I will begin with the pros:

Good writing style, good syntax, and all, in all, it was easy to sink into and a very quick read.

My cons:

Full of misandry. Now, I am all for a girl-power, stick-it-to-the-patriarchy protagonist, but I am not about hating or mistrusting men for the simple fact that they are men. Which is exactly how the protagonist reads. That is the main reason my rating is what it is; I am sure this may appeal to some people and perhaps even me if and when my husband gets on my nerves, but I am just not onboard for a 200 page male hate-fest.

That being said, the sapphic/ magical love story was, frankly, adorable and it was probably one of the only reasons it didn't make my DNF list. That, and the "magic" itself.

Angry, sapphic with witches! I will put this on the "your choice" list for my first year experience class. I loved Wood Song and it has been a strong choice with some students. I think this book will appeal to those who love a darker novel.

This part of the forest is magical and dark. It's where a family of witchers live, And it's where girls have been going missing. Della must work with Natasha to fix the magic that's broken and find the missing girls. Who will make it out of the woods alive?

I love how the setting of rural Tennessee was so integral to the storyline that it was practically a character itself. I also liked the accuracy of the social hierarchy between Della and her family, Grange, and Natasha with her family and friends. I most appreciated that the author introduced Della as a one-sided caricature of a Smoky Mountains "hick", but at the height of the story arc, we see Della's personality depths with every interaction with other characters, making her a multidimensional person. This is in stark contrast to Natsha's personality, which becomes consumed by vengeance.

I appreciated the author utilizing Natasha and Morgan's friendship as social commentary on the racial disparities among missing women and law enforcement efforts to find them. However, it felt like it was either added as an afterthought or a poor attempt to stage the next storyline/book in this location. It would have been nice to have a little bit more of Morgan's experience woven throughout Natasha's storyline. Overall, I really liked the book and would recommend it to my friends.

Dark, haunting, bone chilling. This story has made Erica Waters a must buy author for me. Her writing is phenomenal and I love the whole vibe of the book.

I listened to the audiobook and found myself unable to keep track of what's happening because the writing feels very much in a sense of stasis and detachment, which is very disappointing considering I loved the author's other book Ghost Wood Song

witchy southern gothic queer vibes that feel like a warm hug in sticky air. While managing to uphold an eerie, dark feeling, there was also a softness to the characters and their love.

Erica Waters is an exceptional author, one that you should definitely read. Both this and her previous book, Ghost Wood Song, have such whimsical writing, the perfect spooky atmosphere, This one was so creepy at the right moments, it was angry and it had sapphic romance--something that I love as not so many authors can pull this one effectively.

Thanks so much for giving me the chance to review this masterpiece!

What a amazing book! I feel in love with this one. The story is spectacular, all the characters are super vivid. I recommend with my heart.

I truly enjoyed reading this book. The story is so magical and mysterious as well steeped with Appalachian folklore. Seeing Natasha's transformation as she learns more of the history of the Bend as well as Della's protectiveness of the mother she believes is a monster just added to the magic of the story.

Such an interesting book that I included it in a booktalk for local high-schoolers! Dark and lush, atmospheric, with queer romance and female rage...excellent! Waters knows how to make the setting a true, living character and to create the perfect sense of foreboding and dread. I look forward to her next novel!

This one took me some time to get into. And it wasn't until around 40% that I really started enjoying it. I liked the LGBT feel and the contemporary thriller plot. The POV worked well overall and I would love to see another book by this author.

This book unexpectedly drew me in with its lyrical prose and intriguing plot. There were a few moments where my interest wavered, but the story kept me going through these scant occasions!

Well-written with a diverse cast of characters. This genre-blending thriller uses generational magic that is going corrupt to offer a scathing commentary on men who prey on women.

I loved the earth witch vibes of this book. I need more books like it! This is another story of a girl looking for her missing sister. One half of the story is told from Natasha’s perspective as she follows leads trying to find out what happened to her sister. The other half of the story is told from the perspective of Della, a girl whose family has lived in the area a long time, creating spells for the locals. Della is harboring family secrets and Natasha needs help finding her sister. These two girls form an unlikely friendship and there may or may not be beautiful, witchy, sapphic vibes here.

Erica Waters has crafted a deep, dark, winding adventure full of strange and lovely things. A great read for lovers of Maggie Stiefvater and Holly Black.

I loved the LGBT+ rep in this book, but the writing was not to my taste. i will most definitely be interested in reading more books by this author though!

The River Has Teeth is the YA fantasy mystery of the year! The writing is highly atmospheric and eerie throughout. The blend of genres is done very well. It's a mashup of mystery, fantasy, horror, gothic, and a touch of romance added in. The setting is written beautifully. Natasha is searching her sister whose car was found abandoned. Della's family has channeled magic from the bend for generations, only recently it's gone bad and Della doesn't know why. It turned her mother into a beast she's afraid is taking girls. Can the two come together and help each other out? The story is intense and filled with twists. It's an engaging read. Highly recommended to anyone looking for a fresh YA mystery blended with fantasy. This is a great one to check out!

While this book had promise and the story sounded intriguing, I could not get into it and DNF'd partway through. The writing was good and the characters were well introduced so I think I just was not in the right mood for this book and I plan on giving it another try sometime later.

I like a creepy wood as much as the next person. There’s something so deliciously eerie about something watching from the dark and lurking in the shadows. It is this aforementioned setting that drew me to Erica’s work, first with Ghost Wood Song and then with her latest release: The River Has Teeth.

By now, you probably know what the novel is about. Della has lived in the woods all her life. Her family mixes potions for those looking to change their luck or fix problems in their lives- be they people or situations. In the opening pages of the novel we meet Della’s mother, who spends her days in a state of psychosis and her nights as a swamp creature that might just be the reason that some girls in the area have gone missing recently. Every morning, Della brings her mother breakfast and occasionally finds blood and dirt under her nails. While she fears what her mother might have done, her one thought is to protect her and her alcoholic father from outsiders that might do the three of them harm or upset their current way of life. Enter Natasha, whose sister Rochelle, has bone missing in the woods. She is determined to get to the bottom of what happened, no matter the consequences. It’s at this point that the two girls’ paths cross, intertwining their fates irrevocably

As characters, both Natasha and Della grow a fair bit throughout the novel. Their relationship starts off quiet rocky and a bit hostile, but as Natasha pushes against Della’s attempts to create distance and starts to suspect that she knows more about Rochelle’s disappearance than what she lets on, walls begin to crumble and romance blossoms. I found their developing relationship both believable and not overdone. I think frequently that’s the danger with romance in dark fantasy and horror, it can sometimes take you out of the story. But Waters handled the relationship skillfully and carefully and it never felt contrived in my opinion.

But hear me out, the atmosphere is so immersive and haunting. It’s the kind of book that makes you look over your shoulder as you turn the pages, wondering what could possibly be stalking you from the shadows. While Erica has said that she doesn’t love horror, she writes the horror elements of her novels well as both Della and Natasha go traipsing through the woods, urged on by their respective machinations.

This southern gothic dark fantasy novel is more than just a good mystery though. It simmers with feminist rage and female power as Della and Natasha unravel the truth behind the evil that stalks the woods.

Overall, I gave The River Has Teeth 4.5🌟 and would recommend it to fans of books like Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand and Strange Grace by Tessa Gratton.

*I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
Lately I've been devouring any books that involve sad teens in Appalachia. This one did not disappoint! While Della and Natasha's romance is a little sudden halfway through, I believe Waters sets the framework well. The dark, gothic mystery involving the woods and what lives in them was very compelling. Both main characters are flawed and believable while struggling in their own ways. Waters has become my new insta-read author!