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Boys with Sharp Teeth
Seventeen-year-old Marin James has always lived in the shadow of the exclusive Huntsworth Academy. And when her cousin is found dead 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.
Seeking justice, Marin poses as a student and infiltrates Huntsworth, only to find herself drawn to her new life—and to the two broken boys she once vowed to destroy.
When Marin uncovers an otherworldly secret the boys are hiding within Huntsworth’s ivied gates, the lines between right and wrong, love and hate, and nightmare and reality begin to crumble—and nothing is as it seems.
Welcome to Huntsworth Academy.
Seeking justice, Marin poses as a student and infiltrates Huntsworth, only to find herself drawn to her new life—and to the two broken boys she once vowed to destroy.
When Marin uncovers an otherworldly secret the boys are hiding within Huntsworth’s ivied gates, the lines between right and wrong, love and hate, and nightmare and reality begin to crumble—and nothing is as it seems.
Welcome to Huntsworth Academy.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published April 8, 2025
399 people are currently reading
46122 people want to read
About the author
Jenni Howell
3 books269 followersVisit my website to sign up for my newsletter and find trigger warnings for all published novels.
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Jenni Howell is an American dark academia and thriller author whose books feature characters that pluck themselves out of their pages and into your mind, eerie mysteries, and swoon-worthy romances that are almost never a good idea. Fans of The Raven Cycle and Atlas Six will find themselves at home in her words.
Her debut, Boys With Sharp Teeth, combines a gothic boarding school thriller with lush character work and a pulse-racing toxic romance...or two. BWST comes out in Winter 2025 from Macmillan's Roaring Brook Press with a second untitled novel to follow in 2026.
Jenni wants every book to be worthy of clutching to your chest, crying over, and maybe even throwing across the room. She enjoys leaving readers wondering if anyone will live happily ever after--yet trusting that they'll enjoy every moment of the dark descent. When she's not writing, Jenni can be found frolicking in shark-print overalls, vibrating from way too many americanos, buying random books from the non-fiction section, and generally being a joyful menace to society.
---
Jenni Howell is an American dark academia and thriller author whose books feature characters that pluck themselves out of their pages and into your mind, eerie mysteries, and swoon-worthy romances that are almost never a good idea. Fans of The Raven Cycle and Atlas Six will find themselves at home in her words.
Her debut, Boys With Sharp Teeth, combines a gothic boarding school thriller with lush character work and a pulse-racing toxic romance...or two. BWST comes out in Winter 2025 from Macmillan's Roaring Brook Press with a second untitled novel to follow in 2026.
Jenni wants every book to be worthy of clutching to your chest, crying over, and maybe even throwing across the room. She enjoys leaving readers wondering if anyone will live happily ever after--yet trusting that they'll enjoy every moment of the dark descent. When she's not writing, Jenni can be found frolicking in shark-print overalls, vibrating from way too many americanos, buying random books from the non-fiction section, and generally being a joyful menace to society.
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July 18, 2024glances at cover...
oh nice...
pretty little liars meets THE RAVEN BOYS!!!!
OH NOICE!!!!!!
oh nice...
pretty little liars meets THE RAVEN BOYS!!!!
OH NOICE!!!!!!
dnf
April 22, 2025𝗗𝗡𝗙-ed this one ,unfortunately . Between the looming exams turning my brain into a scrambled mess and this book feeling like trying to navigate a labryinth blindfolded ,I had to tap out ,the narrative felt really messy and disorganized ,and honestly ,my mental energy is currently reserved for trying to remember complex infos ,not untangling a chaotic plot.Maybe in a less brain-fried state I could appreciate it ,but right now ,it was just adding to the overwhelm.
January 3, 2025
The roaring engines and the tension from Summer Sons meet the mirrors from Beholder in this eerie and thrilling young adult dark academia story.
Where Graves is stone and lightning, Henry is softer, slipperier, a boy I’m never quite sure if he’s there to save me or because he likes watching me struggle.
Okay, first of all, this is not a romance, not even close. There’s so much attraction and repulsion without knowing if there’s a sexual charge underneath that it made me gasp for air and want to read on and on and on. Eyes lock, fingers brush, bodies touch until the tension is almost unbearable, but there’s never a sweet kiss, a shiver out of anticipation, a smile of recognition. This story is twisted and obsessive and sooo addictive.
The movement brushes my hair against his cheek and lets his breath tickle my ear.
Jenni Howell’s writing is phenomenal, lush, and feverish, as if it were screaming in capital letters. Sometimes, I was wondering what the eff I was reading and where it would lead to, IF it would lead to something. But at the same time, I didn’t care because I highlighted so many passages and felt the constant thrill tugging at my heart.
Graves’s mouth moves, but I can’t hear him, all I can hear is the engine’s roar and the violins’ whine and then there’s Henry, his hand moving to mine.
Jenni said either you’re team Henry or team Graves, and I think she’s right. I had a soft spot for the violin-playing, wicked smart boy seeming to be made of stone, but he felt so much softer on the inside to me, constantly hiding his true self.
I can feel his eyes on me, reminding me of every time he’s had me inside out, splayed across the table in front of him. He says nothing.
This book grips you at your throat and tries to suffocate you, so you probably end up loving or hating it. But that’s exactly what this story is about. Hate is not that far from love, after all. I’m a lover and can’t wait for what Jenni Howell has in store for us next!
Thank you so much, Tatiana from Fiercereads, for letting me read this story. It’s fantastic and I will gush about it as much as I can!
Follow me on Instagram
Where Graves is stone and lightning, Henry is softer, slipperier, a boy I’m never quite sure if he’s there to save me or because he likes watching me struggle.
Okay, first of all, this is not a romance, not even close. There’s so much attraction and repulsion without knowing if there’s a sexual charge underneath that it made me gasp for air and want to read on and on and on. Eyes lock, fingers brush, bodies touch until the tension is almost unbearable, but there’s never a sweet kiss, a shiver out of anticipation, a smile of recognition. This story is twisted and obsessive and sooo addictive.
The movement brushes my hair against his cheek and lets his breath tickle my ear.
Jenni Howell’s writing is phenomenal, lush, and feverish, as if it were screaming in capital letters. Sometimes, I was wondering what the eff I was reading and where it would lead to, IF it would lead to something. But at the same time, I didn’t care because I highlighted so many passages and felt the constant thrill tugging at my heart.
Graves’s mouth moves, but I can’t hear him, all I can hear is the engine’s roar and the violins’ whine and then there’s Henry, his hand moving to mine.
Jenni said either you’re team Henry or team Graves, and I think she’s right. I had a soft spot for the violin-playing, wicked smart boy seeming to be made of stone, but he felt so much softer on the inside to me, constantly hiding his true self.
I can feel his eyes on me, reminding me of every time he’s had me inside out, splayed across the table in front of him. He says nothing.
This book grips you at your throat and tries to suffocate you, so you probably end up loving or hating it. But that’s exactly what this story is about. Hate is not that far from love, after all. I’m a lover and can’t wait for what Jenni Howell has in store for us next!
Thank you so much, Tatiana from Fiercereads, for letting me read this story. It’s fantastic and I will gush about it as much as I can!
Follow me on Instagram
August 13, 2024
A dark academia for the philosophical folks, Boys with Sharp Teeth is a twisted story of delusion, obsession, love, hate and more. Jenni's writing is a gem to those looking for a dark academia that hits every mark, her style so easily capturing the spiralling obsession of our main quad and how they almost luxuriate in their own egos. We're reading a story infused with lies, unreliable in narration and constantly shifting in surety. It keeps you on your toes, wondering if you're reading a story of paranoia or the paranormal as everything we're being told becomes suspect.
Jenni Howell is a talent soon discovered and an author I cannot wait to see flourish, as I'm sure many will become just as enthralled with this one as I.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley for review. This in no way affects my opinion of the book.
Jenni Howell is a talent soon discovered and an author I cannot wait to see flourish, as I'm sure many will become just as enthralled with this one as I.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley for review. This in no way affects my opinion of the book.
October 27, 2024
Long-winded and predictable 😭
The cover for this title had me in a chokehold, I was thrilled when I saw a digital ARC available I pounced, unfortunately I was left feeling a bit let down.
👉Also a note for everyone rating based on the sexy (queer, why do so may people think this book is queer?) cover, there is nothing sexy or queer in this book. There is like a few flat try hard kisses that are only placed to antagonize other characters. There is also nothing about these boys that would have you describe them as sharp toothed.
The opportunity for greatness was here, you have "Jamie" faking her way into a prestigious boarding school where she is determined to prove the death of her cousin was not just a sad slip into drugs, but a homicide. With a new name, a fake transcript, and a forged check for 23k, she works her way into the student body and starts seeking out the kids who were closest to her cousin (Sam).
Immediately this feels unbelievable when a school takes a check this large with no questions, and then right away shows her to her coed High-school dorm, where drinking is running rampant and all the teachers are fully aware and okay with their whole senior class showing up drunk all the time.
Jamie is paired up in the same room as Adrian (Graves) who is suspect #1 and on the same floor as Herny and Baz, suspects #2 and #3 (what luck, I know, I can hardly believe it myself). The author fails here to show us any details in the student body but telling us about these 3 and essentially ignoring any other students. You pretty much get through the entire book feeling as If maybe 10 kids total attend this institution, but who knows, maybe that's the actual case?
Over the course of a few weeks (which feels seriously like the entire school year) Jamie learns that things aren't quite what they seem, and finding out why and how Sam is died is even more important than who did it. It doesn't make sense, these kids seemed to actually care for him, and the motive isn't there, but a strange supernatural element is starting to work it's way into the picture.... though it takes like half the book to get here.
Jamie is trying so hard not to fall for these 3 friends, but their charm starts to win her over and she begins to feel like she's disrespecting Sam's memory by befriending them. She focuses a ton on this, but makes no changes to her actions. Straight up feels like Sam... the point of the whole book... is just a side arc.
This whole time you're going to be reading waiting patiently for the spooky supernatural element. Waiting to see what's up with these mirrors, what's living inside? After the longest 400 pages you've ever read pass you'll be briefly told and then the story will wrap up at warp speed.
This book should have been a 250 pages tops.
Spoilers below ⬇️
Notes on where I was the most irritated, definitely would love to hear how others felt about these parts.
Pretty early into the title Jamie starts writing back and forth in the margins of a library book with an unknown character. She becomes convinced it's Herny so he must be innocent because he "gets her" (insert eye roll) this point is told to us so many damn times that we know it's not true. The authors inability to show here creates so much predictability where she consistently relies on forcefully telling. While there was a lot I didn't love, this was the part I found I the book lost my attention.
And then at the end? When you know who done it, and Adrian is like please help me kill myself and be free and then you can destroy Henry... so like she kills Adrian and then like... joins Herny? Like he's behind bars but she also doesn't do anything to destroy either half and then is like I'm bored let's chat in this weird mirror world?
The cover for this title had me in a chokehold, I was thrilled when I saw a digital ARC available I pounced, unfortunately I was left feeling a bit let down.
👉Also a note for everyone rating based on the sexy (queer, why do so may people think this book is queer?) cover, there is nothing sexy or queer in this book. There is like a few flat try hard kisses that are only placed to antagonize other characters. There is also nothing about these boys that would have you describe them as sharp toothed.
The opportunity for greatness was here, you have "Jamie" faking her way into a prestigious boarding school where she is determined to prove the death of her cousin was not just a sad slip into drugs, but a homicide. With a new name, a fake transcript, and a forged check for 23k, she works her way into the student body and starts seeking out the kids who were closest to her cousin (Sam).
Immediately this feels unbelievable when a school takes a check this large with no questions, and then right away shows her to her coed High-school dorm, where drinking is running rampant and all the teachers are fully aware and okay with their whole senior class showing up drunk all the time.
Jamie is paired up in the same room as Adrian (Graves) who is suspect #1 and on the same floor as Herny and Baz, suspects #2 and #3 (what luck, I know, I can hardly believe it myself). The author fails here to show us any details in the student body but telling us about these 3 and essentially ignoring any other students. You pretty much get through the entire book feeling as If maybe 10 kids total attend this institution, but who knows, maybe that's the actual case?
Over the course of a few weeks (which feels seriously like the entire school year) Jamie learns that things aren't quite what they seem, and finding out why and how Sam is died is even more important than who did it. It doesn't make sense, these kids seemed to actually care for him, and the motive isn't there, but a strange supernatural element is starting to work it's way into the picture.... though it takes like half the book to get here.
Jamie is trying so hard not to fall for these 3 friends, but their charm starts to win her over and she begins to feel like she's disrespecting Sam's memory by befriending them. She focuses a ton on this, but makes no changes to her actions. Straight up feels like Sam... the point of the whole book... is just a side arc.
This whole time you're going to be reading waiting patiently for the spooky supernatural element. Waiting to see what's up with these mirrors, what's living inside? After the longest 400 pages you've ever read pass you'll be briefly told and then the story will wrap up at warp speed.
This book should have been a 250 pages tops.
Spoilers below ⬇️
Notes on where I was the most irritated, definitely would love to hear how others felt about these parts.
Pretty early into the title Jamie starts writing back and forth in the margins of a library book with an unknown character. She becomes convinced it's Herny so he must be innocent because he "gets her" (insert eye roll) this point is told to us so many damn times that we know it's not true. The authors inability to show here creates so much predictability where she consistently relies on forcefully telling. While there was a lot I didn't love, this was the part I found I the book lost my attention.
And then at the end? When you know who done it, and Adrian is like please help me kill myself and be free and then you can destroy Henry... so like she kills Adrian and then like... joins Herny? Like he's behind bars but she also doesn't do anything to destroy either half and then is like I'm bored let's chat in this weird mirror world?
May 17, 2025
I know I joked about being dissappointed by how straight this book is, but don't be stupid enough to think that has anything to do with my rating.
At the end of the day, it was kinda boring, my dudes.
At the end of the day, it was kinda boring, my dudes.
May 26, 2025
better raven boys fanfic on ao3.com
June 23, 2025
After her beloved cousin, Sam, is found dead in a shallow creek on the campus of Huntsworth Academy, Marin James vows to get revenge. She knows his death was not an accident, and better than that, she knows who is responsible.
Adrian Hargraves and Henry Wu, two untouchable rich boys, who are among the most socially elite in the school had befriended Sam, and pulled him into their toxic world.
Marin is determined to find the truth of what happened to Sam. She ends up infiltrating Huntsworth as a totally new person: Jamie Vain. She's after one thing, revenge.
From the very start, this novel gave me HEAVY Foul Is Fair vibes. Everything from the set-up, to the strong focus on getting revenge, and the narrative voice, all reminded me of that book, which I loved.
I listened to the audio and thought the narrator did a great job with the initial tone; it was morose, and felt heavy and serious. However, as it continued, I couldn't help but feel that it was too one-note, which started to get old.
I feel like the further I read, the more it started to lose me. It was a progression of disinterest.
The first half was really strong, I did love the set-up and how mysterious it all felt, but the closer it got to the end, the more it went off the rails for me.
I will say, I do feel this is categorized well as Dark Academia. Over the years, it seems a lot of books get called that, but only loosely fall into that category. This does have all the necessary components of a solid Dark Academia, even though the execution fell a little short, IMO.
I enjoyed the philosophical concepts that were incorporated into the story. I liked how much of a personal battle the MC was having with her own mission and place in this story.
That aspect was really well done. I think if you enjoy this sort of dark tone, paired with a more cerebral storyline, you'll like this one a lot. Sadly, for me, the ending just left me lost. IDK what the heck happened.
Nevertheless, I am glad that I picked this one up. I would definitely read more from this author in the future, and I know a lot of Readers are going to enjoy this one.
Thank you to the publisher, Roaring Brook Press and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I really appreciate it!!
Adrian Hargraves and Henry Wu, two untouchable rich boys, who are among the most socially elite in the school had befriended Sam, and pulled him into their toxic world.
Marin is determined to find the truth of what happened to Sam. She ends up infiltrating Huntsworth as a totally new person: Jamie Vain. She's after one thing, revenge.
From the very start, this novel gave me HEAVY Foul Is Fair vibes. Everything from the set-up, to the strong focus on getting revenge, and the narrative voice, all reminded me of that book, which I loved.
I listened to the audio and thought the narrator did a great job with the initial tone; it was morose, and felt heavy and serious. However, as it continued, I couldn't help but feel that it was too one-note, which started to get old.
I feel like the further I read, the more it started to lose me. It was a progression of disinterest.
The first half was really strong, I did love the set-up and how mysterious it all felt, but the closer it got to the end, the more it went off the rails for me.
I will say, I do feel this is categorized well as Dark Academia. Over the years, it seems a lot of books get called that, but only loosely fall into that category. This does have all the necessary components of a solid Dark Academia, even though the execution fell a little short, IMO.
I enjoyed the philosophical concepts that were incorporated into the story. I liked how much of a personal battle the MC was having with her own mission and place in this story.
That aspect was really well done. I think if you enjoy this sort of dark tone, paired with a more cerebral storyline, you'll like this one a lot. Sadly, for me, the ending just left me lost. IDK what the heck happened.
Nevertheless, I am glad that I picked this one up. I would definitely read more from this author in the future, and I know a lot of Readers are going to enjoy this one.
Thank you to the publisher, Roaring Brook Press and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I really appreciate it!!
May 2, 2025
And as I feared the best thing about this book is the cover.
Knowing my taste and how much I love books with similar ideas as Boys With Sharp Teeth this should hit and yet... It fell so out of the mark.
This book suffers from the curse of trying too hard. The main character is too "not like the other girls", the plot tries so hard to be "edgy" and innovative, and it fails spectacularly. I could not for the life of me connect with the characters, they are flat and lack the mystique usually found in dark academia books.
The writing style is good, I can easily see myself reading other books by the author in the future because the idea was there, the talent is apparent, it was just badly executed.
It's sad because I truly wanted to like this one.
Knowing my taste and how much I love books with similar ideas as Boys With Sharp Teeth this should hit and yet... It fell so out of the mark.
This book suffers from the curse of trying too hard. The main character is too "not like the other girls", the plot tries so hard to be "edgy" and innovative, and it fails spectacularly. I could not for the life of me connect with the characters, they are flat and lack the mystique usually found in dark academia books.
The writing style is good, I can easily see myself reading other books by the author in the future because the idea was there, the talent is apparent, it was just badly executed.
It's sad because I truly wanted to like this one.
April 19, 2025
million things i wanna say but im just gonna settle on: no.
February 1, 2025
4.5 stars rounded up
If you like your dark academia extremely angsty with morally questionable characters, Boys With Sharp Teeth is perfect. Gothic horror meets The Atlas Six and The Secret History, but make it YA. Philosophy is woven throughout as the characters question good versus evil, the existence of humanity and more.
Marin James wants revenge. Her cousin died supposedly of an overdose, but she's certain he was killed by a group of students at an elite academy. So she fakes her way into the school with the intent of discovering the truth. She is drawn into a toxic dynamic with twisted games and dark secrets. No one in this book is good, but they sure as hell are compelling to read about. I'm still sitting on how I feel about the ending. I won't spoil things, but I feel creeped out about mirrors if that says anything! It's deliciously dark with very broken characters. I look forward to seeing what else we get from this debut author!
The audio narrator for this is perfect- exactly the kind of gravely, devil may care voice you want for Marin and she does a great job nailing the emotion of key scenes. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
Content warnings for violence, drugging, blood-letting etc.
If you like your dark academia extremely angsty with morally questionable characters, Boys With Sharp Teeth is perfect. Gothic horror meets The Atlas Six and The Secret History, but make it YA. Philosophy is woven throughout as the characters question good versus evil, the existence of humanity and more.
Marin James wants revenge. Her cousin died supposedly of an overdose, but she's certain he was killed by a group of students at an elite academy. So she fakes her way into the school with the intent of discovering the truth. She is drawn into a toxic dynamic with twisted games and dark secrets. No one in this book is good, but they sure as hell are compelling to read about. I'm still sitting on how I feel about the ending. I won't spoil things, but I feel creeped out about mirrors if that says anything! It's deliciously dark with very broken characters. I look forward to seeing what else we get from this debut author!
The audio narrator for this is perfect- exactly the kind of gravely, devil may care voice you want for Marin and she does a great job nailing the emotion of key scenes. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
Content warnings for violence, drugging, blood-letting etc.
September 8, 2025
4,5/5
Co to była za dziwna i jednocześnie fascynująca książka!
Marin wierzy, że jej kuzyna zamordowała trójka studentów z prestiżowej uczelni. By znaleźć dowody i oskarżyć ich o zbrodnie, postanawia utworzyć fałszywą tożsamość i zapisać się do szkoły by zrealizować swój plan zaprzyjaźniając się z Henry’m, Baz i Graves’em.
Ta książka jest nieostra w swoje istocie. Nie znajdziecie tu prostego przekazu, banalnych zdań czy rozwiązań. Wszystko może być prawdą, kłamstwem lub oszustwem. Czytając ją miałam wrażenie, że błądzę we śnie, który z czasem staje się koszmarem. Obraz jest nieostry, umysł zasnuty mgłą ale podążając śladami bohaterki, skupiłam się na misji.
Nie spotkałam się z autorką, która tak potrafi operować słowem i uplastyczniać historię. Przyznaję, że w niektórych scenach jest to mylące ale jednocześnie cały klimat tej książki oparty jest właśnie na języku i tej prostej choć intrygującej fabule.
„Lustro są oczami na wieki otwartymi. Zawsze widzą, nigdy nie mrugają, nie ma dla nich odpoczynku”
Czułam się oczarowana każdym rozdziałem podążając w głąb bohaterów. Ich zachowania szokują, dają do myślenia, jednocześnie jest w nich mroczna głębia której nie chciałabym zbadać w pełni. Manipulacja i granice, a przede wszystkim testowanie zachowań. To wiele pułapek psychologicznych, odzewów moralności i tajemnic. Autorka włożyła tu wiele aspektów i cząstkę duszy, urzeczywistniając potęgę ludzkiej, nieobliczalnej natury. Wielokrotnie czułam się przy bohaterach nieswojo choć zdarzyło się też odbicie obsesji i pożądania.
„Takie krótkie słowo, tak niewiele samogłosek. Dwa metry pod ziemią i tylko dwie samogłoski: martwy”.
Ta książka wstrząsa, jak nie słowem to dreszczem niepokoju więc polecam ją szczególnie teraz, po zmroku. Wiem że nie zbadałam tej historii pod każdym kątem, że wciąż jest w niej coś ukryte. Coś co może wyjść z mojego odbicia w lustrze.
Co to była za dziwna i jednocześnie fascynująca książka!
Marin wierzy, że jej kuzyna zamordowała trójka studentów z prestiżowej uczelni. By znaleźć dowody i oskarżyć ich o zbrodnie, postanawia utworzyć fałszywą tożsamość i zapisać się do szkoły by zrealizować swój plan zaprzyjaźniając się z Henry’m, Baz i Graves’em.
Ta książka jest nieostra w swoje istocie. Nie znajdziecie tu prostego przekazu, banalnych zdań czy rozwiązań. Wszystko może być prawdą, kłamstwem lub oszustwem. Czytając ją miałam wrażenie, że błądzę we śnie, który z czasem staje się koszmarem. Obraz jest nieostry, umysł zasnuty mgłą ale podążając śladami bohaterki, skupiłam się na misji.
Nie spotkałam się z autorką, która tak potrafi operować słowem i uplastyczniać historię. Przyznaję, że w niektórych scenach jest to mylące ale jednocześnie cały klimat tej książki oparty jest właśnie na języku i tej prostej choć intrygującej fabule.
„Lustro są oczami na wieki otwartymi. Zawsze widzą, nigdy nie mrugają, nie ma dla nich odpoczynku”
Czułam się oczarowana każdym rozdziałem podążając w głąb bohaterów. Ich zachowania szokują, dają do myślenia, jednocześnie jest w nich mroczna głębia której nie chciałabym zbadać w pełni. Manipulacja i granice, a przede wszystkim testowanie zachowań. To wiele pułapek psychologicznych, odzewów moralności i tajemnic. Autorka włożyła tu wiele aspektów i cząstkę duszy, urzeczywistniając potęgę ludzkiej, nieobliczalnej natury. Wielokrotnie czułam się przy bohaterach nieswojo choć zdarzyło się też odbicie obsesji i pożądania.
„Takie krótkie słowo, tak niewiele samogłosek. Dwa metry pod ziemią i tylko dwie samogłoski: martwy”.
Ta książka wstrząsa, jak nie słowem to dreszczem niepokoju więc polecam ją szczególnie teraz, po zmroku. Wiem że nie zbadałam tej historii pod każdym kątem, że wciąż jest w niej coś ukryte. Coś co może wyjść z mojego odbicia w lustrze.
November 25, 2024
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.
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.
dnf
March 8, 2025dnf
this novel exemplifies everything wrong with the dark academia trend. using memento mori doesn't add to the amosphere, it just feels like a cringey signifier. the whole setup...it reminded me very much of Immortal Dark, we have a young girl seeking revenge for the death/disappearance of a beloved relative, so she enrols into a powerful/wealthy school/institution, all the while, thinking edgy thoughts about how dangerous and monstrous she is. i wish these books did not take themselves so seriously (again, so edgy ) or truly presented us with an unhinged/subversive protagonist. but instead we get a typical YA heroine who is meant to seem so different because she doesn't fawn over rich/powerful/popular people...but this girl has no real plan or grit. i love revenge stories, i love gray/ambiguous characters, why not give us these instead of this surface-level mimicry of dark academia?
this novel exemplifies everything wrong with the dark academia trend. using memento mori doesn't add to the amosphere, it just feels like a cringey signifier. the whole setup...it reminded me very much of Immortal Dark, we have a young girl seeking revenge for the death/disappearance of a beloved relative, so she enrols into a powerful/wealthy school/institution, all the while, thinking edgy thoughts about how dangerous and monstrous she is. i wish these books did not take themselves so seriously (again, so edgy ) or truly presented us with an unhinged/subversive protagonist. but instead we get a typical YA heroine who is meant to seem so different because she doesn't fawn over rich/powerful/popular people...but this girl has no real plan or grit. i love revenge stories, i love gray/ambiguous characters, why not give us these instead of this surface-level mimicry of dark academia?
September 13, 2025
nie oceniaj książkę po okładce yeah..
30% dnf bo nie wytrzymam, jezu dawno nie czytałam czegoś tak głupiego popłacze się
- czemu szkoła zatrudniła 16LETNIEGO bodyguarda
- czy do tej szkoły chodzi więcej niż 5 osób
- z jakiej racji mają tam coed dorms, nie spotkałam się jeszcze by akademiki nie były dzielone na damskie i męskie
- czemu nauczyciele nic z tym nie robią że uczniowie organizują dzikie crazy imprezy (zwłaszcza po tym że na jednej z nich ktoś zginal) podczas których drą się na całą szkołę ‚memento mori’ i uciekają przez bramę całą masą i wskakują na motory jakby byli jacyś nienormalni, ale mnie zażenowanie złapało, czemu nauczyciele na to pozwalają
- czemu oni wszyscy są tacy cringeowi i jednowymiarowi i edgy
- główna bohaterka sobie stwierdza że trójka prestiżowych typów z elitarnej szkoły która przyjaźniła się z jej kuzynem zabiła tego kuzyna? ona dosłownie sobie tak stwierdza że oni na pewno go zabili, bo tak bo ona widzi, że są evil przecież i to udowodni !! a ich dosłownie osobiście tylko raz widziała i nawet z nimi wcześniej nie gadała i nie ma żadnego planu xd
- główna bohaterka jest taka głupia i edgy matko shes so evil so evil i’ll destroy them *laugh złoczyncy* but omg theyre so hot theyre not so evil because theyre so hot maybe they didn’t kill him
30% dnf bo nie wytrzymam, jezu dawno nie czytałam czegoś tak głupiego popłacze się
- czemu szkoła zatrudniła 16LETNIEGO bodyguarda
- czy do tej szkoły chodzi więcej niż 5 osób
- z jakiej racji mają tam coed dorms, nie spotkałam się jeszcze by akademiki nie były dzielone na damskie i męskie
- czemu nauczyciele nic z tym nie robią że uczniowie organizują dzikie crazy imprezy (zwłaszcza po tym że na jednej z nich ktoś zginal) podczas których drą się na całą szkołę ‚memento mori’ i uciekają przez bramę całą masą i wskakują na motory jakby byli jacyś nienormalni, ale mnie zażenowanie złapało, czemu nauczyciele na to pozwalają
- czemu oni wszyscy są tacy cringeowi i jednowymiarowi i edgy
- główna bohaterka sobie stwierdza że trójka prestiżowych typów z elitarnej szkoły która przyjaźniła się z jej kuzynem zabiła tego kuzyna? ona dosłownie sobie tak stwierdza że oni na pewno go zabili, bo tak bo ona widzi, że są evil przecież i to udowodni !! a ich dosłownie osobiście tylko raz widziała i nawet z nimi wcześniej nie gadała i nie ma żadnego planu xd
- główna bohaterka jest taka głupia i edgy matko shes so evil so evil i’ll destroy them *laugh złoczyncy* but omg theyre so hot theyre not so evil because theyre so hot maybe they didn’t kill him
March 19, 2025
I DON'T GET IT.
And while dark academia is my favourite subgenre, I also just don't think I'm the target audience here. This is angsty. This is poetic. This is deep romantic feelings for fellow teens whom you've known for fewer than 2 weeks.
...There's also very little that actually happens, so as a plot-driven reader I felt lost the whole time. I'm also not sure it's really about characters either. It's mostly about vibes.
This book feels made for the Stephanie Garber girlies who want their metaphors to have fewer cupcakes and more musk and teeth and gravity.
I will at least grant them that there's some actual academia and classes happening here, but it also made me feel SO OLD that I'm sitting here while their Philosophy/English class is using The Matrix to discuss their deep discussions about the human condition. Wild.
Audiobook Notes:
The audiobook was really well executed and very pleasant to listen to.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
And while dark academia is my favourite subgenre, I also just don't think I'm the target audience here. This is angsty. This is poetic. This is deep romantic feelings for fellow teens whom you've known for fewer than 2 weeks.
...There's also very little that actually happens, so as a plot-driven reader I felt lost the whole time. I'm also not sure it's really about characters either. It's mostly about vibes.
This book feels made for the Stephanie Garber girlies who want their metaphors to have fewer cupcakes and more musk and teeth and gravity.
I will at least grant them that there's some actual academia and classes happening here, but it also made me feel SO OLD that I'm sitting here while their Philosophy/English class is using The Matrix to discuss their deep discussions about the human condition. Wild.
Audiobook Notes:
The audiobook was really well executed and very pleasant to listen to.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
April 4, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! All opinions in this review are my own.
1 star. DNF’d at 30%/end of Part One. Would not recommend this book to anyone.
My problems with this novel started in the beginning. The issue with setting a book in current times and in a real existing place but changing it slightly is that it still needs to be blended together in a way that doesn’t cause an uncanny effect or a constant questioning of geography/real world knowledge. I am VERY familiar with the area this novel takes place having lived there for over a decade and obviously we all live in a time where cellphones and the internet exists. The geography of where Huntsworth sits, the towns surrounding it, the everyday life of people there, and just general common sense of how the world in general works was mish mashed together and didn’t make sense. One can overlook a couple of odd things here and there for the sake of plot but when you have multiple of those in just the first few chapters, it immediately crumbles the foundation of the novel you are trying to write and it tanks the whole book into unbelievability.
Firstly, an hour cab ride from Sevierville, Tennessee literally puts you outside of two large cities with massive industries and two medium to large towns. Not only that, its next to a large sprawling lake in the mountains and what do rich people love? Cabins and lake houses. What do they love even more? The local peasants working to serve their every whim at a plethora of places to shop and eat. Do small villages and a population of poor to middle class people exist in the area? Absolutely but none of those are more than at most a 30 minute drive to the nearest small town with more than a convenience store gas station and there wouldn’t be many people that live off the main roads and if they do, most are vacations homes/cabins. The geography and corridor of that particular area of Tennessee doesn’t support Huntsworth being far from modern conveniences in any direction. If this was set lets say like an hour outside of Jackson, Tennessee then that would make wayyyy more sense. The geography of that part of Tennessee is way more flat and spread out. Would it still be weird to have a rich kid boarding school set somewhere other than outside Nashville, Murfreesboro, Franklin, Knoxville, Chattanooga, or Memphis? Yeah but at least the geography would match the “there is nothing in this small town” bored teen narrative that doesn’t get blown apart by looking at a map. And sure, one could argue that this is supposed to be fantasy and Amberdeen, Tennessee doesn’t exist (per Googling and scouring a map) but thats my point. The IRL elements and the made up ones are not blended well. Either commit to this taking place in the real world as we know it or just make up the names of ALL the places name dropped in this novel with the background inspiration being set outside Sevierville, Tennessee. Like Sevierville as a name does work for a random modern fantasy inspired town and at first I wasn’t batting an eye about any of this at all until Nashville got name dropped and it was so specific that it literally can’t mean anything else other than THE Nashville, Tennessee.
Secondly, her underage cousin being a security guard and the boarding school in general. Just… how? I just can’t think of a single instance where a rich kid boarding school would hire a drop out 16 year old for security and that 16 year old having the free range to just hang out with the rich kid students all willy nilly. Then there is the fact that raging parties happen on campus and no teacher bats an eye AND the fact there are co-ed dorms IN THE SOUTH. I cannot stress to you that it does not matter how rich the students and their parents are, Tennessee is very, VERY firmly in the Bible Belt and the conservative culture is deeply ingrained into the fabric of every institution there. There would be no drop out 16 year old bodyguards, there would not be co-ed dorms, and there most definitely not be alcohol filled parties that the faculty turn a blind eye to. In fact, I am having a hard time seeing how this being a prep boarding school, that there is even time between tutoring and classes that the students have much free time at all. That type of environment would be so structured and grueling. There would be very little free time or anatomy for these students. Also this takes place just a week or so before Christmas per the dates mentioned. Do you know how cold it is in Tennessee (especially in the mountains near a lake) is? Its heckin cold and most students would not be lingering about outside if they can help it if there are any even in residence at that point in time. Usually by this point the kids would be back home with their rich parents for a winter term break or on a beach vacation somewhere. There is also the fact that apparently this rich kid school lacks any type of cybersecurity. How did Jamie/Marin even know her cousin's mother’s credentials from a SUMMER job here? How was unused credentials not flagged being used months later? And absolutely no one in admissions called Jamie/Marin fake “parent” to hash out details and talk shop? To top it off she was accepted and showed up within DAYS of her cousin’s death ALONE. Like for any school that is worth its salt (which a richly funded one would be) it would take weeks of back and forth emails and calls between the school and parents to hash out expectations, arrivals, tution, and just general sucking up before a student is ready to be enrolled. There is just so much paperwork, meetings, and other intricacies involved. This whole novel is over before it even starts.
This review is already too long and I’ve only just covered the first couple of chapters so in the interest of saving my time and sanity I am just going to briefly go over the other issues this novel had that caused me to DNF.
- I don’t understand any of the characters, could never get a bead on them and who they were. Just the details of what they were doing and what they said just didn’t give a clear picture of well, anything.
- The writing is overly pretentious but not in a way that enhances the novel. It has a lot of purple prose that doesn’t actually say anything. In particular, I still can’t figure out what even happened in chapters 9-12. Like none of it makes sense. What actually happened and what does any of it mean? The whole novel was written like a fever dream and strung together with the barest amounts of philosophical talk (that also didn’t make sense) and the barest movement of the plot moving forward.
- This one is more for the publisher but the cover and title is a choice considering what its presenting but not showcasing in the novel itself. Its not queer and there are no vampires. Also it is missing Baz who is someone that Jamie/Marin interacts with the most during the first part of the novel AND is one of the ones suspected to have killed her cousin. Like why even have her as one of the suspects if she is not even going to be presented on the cover? It was a deliberate choice to exclude her and make this novel seem like it would result in a love triangle and/or be queer between Jamie/Marin, Adrian, and Henry. The synopsis also does no favours in this regard, not a single mention of Baz and honestly other than the ripped jeans, this could’ve been set in the 1800’s or something. Half my criticisms of this book wouldn’t exist if it had been set in an all boys school that Jamie/Marin infiltrated pretending to be a boy especially if this was set in a non modern time.
In conclusion, I did not enjoy reading this novel and would not recommend.
1 star. DNF’d at 30%/end of Part One. Would not recommend this book to anyone.
My problems with this novel started in the beginning. The issue with setting a book in current times and in a real existing place but changing it slightly is that it still needs to be blended together in a way that doesn’t cause an uncanny effect or a constant questioning of geography/real world knowledge. I am VERY familiar with the area this novel takes place having lived there for over a decade and obviously we all live in a time where cellphones and the internet exists. The geography of where Huntsworth sits, the towns surrounding it, the everyday life of people there, and just general common sense of how the world in general works was mish mashed together and didn’t make sense. One can overlook a couple of odd things here and there for the sake of plot but when you have multiple of those in just the first few chapters, it immediately crumbles the foundation of the novel you are trying to write and it tanks the whole book into unbelievability.
Firstly, an hour cab ride from Sevierville, Tennessee literally puts you outside of two large cities with massive industries and two medium to large towns. Not only that, its next to a large sprawling lake in the mountains and what do rich people love? Cabins and lake houses. What do they love even more? The local peasants working to serve their every whim at a plethora of places to shop and eat. Do small villages and a population of poor to middle class people exist in the area? Absolutely but none of those are more than at most a 30 minute drive to the nearest small town with more than a convenience store gas station and there wouldn’t be many people that live off the main roads and if they do, most are vacations homes/cabins. The geography and corridor of that particular area of Tennessee doesn’t support Huntsworth being far from modern conveniences in any direction. If this was set lets say like an hour outside of Jackson, Tennessee then that would make wayyyy more sense. The geography of that part of Tennessee is way more flat and spread out. Would it still be weird to have a rich kid boarding school set somewhere other than outside Nashville, Murfreesboro, Franklin, Knoxville, Chattanooga, or Memphis? Yeah but at least the geography would match the “there is nothing in this small town” bored teen narrative that doesn’t get blown apart by looking at a map. And sure, one could argue that this is supposed to be fantasy and Amberdeen, Tennessee doesn’t exist (per Googling and scouring a map) but thats my point. The IRL elements and the made up ones are not blended well. Either commit to this taking place in the real world as we know it or just make up the names of ALL the places name dropped in this novel with the background inspiration being set outside Sevierville, Tennessee. Like Sevierville as a name does work for a random modern fantasy inspired town and at first I wasn’t batting an eye about any of this at all until Nashville got name dropped and it was so specific that it literally can’t mean anything else other than THE Nashville, Tennessee.
Secondly, her underage cousin being a security guard and the boarding school in general. Just… how? I just can’t think of a single instance where a rich kid boarding school would hire a drop out 16 year old for security and that 16 year old having the free range to just hang out with the rich kid students all willy nilly. Then there is the fact that raging parties happen on campus and no teacher bats an eye AND the fact there are co-ed dorms IN THE SOUTH. I cannot stress to you that it does not matter how rich the students and their parents are, Tennessee is very, VERY firmly in the Bible Belt and the conservative culture is deeply ingrained into the fabric of every institution there. There would be no drop out 16 year old bodyguards, there would not be co-ed dorms, and there most definitely not be alcohol filled parties that the faculty turn a blind eye to. In fact, I am having a hard time seeing how this being a prep boarding school, that there is even time between tutoring and classes that the students have much free time at all. That type of environment would be so structured and grueling. There would be very little free time or anatomy for these students. Also this takes place just a week or so before Christmas per the dates mentioned. Do you know how cold it is in Tennessee (especially in the mountains near a lake) is? Its heckin cold and most students would not be lingering about outside if they can help it if there are any even in residence at that point in time. Usually by this point the kids would be back home with their rich parents for a winter term break or on a beach vacation somewhere. There is also the fact that apparently this rich kid school lacks any type of cybersecurity. How did Jamie/Marin even know her cousin's mother’s credentials from a SUMMER job here? How was unused credentials not flagged being used months later? And absolutely no one in admissions called Jamie/Marin fake “parent” to hash out details and talk shop? To top it off she was accepted and showed up within DAYS of her cousin’s death ALONE. Like for any school that is worth its salt (which a richly funded one would be) it would take weeks of back and forth emails and calls between the school and parents to hash out expectations, arrivals, tution, and just general sucking up before a student is ready to be enrolled. There is just so much paperwork, meetings, and other intricacies involved. This whole novel is over before it even starts.
This review is already too long and I’ve only just covered the first couple of chapters so in the interest of saving my time and sanity I am just going to briefly go over the other issues this novel had that caused me to DNF.
- I don’t understand any of the characters, could never get a bead on them and who they were. Just the details of what they were doing and what they said just didn’t give a clear picture of well, anything.
- The writing is overly pretentious but not in a way that enhances the novel. It has a lot of purple prose that doesn’t actually say anything. In particular, I still can’t figure out what even happened in chapters 9-12. Like none of it makes sense. What actually happened and what does any of it mean? The whole novel was written like a fever dream and strung together with the barest amounts of philosophical talk (that also didn’t make sense) and the barest movement of the plot moving forward.
- This one is more for the publisher but the cover and title is a choice considering what its presenting but not showcasing in the novel itself. Its not queer and there are no vampires. Also it is missing Baz who is someone that Jamie/Marin interacts with the most during the first part of the novel AND is one of the ones suspected to have killed her cousin. Like why even have her as one of the suspects if she is not even going to be presented on the cover? It was a deliberate choice to exclude her and make this novel seem like it would result in a love triangle and/or be queer between Jamie/Marin, Adrian, and Henry. The synopsis also does no favours in this regard, not a single mention of Baz and honestly other than the ripped jeans, this could’ve been set in the 1800’s or something. Half my criticisms of this book wouldn’t exist if it had been set in an all boys school that Jamie/Marin infiltrated pretending to be a boy especially if this was set in a non modern time.
In conclusion, I did not enjoy reading this novel and would not recommend.
February 8, 2025
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for a honest review.
This one is a really difficult one to rate! The prose was beautiful and atmospheric, I was hooked with initial the mystery, and I really loved Adrian and Henry's characters. I do, however, think that the story's pitch left me with some mixed feelings because I went in expecting one thing, but got another.
So just a few notes: this is not a queer book (though there are pretty queer moments) and this is not a romance (though there were moments that definitely leaned in a romantic nature). The love triangle that *we* see is very much defined by the obsession between Marin/Jamie and her relationship with Henry and Adrian. I'd actually have loved the story to take place over a longer period of time to really play with these dynamics.
It's dark, but maintains a YA tone, I can absolutely see Howell's intent was to write a dark academia story but merged with some YA themes/character types. I'm not personally a fan of these YA tropes, but that's a personal preference. There are paranormal elements so it diverges from the dark academia books that exist to primarily critique academia as an institution. For what it's worth, I'd actually say this has some really similar tones and themes to folk horror books.
If you are intrigued by a dark YA love/obsession triangle, are a fan of Kelly Andrews' writing, and want a YA dark academia (with dark academia as a theme, not just an aesthetic), definitely pick this one up.
(Low-key would love a prequel of Henry, Adrian, and Baz.)
This one is a really difficult one to rate! The prose was beautiful and atmospheric, I was hooked with initial the mystery, and I really loved Adrian and Henry's characters. I do, however, think that the story's pitch left me with some mixed feelings because I went in expecting one thing, but got another.
So just a few notes: this is not a queer book (though there are pretty queer moments) and this is not a romance (though there were moments that definitely leaned in a romantic nature). The love triangle that *we* see is very much defined by the obsession between Marin/Jamie and her relationship with Henry and Adrian. I'd actually have loved the story to take place over a longer period of time to really play with these dynamics.
It's dark, but maintains a YA tone, I can absolutely see Howell's intent was to write a dark academia story but merged with some YA themes/character types. I'm not personally a fan of these YA tropes, but that's a personal preference. There are paranormal elements so it diverges from the dark academia books that exist to primarily critique academia as an institution. For what it's worth, I'd actually say this has some really similar tones and themes to folk horror books.
If you are intrigued by a dark YA love/obsession triangle, are a fan of Kelly Andrews' writing, and want a YA dark academia (with dark academia as a theme, not just an aesthetic), definitely pick this one up.
(Low-key would love a prequel of Henry, Adrian, and Baz.)
Read
April 21, 2025Prestigious prep school that wouldn’t cash a check before enrolling a student? Boys and girls sharing dorm rooms? Rager parties with the entire student body (of 14 to 17 year olds) openly drinking and no teachers would catch wind of it? 🙈🙈🙈 couldn’t get past the set up holes to get invested in the plot
Read
September 30, 2025 robię DNF na stronie 113
mam czas czytać, ale nie mam ochoty. To chyba nieodpowiednia książka
Muszę spróbować z jakimś innym gatunkiem. Do tej książki wrócę innym razem
mam czas czytać, ale nie mam ochoty. To chyba nieodpowiednia książka
Muszę spróbować z jakimś innym gatunkiem. Do tej książki wrócę innym razem
April 8, 2025
But I know boys, and I know monsters, and there isn’t that much difference between them.
boys with sharp teeth is a book that has an interesting premise filled with mystery and vengeance but falls short with its extremely messy execution that made the book a struggle to get through and that i considered dnfing at multiple points throughout.
for starters, the writing left a lot to be desired. this book relies heavily on the idea of it being a dark academia with a dark and haunting atmosphere despite that fact that the setting is very rarely described. this book could take place at any school and it would not affect the story in the slightest. this book is 400 pages long and i still don’t have a clear idea of any of the places in this academy. considering this is a campus novel you’d think that more effort would be put into where it’s actually set. the writing does have some really poetic and descriptive lines but they are sprinkled in so haphazardly that is feels like whiplash to read certain chapters that are more steeped in metaphor and then you go to the next chapter and the writing is basic and juvenile.
the chapters in this book are also just really poorly paced and rely too much on intentionally ending the scene early just so that the reader is left on a cliffhanger with no resolution. characters will seem to just randomly pop up out of nowhere, they say the most insane thing that should (in theory) completely change the direction the book is going in but then the chapter will end there and move on to a completely unrelated scene where the mc never thinks about what she was told at the end of the last chapter ever again. it makes the book feel really disjointed and incomplete as if it’s more so a collection of scenes that the reader is supposed to string together rather than a cohesive mystery novel that the audience can follow along with. it’s like the author didn’t know how to write the end of the scene so she ended it there and moved on, which made for very lazy writing.
the mystery aspect of this book is extremely underdeveloped to the point where i forget we were even supposed to be solving the mystery of jamie/marin’s cousins murder because she spent so much time NOT doing what she’s at this academy to be doing. within the first couple chapters jamie/marin is practically handed the easiest clues to finding the murderer, which is extremely unfortunate considering she’s TERRIBLE at solving this mystery. instead of using these clues and the very limited time she has at this school to avenge her cousins death, she spends her time writing in books and then immediately trusting people just because they write back to her in said book even though all signs point to that they’re not trustworthy. oh, but he’s hot too, so he MUST be trustworthy. she knows from the beginning three people that are most likely to be involved in her cousins murder (adrian, henry, and baz) and yet she immediately starts to make blind assumptions about them rather than actually collecting evidence to prove her theory.
onto the characters, which are all both extremely tropey and extremely underdeveloped. jamie/marin is the most insufferable fmc ever. adrian/graves is typical ronan lynch knockoff who seems mean but is actually ~ really deep ~ once you get to know him (honestly that’s the only similarity this book even has with the raven boys). henry is a character who is meant to come off as the over-the-top guy but his characterization is so all over the place that he was always really forgettable to me and also really unlikeable when it seemed like you were supposed to be rooting for him. the most unfortunate part about all of this is that baz, the only likeable character who had any sense of characterization that wasn’t based on being sexy and alluring, is not even mentioned in the synopsis or on the cover despite supposedly being in the trio of people that jamie/marin believes was involved in her cousin’s murder. this book puts so much of the focus on the male characters and their relationships with the fmc and completely throughs the other female character to the wayside.
and don’t get me started on the love triangle, because what in the instalove/lust was that. jamie/marin has absolutely no reason to be falling for these boys considering how both of them use her and treat her like shit. she acknowledges the fact that she believes they murdered her cousin while kissing them!!! she puts aside all of her morals and her friendships just to get attention from these boys that she constantly complains about and who have proven over and over to be untrustworthy. everything about the romantic undertones of this book made me extremely uncomfortable, not to mention the fact that the romance is so poorly written that it just seems to randomly spawn on page with no build up.
the logistics of this book also make absolutely no sense. yes i realize this is a paranormal mystery but that doesn’t explain the fact that a 17 year old was somehow able to manage to forge her way into this prestigious academy under a false name and a fake check. and does no one in her home town care that she just randomly went missing? not to mention the fact that she makes it so incredibly obvious to everyone she encounters that she knows the person who was murdered and is trying to find his killer. for how bad she is at this you’d think she’d get caught by now.
this book had all the individual pieces for being a story that is meant for me, but in the end it became so messy and frustrating that i had to power myself through to even finish it.
*also a quick note: i see this book being put on queer book lists (probably because of the cover?) but it is NOT a queer book. maybe you could say that jamie and baz had some subtly queer undertones but nothing in this book was explicitly queer*
thank you to netgalley and macmillan for providing an earc in exchange for an honest review ♡
April 30, 2025
Happy almost pub day :)
This book hooked me hard. Incredibly atmospheric, dark, eery, mysterious. Like a foggy winter forest night distilled onto paper and ink (or in my case, the screen of my computer). Fascinating characters. The need to know what really happened the night that Sam died propelled me through the pages. And I could never figure out who to trust until the very end. The whole narrative was so unreliable, and I loved it. Who can Marin trust? Who killed Sam? Who knows the truth about Sam's death, and why are they keeping it from Marin? Adrian/Graves was my favorite character by far because I couldn't untangle him as hard as I tried.
The writing was great. I empathized with Marin with every cell of my body, felt her grief and fear, her love for Sam. The book was filled with great lines like this: "I know who I am—I don’t know if she’s Jamie or if she’s Marin, but I’m this girl, the one who doesn’t cherish her body, only her mind. The reckless one, the wondering one, always reaching, making others uncomfortable because she sees too much and speaks too freely. The one who hurts too much, feels too much, needs too much, and will take and take and take until there’s nothing left to take and, somehow, I’ll be the girl who’s still empty inside."
However, here are some things that didn't make it a five-star read:
Everything to do with Marin's setup at Huntsworth seems just a little too easy...and the clues she finds. The keychain on Baz’s backpack, the phone on Adrian’s bed, the fact that Marin’s friend’s mom just happened to work in admissions at Huntsworth last summer.
Also, the last quarter of the book was confusing as hell. I finished the book and still don't understand what really happened. The paranormal twist wasn't explained with the depth it required due to all its complexities. In other words, I was very disappointed with how the story wrapped up because it had such great potential. Some of the deaths also seemed senseless to me and thus felt very unsatisfying, as I couldn't quite tell how they served the narrative. I would give the first 75% of the book a 4 stars and the last 25% of the book 2.5 stars. I would’ve loved it to be more substance and philosophy than aesthetic if that makes sense…
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in return for an honest review <3
This book hooked me hard. Incredibly atmospheric, dark, eery, mysterious. Like a foggy winter forest night distilled onto paper and ink (or in my case, the screen of my computer). Fascinating characters. The need to know what really happened the night that Sam died propelled me through the pages. And I could never figure out who to trust until the very end. The whole narrative was so unreliable, and I loved it. Who can Marin trust? Who killed Sam? Who knows the truth about Sam's death, and why are they keeping it from Marin? Adrian/Graves was my favorite character by far because I couldn't untangle him as hard as I tried.
The writing was great. I empathized with Marin with every cell of my body, felt her grief and fear, her love for Sam. The book was filled with great lines like this: "I know who I am—I don’t know if she’s Jamie or if she’s Marin, but I’m this girl, the one who doesn’t cherish her body, only her mind. The reckless one, the wondering one, always reaching, making others uncomfortable because she sees too much and speaks too freely. The one who hurts too much, feels too much, needs too much, and will take and take and take until there’s nothing left to take and, somehow, I’ll be the girl who’s still empty inside."
However, here are some things that didn't make it a five-star read:
Everything to do with Marin's setup at Huntsworth seems just a little too easy...and the clues she finds. The keychain on Baz’s backpack, the phone on Adrian’s bed, the fact that Marin’s friend’s mom just happened to work in admissions at Huntsworth last summer.
Also, the last quarter of the book was confusing as hell. I finished the book and still don't understand what really happened. The paranormal twist wasn't explained with the depth it required due to all its complexities. In other words, I was very disappointed with how the story wrapped up because it had such great potential. Some of the deaths also seemed senseless to me and thus felt very unsatisfying, as I couldn't quite tell how they served the narrative. I would give the first 75% of the book a 4 stars and the last 25% of the book 2.5 stars. I would’ve loved it to be more substance and philosophy than aesthetic if that makes sense…
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in return for an honest review <3
June 1, 2025
When I got the notification my request for the e-arc had been approved I genuinely screamed. I knew this was right up my alley as soon as I read the description so I pretty much spent months hyping it up in my head.
For the most part it lived up to those expectations, though it wasn’t without a rocky start.
To get to the good stuff you have to be willing to overlook the lack of realism quite a bit. I’m not gonna lie for about the first fifty pages I wasn’t sure I was going to like this because it required a suspension of disbelief I wasn’t sure I was capable of — and this coming from someone who can normally look the other way when things are “for the plot.” Even though I ended up liking the rest of the book I’d be lying if I said it didn’t bother me that Marin was SO easily able to infiltrate an elite boarding school with nothing more than a forged signature and fake printed test scores, no sort of background checks or anything. She’s also got a life she ran away from, and no one reported her missing for the weeks she was gone. Oh and, perhaps the most realistic of all, boys and girls share suites in this school. Realistically speaking, parents who are paying $23,000 tuition aren’t doing it because they want to see their daughters come home pregnant. And again realistically speaking, no boarding school where guys and girls share rooms wouldn’t be considered “elite” to begin with — even the worst college campuses usually have separate dorms.
There were also a few basic details in terms of establishing the setting that I think could have been added to make things easier for the reader to visualize. It’s established that Henry lives on the same floor as Marin, and she shares a room with Adrian while Henry shares a room with Baz. Somehow Henry and Marin can see each other from their rooms though and she can tell when the lights are on in there?? The thing is, there’s probably a clear explanation for how this is — we just aren’t given one. Even just a couple sentences describing the layout would have cleared things up completely. There were a couple smaller instances too where it’s so hard to imagine the room the characters are in that also could have been cleared up with a few small details.
The writing may have had an issue with a lack a clarification at times, but the style was gorgeous, especially considering this is a debut. It immediately sucks you in to the story, creating a gorgeous atmosphere that persists throughout. There were multiple times that I was so engrossed in the story I had no clue what was going on around me. In the end it has this fever dream quality to it, which is something I love as it is kind of similar to other books I really enjoyed in the past (for example Bunny by Mona Awad came to mind first).
I also really liked that this leaned into the more mature side of YA. I was a little scared that the story’s potential would be hindered by juvenile storytelling, but none of that was found here. It was just the right balance of the YA themes while still having mature topics and storytelling.
I want to talk about the characters so bad, because that was another thing that stood out here, but I don’t know how to do it without spoiling. So, all I’ll say is that I thought they all were very compelling and so were there dynamics, and I really enjoyed seeing all the different sides of them.
And in terms of romance, while they both were…interesting love interests to say the least, the better option was clear to me. And it wasn’t the guy I thought I would root for either.
When it comes to the ending, there were some minor flaws again in terms of believability. I’m pretty sure there’s no way people were looking for her but never found her when all she did was die her hair. Otherwise though I thought it was pretty fitting even though it didn’t work out for everyone I liked.
Overall, despite some flaws with descriptive details and realism, this was still an enjoyable debut. The characters, dynamics, plot and writing were all interesting so I would definitely recommend people give this a try. I would also definitely be interested in checking out any of this authors future work.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!
🅞🅥🅔🅡🅐🅛🅛 🅡🅐🅣🅘🅝🅖: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ . 25
For the most part it lived up to those expectations, though it wasn’t without a rocky start.
To get to the good stuff you have to be willing to overlook the lack of realism quite a bit. I’m not gonna lie for about the first fifty pages I wasn’t sure I was going to like this because it required a suspension of disbelief I wasn’t sure I was capable of — and this coming from someone who can normally look the other way when things are “for the plot.” Even though I ended up liking the rest of the book I’d be lying if I said it didn’t bother me that Marin was SO easily able to infiltrate an elite boarding school with nothing more than a forged signature and fake printed test scores, no sort of background checks or anything. She’s also got a life she ran away from, and no one reported her missing for the weeks she was gone. Oh and, perhaps the most realistic of all, boys and girls share suites in this school. Realistically speaking, parents who are paying $23,000 tuition aren’t doing it because they want to see their daughters come home pregnant. And again realistically speaking, no boarding school where guys and girls share rooms wouldn’t be considered “elite” to begin with — even the worst college campuses usually have separate dorms.
There were also a few basic details in terms of establishing the setting that I think could have been added to make things easier for the reader to visualize. It’s established that Henry lives on the same floor as Marin, and she shares a room with Adrian while Henry shares a room with Baz. Somehow Henry and Marin can see each other from their rooms though and she can tell when the lights are on in there?? The thing is, there’s probably a clear explanation for how this is — we just aren’t given one. Even just a couple sentences describing the layout would have cleared things up completely. There were a couple smaller instances too where it’s so hard to imagine the room the characters are in that also could have been cleared up with a few small details.
The writing may have had an issue with a lack a clarification at times, but the style was gorgeous, especially considering this is a debut. It immediately sucks you in to the story, creating a gorgeous atmosphere that persists throughout. There were multiple times that I was so engrossed in the story I had no clue what was going on around me. In the end it has this fever dream quality to it, which is something I love as it is kind of similar to other books I really enjoyed in the past (for example Bunny by Mona Awad came to mind first).
I also really liked that this leaned into the more mature side of YA. I was a little scared that the story’s potential would be hindered by juvenile storytelling, but none of that was found here. It was just the right balance of the YA themes while still having mature topics and storytelling.
I want to talk about the characters so bad, because that was another thing that stood out here, but I don’t know how to do it without spoiling. So, all I’ll say is that I thought they all were very compelling and so were there dynamics, and I really enjoyed seeing all the different sides of them.
And in terms of romance, while they both were…interesting love interests to say the least, the better option was clear to me. And it wasn’t the guy I thought I would root for either.
When it comes to the ending, there were some minor flaws again in terms of believability. I’m pretty sure there’s no way people were looking for her but never found her when all she did was die her hair. Otherwise though I thought it was pretty fitting even though it didn’t work out for everyone I liked.
Overall, despite some flaws with descriptive details and realism, this was still an enjoyable debut. The characters, dynamics, plot and writing were all interesting so I would definitely recommend people give this a try. I would also definitely be interested in checking out any of this authors future work.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!
🅞🅥🅔🅡🅐🅛🅛 🅡🅐🅣🅘🅝🅖: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ . 25
April 23, 2025
dnf’d at 60%
to start, this was originally labeled as a queer book.
it’s not! at all!!
there might be nods to a queer relationship if you can count toxic codependency between people who actually hate each other as queer, sure.
there is also no polycule.
no even love triangle?
don’t ask me what that cover is!
because there’s also four main characters!! two girls!! two boys!! and let me tell you, the boys have more chemistry with the second girl than the mc!
the mc who?
has no personality?
she’s a bad girl. she’s also a book nerd. she’d never lie. but she’s a huge liar.
don’t ask me what’s going on with that because I don’t think the author even knows with how much back and forth there was.
also vampires?
where?
sharp teeth?
where?
I don’t know, im mad I bought this book and was so excited for it.
I’m even more mad that it was labeled as queer and now isn’t anymore.
to start, this was originally labeled as a queer book.
it’s not! at all!!
there might be nods to a queer relationship if you can count toxic codependency between people who actually hate each other as queer, sure.
there is also no polycule.
no even love triangle?
don’t ask me what that cover is!
because there’s also four main characters!! two girls!! two boys!! and let me tell you, the boys have more chemistry with the second girl than the mc!
the mc who?
has no personality?
she’s a bad girl. she’s also a book nerd. she’d never lie. but she’s a huge liar.
don’t ask me what’s going on with that because I don’t think the author even knows with how much back and forth there was.
also vampires?
where?
sharp teeth?
where?
I don’t know, im mad I bought this book and was so excited for it.
I’m even more mad that it was labeled as queer and now isn’t anymore.
April 3, 2025
"But I know boys, and now I know monsters, and there isn't that much difference between them."
Review to come
Review to come
September 15, 2025
Дочитала!!! Це тривало декілька місяців і я нарешті це зробила.
Можу сказати по власним відчуттям, що 2 половина книжка цікавіша і динамічніша, тому вона і дотягнула до 3. Але перша частина надто бісяча і повільна, тому не дивно, що її багато хто не дочитує.
Що сподобалося?
1. Дарк академія. Маємо все в найкращих традиціях жанру: приватна школа, замкнений простір, темна атмосфера, привілейована компанія друзів, смерть юнака. Все це дуже інтригує
2. До самого фіналу цікаво що ж там сталося
3. Складні стосунки в компанії. На мою думку саме цей момент погано пропрацьовано. Потрібно було більше на цьому робити акцент. Історія від цього тільки б виграла. А так вийшло середньо. Хоча щось все-одно у цьому є
4. Фінал. Сподобався. Не щось вау, але я однозначно очікувала гіршого. А так непогано
5. Ідея. Доволі цікава задумка. Просто не вистачило хімії, динаміка та логічності, щоб це було прям ВАУ
Що не сподобалось?
1. Абсурдний початок. Головна героїня, якій 16 років тікає з дому, підробляє документи і потрапляє до елітної приватної школи на навчання, щоб розслідувати вбивство свого дворічного брата. І ні у кого немає питань: ні у батька "де дитина", ні в школі. Що за брєд?
При цьому в приватній школі і хлопці і дівчата живуть разом. Як раз наша героїня живе разом з одним із підозрюваних 🤦♀️І за всю книжку жодного чергового. Ну так, вірю. Дійсно, батьки платять 25 тис $ за семестр, щоб їх діти робили там все що хочеш без нагляду
2. Бісяча головна героїня. В неї так шпарить той підлітковий максималізм, що вона і несе і робить постійно якусь фігню
3. Уроки філософії. Вони тут зайві, просто перевантаження тексту. Я в них особливо не побачила сенсу. І ці недолугі дискусії... Таке собі. До "Таємної історії" точно не дотягнули.
4. Баз. Навіщо вона тут була? І навіщо з нею таке зробили? Інколи придумують аби придумати
5. Почуття. Взагалі пройшло все повз. Бо для мене це виглядало "не можу вибрати чи до красівих чи до розумних". І по факту беру обох 😁
6. А ну і Сем, брат який загинув. Не зовсім зрозуміла скільки йому років. Але десь 16-18. І його взяли працювати охоронцем у приватну школу. Серйозно?
СПОЙЛЕР!!! СПОЙЛЕР!!! СПОЙЛЕР!!!
Для тих хто не дочитав, але хоче знати чим все закінчилося 😁
І так, маємо: Генрі, Едріана, Баз, Сем та головна героїня Джеймі/Морін. А також маємо містику - дзеркала, що поглинають душу
1. Хто вбив Сема? Генрі та Едріан
2. Навіщо? Бо колись Генрі помер і в момент смерті його душа була заточена у дзеркалі, що було навпроти нього, але воно тріснуло. І він наче залишився живий, але нічого не відчував. Щоб вгамувати свій голод, він "згодовував" душу інших людей дзеркалу. І лише в ці моменти він щось міг відчувати: гнів, радість та інше. Люди, звісно, помирали. Так помер і Сем. Але хлопці підлаштували все так наче то було передозування наркотиками.
3. Едріан в свою чергу, щоб підтримати друга періодично ще й різав себе, пускав кров перед дзеркалом, щоб нагодувати Генрі своїми емоціями. Але в решті решт не зміг це витримувати і попросив Джеймі вбити його
4. У фінальній сцені Генрі вдається вкрасти душу Джеймі. Його хоч і ловить поліція, саджає за ґрати, але він повний емоційно і щасливо живе. При цьому Джеймі порожня і голодна. Тепер вона постійно шукає його, щоб він міг поділитися з нею емоціями. А він робить їй подарунок. Пускає кров для неї, як колись Едріан для нього.
Як фінал всі щасливі і нещасні одночасно. Але головне не самотні
Можу сказати по власним відчуттям, що 2 половина книжка цікавіша і динамічніша, тому вона і дотягнула до 3. Але перша частина надто бісяча і повільна, тому не дивно, що її багато хто не дочитує.
Що сподобалося?
1. Дарк академія. Маємо все в найкращих традиціях жанру: приватна школа, замкнений простір, темна атмосфера, привілейована компанія друзів, смерть юнака. Все це дуже інтригує
2. До самого фіналу цікаво що ж там сталося
3. Складні стосунки в компанії. На мою думку саме цей момент погано пропрацьовано. Потрібно було більше на цьому робити акцент. Історія від цього тільки б виграла. А так вийшло середньо. Хоча щось все-одно у цьому є
4. Фінал. Сподобався. Не щось вау, але я однозначно очікувала гіршого. А так непогано
5. Ідея. Доволі цікава задумка. Просто не вистачило хімії, динаміка та логічності, щоб це було прям ВАУ
Що не сподобалось?
1. Абсурдний початок. Головна героїня, якій 16 років тікає з дому, підробляє документи і потрапляє до елітної приватної школи на навчання, щоб розслідувати вбивство свого дворічного брата. І ні у кого немає питань: ні у батька "де дитина", ні в школі. Що за брєд?
При цьому в приватній школі і хлопці і дівчата живуть разом. Як раз наша героїня живе разом з одним із підозрюваних 🤦♀️І за всю книжку жодного чергового. Ну так, вірю. Дійсно, батьки платять 25 тис $ за семестр, щоб їх діти робили там все що хочеш без нагляду
2. Бісяча головна героїня. В неї так шпарить той підлітковий максималізм, що вона і несе і робить постійно якусь фігню
3. Уроки філософії. Вони тут зайві, просто перевантаження тексту. Я в них особливо не побачила сенсу. І ці недолугі дискусії... Таке собі. До "Таємної історії" точно не дотягнули.
4. Баз. Навіщо вона тут була? І навіщо з нею таке зробили? Інколи придумують аби придумати
5. Почуття. Взагалі пройшло все повз. Бо для мене це виглядало "не можу вибрати чи до красівих чи до розумних". І по факту беру обох 😁
6. А ну і Сем, брат який загинув. Не зовсім зрозуміла скільки йому років. Але десь 16-18. І його взяли працювати охоронцем у приватну школу. Серйозно?
СПОЙЛЕР!!! СПОЙЛЕР!!! СПОЙЛЕР!!!
Для тих хто не дочитав, але хоче знати чим все закінчилося 😁
І так, маємо: Генрі, Едріана, Баз, Сем та головна героїня Джеймі/Морін. А також маємо містику - дзеркала, що поглинають душу
1. Хто вбив Сема? Генрі та Едріан
2. Навіщо? Бо колись Генрі помер і в момент смерті його душа була заточена у дзеркалі, що було навпроти нього, але воно тріснуло. І він наче залишився живий, але нічого не відчував. Щоб вгамувати свій голод, він "згодовував" душу інших людей дзеркалу. І лише в ці моменти він щось міг відчувати: гнів, радість та інше. Люди, звісно, помирали. Так помер і Сем. Але хлопці підлаштували все так наче то було передозування наркотиками.
3. Едріан в свою чергу, щоб підтримати друга періодично ще й різав себе, пускав кров перед дзеркалом, щоб нагодувати Генрі своїми емоціями. Але в решті решт не зміг це витримувати і попросив Джеймі вбити його
4. У фінальній сцені Генрі вдається вкрасти душу Джеймі. Його хоч і ловить поліція, саджає за ґрати, але він повний емоційно і щасливо живе. При цьому Джеймі порожня і голодна. Тепер вона постійно шукає його, щоб він міг поділитися з нею емоціями. А він робить їй подарунок. Пускає кров для неї, як колись Едріан для нього.
Як фінал всі щасливі і нещасні одночасно. Але головне не самотні
September 11, 2025
Got an arc from work
This was an interesting premise that managed to keep me guessing even when I thought for sure I knew how it was gonna go! I don’t know if “cerebral” is the right word but it uses a lot of philosophy and thought experiments as a scaffolding on which it builds its plot, both the supernatural and the mundane and I can see that being very divisive. Some kids are gonna be bored, and some kids are gonna eat this shit up and grow up to be absolute devotees of Donna Tartt. This wasn’t *not* for me but I’m also not convinced I would’ve been the target audience even at YA age. It definitely has a target audience though, and I hope they find it!
That being said, I’m sad to report that even with a cover like that it’s not polyamorous :/ I can’t even say “polyamory could’ve saved them” because no I think that actively would’ve made them worse lmao
This was an interesting premise that managed to keep me guessing even when I thought for sure I knew how it was gonna go! I don’t know if “cerebral” is the right word but it uses a lot of philosophy and thought experiments as a scaffolding on which it builds its plot, both the supernatural and the mundane and I can see that being very divisive. Some kids are gonna be bored, and some kids are gonna eat this shit up and grow up to be absolute devotees of Donna Tartt. This wasn’t *not* for me but I’m also not convinced I would’ve been the target audience even at YA age. It definitely has a target audience though, and I hope they find it!
That being said, I’m sad to report that even with a cover like that it’s not polyamorous :/ I can’t even say “polyamory could’ve saved them” because no I think that actively would’ve made them worse lmao
Read
April 7, 2025firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc and an alc!
unfortunately, dnf @ 11%, as i just was not interested, and i am promising to myself to not force myself to read any books i am not interested in or enjoying.
as for the narrator, i actually did not like her monotonous tone, especially for a thriller.
i’m sure this book will find its audience but it’s not me
unfortunately, dnf @ 11%, as i just was not interested, and i am promising to myself to not force myself to read any books i am not interested in or enjoying.
as for the narrator, i actually did not like her monotonous tone, especially for a thriller.
i’m sure this book will find its audience but it’s not me
November 5, 2025
Robię DNF - ta książka chce być bardziej estetyczna niż sensowna. Dała mi jedynie poetycko brzmiący bełkot. Nic więcej.
Want to read
June 26, 2024This cover is so sexy!! 🤤
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