Thank you to Netgalley for providing an E-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review.

let me start off by saying...I really appreciated the dark academia feel of this book. The atmosphere was captivating, and I was particularly drawn in by its connection to The Raven Boys. Unfortunately, that’s where my enthusiasm began to wane. The plot felt stagnant, and the characters didn’t resonate with me. It often seemed like I was being directly told about the events, and the characters’ motivations were laid out too plainly rather than being revealed through their experiences.

Moreover, I found the entire premise to be a bit unrealistic. The main character enrols in a prestigious boarding school and is allowed to stay, even though her check bounces? It struck me as implausible from the very beginning.

I was genuinely excited for this book, but it ultimately fell short of my expectations.

This book is going to stay with me for quite a while I think. The first few days after reading it I really got a bit of anxiety looking at mirrors and I think that says something about the book! I really really enjoyed this! It was dark and twisty and felt a bit like a fever dream the entire time. There were so many moments when I thought I knew what was going to happen and then was completely wrong and shocked. I did not want to put this book down the entire time I was reading it. I cannot wait until this is out in the world so I can pick up a physical copy and recommend it to everyone around me!

I’m not sure how to feel about the ending, but FUCK ME. This was a ride and a half. I don’t know what I was expecting, but not that.

Gritty, messy, delirious. Highly recommend.

Jenni Howell’s Boys with Sharp Teeth sinks its claws into you from page one and doesn’t let go. A sharp (pun intended) mix of coming-of-age drama, dark humor, and just enough bite to keep you on edge, this book is as unpredictable as its characters.

Howell masterfully balances wit and grit, crafting a story about love, danger, and what it means to survive growing up—especially when your friends might literally eat you alive. It’s quirky, it’s edgy, and it’s impossible to resist.

Perfect for fans of dark humor and twisted tales, teens and adults alike will devour this one!

As soon as I read the synopsis for Boys with Sharp Teeth, I knew it was a book I had to read, so I was beyond excited when I was given an ARC copy.

This was a different take on the dark academia genre, with it taking a more whimsical suspension of reality type of approach rather than the standard realism used in dark academia.

Jenni Howell’s writing is so encapsulating, truly sucking me into the story and giving me the atmospheric reading experience one hopes for when delving into a story surrounding murder, secrets and a private academy. The way these characters were written was extremely well done, with their character development growing organically throughout the story.

I won’t lie, I was not a fan of the love triangle as I find the trope as a whole to be overdone and rarely ever well done, so that was an aspect I disliked. Additionally, this is not a queer novel, and the author does admit so, however, there are some undertones surrounding certain character dynamics that cannot be denied, and I wish this could have either been explored and addressed more or just not present.

Overall I truly enjoyed this read and would highly recommend it to anyone looking to further their dark academia reading repertoire.

Thank you so much to Roaring Book Press | MacMillan & NetGalley for a review copy.

I.....just have to believe this wasn't for me.

The writing is beautiful. The concept of the story is compelling. But I really struggled with this. I feel like the comp to The Raven Boys is accurate but I also can't remember how much of the plot happened in book one because this book was a lot of vibes.

(Also side note, idk why I picked this up thinking it was an LGBTQIA book but also it looks like I wasn't alone? I'm not sure what made me think that but it did trip me up the entire time but I don't think that's the books fault.)

I wish we saw a little more of some of the characters, mainly Adrian and Baz. I feel like the vibes were supposed to do a lot of the heavy lifting and then when the plot kicks in like a lightning bolt, I was like wait is this in character for them?

Also the twist was... I mean I was shocked but I also thought it would go more supernatural (which, again, is a fault of mine, because the comp of We Were Liars isn't a supernatural book), but it was also ....so. weird? And not weird as in bad but weird as in convoluted, as in I had to reread it a few times to understand what was happening.

Also wtf is this school. And the timeline - she said she had like a weekend/two weeks before she was caught and kicked out and someone started looking for her and then it seemed like an entire half semester passed.

Overall, beautifully atmospheric, but not for me, which bums me out but isn't the books fault!!

Thank you to Roaring Brook Press/Macmillian and NetGalley for a chance to read and review.

The dark academia peeps are going to love this one. This is a story of revenge, obsession and a touch of delusion. This story will sink its teeth into you from the very beginning and it never lets go.

"Boys With Sharp Teeth" is undeniably one of the finest novels in the dark academia genre that I’ve encountered this year! It immerses readers in a richly atmospheric setting, weaving together a gripping tale of vengeance amidst a backdrop of privilege and exclusivity. The story revolves around a tightly-knit group of elite students whose lives intertwine in unexpected and thrilling ways. Just when you think you’ve uncovered the layers of the plot, a haunting twist emerges, leaving you questioning everything you thought you knew. It's a captivating read that lingers in your mind long after you've turned the final page.

*3.5
I LOVED MARIN AND ADRIAN’S DYNAMIC SO MUCH. truly sooo many fascinating dynamics and bonds in this book jenni howell is such a wordsmith and this is such a promising debut especially in a genre so lacking in originality these days aka dark academia…loved the paranormal elements and the magic system did in fact remind me of the raven cycle thank youuuu premise for not falsely informing me. overall such a crazy read

Thank you to NetGalley and Roaring Brook Press for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Sharp writing, a carefully developed atmosphere, and almost surreal plot twists combine to make Boys with Sharp Teeth a compulsive read. This story absolutely capitalizes on dark academia’s thread of magic, allowing a sense of the paranormal to develop throughout and add to the atmosphere long before the characters—or readers—fully understand it, or are even sure that it isn’t just another lie. This layer of unreality contributed hugely to the appeal of the characters and story; it was often very hard to dissect what was and wasn’t real, particularly with the descriptive prose and metaphors, which created so many questions for the reader.

Howell managed to make the story feel complete while providing very little closure, which left me finishing the book with the same sense of unease that permeated the entire book. It also meant that, unlike many eerie stories that somewhat fall flat once the big reveal occurs, Boys with Sharp Teeth maintains its darkly mysterious edge beyond the final page. Indeed, the writing here is one of the biggest strengths of this book; Howell’s word choice and prose is phenomenal,

Reading this as an advance reader’s copy, I wasn’t able to find the extensive content warnings on the author’s website that the opening note indicated would be present, but I hope that they’ll be updated there as the release date draws nearer, as they are absolutely necessary. In particular, I think that Boys with Sharp Teeth could’ve benefited from a few more sensitivity readers with regard to the somewhat blasé discussions and portrayals of suicide in the second half of the book; if you find this to be a triggering topic, I suggest proceeding with caution through this story.

This is a novel about revenge going very, very wrong. Marin James's cousin, Sam, was dead, and she knew that students at the Huntsworth Academy were responsible for his death. So she assumes a false identity in order to get justice for Sam. She quickly finds herself face to face with forces far darker than what she anticipated and things quickly spiral out of her control. Marin goes from trying to stay detached from the students, to possibly becoming friends with the students she believes to be responsible. Her investigation leads her down a confusing path as she struggles to determine who is really responsible for Sam's death. This novel had promise, but the story simply dragged on far too long.

This was a lush, overwrought, well-written dark academia for teenage audiences. You've got to *like* dark academia in all its pretentiousness - really commit to liking dramatic, self-righteous, arrogant teenagers - but if that's your jam, there's a lot to like about Boys with Sharp Teeth. It's part mystery, part thriller, entirely navel-gazing prose about how hot yet unknowable yet charming yet awful privileged boys can be, and I would have eaten it UP when I was a teenager. Fun stuff.

This was brilliant - twisty, sharp, incisive, and so, so vividly good. My students are excited for their copies to arrive!

Currently reading
I posed another book review by mistake. Will post the review once I finish reading it.

Boys with Sharp Teeth is a atmospheric dark academia novel with mystery and a group of sketchy friends -- need I say more?

Dark revenge YA set at an elite boarding school, Boys with Sharp Teeth is an atmospheric and mysterious read that was really captivating. I would have loved to have felt more of a connection to Marin, Jamie, Henry, and Adrian. It felt almost overwhelming with characters and description, but I still had a good time reading it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5

Boys with Sharp Teeth is a dark, twisty YA novel with captivating characters and a propulsive plot.

I loved this one. There were lots of strange, dark moments throughout the story that hooked me. I loved the dark academia vibes and philosophy and contemplation. The romance was *chef’s kiss and written beautifully. The story was brilliant and sinister, with excellent pacing, lovely prose, and an intriguing setting. I am so excited to see where the story goes in book 2!

Thank you to the publisher for the free ARC!

thanks to netgalley & macmillan's children publishing group for the free earc in exchange for a fair and honest review!

this book is extremely ambitious, with an insane premise and characters that are far too philosophical for their own good. but somehow, in all of the introspection and quotes, the book sort of imploded. as i was adding tags to this book, i realized it really wasn't much of anything; it wasn't a mystery, or a romance, or... anything, really. just a story about people who live in a different world, with different problems.
this book is by no means bad, but i think it's a little too big for its boots. it feels as if the author aimed to shove a full, 6-book dark-academia teen suspense series into one ya novel. i dont know; maybe it was just me it fell a little flat for.
jamie is a really good character, with good motivations and a level of ruthlessness that was honestly really refreshing to see in a female ya character. however, i found baz to be very 2-dimensional, and adrian and henry to be simply confusing beyond comprehension.
i also found sam's character to be less fleshed out than i would have hoped. obviously as a dead character there's a minimal amount of expectations regarding scenes that include him, but i really love flashback scenes in books like this, so i was hoping to see a scene with marin and sam, but oh well.
read this if you enjoy books that are too convoluted for their own good, but are somehow still entertaining, and characters that probably do exist somewhere in the world but by no means seem realistic.

A wonderful addition to the YA dark academia canon; perfect for fans of The Raven Boys and The Secret History.

I thought that this was a very interesting dark academia book. I like the idea that the main character is infiltrating this elite school in order to find out what happened to her cousin. It was a very unique premise for a dark academia book. Also I was very excited when I saw that this book was compared to The Raven Cycle which is my absolute favorite series, and I feel as though the book delivered on that. It is full of privileged rich boys and the not so privileged girl who gets in with their group, and tarot magic, and spending time in the woods. But Jenni Howell also delivered in her own way and made a book that is unique. I had a really good time reading this book.