoveries about the nature of genuine friendship, and finds out just what her own heart and soul are made of.

Putting aside the fact that Jenny's definitely gobbled up some unlucky wayward children before, I had a fantastic time watching her gallop around on all fours like the eldritch horror she is. I found the folklore aspect of this to be well thought out and engaging, especially since I knew very little about European folktales going into this.

There is also a very good dog, and having an animal character always increases my personal enjoyment of a book because...well, why wouldn't it?

As for what I didn't totally love--there were some parts to this story that felt a bit meandering, and they bogged the overall plot down a not insignificant amount. I also felt like Jenny's immediate decision to help Temperance was a little strange, especially for a one thousand year old fae. But I do recognize that Jenny's loneliness drove a lot of her early on decisions.

Overall, I had a great time with this, and would be interested in reading anything O'Neill publishes in the future! I heartedly recommend it for fans of folkloric tales and for anyone who enjoyed the book or movie "The Last Unicorn."

The tale of Jenny GREENTEETH- a reclusive fae creature of a forgotten pond , and a young witch who was cast into the bottom of her lake. A moment of quick decision in saving this young witch , leads them both on a compelling journey of friendship United against a common enemy and finding help from magical beings and creatures along the way. This story is a wonderful mixture of old legends , and is a masterfully written work from a debut author in the fantasy genre. This story kept me riveted the whole way , I truly enjoyed the descriptive imagery and unique characters. This novel is perfect for those who love cozy fantasy, interesting creatures and magical quests! I look forward to seeing what works are next from this author ! Thank you to Orbit and Mollie O’Neill for an advance reader copy for my honest review

Cozy fantasies are all the rage. Let's escape and get out of anything in the real world! This was a charming quest tale of friendship and magic. And a cute dog:)
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.