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.

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.

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.

Dark, unsettling, and utterly hypnotic, Boys With Sharp Teeth sinks its fangs into you and doesn’t let go. Jenni Howell crafts a world dripping with eerie allure—one where grief, obsession, and power swirl together beneath the elite walls of Huntsworth Academy.

At its core, this is a story of vengeance. Marin infiltrates the school seeking justice for her cousin’s death, but her mission quickly spirals into something far more complicated. The lines between love and hate, predator and prey, blur as she becomes entangled with Adrian and Henry—two enigmatic figures who rule Huntsworth with a dangerous kind of magnetism. Their dynamic is charged with a tension that feels almost unbearable at times, an intoxicating mix of attraction and danger. But nothing at Huntsworth is as it seems, and the deeper Marin digs, the more the story takes on a surreal, almost nightmarish quality.

Howell’s writing is haunting, laced with sharp prose that perfectly captures the book’s philosophical undercurrents. The novel leans into the darker side of Dark Academia—its gothic atmosphere is thick with paranoia, and the horror elements creep up on you in ways that are both unexpected and terrifying.

But what truly sets this book apart is its willingness to embrace the strange. It demands a suspension of disbelief, rewarding readers with an experience that is as disorienting as it is mesmerizing. There’s a fever-dream quality to it, where you’re never quite sure what’s real or what lurks just beneath the surface.

This is not a book for readers seeking a neatly wrapped romance or clear-cut morality. It is unsettling and unpredictable, with characters who are deeply flawed, often walking the razor’s edge between fascination and destruction. But for those willing to step into its shadowed halls, Boys With Sharp Teeth is an intoxicating, unforgettable read—one that lingers long after the final page.

Wow—what a breathtaking dark academia debut! This novel masterfully explores the depths of obsession, delusion, and the razor-thin boundary between love and hate, drawing readers into a world where nothing is as it seems.

At just seventeen, Marin James is relentless in her pursuit of the truth surrounding her cousin’s mysterious death. Her suspicions fall on Adrian Hargraves and Henry Wu—the enigmatic, dangerously magnetic leaders of the school’s most exclusive circle. Determined to uncover their secrets, Marin infiltrates the academy’s elite world, only to find herself ensnared in a tangled web of attraction, deception, and shifting allegiances. As the lines between justice and vengeance blur, she begins to question not only the boys' culpability but also her own perception of the truth.

Jenni’s writing is utterly spellbinding—each twist and revelation upends everything you thought you knew, creating a narrative that constantly straddles the line between reality and illusion. The novel’s atmospheric tension is palpable, its characters beautifully layered and emotionally raw, making this a story that lingers in your mind long after the final page is turned.

Boys with Sharp Teeth is a dark academia triumph, perfect for readers who crave intricate storytelling, morally grey characters, and an intoxicating sense of mystery. With its hauntingly lyrical prose and perfectly paced suspense, this book is an absolute must-read for fans of the genre. An enthralling, thought-provoking experience that demands to be devoured—five stars, without question.