Queer horror is something to fawn over, it doesn't happen very often. Now I wouldn't say this was straight-up horror by any means. It was pretty mild in that department but it still made for fantastic vibes and gave me what I wanted! The multiple POVs were interesting and while it didn't take away from the story for me I don't know if it's something everyone will love about it. I think the way our author described our story and characters was marvelous and really makes you form a kinship with them. The found family trope is one of my FAVS and I thought this one was really well done. I can't wait to read more and really watch the story flesh out and become something truly great.

⚠️ THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS ! PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK ! ⚠️ Thanks to Netgalley for sending an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

CUTTING YOUR TEETH was … something. On paper, this should have been the sort of book that I ate up. In practice … it felt like there was something missing.

I went into this book mostly blind, which is on me. I glanced at the top review on NG and the cover and that was it, but based on the cover, I had not expected this to be about vampires.

Our main character Ezra was the highlight of the book, so when the author would take us to the POV of someone else, my interest would immediately flag. I don’t think we needed to jump the way we did to illustrate that certain characters were keeping secrets - especially when drinking blood is supposed to be enough to show Ezra a memory or two. Because this is the first book in a series, I wasn’t surprised that there were loose ends, but I still felt like certain things could have been fleshed out more — why Ada is even bothering to maintain a friendship with Ezra, how Ezra’s sister became what she is, and more about their twin connection…among other things.

I didn’t hate this book, but I did feel disappointed by it. It was on the boring side for a lot of the beginning half, and though I really liked the intro with the boxing match, that “spark” between Ezra and Killian never /really/ resurfaced for me until the last 70% of the book.

All in all … not a bad start, but not something that gripped me. 🤷🏻‍♀️

P.S. It did not get a little sexy, as I’d hoped 😔

I enjoyed this book well enough. The characters were multi-faceted and the world clear and well imagined. I think the main reason that I didn’t love the book was that I never truly connected with the characters, and sometimes the draw of the story for me felt more like a drag.

I’m so sorry but I just couldn’t get into this book. I saw it had vampires and horror and was like, yay, but it just wasn’t enough horror for me to truly be classed as it. I liked the fast flowing plot but the writing style just didn’t meld well with me as a reader

Cutting Your Teeth is the Interview with a Vampire for the modern YA age. Ezra, our main character, has a past that he is trying to outrun. However, then he meets Killian, who might just have what it takes to crack open Ezra. But not if Ezra's past catches up with him.

This book is super cute with bloodthirsty twist after twist! I genuinely enjoyed this book and felt it was quickly paced. It has just enough gore to satisfy my need for it. Ultimately this is a super cute story with some good mysteries, good spritz of romance, and a fantastic found family trope.

Check it out!!

I have not read a book this fast in a decent while. Cutting Your Teeth was a book I’d been highly anticipating, and not only did it not disappoint but it was even better than I could’ve ever imagined. The story instantly grabs you from page one. Just within the first 50 pages, there is so much action and the plot moves at an amazing pace. Below, I will break down everything I loved and adored about this book.

The biggest thing for me was the characters. I am a character-oriented reader, without good characters I just can’t get into a book. In this book that wasn’t an issue at all. The main trio who we are with throughout the book each had such unique and believable personalities. Even the characters that weren’t given nearly as much time on the page were still unique and gave a realistic feel to them. Usually, in books featuring supernatural creatures, I rarely use the word realistic as the characters always feel as though they have something missing but that wasn’t the case with this piece of art. The reactions characters had to situations also felt understandable. Even when characters made decisions I didn’t agree with, I could easily understand why they made those decisions.

Now that I’m done spilling my soul over how amazing the characters were, let’s move on to the plot. The book had a very fast-paced plot that keeps you on the edge of your seat. There is always something new that makes you want to know what could possibly happen next. There weren’t any times during reading when I didn’t understand why something was happening or how it came to be. All aspects made sense, and throughout the book, the pieces were carefully laid out for the reader to discern what direction the book was heading without being abundantly obvious.

Overall I gave this book a 5/5 stars because I enjoyed it immensely. It’s a book I will be thinking back upon for a long while I loved the writing style which just helped to completely tie things together. I can’t wait for the next book(s).

I received an advanced reader’s copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Got to say, I wasn't sure how much I'd like this book given that it was described as a horror. However, the characters intrigued me enough to give it a chance.

And wow, am I glad I did. I really liked Ezra and while I found his romance with Killian a little insta-love (on Killian's part) I really do like an Irish vamp. Was the villain and their motive a bit predictable? Maybe, but I really did love all the characters introduced (except the ones you're meant to hate). The plot was a tad confusing in places but overall well done. And I will say, while this had horror like elements, overall, I personally wouldn't classify it as horror. This is a 4.5 book rounded up to 5.

I'm looking forward to the next in this series!

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the arc. This review will be published on Goodreads when it's released.

Review posted on storygraph yesterday (13/02/2023) and updated this morning.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC

Haven't read something I loved this much in a while.
The found family was so heartwarming.
Some topics were hard but it felt safe with Marigold and Killian (I would die for Mari)

The prose gave a lot to the mood.
Showing therapy as such a normal and positive thing was great. Saying it's ok to save yourself from a toxic family without being able to save your sibling was also hard but important.
Making sure the MC can be called by his chosen name ? 10/10

Did not expect to enjoy a book with vampires after the post-Twilight-cringe, yet here we are.

Also kuddos for having them drive an impala and owning a Winchester gun.


I added a selection of quotes I really enjoyed in my review on storygraph to look back to them in a few months if someone asks why I enjoyed it so much.

Thank you to NetGalley, Victory Editing, and Caylan MacRae for the ARC and allowing me this opportunity to read and share my thoughts!

First of all, what a lovely debut novel! MacRae really knows how to drag in your interest on page one! I was instantly intrigued by our main character, Ezra, and what is going on his life. MacRae really strives in the character department. All the characters were very intriguing to read about and some of them appeared with one sentence and made me go: "Yep, I love them."

This is a vampire romance story. I was interesting in the concept but also a little wary about how they were going to make vampires interesting when it has been done many times before. MacRae steps right up to the plate and gives vampires an interesting rework. Playing on the classic concepts of the night walkers and giving them more depth. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about how the vampires work in this world! It was my favorite part besides the characters. You can tell there was a lot of thought put into it to make them more interesting for new-comers and people who already read plenty of vampire stories.

For the romance... I sadly couldn't get completely behind it. It wasn't bad! I wish there was more build up since it was very insta-love and made me not connect as much to their relationship. I was more connected with the friendship of the side characters with the main characters. Especially Mari. Gosh, I love Mari. Her relationship with every character in this story is so well done. I wish there was more downtime between the two main love interests so we can see them more happy and learn about each other, instead of there always being action at every turn preventing them from truly learning about one another.

Also, since I mentioned Mari, I should mention our other main lead. Killian is a charismatic guy and really likable as a character, but he did read very young when he is suppose to be much older. I know they explained it slightly but I feel like since he is been around so long and is old enough to know when he is acting irresponsible, he would make a change. Hopefully in the next book we can see more of him and see more of his depth as a character.

There were times I was very confused in the plot, like when Ezra first drinks blood or when the scene suddenly changes. At times I wasn't sure what was going on until pages later. I feel like giving more detail in these scenes of what is going on will help readers truly understand the plot and get more invested in the story.

What a lovely story! MacRae set up so many threads throughout the book that there was a point where I was like "huh that is a little predictable" only for a bunch of plot twists to hit me in the face and say "you thought". Found family, cute vampire romance, intriguing plot and characters - Honestly a very amazing debut novel and I would recommend this to anyone who has a soft spot for vampires and found families.

I was able to read 8 chapters before giving up on this novel. I was not enjoying the writing style and found it to be a little fanfiction-esque, mostly the dialogue and relationships. I did enjoy the descriptive writing and the flowing movement of the plot. Personally I wouldn't place this book in the horror genre though. It felt just vampiric. Thank you to the publisher and Caylan MacRae for letting me preview the book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Victory Editing, and Caylan MacRae for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This story follows Ezra, who’s on the run from his family, the Espinas. He bumps into Killian, a vampire who takes him under his wing, and the story takes off from there. Elements of Ezra and Killian’s histories and motives are shrouded in mystery, and information is slowly drip-fed to you in a way that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

First, I think this novel is a little mismarketed. It’s tagged as *horror* in both NetGalley and Goodreads, but I personally think *paranormal fantasy* fits a little bit better. There were a few elements of horror, but not enough to truly create the horror vibe that I was expecting going into this. I personally didn’t mind the discrepancy (I like this atmosphere a lot more than horror for these characters specifically), but others might.

I generally liked the writing! There were a few typos and misspellings here and there, but nothing that detracted from my liking of the novel. Writing in present tense can be a little challenging, and while there were a few hiccups, there was nothing terribly erroneous.

Now, let’s dig into what I really worked for me. Despite Ezra being completely unfamiliar with Killian’s world, there’s never a huge info dump. Rather, MacRae gives you exactly as much information as you need to keep up, and no more than that. It’s perfect, really—you never get bored through a laundry list of characters, and it also builds up tension and suspense. The writing was descriptive, but never so focused on descriptions that you lose the plot. For the most part, the characters acted logically given their circumstances, and none of them were one-dimensional, aside from maybe the main villain. But I can forgive that, since this is the first book of a series, and I’m sure MacRae will reveal more information in the future.

Something unexpected that I enjoyed was the found family trope. Horror and found family don’t exactly fit in the same sentence in my head, so when some parts of this novel turned out to be downright cozy, I was surprised, but pleasantly so. It just makes me more excited to see what trouble these characters will get into in the future.

On the other hand, I couldn’t really reconcile Killian’s age with his personality. Some of his actions didn’t speak of a person who had lived as long as he had; if he were younger, I’d view his behavior a bit more favorably. I’m also not a big fan of multiple POVs, but MacRae pulled it off well enough that I’m not mad at it, though I’m still not sure it was entirely necessary. It added some drama, but there were other ways to go about doing that. Again, that’s just my personal taste. That being said, the romance wasn’t central to the plot, which I absolutely love, so massive kudos for that.

Overall, this novel was a great setup for the stories that will follow! The characters and intricacies of the plot were well conceived, and the story was generally well written. MacRae also gets points for originality—this isn’t your every day paranormal story, and MacRae doesn’t shy away from some bloody descriptions. There’s also something clearly more sinister afoot throughout the entirety of the novel, and there are implications that the threat will continue to lurk in future installments.

I didn't finish reading Cutting Your Teeth, through no fault of the books. I couldn't personally get on board with the writing style, and apparently, vampires still give me the ick.

A boy on the run from his dark family secrets finds his life taking an unexpected turn when he runs into a dangerous but charming vampire.... who ends up saving his life and turning him into a vampire. Ezra Santos has been on the run, city to city, changing names and identities, and trying to escape his father’s hunt for him. The only thing he is good at is fighting, so when he ends up in the ring against a mysterious and charming stranger named Killian Hale who throws the match in his favor, he’s got a lot of questions. After said match, Ezra is caught in by a family member and is on the brink of death... until Killian appears and changes him, by turning him into a vampire. Now Ezra is finding himself being thrown into a world of supernaturals that he never knew about and still on the run from his father. The question he has is: why did Killian do what he did, why did Killian save him... and if he finds out the answer will it impact the growing relationship and feelings between them? How long can he be on the run when his father is closing in and what other dark secrets is his family harboring.... and can he survive the betrayal if what he finds out about Killian is true? This was a fun read, I loved getting to see Ezra find a family and grow into the love and friendship that was there. The book was fun and it’s the first on in a series and I honestly can’t wait to see where the next one goes. Filled with vampires, werewolves, gods, curses, and romance this one was an unexpected but lovely read!

*Thanks Netgalley and Caylan MacRae for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*