If you are looking for a cozy fantasy with legends and lore of mythical creatures with some dark and magical elements look no further! A water monster (a Jenny), witch and goblin set out on a magical quest to find a way vanquish an evil creature from their village!

This book is everything I love in a cozy fantasy. There’s unique characters, found family, an epic adventure/ quest and magical world building. The part of this book that makes it stand out to me is the darker elements. At time this book had an underline eeriness to it. There was a great balance of whimsicalness and creepiness. What really helps with that is this story being told by Jenny. It’s not too often that that we get a story told from the “monster” pov.

As for the characters there was great character growth especially with Jenny Greenteeth. I also found Brackus (the goblin) very funny. His character adds a great comic relief. The dynamic between the characters was great!

Overall this was a heartwarming story and a beautifully written debut by Molly O’Neill! I hope we get more books like this from her.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for this ARC!

I received an E-Arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher, for this opportunity.

Actual rating: 2.5 stars

Greenteeth is a quest-based adventure fantasy that follows Jenny Greenteeth, one of the many Jennys that populate the waters of the British Isles, as she ventures forth with a recently persecuted witch and goblin who peddles magical goods to save her lake and perhaps even the whole realm itself from an evil that has lurked too long in the shadows.

To start, I believe that this book is being mismarketed as a cozy fantasy. I do see the comparisons to the works of T. Kingfisher, which I think is apt; however, I wouldn't personally characterize the two books I've read from Kingfisher, Thornhedge and Nettle and Bone, as cozy fantasy either. I can see why this book is being marketed as 'cozy' as it does take a lot of inspiration from classic fantasy tropes (which in turn are inspired by the Celtic folklore that Greenteeth is inspired by). Still, to me, the aspect that makes a story 'cozy' is the lower stakes to the plot, whereas this story centers on a quest that, if it goes awry, will lead to the entirety of the British Isles being consumed by evil, so not exactly low stakes in my opinion. Another aspect of this book being marketed as 'cozy' that bothers me is that for a cozy story to work, the character work must compensate for the lack of stakes, which I feel Greenteeth fails to deliver.

While the book is titled Greenteeth, and we follow the PoV of Jenny throughout the story, I think Temperance, the witch she saves at the beginning, has a more crucial role to the narrative. For example, it's Temperance who wants to embark on this quest and she is the one who involves both Jenny and Brackus(the goblin), reluctantly so on their parts. I think this book could have been improved by including her as a PoV character as well because, despite the essential role she plays in the story, her characterization is relatively flat and could have been improved if we actually got to see things through her own perspective rather than just being told things about her by Jenny. For example, in the second chapter, when Temperance tells Jenny of the events leading up to their meeting, it would have been better to have had this detailed from Temperance's PoV because she tells this story to Jenny in a rather blank and unfeeling tone that doesn't make the reader actually care about what happened to her. This problem persists throughout the book as one of Temperance's main motivators to wanting to save her village despite their poor treatment of her is that she has a husband and two children still living there. However, because the reader doesn't get to see her interacting with them, there isn't much of a reason to care about them or Temperance's motivations. Similarly, Jenny is characterized rather poorly as well; the reader isn't given a lot of insight into her past to understand her character properly, and there are times when her actions are really jarring because of this. For instance, there is one point where she and Temperance get into a disagreement, and her response is very childish, which is strange because she is specified to be hundreds of years old. There is a reveal later on in the book that provides some context for her reactions to things, but I honestly think that it didn't have anywhere near the emotional impact that the author intended, mainly because the author doesn't give the reader much reason to be invested. Brackus similarly suffers; he's a rather flat character who's given next to no backstory or character other than he and Jenny seem to have a bit of a friendly rivalry going on and that at some point it seems they had a falling out, which is later explained through Jenny's 'emotional' reveal but comes too late to really make any difference to their relationship. This lack of in-depth characterization and backstory leaves the story emotionally flat and dull.

On a more positive note, I liked the author's integration of Celtic folk tales into the story. I liked the principle behind the quest and the appearance and mention of folk heroes like Gwyn ap Nudd, Lady Crieddlayd and King Arthur. However, I think these references were instead surface level, mainly because Jenny herself is a folk tale, and yet there isn't a lot of character work or backstory related to this part of her origin aside from a bit at the beginning where Jenny reflects on how she became a 'Jenny' and raising her daughter. There is, however, a twist that comes at the end that I think is interesting. But I think there could have been more references to this eventual reveal during the rest of the story, as it did feel a bit like it came out of left field.

Additionally, for the most part, I think the actual writing from a grammatical and linguistic perspective was solid. I would have liked to see the author play a bit more with the sort of 'monstrous' aspects of a character like Jenny through her narration, but the tone and voice of the story were relatively consistent and made it easy to read through. The plotting was fine. As mentioned previously, it followed a more traditional quest structure with three tasks set to be fulfilled and an expectation set out for what would be accomplished after each task. I think there could have been more experimentation with the story's structure, but ultimately it's solid.

Overall, Greenteeth is a quest-based adventure fantasy inspired by Celtic folk tales with an interesting premise but ultimately failed to impress in any regard and disappointing in several, mainly with its lacklustre character work.

Molly O'Neil KNOCKS it out of the park with her debut Green Teeth! Just magical. First time hearing about Jenny Greenteeth. Just a solid fantasy book.
Thank you @orbitbooks.bsky.social for this egalley. All opinions are my own, I was not obligated to leave a review

4.5 stars, rounded up.

Greenteeth by Molly O’Neill is a cozy folklore inspired tale about three unlikely friends undertaking a magical quest to rid the world of an evil. The bones of the story are incredibly simple and familiar which allows the characterization of Jenny, a “Jenny Greenteeth” or “swamp hag,” to really shine. The main character perspective was unique and it was really fun learning more about folklore from the UK that I was unfamiliar with, as I regularly found myself Googling the creatures mentioned.

I really enjoyed O’Neill’s writing style and genuinely found myself laughing out loud at the ludicrousness of some of the scenes and the banter between our three main characters. It took me a little bit to get into the story, but once I was hooked I devoured it.

One of the biggest underlying themes in this book surrounds how people view those that are different from them as “monsters” worthy of fear. Greenteeth shows (in multiple instances) that characters’ original negative perceptions of others turn out to be inaccurate when they get to know them, and our main characters openly discuss the pain that this prejudice causes.

I agree with other reviewers that Jenny’s characterization seems more human and less fae as the story goes on, but it feels intentionally done to further this theme and flip it back onto the reader. When we’re introduced to Jenny we’re told to look at her frightening sharp teeth, to hear her thoughts on hunting to feed, to feel her indifference towards the plight of others - but as we spend more time with her and watch her develop friendships, we see the humanness that has been there all along, and we find common ground in a desire to survive and be loved.

Overall this book was a really easy and enjoyable read that I would recommend to my friends. Nothing felt too heavy and there were no romance subplots, it was just a magical quest undertaken by friends, and I had a good time.

Greenteeh is an absolutely adorable cozy fantasy adventure throughout the island of Britain. We follow a lake monster, a witch, and a goblin as they go on a quest to save their home from an eldritch horror. It felt like reading a classic fairytale with high fae, unicorns, and Arthurian legend.

I loved Jenny as the narrator with her wit and humor. I saw another review saying that she's like Ariel collecting her whosits and whatsits, except instead of forks she collects skulls and has razor-sharp teeth that can easily tear into a man. Her relationship with Temperance and Brukus and their little found family, with lots of banter and teasing, was what really made the story.

What made me take off a star was the reading. After pretty consistent pacing through the story, once we got to the end it felt rushed. Plus, I feel like I never fully understood Jenny's connection to King Arthur and Merlin and what exactly her role as Lady of the Lake was. It would have been great to go more into Jenny's backstory and see more of her history.

Thank you to Orbit Books and Netgalley for the eARC!

The witch, the hag, and the goblin

Greenteeth follows Temperance, Jenny, and Brackus - three unlikely friends - as they set out on an impossible quest.

Jenny Greenteeth has lived happily in the solitude of her lake for as long as she can remember. Choosing to forego any interactions with humans, Jenny lives a simple and relatively quiet life. That is until Temperance, a local woman, takes an unwilling dip in Jenny’s lake. Intrigued by Temperance, Jenny rescues her from the unfortunate fate of drowning. While Temperance is startled to discover Jenny’s existence, the two become fast friends. Jenny ultimately offers to help Temperance return to her life. But, neither Jenny nor Temperance could have foreseen the evil taking root in their village. In attempt to save the village, the two gather unexpected friends and face mystical foes in a quest that takes them across England, Wales, and Scotland.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4/5

I would rate Greenteeth 4 out of 5 stars. This is a great debut novel and such a fun, short read! It was unlikely friends, found family, funny banter, an epic quest, and a treasure trove of folklore! This read was very wholesome and nostalgic for me. I found Jenny terribly relatable, often laughing at her commentary as I read. I enjoyed the elements of folklore and self-discovery throughout the story, as well as the fact that the story was told from Jenny’s perspective. While the “benevolent monster” trope is fairly common, I think Molly O’Neill did this well. The story was well paced and everything was wrapped up nicely as it came to an end. I would definitely recommend Greenteeth to anyone looking for a quick, adventurous read!

(Thank you to Net Galley, Orbit, & Molly O’Neill for this opportunity!)

A lake monster, a witch, and a goblin team up to stop a demon that's infiltrated their small village. The stakes are high enough that this isn't quite the cozy fantasy it's being advertised as, but it's still a sweet found family tale of an adventure across the UK with an unlikely group of friends. The last third really picked up in a direction I wasn't expecting and became my favourite section of the book. Thank you Orbit and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

greenteeth is a cozy, heartwarming fantasy adventure steeped in the folklore of the british isles. a lake monster saves the witch thrown into her lake instead of eating her, and the unlikely pair, along with their goblin acquaintance, embark on a quest to save their village—and lake—from a mysterious evil.

on paper, this book should have been an easy five stars for me, and i’m still struggling to explain exactly why it wasn’t. o’neill’s writing is wonderfully immersive and i adored jenny—she’s charmingly monstrous and makes for an interesting narrator. it has found family, a dog out of arthurian legend, and a twist at the end that caught me by surprise in the best way… and yet.

there are a few pacing issues here and there, and i found parts of the dialogue disconcertingly anachronistic and at odds with the overall tone of the book.

i think this is one that i’ll revisit in the future to see if maybe i just wasn’t in the right mood to appreciate it when i read it the first time.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is really cute and fun! I loved the story and the characters and it is clear that the author did a lot of research on Arthurian myths and folklore. There are not a lot of surprises in this book, but if you enjoy cozy fantasies like Legends and Lattes and Can't Spell Treason Without Tea, then I think you should give this book a shot!

I very much enjoyed the read and was enamored with the ending. I love how the story wraps up and every accomplishment our main character wins is well deserved.
Such a lovely read with a wonderfully historical spin.

I loved Jenny and was intrigued by her world but had a hard time feeling connected to the story as a whole! Thank you to Net Galley and Orbit for the advanced reader copy.

This is a standalone debut novel marketed as a cozy fantasy which focuses on a lake-dwelling monster and explores their magical quest. 
I really am hesitant to talk much about the plot of this story, because the best part of the novel was watching it unfold. The first chapter really starts with a day-in-the life perspective of Jenny Greenteeth who is the title character, but really expands into something I wasn't expecting.

The characters in this story were so different and cozy, while there was more of a plot which took away from some of the cozy vibes. The ways in which the author intertwined folklore and fae into the story was so unique and was presented in such a casual way that made me feel as though I was truly lost in the world and on the quest with the characters. 

The pace was relatively quick and every time I thought I knew where the story was going, it would pivot in another direction which I really appreciated. 
All in all, I would highly recommend this story to anyone looking for an adventure with a unique main character! I can also see the comparison to T Kingfisher, if you are looking for something similar. I can't wait to see if this author releases any other novels!

Thank you to @mollyoneillwrites @orbitbooks_us and @netgalley for a free copy in return for an honest review

Thank you so much to Orbit books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was so cozy and adorable and cute 💚 💚
I loved the vibes and weirdly would've enjoyed visited her swamp.
Will definitely put this author on my radar from now on 💚

I loved this cozy fantasy filled with folklore, found family, and an interesting group of characters. Jenny Greenteeth, a likable monster living in a lake at the edge of a village, immediately captured my heart with her unique voice.

The story takes an intriguing turn when Temperance, a woman from the nearby village accused of being a witch, is thrown into Jenny's lake. After Jenny decides to save her, they discover how different they are, but together, they join forces with Brackus, a goblin, to undertake a quest to defeat the evil that has taken root in the village.

I have a soft spot for reclusive characters who go on quests and form friendships, and Jenny's journey did not disappoint. The ending was magical, and the story as a whole was light and enjoyable. This heartwarming tale, drawing from UK folklore, kept me engaged from start to finish.

Joining Jenny, Temperance, and Brackus on their quest is Cavall, a magical dog who adds even more charm to the story. As the group traveled through the picturesque countryside of Wales, Scotland, and England, I felt completely immersed in the setting. From monsters to unicorns, the story beautifully showcases the characters' journey of trust and connection. It was filled with heart but had just the right amount of darkness in the adventure and the villain they needed to be defeated.

I particularly enjoyed the twist at the end and the overall modern fairytale feel of the story. Greenteeth is a delightful read, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a heartwarming fantasy adventure.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

Absolutely bewitching and wonderful! This story combines a hag, a witch, and a goblin as they go on quests to save the witch's small village from a great evil. I loved all the twists and turns along the way! I was completely pulled in from page one and loved these characters!

Thank you Orbit, Molly O'Neill & NetGalley for this ARC!

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

This is such a sweet and cozy story that follows a lake monster, a witch, and a hobgoblin going on a series of quests to defeat an evil being threatening life as they each know it.

I loved the way in which each character is written and how curmudgeonly Jenny is. The scenery throughout is stunning, too. The ending of the book felt slightly jumbled to me, which knocked a star off my rating.

If you enjoy a meandering plot, beautiful prose, Celtic mythology, and Arthurian legend with found family elements, you will love this book. I appreciated that the author kept the Welsh spelling of names throughout and put a pronunciation guide at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for this arc!

This book was advertised as being for fans of T. Kingfisher, and I love their books, so I had high expectations. Greenteeth did not disappoint! Its cast of characters going on a quest reminded me of Nettle & Bone, but in this story the group consists of a “lake-dwelling monster”, a goblin, a witch, and a dog. The writing in this book was great; it’s an incredibly impressive debut.

I absolutely loved this story and how it resembled a classic adventure tale but with unique characters, folklore inspiration, and a non-human MC. I really loved Jenny Greenteeth as a main character with her grumpy yet caring personality.

I adore cozy fantasy, and I HIGHLY recommend this book, it was so fun. I would love to read more from this author on the future!

4.5/5 stars

Disclosure: This book was provided as an eARC from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

My review can also be found on my blog here: https://tatimothys.com/review/debut/fantasy/mythology/gt/

To be quite honest, I'm really not sure how to rate this book. I believe that the book largely hits the marks it wants to, but as a complete work it seems to defy categorization, beyond the apt T. Kingfisher comp. There is an early voiceyness in the first person narration by the titular character, Jenny Greenteeth, that I found entertaining in its own right. However that unique narration falls away after the first chapters, reappearing in fits and starts through the book, but never really coming home to roost. It then settles into a quite cozy narrative, where Jenny finds herself on a quest with a witch and a hobgoblin, carried more by fun banter between the characters than by any tension between them or within the plot. The quest follows a fairly straightforward fetch quest design that never quite lives up to the heroic epics that clearly inspired it. At best, the tasks feel linked to the characters own struggles, and there are moments where it feels like a myth told around a campfire. Those moments prove too rare for me, and often the quest feels more like a D&D campaign that went a little off the rails, the game master stepping in to save the characters from their own mistakes and get things back on track. Surprisingly, the stakes ramp up quickly as the book nears its end, throwing off its cozy exterior and never quite recapturing that magic. I tend to enjoy stories that start as one thing, but morph their way into another, but it never felt quite justified here, landing a bit flat on what could have been a more triumphant finish.

On the other hand, there is still so much to love in this book, and you can feel the author's passion for British folklore, myth, and geology leaping off the pages. When everything in this book is working together, it is a delight, and I think that will raise this to a 5 star read for some readers. There is such a sweet joy in the character's journey through the British countryside, and the beautiful landscapes they discover, their banter flying freely as they frow from acquaintances into fast friends. Although this book was not my favorite read of the year so far, I am genuinely looking forward to what O'Neill will write next. Another potential T. Kingfisher writing in the space is never something I'll complain about.

This book was such a breath of fresh fantasy air!! Greenteeth is the story of Jenny Greenteeth, the Jenny in the Lake at Chipping Appleby. The story is narrated in Jenny's first-person point of view, which allowed the author to weave in so many moments of humor that had me snorting or outright laughing out of nowhere to startle my family. A thousand-year-old low fae has a simplistic yet intelligent view that is not hindered by human emotions, and it was so fun to read. When evil forces invade Chipping Appleby, threatening its residents (who Jenny mostly doesn't concern herself with) and then the lake as well, it compels Jenny to join forces with a human witch, Temperence Crump, and a goblin peddler by the name of Brackus Marsh. This unlikely trio gives us one of my favorite book tropes - found family - and I found myself laughing, crying, and cheering along for them during their quest to rid their village of evil.

This book is great for fans of the fantasy genre who are looking for a lighter, feel-good read. It was enjoyable and easy to read and helped resolve a book hangover for me. There is no spice in this book, but we get all of our other emotions tugged on while reading it. The last few chapters especially kept me holding my breath, then crying, cheering, and crying again. Greenteeth is a joyous gem of a debut novel, and I look forward to seeing what author Molly O'Neill blesses us with next.