So we are all in agreement that the main reason we picked this one up was because of the cover right? I mean it is absolutely stunning and everything about it SCREAMS dark academia, rivals, enemies to lovers!!!!
Because I 100% based my request on what the cover looked like I had no real idea of what to expect when I started reading it, but I wasn’t overly disappointed. Things were a little confusing, a little clunky in places and very slow to get moving. I didn’t really love the writing style (I think it added to how confusing some of the things were) but I know what’s just my own personal preference and reading habit.

In a nutshell this is dark academia, boarding school setting, love triangle? Murder mystery, revenge filled story. It is also YA so don’t go into it thinking that just because there are romantic elements there will be anything steamy happening. Other than a few weirdly timed kisses (that were just hella awkward) there isn’t a great deal happening in that department, and I think it would have benefitted more from just not having any romance at all, or any romantic elements/will they won’t they behaviour.

Overall a really good read if you’re in the mood for a dark academia murder mystery. Like I said it moves kinda slowly at the beginning but things really do start to pick up and get even more confusing and manipulated right until the end!

TW: self harm, suicidal ideation, suicidal thoughts, murder.
“Im afraid you’ll find the truth of me ugly, even if you’ve never flinched from me here”

this is like a Dorian Gray inspired dark academia with elements murder mystery teenage boarding school, and the concept was amazing. I loved the atmosphere of the school, the vibe of the way the buildings and surroundings were described was stunning and really did create that dark gloomy mood we all look for when reading dark academia.

I thought the plot was a cool concept, a little patchy at times (slow going at first but around the mid way point picked up really well) I guess my problem was I just found it a little .. predictable. you could’ve asked me at the 30% mark what I think is going to happen and I would’ve predicted every single plot twist with ease. maybe that’s because I’ve read so much dark academia and know the vibes- it wasn’t bad, it was written really well and definitely had some hard hitting moments but it left me wanting for more. It was a good book, not bad not great it just kinda fell in the middle for me.

Boys With Sharp Teeth follows seventeen year old Marin James who sets out to get revenge after her cousin is found dead. Marin blames Adrian Graves and Henry Wu. Marin decides to infiltrate Huntsworth Academy to enact revenge but things get complicated when Marin meets Adrian and Henry.

This was fine but honestly I probably shouldn’t have requested this given I’m not a huge fan of young adult novels anymore. This was enjoyable at the start but I found the rest of it to be dull and over dramatic. I think this will appeal to fans of revenge stories and people who love young adult novels.

I loved the character work of this dark acamdeic fantasy, it was so intriguing and the group dynamics and relationships were so fun and interesting.

The epitome of dark academia, this book was twisted, emotive and dark, set within the prestigious boarding school of Huntsworth Academy our main character Marin's late cousin worked security at. Structurally, this book is split into sections based upon the meditations of Rene Descartes, providing a philosophical and almost psychological structuring on the timelines within this book. With philosophy often a way to ones 'self' this story really got under my skin with the darkness it held, and the disturbed twisted desire that was present that was nothing I've ever seen in a horror before.

Compared to we were liars and the ravens boys this is labelled as a YA- and while i agree with the age range it certainly sits at the higher end with the themes and trigger warnings involved, although I didn't agree with the comparison with the other books, having read we were liars and hating it, that certainly was not the case with this book.

Grief stands out within this book not just because of the late cousin and his mysterious death but of the ghastly presence throughout everything and the events that unfold. I certainly have feelings about the two main male characters of interest, Adrian and Henry, which will require a lot of unpacking, whereas our other female character Baz is someone i grew to love and want to protect. The dynamics within this trio shift with our plot, not knowing who to trust next, our overall villain was not who I expected though and the outcomes at the end broke me with how I had grown attached to certain characters. The strange occult aspects crept up on me unexpectedly and the extremes had my jaw on the floor - but I daren't say more as I feel this needs to be experienced by the reader themself.
Overall, I highly reccomend this book both for the depth of its writing, character development and uniqueness like nothing ive consumed before.

This reminded me a lot of The Raven Boys, with a deeper supernatural twist. A little bit unrealistic in character interactions (another one of those 'where are the adults?' books) but worth it for it tantalising plot. The prose really helps elevate the work, it really paints a picture and is more absorbing.

I was so excited for this book, one of my most anticipated of 2025 and I hate to say that I hated this. There isn't anything I even remotely enjoyed about it and that makes me so sad.

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

Boys With Sharp Teeth follows a young girl named Marin who, driven mad with grief for her recently-dead cousin, forges her way into the elite private school where his killers live in an attempt to get a confession and revenge. But upon infiltrating their inner-circle, she realises that not everything is as straightforward as it seems, and she may need to get closer than planned in order to truly understand what happened to her cousin.

This is one of the most intense, and at times frustrating, reading experiences I’ve had in a long time. This book takes morally grey to a whole new level, and I spent the majority of the book wishing that just one character could become better or be trusted, but that was mostly not the case. I wanted to yell at the protagonist often, but her infuriating decision-making and the anger that blinded her to making good decisions ended up being one of the most gripping aspects of this book. Despite the slow pacing at times, I couldn’t put this down, and found myself desperate to learn what she’d do next and what the students around her would do next as well.

I enjoyed the second half of this book far more than the first part, when the author started leaning into the more supernatural elements of the plot, and when the extent of each character’s darkness was really revealed. The first half, whilst still enjoyable, relied far more on philosophical discussions and subtle double-meanings that I often had to read multiple times to fully understand.

Overall, I would absolutely recommend this book, but only if you’re looking for something a little heavier and more complex than the usual psychological thriller. It was a really unique reading experience with very strong main characters but, without a lot of romance or straightforward explanations, it was certainly one of the more challenging YA books I’ve read this year.

Every few months I read an arc that’s a debut and I get absolutely ecstatic when I’m chosen as a reader to get the first peak. A big thank you to Netgalley for this one, because I absolutely loved it. This book is going to stay with me for quite a while I think.



This book is not a love story. It’s worse.


Have a dose of attraction mixed with repulsion, finger brushing that feels so intimate that it has you squirming, eyes locking from across the room making the hairs stand up on your neck, the glances, bodies touching in the most charged tension inducing ways that you almost just can’t handle it anymore. There is only feeling on edge during these moments, the craving of things left unsaid, the chasing of an inexplainable high. It’s twisted. It’s obsessive. It’s them being wicked, and her being much much worse.



There is nothing sickly sweet about these characters, there is none of ‘the boy gets the girl’ if you’re wondering before you pick this up. It’s only a girl, and everything is hers for the taking. Everything is hers to devour.

 This is one of my most anticipated reads for next year, and I believe it lived up to what I expected. It’s on the more philosophical, Dark Academia side. I personally feel that this book requires the suspension of disbelief, and I’d urge you that when you pick it up you lean into that. It’s disjointed, surreal, and unnerving in so many ways. The entire read had me in a chokehold. 



Howell carefully crafts an atmosphere that is rich in the paranormal side of Dark academia, the unsettling that surrounds the ‘unseen’ and leaves you gasping for air. There are layers between the surreal and the real, and you’ll have yourself asking “where is the lie?” And “What does it truly mean to feel safe?” More often than not. It is rare that a book can provide me very little closure, and still have me feeling like the ending was complete.



I was seesawing between Henry and Adrian the entire time but if you were to ask me for the truth?

I am an Adrian apologist and I’m not sorry.



I think what people often forget is that, some books are meant to be completely surreal and farfetched and to develop as reader and broaden you scope you sometimes have to read things that have quite an outlandish feel to them. This was, of course, completely that and I loved it entirely for that reason. The characters were flawed, beyond flawed now that I think about it and you know what? I'm perfectly fine with that.

3.5 Stars. It felt as if this was trying to be a YA If We Were Villains whilst also shoving in paranormal elements. I would have rated this higher but it felt as tho the ending was rushed and a lot was crammed in.

This book right here!!! Such a gem! Boys With Sharp Teeth is such a beautiful book. So beautifully written. Lovely characters, the plot is immaculate. I totally recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Scholastic for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The prose is gorgeous, the plot engaging enough, but something just didn’t click for me.

I finished the book feeling underwhelmed at how it all wrapped up, it wasn’t bad by any means, it was just solidly okay!

A very different book to what I would usually read, thought I was intrigued to try it.
Very atmospheric and I enjoyed the writing style. Though I was confused in some places (that may be a me problem though)
But overall I enjoyed this book

I think this is a book I’ll definitely be rereading in the future. This dark academia style story really reminded me of Atlas Six, but it felt a lot more romantic in parts and full of loss/emptiness in others.

I’m not sure how I feel about the ending, I feel unsatisfied. However, I kind of like the fact the book has made me feel this way as the characters own emotions/journey’s were surrounding satisfaction in a way. This book is a story of grief, the supernatural mixing with mystery and the desire to feel complete.

Rating 3.75 - 4.0 stars.

This one had me captivated from the get-go. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and thought I would end up rating it 4 stars until there was one specific chapter that really confused me and from there on, the confusion stayed. Apart from that, a really solid book that I wish had kept up with a 4 star pace.

3.5

I have to remind myself that the MC found their deceased cousin just days ago when they constantly accuse the three of murdering him. I can sympathise that she's grasping at straws to get answers. It is frustrating though. She really LEAPS. She is embarrassingly dense, especially because of how arrogant she is about it too.
I definitely disliked the main character, I found her massively unlikable, unreliable and she was just arrogantly stupid the whole way through. The two boys are insta obsessed with her and it doesn't really feel justified. That being said, I'm certainly not rating the book lower for this reason, there are many great books where you can dislike or hate the main character. I just hope this was how the reader was supposed to feel about Jamie.

I think it could have been made a lot shorter, some of her thoughts are a bit redundant about the boys and Sam. A lot of waffling on about dark broody thoughts. It got old before I got half way. I think this book overall is good and would be great if it was consensed. Too much is happening and a lot could be taken out without missing it.

It frustrated me how a small answer is given sometimes regarding the death of her cousin and she just takes that first response and leaves. The chapter ends. No follow up questions, no asking them to elaborate, when this definitely needs elaboration! She knows who she wants to blame and only wants to hear the words she can use to continue that belief.

All the secrets, refusing to answer (or ask) important questions, arguments and beating around the bush started to get really old and I just started to get annoyed.

It's like a gothic horror/romance but the further along you go it tries too hard and it turns more into melodramatic emo kids and once I started feeling that way I couldn't take it as seriously. I feel like this needed to tone it down a little.

I am also confused about how this school functions overall, especially with such a small number of students. You only really know about 4 other students in the school and there are no rules about boys and girls sharing dorms. No one seems to care that there is alcohol and drugs all over the school.

This book did not deliver

I really liked the premise and the beginning of the book, especially any mention of Medea and "They're bad, she's worse," but since like 40% it went down pretty quickly

At first I was hooked there was murder mystery, some paranormal things going on, complicated relationships, rich school full of secrets, but in the middle it just got messy and sloppy and I was so fed up and tired of all the characters and the plot was completely lost that I just wanted it all to end one way or another

It's kind of a weird fiction like a bunny, so maybe if you like this vibe you'll like it more, but my biggest problem is - i actually fully predicted the whole ending by about 20% and I'm not even kidding, i knew everything from what happened to her cousin, who's gonna 💀 too, how it's going to be resolved, what's with weird mirrors and her ending, I'm a prophet!!! i prophecy !!! cus no way it was that easy like bffr

the characters were annoying and their only personality trait was that they're rich and pretentious, can't say more about them,
oh, and the main character was the worst con artist known to humankind

Thank you Netgalley for providing digital advanced copy in exchange for honest review.