Described as We Were Liars meets the Raven Boys…. SIGN ME UP.

The writing in this is so beautiful and just phenomenal, it’s so atmospheric and creepy. Dark academia, toxic and twisted games and secrets. You get absolutely sucked in.

I really enjoyed this book! I think it mixes suspense and dark academia in a beautiful way. From the beginning this book had me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen and how the character was going to succeed or fail. As a reader we are introduced to the main character knowing that she is not who she says she is and that mystery and why alone is soooooo interesting and such a great way to start a story.

However I will say about 50% in I was waiting for it to move faster. This story has a weirdness element to it similar to a Mona Awad novel. That is the vibe I got as I moved through the story.


The cover is beautiful! I do think the cover is leading and I didn’t see its full connection to the story.

As someone who is a frequent reader of dark academia, I greatly enjoyed this book and will definitely be adding it to my list of go-to dark academia books. I thought that the narrator did a great job navigating the suspense and enjoyed their use of voice for characters. I also enjoyed the writing, and the pacing of the story was easy to follow and grew suspense in a strong way. I will definitely read another book by this author and hope they start writing the next one soon!

A book with queer vampires? That's going to be five stars for me. The plot, pacing, story, and characters did not disappoint as well. I highly recommend this book if it sounds remotely interesting to you.

Boys with Sharp Teeth is a stunning dark academia debut that expertly blends themes of obsession, delusion, and the fine line between love and hate. A twisted tale of revenge and intrigue, it draws readers into the enigmatic world of Huntsworth Academy, where secrets, lies, and forbidden desires linger behind every ivy-clad wall. Seventeen-year-old Marin James is determined to seek justice for her cousin's mysterious death, suspecting Adrian Hargraves and Henry Wu, the charismatic yet dangerous leaders of the school’s elite circle, are responsible. But as Marin infiltrates the academy, she becomes entangled in a web of attraction and deception, questioning her own motives and the truth behind the boys’ dark secrets.

Jenni’s writing is nothing short of a masterpiece, capturing the spiraling obsession of her characters with a deft hand. The narrative is infused with unreliable narration, keeping readers on their toes as the lines between paranoia and the paranormal blur. Each twist and turn leaves you questioning what is real, as the story shifts constantly between truth and illusion. The emotional depth of the characters and the atmospheric tension make this an unforgettable read, one that lingers long after the final page.

Boys with Sharp Teeth is the perfect dark academia novel for those who enjoy intricate plotting, morally complex characters, and a story that keeps you guessing at every step. With its hauntingly beautiful prose and expertly crafted suspense, this book is a must-read for fans of the genre. A thrilling, thought-provoking ride that deserves a resounding five stars.

✨ALC Review✨

I love a good boarding school story and when you make it twisted? Even better.

When townie Marin James finds her cousin’s body in a shallow creek on Huntsworth Academy’s grounds, she knows he was murdered. And she knows the names of the three students to blame.

Marin becomes Jamie Vain (this is probably how it’s spelled, but remember, I listened to it), a transfer student whose tuition check is definitely going to bounce, so she has a limited time frame to find the murderers and prove they killed Sam.

They turn out to be super easy to find. She’s assigned to the same set of dorm suites as they are. She even shares a bathroom and common area with Adrian Hargraves (Graves, if you will). Henry Wu and Baz round out our weird little clique. And they’re all fascinated by Jamie Vain.

Marin/Jamie becomes part of the gang while she’s snooping for proof of Sam’s murder. She gets close to each of the three in different ways. The tension between Henry, Graves, and Jamie is palpable and not a good thing. What has she gotten herself into? And why doesn’t she care more about the potential consequences?

This book is almost all from Jamie’s POV and honestly, it did get a little repetitive in her head. But if we laid our thoughts out on paper, I reckon they’d be fairly repetitive too.

I don’t want to get too into the particulars of the story, but I’ll say it’s a good dark academia YA with paranormal elements. The solo narrator, @jenwrenpickens, did a fantastic job with the desperate inner voice of Jamie as well as her slight, southern accent. As a Southerner myself, I’m picky when it’s overdone. This was perfect!

Recommended for lovers of this genre.

I received an advance copy of the audiobook via #netgalley and @Macmillan.audio. All thoughts are mine alone.

#ya #youngadult #youngadultbooks #darkacademia #boyswithsharpteeth #jennihowell #audiobooks #narrators #bookrecs #bookreview #bookstagram

This was a really, really good debut.

The prose is so well done. Lush, but also grotesque I was really blown away with many of the lines throughout this book. In some ways, the writing feels wasted in a YA novel, and I'd love for the author to take it into the adult realm. I loved the characters with all their unlikeability and flaws. They have really interesting dynamics that have them circling each other that totally drew me in. The atmosphere was spot on. The plot was interesting, albeit confusing at times due to Jaime's unreliability. The paranormal horror was fun, but at times, it was not as well developed as I would have liked.

I, too, am most disappointed at the lack of lgbtq rep. Based on the cover and synopsis, I think readers were primed for a "true" love triangle that really doesn't pan out. I think there's some pacing issues as well. We rush headlong into the plot but take a huge step back from any development in the middle. The final quarter takes a sprint to the end that results in a confusing and convoluted ending. The paranormal aspects of the story are poorly explained.

Overall, this is a good book that I absolutely recommend. It's by no means perfect, but the positives outweigh the negatives and I'm excited to see what this author does in the future.

4.5⭐ (rounded up)

Oh, I was not ready for this.

The Story: Marin's cousin, Sam, was killed, and to prove it, she lies her way into the prestigious boarding school he worked at to investigate his so-called 'friends'. Her three suspects, Henry, Graves, and Baz, are quick to pull her in, forcing her to wrestle with her feelings and sense of justice.

My Thoughts: This book felt very 'Saltburn' to me, in the best way.
To start, I wasn't sure this would be for me. Marin starts out feeling deliberately young in her way of thinking, even for high school, making being in her head almost a chore. Thankfully, the character growth/expansion is quick, and whether that's who she actually is, or the role she is playing, it suits the story wonderfully. The characters and dynamic are so toxic, I was 100% here for it. The investigation, while well done, took a back seat (for me, at least) to how interesting the characters were.
Point of note: suspension of disbelief is definitely required to get into the story, as her getting into the school initially is highly questionable. Personally, I am unbothered, but that may be make-or-break for some people.

The Narration: The narration was perfect. I wasn't actively thinking about the narrator throughout, as the voice fell perfectly in line with the tone of the story.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Not my favorite. I feel like this book was trying really hard to be If We Were Villain's and it just didn't work. At first it's your run of the mill teen thriller where the main character is convinced a murder happened and she's going to prove it while the adults tell her she's crazy. Than by the end it's fantasy? I was very confused. The book is very flowery with it's writing which for me was not great but for others might be. I also was so confused once we added magic kinda into the book. I gaslight myself into thinking I was crazy and I still after finishing am not sure if there was magic or if the author was trying to use magic as a metaphor. And I'm still not sure if we got an answer as to why Sam or if it was just a "he's right there" kinda thing. I thought Jenni Howell did a pretty good job with the audio. She had the right sadness in her voice for Marin since she's suppose to be grieving and lost while trying to solve a murder.

Ａｕｄｉｏｂｏｏｋ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ
3 ☆
Seventeen-year-old Marin James has spent her entire life living in the shadow of the exclusive Huntsworth Academy. And when her cousin's dead body is found in a creek on school property, Marin knows exactly who's to blame: Adrian Hargraves and Henry Wu, the enigmatic yet dangerously alluring leaders of the school's social elite.

The premise and the cover art caught my attention, but unfortunately, the story wasn't keeping my attention, and I DNF'd at 70%. With that being said, will I attempt to reread or finish this book? Yes, I will, but will I rush to do so? No, because honestly, I'm not that interested in finding out what happened.

The audiobook is good, and the narrator did a good job telling the story. She literally gave you dark and gloomy vibes, and her voice was magical for this story. I listened at 2x speed, and she was still easy to understand and listen to.

Thank you, Netgellay, and MacmillanAudio for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

The narrator really utilized and added to the alluring vibes and the gothic atmosphere for the book. I think their performance matched the tone of the main character. So I enjoyed that!

However, the story while very rich in atmospheric vibes for a haunting story, set on finding out the truth of a murder, lacked anything more than pretty words. It had no substance.
The lack of believable also affected the story. Look I know it's fiction but even I cannot ignore how a much school wouldn't follow up on a transfer student who's cheque's keeps bouncing back and has no transfer information. That's a fantasy at that point.

The students were pretentious and would have fit the story, but when the story is lacking, it all just lacks luster.
Disappointed in this.

Story: DNF at 36%
Spice: 0
Narration: 3 ⭐ so far...

I really loved the narrator; she has an amazingly deep/husky voice with a little southern drawl. Perfect for the vibe of this book but she sound more like an adult than as a senior in high school.

The reason why I DNF'd.....

I just really think this one wasn't for me. I was very intrigued by the book cover and the synopsis but once getting into the story it was just underwhelming.

this book is fucked up in a perfect way

i really need maren to chill tf out like bro.

the author did their job, i really was stressed out by this book. the narrator really ate this up. i was so anxious while listening to this, the prose really made the story feel so real.

this book definitely kept me up at night lol

This dark academia novel is a jumble of twists and turns with unreliable narrators and a touch of the paranormal? I'm not sure. I can't pretend that I totally got everything involved with this book, but it was a very entertaining read and I enjoyed it all the same. The characters weren't particularly likeable and I liked that about them. Every once in a while I enjoy a good story that leaves me thinking hmmm...what did I just read? The audiobook is a great way to enjoy this new release.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for this audiobook ARC!

Honestly, I didn't think I was gonna like this book, but I gave it a try because I wanted a YA thriller. I took one look at this book and thought it was gonna be about teens and vampires or some cliche book.

LEMME TELL YOU I WAS WRONG. The narrator gave LIFE to this FMC. Like if I were to picture what Marin's voice sounds like, that was it. The writing style of Marin narrating everything and the constant barrage of spitfire, anxious thoughts constantly being on guard while trying to earn the trust of Henry, Adrian and Baz was fantastic. The plot and the surprise twists and turns......I could bet that you won't guess what is gonna happen next.

Anyways, I won't bore you with all my thoughts because all you need to know is that the audiobook version is GIVING. The characters? Frightening (in a good way). This YA/thriller/dark academia vibes is what you never knew you needed. And trust me, you need it.

It's a mysterious dark academic read. Although the story itself is quite original, I thought the pacing was erratic at times. This is worth reading if you enjoy dramatic, dark young adult fiction with a hint of the forbidden and the unsettling. The narration, in my opinion, was really well done. The tone and enigmatic atmosphere were executed flawlessly.

This book was spectacular, there were so many twists and turns that kept me guessing the whole time. the naration is done wonderfully perfectly fitting to the tone of the book.

This narrator was phenomenal and did most of the heavy lifting because the mythos of this book wasn't as strong as it could be. Unfortunately, marin was the best part and her boys need some time with editing, they just a bit lackluster.

I must say, the voice of the narrator, Jennifer Pickens, fits this story brilliantly. She sets up an incredibly beautiful and dark atmosphere that fits the story so well. I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook of this novel. The story was crafted with artistry, all the quotes from famous thinkers and philosophers were splendidly giving depth to the story. There were times where it felt too long to get to the point but I get it. The author wanted us to feel what Jamie was feeling, encapsulated and ensnared in the boys world.

I do think the book was a bit too long but I enjoyed every second of it. I loved the hate, the loathing Jamie felt towards the boys and the mind games being played. Even when she was waking up for classes at 8 am I would still picture her surrounded by darkness and I'm not sure if it was because of the narration or the actual story and I don't even mind. This is true dark academia, filled with suspense and paranormal. There is love in this story but not romance. These boys love each other as much as they hate one another. There are powerful forces moving them and their intentions. Honestly, this book was great!

Thank you so much Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for giving me the opportunity to listen to this book.
I can't wait for it to hit our stores!

A roller coaster of raw emotions. A local guy is dead. His cousin / best friend is determined to find out who is responsible.  Welcome to Huntsworth Academy. Marin infiltrates the exclusive school with a mission. She uncovers the secret lives of the school's social elites. The book id full of teen angst and bubbling over with twists and turns. Loved the atmospheric feel of the book.

Jennifer Pickens did an outstanding job as the narrator.