A huge thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for the free audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review! All views and opinions are, of course, my own. The narration by Catrin Walker-Booth is lovely.

I enjoyed this SO much. A lonely (and house proud) lake monster. An ancient evil. An epic quest. Characters from folklore and legend galore! Heartwarming and humorous, Greenteeth captured my imagination and my heart and had me grinning like a fool at the end.

The plot was heaps of fun but the characters were without a doubt the highlight of this novel, at least for me! Jenny is an absolute treasure. Suitably ambivalent yet also an empathetic narrator who occasionally had me giggling, her character gained depth as we learned more about her through the events in the story.

The supporting characters were wonderful as well, with Brakus Marsh (a goods-peddling hobgoblin) being my particular favourite. Even the characters we met briefly along the way were interesting enough that I could have read a whole book of Molly O'Neill's take on them (including Gwyn ap Nudd and his Lady, Creiddylad).

An absolutely wonderful debut and a book I highly recommend, especially if you are a folklore lover wanting a feel-good read with a heroic quest. This is the second ARC I've requested and received after it's release date, so you are in luck because this one is already out in the world!

💚

Jenny Greenteeth is a monster who lives in a lake. One day, a witch is thrown in, and instead of eating her, Jenny decides to save her. They become friends and soon they have to set off on a quest to try to save their lake and the local village, along with their hobgoblin friend.
Fabulous tale of adventure, quests, fables and legends.
Cozy, charming fantasy with a found family you can’t help but root for 💚

Thank you NetGalley and Little Brown Audio for the ALC

This is an easy 5 stars for me. The story was so captivating while there was a lot of whimsy and humour too. The characters were all very interesting and the pacing was great plus I never felt any boredom at all
I absolutely loved Jenny greenteeth, she was such a funny and interesting main character with a unique voice

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc

DNF - I got this audiobook ARC from the publisher on release day, and while I am grateful for the opportunity this one just wasnt for me.
The premise of this book sound quite interesting and I would love to read more fantasy from the monster's perspective but somehow with this one I felt disengaged from the characters and story. Especially the audiobook made it feel veeeery long with nothing interesting happening.
My thoughts immediately went to Someone You Can Build a Nest In: where the main character is a scary, snarky monster. I loved that monster's perspective. With this one it just felt a bit too flowery and the monster did not have a lot of monstrous thoughts. She things about her daughter living in another pond, she just gives away gold to the first person in need because she doesnt need it. A humanitarian monster is just not what I am looking for hahahha. But hope someone else will find it cosy and loves it!

I thought this was a very cute and cosy fantasy quest story. It had a lot of charm and I especially liked the mythology and folklore aspects of it! I thought the audiobook narrator was really good at bringing all the characters to life, especially the POV character Jenny. Jenny was such a wonderful main character with so much wit, bravery, and compassion and I thought her POV was so funny and endearing. The found family aspect of this book was also great and I enjoyed the idea of a group of outcasts and mythical beings going on a quest together through Britain. The prose was great and overall this was just a fun little, romance-free story that I don’t think will disappoint fans of cosy fantasy.

However, this just didn’t quite win me over. It was very sweet and charming, but sometimes to the point of being sickly or eye-rolling. Maybe I’m just being cynical, but lots of moments just felt a little immature in their moralising. Jenny is supposed to be thousands of years old, but she if often spoken to like a child by the other characters, being told she has to apologise even when she feels like she wasn’t wrong, or learning about the power of friendship and teamwork. I’ve mentioned that I enjoyed the found family trope, but it just felt like it was done in a really childish and obvious way here. It didn't help that I found Temperance a little annoying, selfish, and hypocritical as a character so her often being the one to teach Jenny these lessons didn't work for me. This has been compared a lot to T.J.Kingfisher, and while I absolutely understand why, I feel like this was just missing the darkness and intrigue that makes me love Kingfisher’s books. Everything was kept so palatable and easy here, where what I love most about Kingfisher’s quest stories are that they aren’t afraid to be a little more sinister or complicated. The pace was also a lot slower and the stakes much lower, making it feel so much less layered and interesting than the books it’s been compared to. While other similar books have a sense of progression or increasing stakes, this being structured as just a series of fetch-quests made it lose almost all momentum. If you’re a fan of a more relaxed, slow-paced story, then this is perfect! But for me it became a little boring and repetitive.

I’m not necessarily saying any of this is a bad thing, and if you want a book that is completely warm, gentle, and cute that is a very fun read that I would definitely recommend. I just found that I was unable to completely fall in love with this story because I felt it was a little surface-level and didn't leave me with much to reflect on or think about.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with this audio ARC in return for my honest review.

"Greenteeth" is a beautiful and mysterious fairy tale about a lake creature named Jenny Greenteeth. The day she saves the witch Temperance is the day a grand adventure begins! I loved this book and its classic take on fables, fairy tales, and fantasy. It felt like being a child again, listening to a captivating story I could lose myself in. The narrative is relatively slow-paced, without major action scenes, but this suits the tale perfectly! I loved following Jenny's quest across Britain, where she encounters magical beings and must solve challenges to ultimately defeat evil. I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook and recommend it to both young and old. It's perfect for families who want to share an epic adventure together, or for anyone who wants to escape to a magical world. The audiobook was beautifully narrated, and the story has excellent language and flow.

It was my first 5 star read of this year. It's overall a light read that might work really well for fans of T. Kingfisher and Someone You Can Build a Nest in by John Wiswell. It has folklore elements and mixes elements of horror with a sense of humor and cozy moments.

I love the trope of looking at the world and humanity through the eyes of what people deem to be a monster, and found family is one of my favorite things in books so it definitely was a story for me. It also has a dog and Kingfisher-like sense of humor.

I'd only say, don't expect a highly convoluted plot or high action, it was more of a light, palate cleanser type of read, reminiscent of a fairy tale for adults,and I very much enjoyed it for that. I started caring for the characters quite a lot and the ending made me tear up.

I'll admit, I might have been hoping for a sapphic storyline, but it wasn't the case - it made me a bit sad but I also appreciate how it was actually done.

Jenny Greenteeth: English myth, legend, and cautionary tale. You may know her from being walloped with a frying pan by Terry Pratchett's Tiffany Aching, or blamed for the harassment of villagers in Clare Chase's second Antiques Store Detective novel. She's a lake dwelling creature of folklore, said to grab children who stray too close to the water's edge.

In Molly O'Neill's novel, we get to hear from Jenny herself. She's minding her own business in her lake, tending to it with care, keeping it clean and tidy, when a mob of villagers thrown in a manacled woman to drown. Temperance Crump is from a line of Cunning Ladies, with the knowledge of herbs and witchy powers used to the advantage of the village, but a new parson in the village turns the people against Temperance, condemning her to a watery death.

Picking up the drowning woman in the water, Jenny is drawn to her and... saves her.

The two form a tentative bond, each learning about the other. Investigating the Parson, and the villagers sudden turn against witchcraft, Jenny is shocked to find that a more powerful force has taken up residence in the village, one that she alone can not banish, and it may even begin to threaten her water.

A Hag, A Witch and a Goblin walk into a Fae Court...

Teaming up with a hobgoblin travelling salesmen, Jenny and Temperance head off to see the current king and queen of the high fae for assistance in banishing the evil, and are sent on three quests to retrieve key items for the battle ahead.

The quests see the new found family travel through England to Wales and Scotland, weaving in folklore tales from each country, bringing to life the myths and legends, testing our three characters and forcing them to look at who they really are, and challenging the friendship.

The novel feels like a new fairytale, a cosy fantasy based on folklore. Full of warmth, humour and heart, I completely lost myself to this book.

I loved the voice that the author gave to Jenny. She's not good, she's not evil, she's just a Jenny Greenteeth, and her true power lies in knowing exactly who she is. A story of found family and friendship, and remaining true to what is important.

Catrin Walker-Booth was the perfect narrator for the audiobook, conveying the personalities of all the characters beautifully, and it was a joy to listen to.

Many thanks to the author, NetGalley and Little, Brown Audio for the advance copy of the audiobook for review.

“That sounds like a classic love story to me…It would be an epic romance or an ordinary act of motherhood.”

This was such a wholesome cozy story of a group of unlikely magical beings going on a quest to save their home.
The narrator did such a great job at bringing the story to life & keeping me hooked throughout the book.

Jenny was such a wonderful character, we see her go from being someone who prefers isolation to fighting for the family she has made.
Temperance, a witch, was also a great character, fuelled by her love for her husband and children she embarks on a quest to save her home & family.
We see them make mistakes & be vulnerable but we also see their strength & resilience.

This story is about motherhood & the deep love you have for your loved ones & the lengths you will go to, to protect them.
Finding help in the most unexpected places & people & wanting to safe place for everyone you love.

I loved the folklore woven into the world & story, including the legends of King Arthur. We get to meet fae & unicorns & more mythological creatures who leave an impression on our trio & how they see the world.

It has a nice pace where we get to follow them on the journey which I loved. The descriptions are so vivid that you can imagine being there with them as they travel all over Britain.

I loved the plot twists at the end too, some of which I did not see coming but made me love the story even more.
There isn’t any romance in this book but it is so full of love.

If you love low stales cozy fantasy, fairytales & folklore, mythological creatures, a found family & discussions on motherhood then you should definitely read this!

A lake monster, a witch and a goblin battle the oppressor. Magical quest meets Arthurian legend. Fun. Superficially this is cosy fantasy, but it also has surprisingly sad moments and is deeper than expected, tense and a little scary at times. If you know your way around the folklore and mythology of the British Isles, you might get a clue early on where this is headed, but it didn‘t harm the story telling. I kept me hooked and guessing. Nice mesh with German folklore and myth. A rather shocking event towards the end. Nicely done debut.

I would definitely read more by the author. Thoroughly enjoyable. Found family, female empowerment, unlikely friendship, a cute dog and the fair folk. And musn‘t forget the pike and the underwater scenes.

For the first 40% and 10 chapters I read the ebook and then started to alternate between ebook and audio. Well done audio, I liked the narrator.

Pretty cover!

I received an advanced copy of this book in ebook and audio format from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and I was not required to give a positive review.

This book is nothing shy of PERFECTION
Jenny Greenteeth is the morally gray protagonist we were all waiting for and we all deserve.
She is what one/herself would call a monster. Or rather a real fairy.
And she leads us through her world, her beautiful lake.

This book is a journey through the mythologies of Europe with a beautiful, gruesome take. These are not the faires from a Disney movie. They are also not the blood lusting monsters they seem. They are MORE.

And so is this book.

This is easily one of my favorite fantasies ever.
It has found family and no romantasy plot but it is so, so rich.

Read it.

Thoroughly enjoyed this fun exploration of British myth and folklore interspersed tied together in a traditional quest that invoked thoughts of Dungeons and Dragons campaigns and choose your adventure games. The characters are easy to love, even when they are doing stupid things and the overall effect is a cozy fantasy adventure.
I do think that the narrator of the audiobook helped me to more fully enjoy the book as it allowed me to imagine the world in a way that I do not think I would have been able to had I been reading myself.

This was a very sweet and fun story that after a predictable plot had a surprising ending that touched the heart. The writing did lean a little juvenile for my tastes, but overall I'd recommend it to those who like cozy fantasy stories.

While I don’t usually gravitate toward fantasy, the horror elements of this story pulled me in. The eerie atmosphere and unsettling moments made for an engaging experience, even though the overall structure of the narrative felt quite familiar - following many of the tropes common in fantasy novels.

What stood out the most for me were the characters, who felt well-developed and compelling enough to keep me invested. Their struggles and interactions added depth to the story, making it more than just another fantasy tale. And the audiobook narration was fantastic. The voice acting brought the characters to life, enhancing the tension and emotion in a way that made the listening experience even more immersive.

While Greenteeth didn’t completely break new ground for me in terms of story structure, it was an enjoyable listen with a strong horror twist.

Well, I never thought another author would actually come close to the cozy dark fairytale-esque storytelling of T. Kingfisher for me, but Molly O’Neill proved me wrong in Greenteeth. Brimming with Celtic/British legends and folklore, loveable monsters, strong found family vibes, and lots of humour and heart, this is a deeply immersive and atmospheric fairytale-esque quest adventure with sharp teeth but a soft heart.

Now, I don’t know what I was expecting from Greenteeth, but it really surprised me in all the best ways. I mean, just listen to this wicked premise: a lake monster, a witch, a hobgoblin, and their trusty four-footer embark on an heroic magical quest throughout the mystical lands of Britain, Wales, Scotland, and faerie realms to defeat an ancient evil that threatens not just their home, but the very soul of Britain. It might sound like a lot, but somehow O’Neill pulls off her uniquely wild and charming vision for Greenteeth with effortless grace.

From the very first page, Jenny’s compelling and intimately vulnerable first person narration just sank its teeth in me, especially in combination with the exceptionally strong and immersive audiobook performance by Catrin Walker-Booth. And honestly, I don’t know what it says about me that I related so deeply to a centuries-old introverted lake monster with a tragic past, but here we are. I loved the exploration of change, humanity, and the nature of monsters through her perspective, and there were so many beautifully bittersweet moments of reflection and growth that tugged on my heartstrings in all the most unexpected ways.

And do not get me started on the found family vibes. Both Temperance the witch (a.k.a. the best and most fearsome momma bear) and Brackus the hobgoblin absolutely stole the show for me, and I loved all the frenemies-esque teasing banter between them all. They each have their own surprisingly emotional backstory that slowly comes to light as they bond throughout the different trials and tribulations they face during quest adventure, and seeing the sacrifices they were willing to make to protect the ones they loved really touched me.

For me, the slow, magical journey was admittedly more enjoyable than the slightly convenient and rushed destination, but that ultimately didn’t take away too much of the power of this heartfelt tale of humanity, courage, compassion and (found) family. In classic fairytale fashion, Greenteeth has some darkly disturbing monstrosities lurking just beneath its wonderfully whimsical surface, and I highly recommend sinking your teeth into this quirky adventure when your dark soul wants a bit of a hug.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette, UK Audio for providing me with an ALC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Greenteeth is scheduled for release on February 25, 2025.

Greenteeth is such a lovely read for me. When I first saw the cover, I wasn't expecting it to be this cosy but I think the cover fits the story perfectly. The story is about a quest to defeat the Erl King, which brings together a witch, a goblin, and a Jenny Greenteeth. I really love the characters and I fell in love with the story from the very first line. As for the audiobook, the narrator did an excellent job of bringing these characters to life. If you enjoy cozy fantasy with an epic quest, I definitely recommend picking up this book. I highly recommend the audiobook as well. I can't wait to read more from the author in the future. Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette UK Audio for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Greenteeth by Molly O’Neill
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (4.5/5)

Molly O’Neill’s Greenteeth is a haunting, lyrical novel that lures you in like a dark fairytale whispered at the edge of a misty lake. Blending folklore and modern-day suspense, the story revolves around the sinister legend of Jenny Greenteeth — a water spirit said to drag the unwary to their doom — and the tense, eerie relationship between the two central characters, Jenny and Temperance.

Jenny, a woman forever linked to the folklore of her small, isolated village, is both a victim of rumor and a force of nature herself. Temperance, an outsider in many ways, finds herself caught in the tangled web of local myths, half-truths, and dark secrets. As the novel unfolds, their fates become more and more entwined, with the story expertly walking the line between supernatural horror and very human fear.

O’Neill’s writing is rich and atmospheric — you can almost feel the dampness of the water, hear the rustling reeds, and sense the silent weight of something watching beneath the surface. The novel’s strength lies not just in its chilling moments, but in how it explores grief, guilt, and the way small communities can turn both protective and hostile in the face of the unknown.

If there’s any slight flaw, it’s that the final confrontation felt a little abrupt, especially after such a slow, suspenseful build-up. I would have loved just a bit more time to let the climax breathe. Still, the emotional resonance and the way the novel blurs the lines between myth and reality are masterfully done.

Greenteeth is perfect for fans of dark, magical realism and unsettling small-town mysteries. It’s the kind of book that lingers with you long after the final page — like a whisper in the reeds or a ripple on the water’s surface. Highly recommended.

Overall, this was not a bad debut novel. It was a promising folklore inspired story, and I liked many of the unusual fae descriptions. However, it lacked in some aspects.

I would not say it's low stakes, since the UK and the world as a whole is at stake, so cozy fantasy doesn't feel quite right, but it's not an epic fantasy with battles either. This started more cosy, then started to move towards higher stakes, but never felt like it properly fulfilled either option.
It was a a slow, cute story about found family, with no romance.
However, the pacing did feel odd at times. It was essentially just 3 lame (imo) quests one after another, all kind of predictable, and SPOILERS ---- it was clear from the start it was going to be pretty useless too, with repeated mention of chekov's sword----.

Jenny felt like a great complicated character, however the side characters felt a bit flat, and I would've really liked to see Temp's family reunite on page or even mention her seeing them before the battle or something. Maybe some of the motivation for Brackus too.

Both the pacing and character types, made it feel like a sort of DnD campaign.

I both read and listened to the audiobook for this one, and the following is reviewing solely on the audiobook.
While her audio did a good job at differentiating characters, and was very clear, I feel like there could have been more emotion in her narration. I don't think the text was as calm as the narrator sounded, but I may have interpreted it differently. For such a monstrous being she sounded a little too upper-class-modern-day human, to me.

3.5 ⭐️rounded up
ARC review - Thank you NetGalley and Hachette UK audio!

Fae and found family, hell yesss. This was just the cosy folklore/fantasy book I needed. Set around Arthurian legends and told from the POV of Jenny Greenteeth our ‘Monster’. It was such an easy listen and I loved Jennys character development and her relationship with Temperance. I also loved the different creatures from folklore that made an appearance, found myself deep in a google black hole understanding their stories which I love to do.

The battle with the Erl King was a bit of a let down for me, and what happened to Cavall 😭

All in all I would definitely recommend if you are after a cosy easy read or audiobook listen 🧙🏼‍♀️

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for access to Audio copy of this title.
This is the perfect cosy fantasy! the location (UK), mythological characters, witchiness, and strong characters with unlikely friendships and found family vibes are just scratching the surface of this one. This is what I had hoped Emily Wilde's would have been. It was refreshing to read something that didn't HAVE to have a romantic love interest. The relationships were deep and nuanced, and had interesting conversations about things like - if revenge is ever justified; the effect of fear on perceptions of people; what makes a person bad, "all the way bad" versus "just a little bit bad"; and how bad decisions can seem to be the right thing in the moment.
There was a couple of dips in the story when I felt less invested, but them moments were still beautifully written.
As for the audio itself... The voice actor was well chosen and I enjoyed the audio.
I would recommend this to readers that enjoy mythological characters, found family vibes, characters with depth and an unpredictable plot.