I don't read many dark academia books but i really enjoyed this one. It kept me engaged and I couldn't put the book down.

OMG! What a read! I thought I had it all figured out, but then BAM! It was dark, twisted, and confusing, but so captivating. It really delves into loss, hate, and love. You'll end up rooting for these characters. You gotta read it!

Interesting and the prose was great. I will say though that the vibe comes off as queer, though the book is in no way queer.

More Than Just Boarding School Shenanigans (5 Stars)

Boys with Sharp Teeth lures you in with the trappings of a dark academia boarding school story: a vengeful heroine, two devilishly attractive boys with too much power, and a tangle of tumultuous feelings. But be warned, this is no ordinary YA romance. Beneath the surface lies a darkness that's both captivating and deeply unsettling.

Jenni Howell takes these familiar elements and twists them, infusing them with a bleak, almost philosophical horror that steadily builds throughout the narrative. The prose is lyrical, the characters are beautifully flawed, and the atmosphere is thick with a sense of impending doom. This book doesn't just explore the complexities of human nature; it dissects them, revealing the ugliness that can fester beneath a polished veneer.

The climax is a punch to the gut, a moment of shocking violence that feels both inevitable and utterly heartbreaking. Boys with Sharp Teeth will leave you breathless, jumpy, and questioning the nature of good and evil. If you crave stories that linger, that challenge your expectations, and that aren't afraid to explore the darker corners of the human psyche, then sink your teeth into this one. You won't regret it, even if it haunts you.

I honestly do not know how to rate this book upon the first read. I'm going to go in the middle and give it a 3/5.
I can say that the first 40% of this novel entirely gripped me from the first page. The author has a very whimsical style to her prose that took a little getting used to. But its strangeness is also to its credit.
We are dropped into the plot with Marin James AKA Jamie Vane, a smalltown girl infiltrating her way *almost a little too easily I fear* into an bougey school near her hometown. The goal? Simple. To catch a killer. Specifically, her beloved cousin's killer. The suspects?
Boys With Sharp Teeth.
Now, the boys were giving everything I'd want them to give in this setting. Elitist, handsome, can't really understand half the things they say because they're speaking in Latin, that kinda thing. The Dark Academia girlies will eat this up.
(I am Dark Academia Girlies).
Around the 50% mark my mind was starting to drift away and I struggled to stay present with the plot and the characters. Maybe I am simply too dumb. Maybe I am simply too sleep deprived. This might be a 5 star read when I re-visit this later on.
To summarize. I really enjoyed the writing style, the plot, the characters. I'd definitely read another of this author's works in the future!
Thank you to MacMillan, Roaring Book Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book!

I'm not really sure how I felt about this one but I think I liked it. It was very atmospheric and reminded me of books that I read when I was a preteen/teen.

This book is dangerously addictive. Once you start reading, you're pulled in. I read most of it in a matter of hours. The plot is compelling and the setting is atmospheric and spooky--who doesn't love a good, mysterious boarding school setting!! The author does a great job with tension in this piece and I was definitely pulled along like a hapless piece of driftwood in the current. I mean this is nail-biting and dark and addictive and the characters practically scream off the page. Marin/Jamie, Adrian, Henry, and Baz all feel real and are entirely intriguing. You can't just help but be pulled into their dynamic and just as caught up in their web, as willing to go along with everything, as hungry to know what's true, and drawn in by their glittering edges as Marin is.

I did get a bit confused by the ending and by the reveal. I did not completely understand the mirrors and what happened at the end, nor do I think that Adrian had to die to resolve the conflict. If anything, Marin should have turned the syringe on Henry. I also thought that Baz's death was completely unnecessary, because in the end, it didn't really effect anything that happened and it did seem like a move that was just done for shock factor. It's possible I shouldn't have read this while I was sick, because it is very thinky and makes your brain do lots of work, because there were definitely things that I could not grasp, especially with the ending.

But overall, this is an incredibly atmospheric and compelling read! I agree with the description that this has elements of The Raven Boys and We Were Liars (which are books I really really love) and I would also add Don't Let the Forest In, The Inheritance Games, The Invocations, and the Foxhold Court to that list of comparisons. Definitely recommend!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC!!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. Marin goes undercover as a student to try and figure out who killed her cousin. She gets sucked into their world and she gets more than she bargains for. The book started off well but then it seemed to drag in places and was hard to get back into.

Diving into this book felt like entering a murky fever-dream. Jenni Howell's writing is lush, dark, and pulls the reader into the protagonist's feelings with a magnetism so strong it feels like suffocating. Marin's determination to hate Henry and Graves, whom she believes murdered her cousin, and her tenuous friendship with Baz, is raw and unflinching, oscillating between loathing and love. As Marin (posing as Jamie) infiltrates the elite Huntsworth Academy, determined to find evidence of Henry and Graves' crime, she is forced to reckon with her own guilt and desperation.

Howell hits every note in this dark academia of loyalty, hate, and monstrous deeds. Howell is an incredibly talented writer, and I look forward to reading her future work. A good purchase for high school libraries who want truly dark academia, morally gray characters, unreliable narrators, and a twisty ending.

🪞Boys With Sharp Teeth by Jenni Howell🪞

This dark academia YA Debut novel from Jenni Howell is about relentless revenge, ominous secrets, and depraved desires that are skulking behind the walls of the elite and exclusive Huntsworth Academy.

The story follows Marin James, a 17 year old girl, whose cousin Sam’s dead body was found in a creek on the school’s property. Marin knows exactly the trio that’s to blame for Sam’s death, Adrian Hargraves, Henry Wu, and Baz Hallward.

Marin goes undercover at Huntsworth as Jamie Vane to seek justice for her cousin Sam. However things become clouded as Jamie finds herself oddly attracted to her new life at Huntsworth and to the two boys, Henry & Adrian (Graves). It’s not long before Jamie uncovers a supernatural secret shared by the boys that makes reality itself appear as if it’s about to crumble.

I must admit that I devoured this book within just a couple of days. To me this was a story that I just had to know what happened next, especially once the twists started happening.

Our main female character Marin/Jamie starts her journey by stating she’s seeking revenge for her cousin Sam and to solve his murder that was dismissed as a drug overdose. However as you move through the story you can tell that revenge on the elite is also something Marin/Jamie wants for herself. She feels as if these people owe her something and she has come to collect. Sometimes Marin/Jamie is blinded by her anger and doesn’t make smart decisions because of this but I’d say that’s pretty on par for most 17 year olds.

Henry, one of the main male characters, is written so intriguingly. He’s odd, you want to know more, he draws you in, and then you’re held at an arms length. The back and forth to really nail him down and figure him out was like an elegant sword fight between reader and writer. But Jenni caught me off guard in the end when I needed to parry the most regarding this character.

Graves, the other main male character, you love to hate. Your typical brooding type you assume until you peel back the layers and get to know more. The depth of character Jenni was able to achieve to make this high school senior boy so complex and genuine is absolutely astounding.

The world in this book feels so heavy and loathsome due to all the secrets and lies it carries. It feels impossible for a high school senior to navigate yet it is what is expected of them. You can actually start to feel the weight, the burdens carried by the characters.

The supernatural twist is both delightful and macabre at the same time. I was suspicious but could not fully predict the twist itself. The pace of the book was perfect, enough action to move the book forward but not so fast paced the plot got lost.

Overall this book was an excellent five star read. I think individuals who enjoyed Don’t Let the Forest In by C. G. Drews & Your Blood, My Bones by Kelly Andrew will find their home here as well. I can’t wait to see what Jenni does next!

When Marin’s cousin is murdered, she infiltrates the elite boarding school where he worked and befriends his friends, the top of the social elite, and her suspects.
I feel desperately, irrevocably, hauntingly lost. I haven’t felt this way for a book in a long time and BOYS WITH SHARP TEETH literally grabbed me by the throat and sunk me into this world where the past clashes with the future and mirrors hold more than reflections. Nothing is reliable in this novel and it’s written in a way you could never have predicted this, than the next chapter will always surprise you more than you thought you could be. This was so beautifully dark academia (emphasis on dark) with so much longing, except it’s all a tangled mess and you don’t know who’s longing for who, and it’s probably you, longing for these characters that you’ve grown to hold to have a happy ending. I feel shipwrecked. This book was a natural disaster (😉). it’s not for everyone, but it hits so hard for those who are willing.

Suspense - Psychological Thriller - keeps you guessing!

This was not my typical read---as it had a bit of horror in it, but I couldn't stop reading! I wanted to know how it would all end---and the end was a bit of a shock!

This is one of those novels you begin and have absolutely NO idea where it will end! Marin assumes the identity of "Jamie" as she infiltrates Huntsworth Academy to discover what really happened to her cousin, Sam who apparently drowned in a brook. As a night security guard at the prep school, Jamie is convinced this was no accident as Sam knew how to swim and how do you drown in a brook that's shallow and show no obvious injuries? But when she meets his classmates, Henry, Adrian, and Baz, she realizes everything is not as it seems as she's drawn into crazy rituals and "games" that appear to be harmless...but???
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

This was an interesting novel which is both light hearted and deeply disturbing. It is a very fluid read which keeps you engaged and wondering.

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.