Boys with Sharp Teeth is a YA dark academia novel filled with lush prose creating a dark and atmospheric setting.

Marin James knows her cousin Sam's death wasn't an overdose, she knows it wasn't an accident, and when local police close the case without looking into her concerns she turns her self into Jamie, a transfer student at Huntsworth academy so that she can investigate the students she knows were involved. Who is friend and who is foe? Marin gets lost in the world trying to find answers.

This is a book where I would absolutely recommend you listen to the audiobook. Jennifer Pickens creates such a rich, dark, creepy atmosphere. While listening I felt like I must be locked in a library with pouring rain outside. She really brought the story to life and portrayed how confused and torn our main character feels.

I enjoyed this and I would recommend you pick it up if you enjoy dark academia. The audio narration was wonderful! Thank you to the publisher for providing an ALC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


3.75 stars rounded up to 4 out of 5 Stars

Unfortunately, I DNF’d early and didn’t get pretty far through this one. I’m a big dark academia fan, but this one didn’t offer me much in terms of genre innovation and I didn’t connect with the writing style. Would add it to my classroom curriculum though, so I'll likely pick up a phsyical copy and finish it at some point.

Readers who like dark academia will be drawn to this cover and title. The book inside is a bit tonally flat and melodramatic for adult readers, but I know many teens who will LOVE it

Thank you to macmillion audio and netgalley for the opportunity to listen to a complimentary copy of this audiobook.
First off, the narrator, did an amazing job narrator the audiobook (but I did have speed up the speed a lot for listen).
I neither hated or loved this book, however I felt this book dragged on a little too long for my liking. I'm a huge fan of dark academia and morally grey characters, This just just fell a little short.

3.5 rounded to 4
I LOVE dark academia especially when mixed with moody, tortured, brooding, and hot boys.

The narrator was both excellent, and a huge reason this took me a while to get through. She absolutely delivered, but after soooo many hours of hearing her angst, it became actually emotionally and mentally draining to listen to. Perhaps the dramatics would have remained within a tolerable threshold for me had I actually physically read it.
(Keep in mind one of my favorite audiobooks is Ninth House)

I feel like a lot of this was also just mostly vibes- fortunately they were vibes I am into (see opening sentence) but the plot was floating somewhere pretty far outside of that at times, and then the supernatural aspect was floating in the other direction.

The elements, characters, sexy under tones and as I said VIBES were really great and seriously carried this for me.
I wish that all of those things had felt more connected to each other and the story, and that the narrator toned the drama down a smidge.

Lastly, take a shot every time you read/head “Sam…”

Thank you for the opportunity to listen in exchange for my honest review!

Boys with Sharp Teeth has all the makings of an addictive read—an elite boarding school, dark secrets, and morally gray characters. The gothic, We Were Liars meets The Raven Boys vibes were spot on, and the eerie atmosphere kept me intrigued. Marin’s revenge-driven infiltration of Huntsworth Academy had me hooked at first, and the tension with Adrian and Henry was deliciously messy.

That said, the pacing felt uneven, and some twists were more confusing than shocking. While I loved the dark academia aesthetic and the morally complex relationships, I wish the story had delved deeper into its supernatural elements instead of leaving things feeling a bit underdeveloped.

If you love dark, dramatic YA with a touch of the eerie and the forbidden, this is worth a read. It wasn’t a personal favorite, but I can see it being a hit for the right reader!

This dark academia read is mysterious. I felt the pacing was sometimes inconsistent, but the story itself is very unique.

When you look into the mirror, does innocence look back or is it something much darker? Boys with Sharp Teeth by Jenni Howell explores the fan-favorite dark academia themes, murder, money, obsession, guilt, and isolation. Howell takes it further to explore beauty, selfishness, and love, all while wrestling to find the difference between the two.  
Marin James is just 17 years old when her cousin Sam, the only person she believes has ever really seen her dies. Everyone else thinks it was an overdose, but Marin knew Sam, and that is not the way he died, and she knows who did it. Marin creates her new identity Jamie Vain who has black hair to Marin’s blonde, confidence to Marin’s invisibility, and something much darker hiding beneath both of them to infiltrate the elite boarding school that is home to her cousin’s murderers.  
Clearly inspired by Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, Jenni Howell explores morality, mortality, and obsession through a cast of beautiful, rich people who use their money, looks, and intelligence to get whatever they want whenever they want. The dark academia themes engulfed this book, and while it is YA, this is a truly dark dark academia novel. Howell has focused so much on the characterization of Graves, Henry, and Basil that often the rest of the school falls away. This isolation is reminiscent of other heavy-hitting dark academia novels, reminding us just how easy it is to lose perspective when cut off from the rest of the world. The supernatural elements of the story add to the feeling of isolation on another level. How do you tell the world when nobody else can see what you see?  
There are aspects of this book, particularly lying her way into a prestigious boarding school with no parents and a bounced tuition check that may be hard for some mature readers to see past, but as a YA novel, I cannot imagine this would take away from the atmosphere this book created and therefore does not deserve a lower rating. It has also been suggested that this book is queer, and while it absolutely has queer features, reminiscent of Wilde’s Dorian Gray, if you are looking for an overtly queer novel, I can’t say this is it.  
I read Boys with Sharp Teeth with an advanced reader's copy of the audiobook read by Jennifer Pickens. While she is the only reader, she can separate the cast and give them each their own voice throughout the reading. While I felt her voice was a little too old for a seventeen-year-old girl, she quickly transported me to who Jamie Vain was. The bite of Pickens' voice reflected the viciousness of Jamie/Marian’s thoughts, actions, and motives. Admittedly, Pickens reads this at a pace far too slow for any reader I know and had I not sped it up to two times the speed, even I, a fan of this book and the narrator, would have gotten terribly bored very quickly. Boys with Sharp Teeth works well as an audiobook because this performance surrounds you as you listen, leaving the unease, anxiety, and thrill lingering in the air as you listen.  While I do not think the value of this book is hinged on your ability to listen to it as an audiobook, I do think it could be an added benefit.  
Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review!

If I read this book as a teen, I would have thought it was the most dark, edgy, and amazing thing I had ever read. As an adult, it was good, but a little dramatic. Overall, I thought the setting was phenomenal and the interactions between different characters was so interesting to watch play out. This is perfect for folks who loved A Darker Mischief or Immortal Dark.

I do think that the narration was excellently performed. The tone and mysterious vibe were perfectly performed.

Boys with Sharp Teeth
By Jenni Howell
Narrated by Jennifer Pickens
3 ⭐️

This book has the FMC so hyper-focused on her perception of people she doesn’t know that it’s hard to care about most of the story. At 60% in, I knew the same information I did at 10%. I love dark academia which is what had me continuing the story, hoping something would shift in the plot/characters. I don’t feel like that really happened. The ending is a high speed reveal - where the FMC still holds her unfounded beliefs about the truth as more important than the truth spoon fed to her. There is a lot the reader needs to overlook for this plot to be believable (as it’s mostly contemporary). This didn’t deliver for me.

The audiobook is fine; I generally like Pickens’s narrations. There’s a flat line, intentionally mundane feel to the performance. I get where the narrator was going. However when the story comes off as flat, and the narration accentuates that, I don’t find it to be successful.

Thank you NetGalley, Jenni Howell, and Macmillian audio for this audiobook ARC.

Really disappointed in this one. I’m a huge fan of the Raven Cycle, so when I saw the comparison I immediately added this to my tbr. I don’t think that comparison is fair at all, the only thing that felt similar was that the characters in each book/series attend private schools.

I can’t stand a single character in this book. They’re all just awful people. I don’t understand the fmc at all. She tries to solve her cousin’s murder, and then turns around and falls in love with the people she thinks killed him?? Her inner thoughts had me cringing throughout the book with how she talked about her three murder suspects.

On top of not liking any of the characters, I was just bored throughout this book. I almost dnfed a couple times, but decided to continue since I was listening to the audiobook.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an advanced listeners copy in exchange for an honest review.

If you're a fan of Lost and Yellowjackets for the journey through mystery with no certain answers, then this book will be your next favorite read. This darkly philosophical take on dark academia with a paranormal twist is not the kind of book that will answer any of the questions it gives you, there is no neat ending with a perfect little bow. Instead, it's a dark and twisting tale about obsession, death, and the fine line between hate and love.

**i didn't enjoy the audiobook to this. i felt like the narrator's voice was too mature for a YA novel! and her voice was flat and sounded just as bored as i was reading this book lol.**

no one is more devastated than me by this book or this rating. take into account that part of my rating/experience may be because i generally don't read ya anymore. but i had really high hopes for this one because of the premise and cover.

first off, this read like a ya fanfiction of the secret history. it tried hard to grasp the same dark academia and philosophical nature of that book but it failed spectacularly. the characters were pretentious and one dimensional, the main character, marin, was beyond annoying. she was incredible arrogant and useless, yet of course every male character in here was obsessed with her (yawn). i was tired of her repetitive inner monologue. she faked her way into an expensive private academy (which i had to extend my suspension of disbelief to fathom that an institution that highly regarded would allow a student to stay after a check for their tuition bounced lol), to get revenge for the death of her cousin. disregarding the fact that her suspicions of three specific students caused his death were based on very little evidence, she was also the worst person who could have possibly gone undercover for this. she would try to get close to them and found herself falling for them but in her head she kept telling herself that she hated them, that they were all murderers. i couldn't stand it.

the beginning had me intrigued but once i got about 30% into this book, the pacing was soooooo slow. the timespan covers around a month at this school but it felt like an entire academic year. that's how slow it was. and it was just boring! you hardly even meet other students in this school. it's almost as if they're the only students on campus. nothing important or significant happened until the last third of the book. things started to pick up and suddenly, shit is happening everywhere yet none of it was making any real sense. the reveal comes and to me, PERSONALLY, it was absolutely ridiculous and predictable! i found the paranormal aspects to be more annoying than shocking. don't even get me started with the ending. all that work for no payoff.

disappointed in this. towards the end, it almost felt like i was just hate reading it lol.

I’m not quite sure what to say about this book. Thank you Net Galley & Macmillan Young Listeners first and foremost! I’ve really fallen in love with any audio production that you’ve put out and enjoy all the new content coming out in the new year.

Now down to business… boys with sharp teeth a young adult novel about a girl whose loss of her cousin as driven her to extremes she herself even didn’t know she was capable of.

As an adult I’m always curious what young adult novels are coming out for the youths since I teach high school. I was really excited to get into this , actually really enjoyed it until the end sort of ruined my rating for me. It is dark academia in nature however the ending was almost TOO dark and started dabbling in stuff I wasn’t expecting from “ high school seniors “ .

This book felt longer than the essentially two week period that Jamie / Marin was at Huntsworth and the ending was fast paced and twisty.

I think if you had the right person to recommend this too they would really enjoy it it just wasn’t for me towards the end.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ | A Well-Written Story That Didn’t Quite Land for Me

I had to sit with this one for a couple of days before officially reviewing it. I went in with high expectations since so many readers with similar tastes loved this book. I’m not quite sure what I expected, but this story wasn’t it.

The writing style is excellent—there’s no denying that. The atmosphere, the prose, and the dark academia vibes are all well-crafted. I typically love both dark academia and paranormal elements, but for some reason, this one just didn’t resonate with me, and I can’t quite put my finger on why.

That said, I still think this is worth picking up if you’re drawn to dark academia with an eerie, mysterious edge. While it didn’t fully work for me, I can see why others have been captivated by it. Solid three stars for the writing alone.

Thank you NetGalley & Macmillan audio for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🫑

I don’t often read stories like this, but I am a fan!! The plot for revenge, mystery, & plot twists will have you on the edge of your seat (all whilst being in an academia setting w/ a toxic love triangle). The philosophy aspect will have you deep diving, but I’ll have to say my good ol’ intuition was on the money lol. It still a very fun, intriguing story & possibly a hint at a Book 2 in the works? 👀

Ok first of all the audio was beyond phenomenal. Loved every second of it. Amazing. The voices were so good, the narrator did an amazing job.
Now the story. Wow like wow. Let’s start that this book feels thru the whole thing extremely mysterious. Every-time I think I figured something out the story makes me question my own theories. Which I definitely loved. The FMC is so full of rage. And you can feel it . I liked how she is driven by it. And how that evolve thru the book. The boys !!!!!! All I can said is holly crap!!!! Like wow. You guys need to meet this boys. The mind games in this book are so good. And the quotes superb!!!! In all read it because this was a great Dark Academia fantasy.

This dark academia YA story was an interesting read ! Marin enters Huntsworth Academy under a false name after her cousin’s body was found in a creek at the school.

She is there to seek revenge and justice, especially with the two boys Adrian and Henry. What should be an easy mission gets complicated when Marin starts enjoying her preppy school life. Oh and those boys she’s supposed to hate? It’s like that actually understand and get her and maybe not be so bad, or guilty.

Like any private school- there are secrets, unsaid rules, and forbidden romances. Definitely you’ll be in love with one boy more than the other, I’ll let you decide !

Loved the unreliable narrator vibes and is it paranoia or something paranormal going on?!

Narration was expressive and engaging. The writing style was not my favorite, I can’t put my finger on it, just felt off.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan audio, and Libro.fm for the ALCs in exchange for an honest review. Release date 4/8/25.

Oh boy...
This book is for fans of:
- a Dark and Drowning Tide? (sort of dark academia with a toxic group of codependent friends)
- the Raven Cycle (paranormal and occult - and also an enmeshed friend group)
- the mortal instruments?????? (sort of love triangle)
- Shatter Me (for the florid writing style)

This book includes:
- very atmospheric boarding school setting
- a toxic and deranged group of besties
- murder mystery
- terrible parents
- TW: murder, self harm, death

Marin is convinced that her best friend and cousin, Sam, was murdered. No one believes her. The death was ruled as a drug related fatality, but she knows same better than that. The facts just aren't lining up. She decides to dawn a fake identity and solve the mystery on her own.

This book is intoxicating and twisted. The atmosphere of the boarding school tucked away in some rural Americana mountainside is all consuming. From the moment I picked up this book I was hooked. When the more paranormal these started to be intertwined into the story I was so pleased. In the end, I felt like there were too many plot holes for me to be completely satisfied by the story. It is clear the author spent a lot of time crafting beautiful prose, but I wish more time would have been spent executing the plot. It is also worth mentioning that this book is descried as LGBT, but it is not clear that there are any LGBT characters.

I received this audiobook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Jenni Howell, and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to review this book. This review has been posted across my socials under the username @tinynightingales, check out my GoodReads profile https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/62314863
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This is a very atmospheric read and there’s something sensational about Jenni Howell writing style. I do think I went into the book with different expectations after seeing it as “We Were Liars” x “The Raven Cycle”. “Boys with Sharp Teeth” is a paranormal dark academia revenge story. The characters give me similar feels to the characters in “We Were Liars” and theres the paranormal, scrying, and latin overlap with “The Raven Cycle” (not the found family that many readers associate with those books). We follow Jamie/Marin infiltrating into the elite Huntsworth Academy, to find the truth behind the death of her cousin, Sam. You do got to look past how she somehow forged a 23k dollar check and completely gets away with it. I did enjoy the first third of the book but towards the middle it started to drag and I wasn’t quite sure where we were going anymore.
The narrator for the audiobook is a little on the slower side and I had it around 1.5x speed for it to be comfortable for me. The narration style really matched the foggy atmospheric writing style.