Cutting Your Teeth does have a lot going for it. The action starts early and keeps up the pace throughout, but there are also slower moments where we develop the found family dynamic and the romance. I wouldn't call this a scary book, but there are some deliciously creepy concepts that crop up, and we also get a fresh spin on vampire lore that went in some unexpected but interesting directions. I wouldn't say these vampires are gory per se, but they are grittier than you might expect from a paranormal romance. On that note, the romance itself was sweet and developed slowly throughout the book, which I really appreciated.

That said, there were some weird writing choices in the first third of the book that I had a hard time overlooking. I can't give specific examples because it looks like my net galley copy has been archived, but there's a lot of passive voice used and many instances of actions/senses/objects being described in an abstract way (ex: "a door was locked" instead of "he locked the door") that made me feel detached from the story. At times I wasn't sure where we were or what characters were taking what actions, and it put a distance between me and the characters that felt like a poor way to start a book. There was a point when both of these issues just stopped appearing in the writing (maybe different editors worked on it? Maybe some was rewritten after editing? idk) and I had a much smoother reading experience after that.

Overall, this feels like a solid debut. There's plenty of room to expand on this world in future books, and the ending was satisfying while still leading you on into the next book. It's not to my personal taste, but it's a good start to a series that I'm sure will continue to improve from here.

4.5 Stars

This was such an enjoyable book! It started out quick and the pace never faltered. Cutting Your Teeth is the debut novel by Caylan MacRae, which includes vampires, werewolves, found family, a little bit of romance, and lots of action and adventure.

Ezra has been on the run for a couple of years. His family has been chasing him down for some reason that we don't yet know or understand. There is apparently some dark family curse that he is yet to figure out about. In order to make ends meet, he has taken up fighting in underground fighting rings. He was planning to leave after his last fight, but gets jumped on the way out. Killian sees that he's injured and needs help and decides to take him home to stitch him up.

Ezra doesn't trust easily, but he is really intrigued by Killian. Intrigued enough to stick around town for another couple of days. Killian asks Ezra do a favor for him, but Ezra's bad luck streak continues and he encounters more danger. Killian comes to Ezra's rescue again, which has permanent consequences. They end up having to leave town quickly over concern for those who are chasing Ezra.

Killian has some secret motivations of his own where it comes to Ezra and Marigold (Killian's companion), which almost ruin everything they've built so far. Marigold almost steals the show in this book. Her character is great! She's so easy going, kind and resourceful. I also loved Piper and Alessa. There is a lot more to the story, but you'll need to read it to find out. The story is entertaining and a really quick read. I am looking forward to the next book!

*** I received an ARC of this from NetGalley and this is my honest opinion. ***

Cutting Your Teeth is the debut novel by Caylan MacRae. A Queer New Adult paranormal adventure with vampires, werewolves, and a slow burn side romance.

Ezra is on the run from his family and getting ready to make his next move in locations. However, they catch up to him and he almost doesn't survive the counter. He wouldn't have if it hadn't been for Killian turning him into a vampire and giving him a second chance at "life." But Killian has motivations of his own and when those surface the relationship the two have built will be destroyed. Killian won't give up on him, but might be too late from stopping the future destined for Ezra.

There is much more going on than what I summed up in my little recap above, but I didn't want to give away spoilers. The story is faced paced from beginning to end. Packed with violence, danger, and life or death situations for our main characters. Don't worry, there are some breathing moments in between where our characters get to enjoy themselves.I was here for the slow reveals and all the pieces being put together. The book has a story arc that has a Happy For Now conclusion but there's bigger picture things going on at the end which will obviously be the focus of book 2.

I want to gush about our Queer MCs for a bit. Ezra is a whole jumble of anger, guilt, and fear with a warm heart at the center. He doesn't want to tangle up anyone else in his bad situation, and if he's going down he wants it to have purpose. Killian 🥰our Irish vampire who has secret not so nice intentions when he first puts himself in Ezra's path, but quickly regrets them when he interacts with him. Killian made me swoon every time he used Gaelic terms of endearment towards Ezra. The two have a slow burn romance where they are each holding back for their own reasons. Unfortunately there's isn't much of a pay off besides a steam kiss and then events happen that result in them restarting from the beginning. I think that might be one of the things holding me back from giving it a higher rating. I really wanted the slow burn to pay off and I hope it does in the next book.

Cutting Your Teeth by Caylan MacRae is a strong debut novel. A Queer New Adult Paranormal filled with quality found family, Bi rep, promises, dances, vampires, nightmares, a faithful Irish Wolfhound, dangers, secrets, lies and betrayal.

[Thank you to NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.]

Cutting Your Teeth is a blisteringly fast-paced queer horror novel about Ezra, a young man with a dark past on the run from his family, whose life changes dramatically when he meets mysterious vampire Killian.

I wanted to like this one more than I actually did. There are some very interesting elements in here, especially related to the worldbuilding. I thought that this take on vampires had just enough of very common traditional tropes and characteristics of vampires with some other interesting, unique elements that made these vampires really interesting and dynamic.

However, I felt like there was just a lot about this one that was a miss for me. I do tend to prefer novels that are slower paced than this one. The action and plot development in here is basically non-stop, with very few quiet moments in between plot developments. For me the breakneck pace of the novel didn't work because I wanted to get to know more about who the characters were outside of the crisis they were in. I found it difficult to care about them for any reason aside from being the main characters. This also left me rather uninterested in the romance elements. In the same vein, I think would've liked a little more time spent introspectively on the inherent horror of being a vampire--we just don't really get a lot of time to explore that, which disappointed me a little.

[review on Goodreads March 29, 2023: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5402922684]

I like vampires and queer horror so I through I would give this a go, The pacing was a inconsistent and I wasn't fully sold on the plot but it was very readable. Felt like it needed another good round of editing but overall a decent debut.

I would like to thank NetGalley for this e-ARC, but all opinions remain my own.

I immediately loved the writing when I started this book. The banter between Ezra and Killian was just delightful and their chemistry was palpable.

I enjoyed the slow unraveling of each character's secrets, and felt very attached to both Ezra and Killian fairly quickly. I liked the lore of the vampires in this novel, and am looking forward to a sequel.

I love the found family aspect of this. All in all, I absolutely loved this and had so much fun reading this.

If you love queer love, vampires and found family this is for you. An easy 5 stars.

5 / 5 ⭐️‘s

“Cutting Your Teeth” by Caylan MacRae

I found this to be a fun and addictive story that will leave you on the edge of your seat. The book follows Ezra, a young man who has spent his life on the run, as he meets a mysterious vampire? named Killian. The two form an unlikely bond as Ezra hopes to finally break free from his past and the family that relentlessly hunts him.

MacRae does an excellent job of building tension and keeping your attention throughout the story. The characters are well-developed and the chemistry between Ezra and Killian is palpable. Like just kiss already!! The inclusion of a family curse adds an extra layer of intrigue and raises the stakes even higher.

The writing style is fluid and descriptive, allowing you to fully immerse in the world that MacRae has created. The pacing is just right, with the action-packed moments balanced by quieter, more reflective scenes.

Overall, a must-read for fans of paranormal romance and anyone who enjoys a good thrill ride. MacRae’s debut novel is an impressive start to what promises to be a thrilling series.

Out 3/31/2023!

This ARC was provided by @netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

i had such a good time reading this book!! lovable characters, found family and vampires - the best combination. the mix of character reflective thoughts, to lots of action was a good balance. look forward to seeing more of this author and series!

Well it was certainly interesting. Not what I was expecting based on the blurb. There were a couple weird time jumps. The world building could’ve been a bit better but almost everything still made sense. I noticed this is book one in a series but I think it ended in a way that it could be read as a standalone. Not sure if I’ll continue with the series whenever the next book comes out.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I am a lover of all things vampires. And if you make the storyline queer? I am in front of the line tossing money. This book was no exception. I saw queer and vampires and instantly hit request.

I have seen a bit of a theme with vampire books where the vampires hated being a vampire. And it was getting disheartening when all I wanted was chaotic vampires doing vampire things. Not vampires hating life and getting philosophical. I wanted creepy and eerie not existential dread. Cutting your teeth delivered on giving me eerie and creepy. It also gave existential dread but it was a healthy balance. Vampires were being vampires and I wasn’t crying in the corner, all in all a success.

You’re drawn into Ezra from the start and it’s really easy to want to protect him at all costs. It’s an emotional journey of his past, present and future. Killian really is the light at the end of the tunnel that Ezra needed. I would’ve liked more about Killians past but considering there will be a sequel I am sure that’s where that information will go.

Overall, this was a good story. The few complaints I had were the chapters didn’t blend very well and the world building got confusing at times. Cohesiveness wasn’t always present and that does make it harder to fully dive in. The relationships that were developed in the story did at times feel underdeveloped. I’m pretty sure things will be different in the sequel but this one could’ve been structured just a bit more. There’s a lot of potential for the sequel. It will be interesting to see where things lead.

As far as I am aware, this is MacRae’s debut novel, and it’s a bit obvious in the way there just about too many ideas and elements being juggled. Too many plot points and threads that didn’t have much room to breathe in one single novel. Their probable influences are also quite prevalent, which works for some readers and might not for others. However, this was still an enjoyable, action-packed read with a great cast of characters.

MacRae’s writing itself was really great. There are a number of great phrases and descriptions that are beautifully written. The plot was a bit muddled and some of the characterizations fell a little flat, but overall this was an engaging read.

I really liked Ezra, which may or may not have had to do with how he reminded me of Neil Josten from Nora Sakavic’s All for the Game series (a forever favorite of mine). They do share a few similarities in their general backstory but it’s a surface level comparison. I also loved Mari! She’s a great, fun character. Where some of the character writing fell flat was mostly in Killian. Though the very old vampire, he behaved like your average early 20-year-old. I also wasn’t sold on some of his actions and choices.

The romance is a background element, but even so, while I enjoyed Ezra and Killian (and the hints of a background couple that I imagine will develop in the next book) I wasn’t sold by it. Part of the juggled plotlines and elements, the pacing of their relationship was rough. The found family aspects though I enjoyed a lot more, especially Ezra’s friendship with Mari.

As a last little note, I would say this is a paranormal fantasy as opposed to horror, so if you’re into horror, I would keep expectations looser with this in regards to the genre.
(edit: it appears the tag has changed since I last saw the page and this is now billed as SFF instead of Horror.)

I’m not sure if I’ll continue the series. While I did enjoy this one, I’m not particularly eager to know how the continuing threads will progress when I can mostly guess how things will turn out. As a new adult novel, it straddles that YA-Adult crossover line but I think if you’re a fan of supernatural drama TV shows, this might be up your alley.

My actual rating was 3.5 stars rounded up. (-0.5 for the brazilian rep, which is always tricky for me to read and enjoy without complaint)

Thank you to the author for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Full review on Goodreads.

Everything I wanted from a paranormal queer romance, I love the chemistry between Ezra and Killian, can’t wait to see how this progresses in future books ( I’m hoping for a sequel as it definitely needs on). The friendship and found family within this book is so heartwarming and is very representative of the lgbtq+ community. New must read author for myself and would definitely recommend this!

I. Loved. This. Book. New favorite.

I think what I liked the most about this book was the dark, gritty opulence of it all. I really enjoyed Killian’s and Ezra’s chemistry.

Sometimes, I had trouble following the plot, with the flashbacks and quick subject changes. I felt like the flow of the writing needed a little bit of polish, but I still really enjoyed this book overall

This was unfortunately not what I was expecting. As a semi-aromatic asexual, paranormal romance is not my bag, and as charming as the characters were, I found it difficult to keep my attention on them. There's plenty to love here, and enough plot hooks to keep me coming back, but I wish I had done a little more research before diving in. Still, I can hardly judge a cat for meowing, so those looking for a solid queer paranormal romance, jump right in.

Cutting Your Teeth was a thrilling supernatural adventure centered around escaping the clutches of your violent family and their dark secrets. I had quite a bit of fun reading this book and I enjoyed the relationship dynamic that was formed between Ezra and Killian. MacRae did a great job of crafting an interesting story with memorable characters; I look forward to the next books to come from this series.

There were a few pitfalls throughout the book and the main one was the lack of diversity between the characters in the POV. I found myself seeing a lot of similarities between the characters and despite how well fit they seem to be for each other, it just doesn't seem realistic that three people are so alike and get along so well. I did enjoy the characters themselves, especially the supporting characters, but I wished they were a bit more different from each other. The pacing of the book is also a bit skewed; there is a slowness to the start of the book, which is fine because we are getting introductions and such, but as I approached the end I was surprised at how quick a huge plot of the story comes about. And then it's over. I felt like the huge plot point could have been explored a bit more in depth, but perhaps this was saved for future books.

Overall, I enjoyed this book wholeheartedly and I can’t wait for more to come. If you like supernatural thrillers and queer content, this is probably a series for you to pick up.

I an unable to review this title, as it was archived before I had a chance to download and read it. This feedback is only to stop this title from adversely affecting my net galley feedback rate. If in the future I have the opportunity to read this title, I will post a proper review here.

I'm waffling between 3 to 3.5 stars
Cutting Your Teeth is about Ezra, a young man on the run from his father. Then he meets Killian in Seattle everything changes and he gets thrown into the supernatural world with the promise of protection but learns that you can't run from your demons forever.
When I started reading this, one of my first thoughts was "Oh, this reminds me quite a bit of AFTG". The similarity comes and goes but I couldn't shake the thought.

The things I liked:
The author does a really great job of not info-dumping lore. You learn what you need to know when Ezra learns it, which never weighs down the narrative.
I thought the twist was pretty interesting and I want to know how they learn more about it if there is a sequel.
I'm a sucker for the found-family trope and I really liked how it was executed here, especially with the supernatural elements.

Things I didn't particularly like:
So I liked the characters - Killian, Ezra, Marigold- but there were a lot of times when they felt way too similar. They all just happened to have the same things in common that it would throw me off, especially in the beginning because there were some backstory elements that were just the same for them. Their voices weren't particularly unique from each other either, there were times in the dialogue where if it didn't tell me who was speaking I honestly wouldn't have been able to guess who it was because they all talked the same.
Another reviewer mentioned that there was an "Yes, and" energy and I think that aptly applies, the characters do have a tendency to just go along with what's happening which I think kind of limits the option for character development.

All that being said, it was a fun read and I'll keep an eye out for more!

Book Review for: "Cutting Your Teeth" by Caylan MacRae
Source: ARC from NetGalley
Score: 4/5 stars

The book "Cutting Your Teeth" follows Ezra as he runs away from his family and lives a life avoiding his past.

The book is slow to start but picks up in the second half and provides lots of plot twists.

Plot:
The challenge with the book is that the first half is mostly "plot-less". It makes it difficult to maintain interest until the second half. When the book picks up, we see Ezra become a vampire and work through personal growth and his sexuality. There are also many layers that get unfolded throughout the book that keeps the story interesting.

Overall, there was a lot of twists throughout the book that keeps the reader interested.

Writing:
The book has some pacing balancing issues. The first half is slow while the second half moves quickly. The dialogue between characters shows some growth from the characters.

The latter half of the book provides more intimate dialogue and relationship building between characters.

Characters:
Overall, the characters are likeable. The relationships are quite interesting and we get to see a found family develop.

Overall, interesting and unique characters that allow the story to flourish.

Finale:
Overall, it was good to see a m/m romance centered around found family and self-discovery. The book does start slow but picks up in the latter half and provides an interesting read.

Thank you to NetGalley and also Victory Editing for allowing me to read an arc of Cutting Your Teeth.


I enjoyed this book immensely! The story was captivating and the characters were so well written and developed. The romance was incredibly sweet and made the book even more enjoyable for me. The vampire lore was really interesting and I am so happy that it’s a series because I wasn’t ready to let the characters go just yet. I couldn’t recommend this book enough!

CW- gore, abuse, alcohol misuse and violence.

I have attached a link to my instagram book account review