Boys with Sharp Teeth by Jenni Howell
Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with early access to this audiobook for review.

Welcome to Huntsworth Academy.
Seventeen year old Marin James will stop at nothing to exact revenge on those responsible for her cousin's death, even if it means infiltrating an exclusive boarding school and getting in with the social elites.

Jenni Howell's raw portrayal of character emotion was nothing short of enrapturing. Narrator Jennifer Pickens did a phenomenal job gripping the reader and truly showcased the intensity of Marin’s confusion and inner conflict as she watches everything, within and around her crumble. This story and this audiobook were meticulously executed, this is dark academia at its finest.

Boys with Sharp Teeth comes out April 8th and is available for pre-order now.

I have mixed feelings about this one. The concept was strong, but the story started to lose its way around the 60% mark. While I wanted to love this, it felt a bit chaotic, with so much going on that it lost some sense of reality. For instance, what school would allow boys and girls to share a dormitory? The story tackled a variety of themes, perhaps too many at once. That said, the intro was fantastic! Marin, 17, infiltrates an elite school (a bit too easily, admittedly) to uncover the truth behind her cousin’s death—a premise that hooked me instantly. Despite being YA, the writing style didn’t feel overly juvenile, which I really appreciated. On a high note, the audio was excellent! Audiobooks can be hit or miss, but this one really delivered, capturing the mystery and suspense through the narrators’ voices. I’m definitely curious to see what Jenni Howell writes next!

PUB DATE: April 8th, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing an advanced reader’s copy 🤎

I requested this book because of its cover. I was surprised to learn, after reading it, that it is a Dorian Gray retelling! Though, personally, I am not well acquainted with the original Dorian Gray story; I thought this was an interesting retelling that made me want to pick up the literary classic.

This was dark and gritty. The main character, Marin, was not scared to do what it takes for her revenge and I fully respect that!I also think Adrian and Henry were really interesting characters to discover as the story went on.

The writing was beautiful and dark. Admitedly, I got lost a bit 60% through before it picked back up again towards the end so I would love to pick this back up again and see what little details I had missed!

Genuinely not sure why this is shelved as queer (codependency != queerness, though if that is what you’re looking for, I definitely recommend The Wicker King by K Ancrum). The cover and synopsis do the book a major disservice by omitting Baz because she is what holds the story together and anchors everything beyond the thin veneer of the dark academia aesthetic.

I think I would have liked this book less if I’d read anything but the audiobook - the narration style is visceral, really highlighting the snappy rhythm of the dialogue (the rest of the writing is okay but nothing special; the dialogue is where the teeth are).

I also think we could have dived so much deeper. Again, something we really could have used Baz for. Intellect not just as a prop for pretentiousness (seriously the most annoying part of dark academia) but as armor and weapon. There’s the briefest brush of an examination of privilege, but overall it barely warrants a mention.