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Toothsucker #1
Toothsucker
In a cyberpunk future, an alarming disease strikes, dissolving the bones of those with cybernetic enhancements. Petya, a refugee, sells himself to a company experimenting with a potential cure and instead finds himself with a strange new implant… and a vampiric hunger for teeth.
Petya only wanted a short trial with easy money, and now he’s at the mercy of a company hell-bent on market control, even if it means turning him into their personal pharmaceutical assassin.
They’re out for political power, and Petya is out for an escape and teeth.
Petya only wanted a short trial with easy money, and now he’s at the mercy of a company hell-bent on market control, even if it means turning him into their personal pharmaceutical assassin.
They’re out for political power, and Petya is out for an escape and teeth.
316 pages, Paperback
Published April 30, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
March 1, 2026
This was a riot! Vampiric lore melted into a cyberpunk world, with divine characters and a creative environment. The pacing is rapid-firing and addictive. The relationships can feel a little juvenile at times, but the ending really pulled the string together tightly. Kaden Love is one to watch!
May 3, 2025
I can't say I ever thought about how teeth would taste like, but after reading this book...thoughts are being thunk.
I'm kidding, I DO NOT want to try crunching on teeth, but I appreciate the details we got. Like how the Bite changes your own so you won't break them as you take, well, a bite out of someone else's.
It's also a nice twist on the vampire lore, instead of craving blood, they crave teeth!! If it gets bad enough, they go feral. So you can imagine how hard it was for Petya to teach their new recruit some discipline when it came to his newly awakened cravings.
I adored their dynamic, they worked well together, and the way Petya kept calling Devóne a kid was adorable.
The addition of Naoma to the team was kinda unexpected, but very welcome. I'm obsessed with her, she is the moment. I'm seated for more romance crumbs, by the way. Was it a bit fast? Yes. Do I care? No.
I often praise Kaden's creativity in my reviews, that's because he deserves it. I don't know how he comes up with all the little tidbits that make the world work, but I can always count on him to deliver something unique.
If you've read his other books, you can recognise his style, but that's where the similarities end, this is a completely different world and story, and I can't wait to experience even more of it.
The real-world parallels are evident in Toothsucker, it's not too far out of the realm of possibility that we're heading in that direction. But on the other hand, we don't have music-producing dolphin cyborgs (yet) now, do we? Why do I kinda want them to exist though...
Also, that Paladins reference...I love when authors mention their other books inside of a book, especially when the scene they're mentioned in is this funny. Someone please tell Boyband I'm the "freak" who loved the books, thank you.
Now for the obligatory Slavic person commentary ahem ahem:
- Okrepinate, I found the name fitting because in my language "okrepiti (se)" means to drink/eat your fill of something after which you feel a lot better and have the will to go on.
- Davor as a fake name. Do I even have to say it...The Serb in me approves.
- Petya, whose name reminded me of Petya (Peter) and the Wolf (the children's story), I love that the main character is called Petya, okay.
- Medislavia, which I'm assuming is supposed to be like a union of Slavic countries, I can't help but think that, if it did happen in the future, it would fall apart in no time because we'd be at each others' throats, plus Medislavia isn't painted in the best light here sooo...
Which brings me to the whole point of this book, the refugees. Petya is a refugee, and his story mirrors those of real life refugees, from Russia and Ukraine. Here in Serbia, we have a lot of refugees from both countries, luckily, they didn't have to go through what Petya did to find safety.
This world isn't kind to refugees, no matter where they come from, so the least we can do is be human and help them in any way we can. So I'm echoing Kaden's words from the acknowledgements - please consider donating to a charity that supports refugees, if you can.
And while you're at it, READ TOOTHSUCKER, not only because it'll be unlike anything you've read before, but because Mr Love is donating all of his release day proceeds to refugees who need it.
4.5
*Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
I'm kidding, I DO NOT want to try crunching on teeth, but I appreciate the details we got. Like how the Bite changes your own so you won't break them as you take, well, a bite out of someone else's.
It's also a nice twist on the vampire lore, instead of craving blood, they crave teeth!! If it gets bad enough, they go feral. So you can imagine how hard it was for Petya to teach their new recruit some discipline when it came to his newly awakened cravings.
I adored their dynamic, they worked well together, and the way Petya kept calling Devóne a kid was adorable.
The addition of Naoma to the team was kinda unexpected, but very welcome. I'm obsessed with her, she is the moment. I'm seated for more romance crumbs, by the way. Was it a bit fast? Yes. Do I care? No.
I often praise Kaden's creativity in my reviews, that's because he deserves it. I don't know how he comes up with all the little tidbits that make the world work, but I can always count on him to deliver something unique.
If you've read his other books, you can recognise his style, but that's where the similarities end, this is a completely different world and story, and I can't wait to experience even more of it.
The real-world parallels are evident in Toothsucker, it's not too far out of the realm of possibility that we're heading in that direction. But on the other hand, we don't have music-producing dolphin cyborgs (yet) now, do we? Why do I kinda want them to exist though...
Also, that Paladins reference...I love when authors mention their other books inside of a book, especially when the scene they're mentioned in is this funny. Someone please tell Boyband I'm the "freak" who loved the books, thank you.
Now for the obligatory Slavic person commentary ahem ahem:
- Okrepinate, I found the name fitting because in my language "okrepiti (se)" means to drink/eat your fill of something after which you feel a lot better and have the will to go on.
- Davor as a fake name. Do I even have to say it...The Serb in me approves.
- Petya, whose name reminded me of Petya (Peter) and the Wolf (the children's story), I love that the main character is called Petya, okay.
- Medislavia, which I'm assuming is supposed to be like a union of Slavic countries, I can't help but think that, if it did happen in the future, it would fall apart in no time because we'd be at each others' throats, plus Medislavia isn't painted in the best light here sooo...
Which brings me to the whole point of this book, the refugees. Petya is a refugee, and his story mirrors those of real life refugees, from Russia and Ukraine. Here in Serbia, we have a lot of refugees from both countries, luckily, they didn't have to go through what Petya did to find safety.
This world isn't kind to refugees, no matter where they come from, so the least we can do is be human and help them in any way we can. So I'm echoing Kaden's words from the acknowledgements - please consider donating to a charity that supports refugees, if you can.
And while you're at it, READ TOOTHSUCKER, not only because it'll be unlike anything you've read before, but because Mr Love is donating all of his release day proceeds to refugees who need it.
4.5
*Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
August 6, 2026
This review was originally published on Grimdark Magazine
Okay, so I might not have read a ton of cyberpunk yet, but Kaden Love absolutely shattered any and all expectations I could have had for Toothsucker, and I think it is safe to say that he delivered something wildly unique here. I honestly just came for the tooth-eating vampires (yes, you read that right), and while this fun paranormal dystopian cyberpunk romp absolutely delivers on that wonderfully bizarre premise, it also delivered so much more in so many unexpected ways.
From the very first page, I was completely drawn into this neon-drenched cyberpunk future where big corporations are the political powers, a terrifying plague is melting the bones of people with cybernetic enhancements, and our boy Petya has developed a lust for teeth after an experimental implant was put into him by the company he sold himself to in the hopes of helping find a cure. Like, hello? That level of wild imagination is just absolutely crazy in the best way possible, and then I haven’t even talked yet about the weaponized physical light, the cyborg dolphin race, the memtabs making nostalgia a drug, or the strict colour-coded society that reminded me of Red Rising while also being completely its own unique thing.
There is simply no denying that it’s all a lot to take in for such a relatively short novel, but I personally never felt too overwhelmed because Petya’s strong first-person narration kept me so grounded, especially with how vividly Jordan Joshua captured his voice and brought him to life in the audiobook. Petya is a refugee who has fled from a war-torn part of this world, and he is desperate to make things better for refugees from his country, even if that means putting himself in danger. His inner struggle with his addiction to teeth and the way his self-disgust impacts his relationships because of his fear of rejection was so painfully well-written, and I absolutely loved exploring this intriguing world through his eyes as he sets out on a mission with a new impulsive orphaned recruit to infiltrate the ruling parties and destroy them from within.
The brotherly dynamic between Petya and Boyband completely charmed me and quickly became my favourite aspect of Toothsucker, and I loved how we got to see Petya’s walls slowly coming down as more misfits joined their unexpected found family. Naoma especially really stole the show for me, and I didn’t even mind that the inklings of romance felt a bit insta-love because I, too, would have fallen head over heels in love with her. I get it, Petya, I really do.
I also really appreciated how the class divide was challenged in Toothsucker as we got to see people from such different backgrounds coming together to work towards a common goal, and the resulting tension between the characters and their excellent banter had me completely hooked. Sure, they frustrated me at times, but that only made them more lovable to me, and I was rooting so hard for all these traumatised babes because they absolutely deserved some joy and camaraderie amidst all the misery and horror.
The fast pacing combined with the thrilling corporate espionage/assassination action and high personal stakes just made Toothsucker so addictive that I devoured it in a single day, though I do think the story could have benefited from slowing down in a few places. I would have loved more time to properly appreciate this wildly fascinating world in all its glory, more time to explore the emotional complexity of the side characters for their character arcs to feel more earned, and more space for some of the thematic depth to really sink its teeth into me. I never got as emotionally invested as I wanted to be, which took away some of the impact of the revelations and gut punches.
Still, I really liked what we did get, and I especially appreciated how much heart and raw, real honesty there is in the themes of war, corruption, and the refugee crisis. I felt like you could just sense how much the situation that Kaden’s friends in Russia and Ukraine are experiencing has influenced the story even if you didn’t know that beforehand, because the emotions behind it feel so genuine. It is quite literally almost impossible not to love what Love is doing here, and that ending was so brutally bold that I now can’t wait to see where the story goes next in Chromatic Creep because I need answers and possibly also some emotional compensation.
Toothsucker is a dangerously addictive genre-blender with sharp teeth but a very big heart, and I would highly recommend it (especially on audio!) if you are in the mood for a fast-paced thrill ride that you won’t soon forget. I came for the tooth-eating vampires and stayed for the found family, the political intrigue, the wild worldbuilding, the emotional damage, and all the traumatised little weirdos trying their best to make the world slightly less terrible. What a wicked, wild ride.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an ALC in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.
Okay, so I might not have read a ton of cyberpunk yet, but Kaden Love absolutely shattered any and all expectations I could have had for Toothsucker, and I think it is safe to say that he delivered something wildly unique here. I honestly just came for the tooth-eating vampires (yes, you read that right), and while this fun paranormal dystopian cyberpunk romp absolutely delivers on that wonderfully bizarre premise, it also delivered so much more in so many unexpected ways.
From the very first page, I was completely drawn into this neon-drenched cyberpunk future where big corporations are the political powers, a terrifying plague is melting the bones of people with cybernetic enhancements, and our boy Petya has developed a lust for teeth after an experimental implant was put into him by the company he sold himself to in the hopes of helping find a cure. Like, hello? That level of wild imagination is just absolutely crazy in the best way possible, and then I haven’t even talked yet about the weaponized physical light, the cyborg dolphin race, the memtabs making nostalgia a drug, or the strict colour-coded society that reminded me of Red Rising while also being completely its own unique thing.
There is simply no denying that it’s all a lot to take in for such a relatively short novel, but I personally never felt too overwhelmed because Petya’s strong first-person narration kept me so grounded, especially with how vividly Jordan Joshua captured his voice and brought him to life in the audiobook. Petya is a refugee who has fled from a war-torn part of this world, and he is desperate to make things better for refugees from his country, even if that means putting himself in danger. His inner struggle with his addiction to teeth and the way his self-disgust impacts his relationships because of his fear of rejection was so painfully well-written, and I absolutely loved exploring this intriguing world through his eyes as he sets out on a mission with a new impulsive orphaned recruit to infiltrate the ruling parties and destroy them from within.
The brotherly dynamic between Petya and Boyband completely charmed me and quickly became my favourite aspect of Toothsucker, and I loved how we got to see Petya’s walls slowly coming down as more misfits joined their unexpected found family. Naoma especially really stole the show for me, and I didn’t even mind that the inklings of romance felt a bit insta-love because I, too, would have fallen head over heels in love with her. I get it, Petya, I really do.
I also really appreciated how the class divide was challenged in Toothsucker as we got to see people from such different backgrounds coming together to work towards a common goal, and the resulting tension between the characters and their excellent banter had me completely hooked. Sure, they frustrated me at times, but that only made them more lovable to me, and I was rooting so hard for all these traumatised babes because they absolutely deserved some joy and camaraderie amidst all the misery and horror.
The fast pacing combined with the thrilling corporate espionage/assassination action and high personal stakes just made Toothsucker so addictive that I devoured it in a single day, though I do think the story could have benefited from slowing down in a few places. I would have loved more time to properly appreciate this wildly fascinating world in all its glory, more time to explore the emotional complexity of the side characters for their character arcs to feel more earned, and more space for some of the thematic depth to really sink its teeth into me. I never got as emotionally invested as I wanted to be, which took away some of the impact of the revelations and gut punches.
Still, I really liked what we did get, and I especially appreciated how much heart and raw, real honesty there is in the themes of war, corruption, and the refugee crisis. I felt like you could just sense how much the situation that Kaden’s friends in Russia and Ukraine are experiencing has influenced the story even if you didn’t know that beforehand, because the emotions behind it feel so genuine. It is quite literally almost impossible not to love what Love is doing here, and that ending was so brutally bold that I now can’t wait to see where the story goes next in Chromatic Creep because I need answers and possibly also some emotional compensation.
Toothsucker is a dangerously addictive genre-blender with sharp teeth but a very big heart, and I would highly recommend it (especially on audio!) if you are in the mood for a fast-paced thrill ride that you won’t soon forget. I came for the tooth-eating vampires and stayed for the found family, the political intrigue, the wild worldbuilding, the emotional damage, and all the traumatised little weirdos trying their best to make the world slightly less terrible. What a wicked, wild ride.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an ALC in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.
March 24, 2025
Teeth-eating vampires, talking cyborg dolphins, jelly fiends, glowing skeletons, neurospace, a neo-capitalocractic nation.🦷
I never expected to become addicted to eating teeth when I immigrated to the Republic.
I need this to find its audience because this is so genre blending and unique and also bizarre and relevant and relatable and… it has a lot of potential as you can tell.
In a cyberpunk future, Petya is a refugee who consents to experimentation to make money. This ends up giving him heightened abilities (yay), but also a hunger for teeth. If only the cure was as simple as calcium in milk…
Petya and a new impulsive orphaned recruit is sent to infiltrate the ruling parties and destroy them from within.
Even when you are tempted to escape our somber reality, don’t lose touch with it.
- I fully bought into the idea that consumerism is turned against us and weaponised to an extent.
- The idea that politics and capitalism are so intertwined that ruling parties are basically stock market contingent? Brilliant!
- I supported the cristicms against AI and art.
- I loved the idea of nostalgia being a new type of drug.
However, as you may be able to tell I think it sometimes felt too preachy to me. The humour was spot on at times, but other times made me cringe.
I think this was intentional considering this behaviour was common with one particular character, yet it still gave me the ick (‘daddy’, nicknames, flirting). At the same time, she was one of my favourite characters. Go figure.
Kaden is always so inventive with his stories and I am in awe (and also slightly terrified) of his mind. I do not want to see his search history.
There were references to his other epic fantasy series Paladins of the Harvest which felt like a cheeky wink to those who have read that.
Arc gifted by the author (p.s he gives great recommendations on TikTok and YouTube!).
Bookstagram
I never expected to become addicted to eating teeth when I immigrated to the Republic.
I need this to find its audience because this is so genre blending and unique and also bizarre and relevant and relatable and… it has a lot of potential as you can tell.
In a cyberpunk future, Petya is a refugee who consents to experimentation to make money. This ends up giving him heightened abilities (yay), but also a hunger for teeth. If only the cure was as simple as calcium in milk…
Petya and a new impulsive orphaned recruit is sent to infiltrate the ruling parties and destroy them from within.
Even when you are tempted to escape our somber reality, don’t lose touch with it.
- I fully bought into the idea that consumerism is turned against us and weaponised to an extent.
- The idea that politics and capitalism are so intertwined that ruling parties are basically stock market contingent? Brilliant!
- I supported the cristicms against AI and art.
- I loved the idea of nostalgia being a new type of drug.
However, as you may be able to tell I think it sometimes felt too preachy to me. The humour was spot on at times, but other times made me cringe.
I think this was intentional considering this behaviour was common with one particular character, yet it still gave me the ick (‘daddy’, nicknames, flirting). At the same time, she was one of my favourite characters. Go figure.
Kaden is always so inventive with his stories and I am in awe (and also slightly terrified) of his mind. I do not want to see his search history.
There were references to his other epic fantasy series Paladins of the Harvest which felt like a cheeky wink to those who have read that.
Arc gifted by the author (p.s he gives great recommendations on TikTok and YouTube!).
Bookstagram
January 15, 2026
it turns out tooth eating vampires aren’t for me. the characters felt very one dimensional even though there was easily observable attempt to make them more rounded. Petya, the main character, was very inconsistent in his character. from one chapter to the next, occasionally one paragraph to the next, he would do a 180° on who he is, how he spoke, and what he believed it. this made it difficult for me to ever connect with him. other characters also were flat. the dialogue was used as a method for giving the characters their personality, but since it was stilted, I couldn’t find any emotional connection to them.
the plot and concept were interesting, but the constant info dumping were unenjoyable and pulled you from the story. the concept was there, but the execution was lacking. i liked the cyberpunk world with a bone eating disease running rampant and the tooth eating ‘vampires’ but wish we got to spend more time in the cyberpunk world instead of just the politics that are fluctuating with every chapter.
i ended with a lot more questions than i started with. i realize there is going to be more to this world but certain questions should have been answered in the first book. there were a lot of plot holes and plot developments that lead you down a one way street with a dead end, you turn around and there isn’t a way back out. there was too much show and tell for me to be fully immersed. while i know so many others have enjoyed this, it just was not the book for me.
the plot and concept were interesting, but the constant info dumping were unenjoyable and pulled you from the story. the concept was there, but the execution was lacking. i liked the cyberpunk world with a bone eating disease running rampant and the tooth eating ‘vampires’ but wish we got to spend more time in the cyberpunk world instead of just the politics that are fluctuating with every chapter.
i ended with a lot more questions than i started with. i realize there is going to be more to this world but certain questions should have been answered in the first book. there were a lot of plot holes and plot developments that lead you down a one way street with a dead end, you turn around and there isn’t a way back out. there was too much show and tell for me to be fully immersed. while i know so many others have enjoyed this, it just was not the book for me.
January 15, 2026
Grabbed this on my quest to read something by every author I will be sharing the page with in The Book of Spores anthology. And while I have already read some, what a place to start this with this one!
While I like the title a lot, I do think Tootheater would have been more apt. Equally cool too (maybe?). Regardless, this was a really unique blend of fantasy and scifi, giving us a far-flung cyberpunk version of our world that felt like an amped up Blade Runner with its neon-drenched districts. Our group, referred to as the imps, have had a hypothalamic implant—referred to as Bites—added to their neurospaces. This update allows them heightened agility, strength, even intelligence and more, they just have to feed the hunger before it’s drained. The thing is…the cost of that hunger is teeth. Human teeth. And as you can imagine, not many are willing to part with their teeth willingly. The way they lust for them, as well as the buildup to feeding frenzy, is very vampiric in nature. While untraditional, it still follows some of the tropes and adds another layer to how unique this book is.
While we didn’t get too many glimpses into the actual world, the author did a good job explaining how things have become the way they are. Companies, with their ever-growing profits, and civilians’ ever-growing reliance on their products, have realized that they’re the ones with the actual power and resources. This shift has led to deeper subliminal product placement, furthering needs and desires, and even presidencies built upon the backs of the leading companies. Regardless of where you stand (left or right) it’s not that farfetched of an idea when our president is a literal celebrity and companies like Amazon have moved into even pharmaceuticals. While this doesn’t imbue any personal beliefs from the author, this does feel like an extrapolation of a possible future we are seeing now. That, and the change in countries from future wars, kept this book on the side of believable. And it kept it fresh in my mind as an idea that is both science fiction and real.
On the further side of scifi, this book features the existence of physical light. Which color you can buy will decide where you place in the light districts, finding its way into streetlights, advertisements, and even the color of your clothes. The weaponized light felt almost like Star Wars’ vibroblades and the light guns felt like a deep dive in explanation to the commonplace “blaster” we’ve had in books for years. Without saying too much and spoiling it, this also goes into a more spiritual existence to this physical light, which added another layer of uniqueness for me, but you’ll have to read to find out for yourself…
This book is 1st person, and our POV comes from Petya, a character hailing from one of the warring countries. He wants to make things better for refugees from his country, and on his journey to do so, things get much worse at the hands of those that installed the Bite. The author has crafted a well done and meaningful lead. He struggles throughout the book with opening up to the others. Not just in fear of rejection, but due to his disgust with himself over needing to eat teeth. The deaths they cause, as well as the lack of control they exhibit, turns our main from morally grey into much more of a tortured soul. I also think the POV with inner thoughts helped to keep the ball rolling in terms of plot. He is shown as a true friend, a brotherly protector, and even a possible lover, all things that layer him as a character and more than a monster—the exact thing I love about vampire stories.
An intriguing and enLIGHTening first entry into the series. I am looking forward to book two in the future.
https://fanfiaddict.com/review-tooths...
While I like the title a lot, I do think Tootheater would have been more apt. Equally cool too (maybe?). Regardless, this was a really unique blend of fantasy and scifi, giving us a far-flung cyberpunk version of our world that felt like an amped up Blade Runner with its neon-drenched districts. Our group, referred to as the imps, have had a hypothalamic implant—referred to as Bites—added to their neurospaces. This update allows them heightened agility, strength, even intelligence and more, they just have to feed the hunger before it’s drained. The thing is…the cost of that hunger is teeth. Human teeth. And as you can imagine, not many are willing to part with their teeth willingly. The way they lust for them, as well as the buildup to feeding frenzy, is very vampiric in nature. While untraditional, it still follows some of the tropes and adds another layer to how unique this book is.
While we didn’t get too many glimpses into the actual world, the author did a good job explaining how things have become the way they are. Companies, with their ever-growing profits, and civilians’ ever-growing reliance on their products, have realized that they’re the ones with the actual power and resources. This shift has led to deeper subliminal product placement, furthering needs and desires, and even presidencies built upon the backs of the leading companies. Regardless of where you stand (left or right) it’s not that farfetched of an idea when our president is a literal celebrity and companies like Amazon have moved into even pharmaceuticals. While this doesn’t imbue any personal beliefs from the author, this does feel like an extrapolation of a possible future we are seeing now. That, and the change in countries from future wars, kept this book on the side of believable. And it kept it fresh in my mind as an idea that is both science fiction and real.
On the further side of scifi, this book features the existence of physical light. Which color you can buy will decide where you place in the light districts, finding its way into streetlights, advertisements, and even the color of your clothes. The weaponized light felt almost like Star Wars’ vibroblades and the light guns felt like a deep dive in explanation to the commonplace “blaster” we’ve had in books for years. Without saying too much and spoiling it, this also goes into a more spiritual existence to this physical light, which added another layer of uniqueness for me, but you’ll have to read to find out for yourself…
This book is 1st person, and our POV comes from Petya, a character hailing from one of the warring countries. He wants to make things better for refugees from his country, and on his journey to do so, things get much worse at the hands of those that installed the Bite. The author has crafted a well done and meaningful lead. He struggles throughout the book with opening up to the others. Not just in fear of rejection, but due to his disgust with himself over needing to eat teeth. The deaths they cause, as well as the lack of control they exhibit, turns our main from morally grey into much more of a tortured soul. I also think the POV with inner thoughts helped to keep the ball rolling in terms of plot. He is shown as a true friend, a brotherly protector, and even a possible lover, all things that layer him as a character and more than a monster—the exact thing I love about vampire stories.
An intriguing and enLIGHTening first entry into the series. I am looking forward to book two in the future.
https://fanfiaddict.com/review-tooths...
April 29, 2025
Toothsucker by Kaden Love is wild, raw, and totally original. It follows Petya, a refugee who volunteers for an experimental procedure that turns him into something no longer fully human. That transformation is horrifying, emotional, and impossible to look away from.
This book was inspired by Kaden’s real-life friends who were trying to escape Russia and lost so much during immigration. That personal weight is felt in every chapter. It’s about survival, identity, and what we give up just to keep going.
His creativity shines here as he mixes body horror with a cyberpunk world that’s so weird and cool, it’s hard not to be impressed. There is a dolphin race, a KPop-inspired movement called Neon Pop, and a color-coded system of control that reminded me a bit of Red Rising. It’s smart, layered, and totally Kaden because if you’ve read his work before, you know he doesn’t do basic. I need to know what happens next!
Overall, it is dark, it is sharp, and it hits hard. Definitely not a comfort read, but if you want something that stays with you and makes you think, Toothsucker is worth it. 👍🏻
This book was inspired by Kaden’s real-life friends who were trying to escape Russia and lost so much during immigration. That personal weight is felt in every chapter. It’s about survival, identity, and what we give up just to keep going.
His creativity shines here as he mixes body horror with a cyberpunk world that’s so weird and cool, it’s hard not to be impressed. There is a dolphin race, a KPop-inspired movement called Neon Pop, and a color-coded system of control that reminded me a bit of Red Rising. It’s smart, layered, and totally Kaden because if you’ve read his work before, you know he doesn’t do basic. I need to know what happens next!
Overall, it is dark, it is sharp, and it hits hard. Definitely not a comfort read, but if you want something that stays with you and makes you think, Toothsucker is worth it. 👍🏻
March 14, 2025
The worldbuilding just blew my mind!! The capitalistic futuristic system Kaden created is a perfect hyperbole for what is happening in the world right now and it makes you rethink what the society is heading towards 🤯 The best book by Kaden Love yet!
June 30, 2026
2/5 Stars
Format: E book and Audiobook
Spoilers: No
Toothsucker is a book that is huge on ideas, and sounded like something I would really enjoy. Unfortunately, it just didn't work for me in a few ways.
I am someone who is really character driven, and this book is definitely plot and world driven. The characters felt extremely flat, and I struggled to really get into any of them. Even when we do get some background explanations on them, it was just hard to care about them too much. There is also a romance that feels really forced and rushed.
Kaden has a lot of great ideas, and I really wish he would have slowed down and worked on building things more (especially as a book one). This book was so fast paced, with our main character narrator rushing us through info dumps for world building and telling us how to feel. There are some really cool ideas when it comes to the themes, and the politics, and the world itself. But everything felt rushed and underdeveloped in a race to get the plot pushed through. There were also so many different turns here, that it was difficult to feel too invested at any point in the story.
Overall, someone whois looking for a fast paced cyberpunk book that is more of a vibe than an in depth story with well fleshed out characters might really enjoy this, and as I said there are some components that are potentially going to be really enjoyable for some folks. But for me, this one just fell flat.
Format: E book and Audiobook
Spoilers: No
Toothsucker is a book that is huge on ideas, and sounded like something I would really enjoy. Unfortunately, it just didn't work for me in a few ways.
I am someone who is really character driven, and this book is definitely plot and world driven. The characters felt extremely flat, and I struggled to really get into any of them. Even when we do get some background explanations on them, it was just hard to care about them too much. There is also a romance that feels really forced and rushed.
Kaden has a lot of great ideas, and I really wish he would have slowed down and worked on building things more (especially as a book one). This book was so fast paced, with our main character narrator rushing us through info dumps for world building and telling us how to feel. There are some really cool ideas when it comes to the themes, and the politics, and the world itself. But everything felt rushed and underdeveloped in a race to get the plot pushed through. There were also so many different turns here, that it was difficult to feel too invested at any point in the story.
Overall, someone whois looking for a fast paced cyberpunk book that is more of a vibe than an in depth story with well fleshed out characters might really enjoy this, and as I said there are some components that are potentially going to be really enjoyable for some folks. But for me, this one just fell flat.
June 15, 2025
Cyberpunk is a genre that I often feel I should enjoy more than I do, fotunately that is not the case with Toothsucker!
Starting with a fascinating riff on the idea of vampires but created through body modification, and some truly inspired world building concepts, especially around light itself, which is often one of nothing more than a purely visual aspects of the genre, but here is reworked into something far more than being a mere cosmetic part of the world, and you already have a world that hooked me.
Add into that a solid story of corporate espionage/assassination and corruption paired with a multi-layered main character who has a genuine, fully realised character ark, and a strong primary supporting cast, not to mention some pretty graphic action moments that made me feel mildly uncomfortable at times (in a good way), and you are left with one of my favorite Cyberpunk style reads so far.
Also worth mentioning, this is a book 1 which I did not realise until i was near the end of the book, which is a testament to the writing, as this felt like a fully realised story in it's own right, but does leave off in a natural jumping off point for what comes next, and I am stoked to see what comes next!
Starting with a fascinating riff on the idea of vampires but created through body modification, and some truly inspired world building concepts, especially around light itself, which is often one of nothing more than a purely visual aspects of the genre, but here is reworked into something far more than being a mere cosmetic part of the world, and you already have a world that hooked me.
Add into that a solid story of corporate espionage/assassination and corruption paired with a multi-layered main character who has a genuine, fully realised character ark, and a strong primary supporting cast, not to mention some pretty graphic action moments that made me feel mildly uncomfortable at times (in a good way), and you are left with one of my favorite Cyberpunk style reads so far.
Also worth mentioning, this is a book 1 which I did not realise until i was near the end of the book, which is a testament to the writing, as this felt like a fully realised story in it's own right, but does leave off in a natural jumping off point for what comes next, and I am stoked to see what comes next!
Did Not Finish
April 8, 2026Anyway, when I tell my friends to not read books they don't vibe with, I should practice what I preach. I try to not DNF a book until I've read at least a good 100+ pages, but I unfortunately did not enjoy Toothsucker from the get go.
The characters felt too one dimensional, there were some prominent/confusing grammar and spelling errors in the book - like forgetting quotation marks in dialogue - and all the characters had the same tone of voice, so it was impossible to tell who was talking.
Add the inconsistent worldbuilding, cyborg dolphins and lack of actual tooth-eating vampires, and I think I'm just checking out early. There's an audience for this book, for sure, but I'm just not one of them.
The characters felt too one dimensional, there were some prominent/confusing grammar and spelling errors in the book - like forgetting quotation marks in dialogue - and all the characters had the same tone of voice, so it was impossible to tell who was talking.
Add the inconsistent worldbuilding, cyborg dolphins and lack of actual tooth-eating vampires, and I think I'm just checking out early. There's an audience for this book, for sure, but I'm just not one of them.
June 3, 2026
Cyberpunk tooth-eating vampires is quite a combo! If you're looking for something fast-paced and brutal, this is a solid read. I can see a lot of inspiration from Red Rising here, such as a color-based class system and a new set of fictional curses to add to your vocab. Toothsucker would have benefitted from a more gradual introduction to get us familiarized with the cyberpunk future setting, but once the world building clicks you can get pretty immersed in the story. I look forward to checking out book 2!
September 30, 2025
1.5. Toothsucker has an amazing, awesome premise it so terribly fails to deliver on. Teeth eating vampires? Cyberpunk? Plague? Sign me up. But god, it hardly even feels “cyberpunk.”
Petya, the main character, is insufferable. I believe he is supposed to be a play on the brooding deep dark past character trope, but he SUCKS. He’s so annoying! I don’t give a shit about his past! I appreciate the author’s dedication in the book about refugee stories, but it literally is so emotionless.
Speaking of emotions, let’s talk about the fact that this book had none. It tries so hard to TELL you what to feel. Within seconds, deep dark past “i hate everybody” is calling Devon his little brother. Gang, you’ve know him for five minutes and I have no attachment to him. I have no attachment to anybody in this book because every character is so exceedingly flat. Everyone is the same, really, other than Ralia, and she’s just sexual harassment with a shiny bow on it.
The worldbuilding is terrible. Nothing makes any sense because almost nothing is fully described. There is little to no imagery in the whole book. I don’t know how literally anything looks and every action sequence is so confusing for this reason. A simple question of “why does eating teeth act as fuel for the Bites?” is literally never answered. And if it is, I can’t remember it because instead of repeating information that might be difficult to understand, I’m explained the same term over and over again like I’m five years old.
Don’t even get me started on the romance. It’s so flat and passionless. Every character relationship is flat, but this one is so flat it’s like a piece of paper.
Now, I usually don’t comment on format and editing in self-published books. However, Love claims to have an editor in his afterword and that was actually insane to me. This book is so poorly edited it’s crazy. The writing is extremely clunky and repetitive. Dialogue is not always indented. Lines are italicized that are not supposed to be and vice versa. Dialogue is not always closed with a quotation mark. Words are spelled wrong/the wrong word is used. I was just going to comment on the egregious, juvenile writing that has absolutely no substance and is so empty of emotion, but knowing this book has an editor is crazy. Even the table of contents is messed up.
To say it all, I was severely disappointed. I was really looking forward to Toothsucker and it was just terrible.
Petya, the main character, is insufferable. I believe he is supposed to be a play on the brooding deep dark past character trope, but he SUCKS. He’s so annoying! I don’t give a shit about his past! I appreciate the author’s dedication in the book about refugee stories, but it literally is so emotionless.
Speaking of emotions, let’s talk about the fact that this book had none. It tries so hard to TELL you what to feel. Within seconds, deep dark past “i hate everybody” is calling Devon his little brother. Gang, you’ve know him for five minutes and I have no attachment to him. I have no attachment to anybody in this book because every character is so exceedingly flat. Everyone is the same, really, other than Ralia, and she’s just sexual harassment with a shiny bow on it.
The worldbuilding is terrible. Nothing makes any sense because almost nothing is fully described. There is little to no imagery in the whole book. I don’t know how literally anything looks and every action sequence is so confusing for this reason. A simple question of “why does eating teeth act as fuel for the Bites?” is literally never answered. And if it is, I can’t remember it because instead of repeating information that might be difficult to understand, I’m explained the same term over and over again like I’m five years old.
Don’t even get me started on the romance. It’s so flat and passionless. Every character relationship is flat, but this one is so flat it’s like a piece of paper.
Now, I usually don’t comment on format and editing in self-published books. However, Love claims to have an editor in his afterword and that was actually insane to me. This book is so poorly edited it’s crazy. The writing is extremely clunky and repetitive. Dialogue is not always indented. Lines are italicized that are not supposed to be and vice versa. Dialogue is not always closed with a quotation mark. Words are spelled wrong/the wrong word is used. I was just going to comment on the egregious, juvenile writing that has absolutely no substance and is so empty of emotion, but knowing this book has an editor is crazy. Even the table of contents is messed up.
To say it all, I was severely disappointed. I was really looking forward to Toothsucker and it was just terrible.
April 30, 2025
I never expected to become addicted to eating teeth when I immigrated to the Republic.
For those of you who feel like there's nothing new or unique in SFF right now, let me introduce you to Kaden Love and Toothsucker. There's cyborg dolphins and vampire tooth eaters, all inside of a Cyberpunk world... and it works. Love is wildly imaginative and I love it, the world building in Toothsucker was my favorite aspect. For character readers, you'll feel at home here too as Kaden created a nice cast that really makes you empathize with the underlying immigration issues that face them.
While this is a good book and had pretty good pacing for 90%, the ending 10% takes it up to another level. I eagerly await book two.
Note: Kaden is donating 100% of his day one sales to help refugees, so support and order a copy on launch day.
7.71/10
4/5 ⭐️
Thank you to the author for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
For those of you who feel like there's nothing new or unique in SFF right now, let me introduce you to Kaden Love and Toothsucker. There's cyborg dolphins and vampire tooth eaters, all inside of a Cyberpunk world... and it works. Love is wildly imaginative and I love it, the world building in Toothsucker was my favorite aspect. For character readers, you'll feel at home here too as Kaden created a nice cast that really makes you empathize with the underlying immigration issues that face them.
While this is a good book and had pretty good pacing for 90%, the ending 10% takes it up to another level. I eagerly await book two.
Note: Kaden is donating 100% of his day one sales to help refugees, so support and order a copy on launch day.
7.71/10
4/5 ⭐️
Thank you to the author for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 29, 2025
Did I read the same book as all the others? I am not trying to be harsh, but in fact charitable with my rating and review. I wanted to like this book, I was rooting for it, but it's just not ready for an audience. Even better, start from scratch. This score was not for vibes, but it was critically thought through based on characters, setting, plot, themes, emotional impact, personal enjoyment, and writing/editing. The highest scores were 1.5 for setting and writing. Every single category left me frustratedly wanting more.
The characters, even the main ones, were insufferable, weak, vile, hypocritical, waffle-y, and plain stupid. They all were caricatures of themselves with no growth to show for their flaws. The relationships weren't believable and most felt forced. I stopped caring about characters who fell off the face of the earth only to come back. The dialogue was stilted and didn't flow well, with new nicknames and lingo abruptly being used or disused. The funny lines weren't believable either. Rather, they left forced or grossly inappropriate.
The plot holes were abundant. The writing tells rather than shows so that lends itself to alright action scenes but quite poorly anything else that isn't an "I" statement. The editing still needed another few rounds just for spelling and grammar. And another few rounds for scrapping the whole thing and starting from the beginning. The world was never established properly, with new, really key, important information being offhandedly revealed continually, even late into the book.
The politics took clear inspiration from today's events and seemed to be very one-sided. The politics were all told rather than shown which made it feel preachy, especially with no dialogue or thought challenging the worldview. I'd rather read about the politics of a fantastical world that doesn't take me out of the story and back into real life.
I did appreciate the originality of SOME elements of the story, such as the teeth eating vampires and presence of the jelly fiends, glow bones, and Finians. However, literally everything besides felt phoned in, pulled from other sources or just decided upon by throwing a dart on the wall without creating reason or, more importantly, a back story as explanation.
Please hear this: I wanted to like this, but this book is not ready for an audience. I am hopeful for improvements to this author's writing in the future, and I am writing my review with that in mind, but I will not be reading the sequel.
The characters, even the main ones, were insufferable, weak, vile, hypocritical, waffle-y, and plain stupid. They all were caricatures of themselves with no growth to show for their flaws. The relationships weren't believable and most felt forced. I stopped caring about characters who fell off the face of the earth only to come back. The dialogue was stilted and didn't flow well, with new nicknames and lingo abruptly being used or disused. The funny lines weren't believable either. Rather, they left forced or grossly inappropriate.
The plot holes were abundant. The writing tells rather than shows so that lends itself to alright action scenes but quite poorly anything else that isn't an "I" statement. The editing still needed another few rounds just for spelling and grammar. And another few rounds for scrapping the whole thing and starting from the beginning. The world was never established properly, with new, really key, important information being offhandedly revealed continually, even late into the book.
The politics took clear inspiration from today's events and seemed to be very one-sided. The politics were all told rather than shown which made it feel preachy, especially with no dialogue or thought challenging the worldview. I'd rather read about the politics of a fantastical world that doesn't take me out of the story and back into real life.
I did appreciate the originality of SOME elements of the story, such as the teeth eating vampires and presence of the jelly fiends, glow bones, and Finians. However, literally everything besides felt phoned in, pulled from other sources or just decided upon by throwing a dart on the wall without creating reason or, more importantly, a back story as explanation.
Please hear this: I wanted to like this, but this book is not ready for an audience. I am hopeful for improvements to this author's writing in the future, and I am writing my review with that in mind, but I will not be reading the sequel.
July 27, 2026
I have mixed feelings on this book. Overall conceptually, amazing! However the execution fell flat for me. I absolutely loved the cyberpunk world building the concept of teeth eating vampires but I felt overall the characters just felt flat and it was really hard for me to connect to them. I also felt the pacing was actually too fast paced for me to really grasp what was going on in this before something else happened. I think this could have been incredible if it was slowed down a bit more and the same amount of time was spent in the characters as the world bc this world is amazing.
March 11, 2025
By far Kaden's best book yet. I couldn't put this book down once I started. I really love the world this book painted and the characters are endearing and morally reprehensible at the same time which adds great depth to the world of Toothsucker.
A great take on a cyberpunk future with some greater fantastical elements mixed in. Teeth eating vampires, cybernetically enhanced dolphins, and light based tech all come together in an enthralling story about Petya and his band of fellow misfits. Petya has his reasons for working for Deleon but this next mission sends Petya and the newest recruit down a path that may just reveal the truth behind their master's motives. Will their enhancements be enough to help them navigate the world of the upper districts or will their need to feed on teeth be their downfall?
Ready for a memtab so I can feel what it's like to read this book again. Can't wait to see where this story goes in the future!
P.S. Be on the look out for the paladins reference
A great take on a cyberpunk future with some greater fantastical elements mixed in. Teeth eating vampires, cybernetically enhanced dolphins, and light based tech all come together in an enthralling story about Petya and his band of fellow misfits. Petya has his reasons for working for Deleon but this next mission sends Petya and the newest recruit down a path that may just reveal the truth behind their master's motives. Will their enhancements be enough to help them navigate the world of the upper districts or will their need to feed on teeth be their downfall?
Ready for a memtab so I can feel what it's like to read this book again. Can't wait to see where this story goes in the future!
P.S. Be on the look out for the paladins reference
May 31, 2025
3.7
kinda wild, kinda fun. I enjoyed the unique ideas. At only about 300 pages this was a very approachable read and I think I ended up reading half within a night, so I think that's a good sign. The pacing was great with action from the get go, and I enjoyed the mystery of Petya's future, and was constantly eager to uncover more about it.
My main issue with this book was the editing, it could have definitely used some polishing, For example "admiration for your patents" should probably be "parents".Though the further along I got with the story the less I nociced this.
I really liked the swine spirt coming out at the end, and I think this made me curious to see what a second book might offer.
kinda wild, kinda fun. I enjoyed the unique ideas. At only about 300 pages this was a very approachable read and I think I ended up reading half within a night, so I think that's a good sign. The pacing was great with action from the get go, and I enjoyed the mystery of Petya's future, and was constantly eager to uncover more about it.
My main issue with this book was the editing, it could have definitely used some polishing, For example "admiration for your patents" should probably be "parents".Though the further along I got with the story the less I nociced this.
I really liked the swine spirt coming out at the end, and I think this made me curious to see what a second book might offer.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 12, 2026
A heightened cyberpunk thriller with bite.
Toothsucker is one of only a couple cyberpunk books that I've read, so I can't claim to be any kind of expert on the genre, but this book may just fall into what I'd like to call "Heightened Cyberpunk". Rather than the endless concrete and neon of Night City, the world here feels both dystopian and transcendent based on the prose. In a place where light is both a currency and a status symbol, it feels like a dream. Perhaps its a personal preference, but I feel that some additional descriptions could have really helped to steep the reader further in the world. The prose and the main character's internal monologue do a serviceable job, but some extra fleshing out the physical could have pushed it even further.
However, the book does pull off a balancing act between transcendent and gritty where just before you float too high, the story pulls you back to earth with shocking brutality. Not only do we find ourselves in a future where technology turns people into sacks of jelly, but pharma corporations have turned people into vampiric assassins who eat teeth.
One of these vampires—or Imps, as they call themselves—is our main character Petya. He endears himself to the reader as a moody rebel who finds himself a pawn in someone else's game. Learning about his past and how it's shaped his jaded view of the world adds depth, and mannerisms like putting in music rather than listen to the world outside goes a long way to make him relatable—at least to me.
The other characters in the cast are all clearly defined, and I could hear the distinct voice of each one as I read. The dialogue in this book is snappy, bitter, sometimes crass, and with a dash of hope. Boyband was definitely a standout in the cast, and I got a few good laughs from his outbursts. Some of the character relationships here are stronger than others, but I attribute that to the fact that there are different amounts of time on the page for some of these characters.
The mystery at the core of the story was also intriguing. Twisted webs of plot work very well in a world like the one that Kaden Love has constructed here, and there are so many players in the game. Cyborg Dolphins, Petya's "boss", multiple corporations posing as political parties, and players that still hang in the shadows. It never feels like the story "hands out" clues or breakthroughs to our characters. Progress made in this mystery is earned, and every character has a part to play.
The story also left off in a place that left me excited for more of this world and to see what happens to our main Imp. Overall, Toothsucker is an intriguing, original, poignant read with very salient themes about immigration, capitalism, and losing touch with what makes you human. The sequel is now whispering to me from my TBR.
Toothsucker is one of only a couple cyberpunk books that I've read, so I can't claim to be any kind of expert on the genre, but this book may just fall into what I'd like to call "Heightened Cyberpunk". Rather than the endless concrete and neon of Night City, the world here feels both dystopian and transcendent based on the prose. In a place where light is both a currency and a status symbol, it feels like a dream. Perhaps its a personal preference, but I feel that some additional descriptions could have really helped to steep the reader further in the world. The prose and the main character's internal monologue do a serviceable job, but some extra fleshing out the physical could have pushed it even further.
However, the book does pull off a balancing act between transcendent and gritty where just before you float too high, the story pulls you back to earth with shocking brutality. Not only do we find ourselves in a future where technology turns people into sacks of jelly, but pharma corporations have turned people into vampiric assassins who eat teeth.
One of these vampires—or Imps, as they call themselves—is our main character Petya. He endears himself to the reader as a moody rebel who finds himself a pawn in someone else's game. Learning about his past and how it's shaped his jaded view of the world adds depth, and mannerisms like putting in music rather than listen to the world outside goes a long way to make him relatable—at least to me.
The other characters in the cast are all clearly defined, and I could hear the distinct voice of each one as I read. The dialogue in this book is snappy, bitter, sometimes crass, and with a dash of hope. Boyband was definitely a standout in the cast, and I got a few good laughs from his outbursts. Some of the character relationships here are stronger than others, but I attribute that to the fact that there are different amounts of time on the page for some of these characters.
The mystery at the core of the story was also intriguing. Twisted webs of plot work very well in a world like the one that Kaden Love has constructed here, and there are so many players in the game. Cyborg Dolphins, Petya's "boss", multiple corporations posing as political parties, and players that still hang in the shadows. It never feels like the story "hands out" clues or breakthroughs to our characters. Progress made in this mystery is earned, and every character has a part to play.
The story also left off in a place that left me excited for more of this world and to see what happens to our main Imp. Overall, Toothsucker is an intriguing, original, poignant read with very salient themes about immigration, capitalism, and losing touch with what makes you human. The sequel is now whispering to me from my TBR.
June 16, 2026
This book is Oliver Twist meets Suicide Squad with cyberpunk tooth-eating vampires.
I recently had the chance to listen to the ALC of Toothsucker by Kaden Love, and this was such a great ride. Set in a cyberpunk future where light has become currency, the story introduces us to a group of down-on-their-luck people. They have sold themselves to a corporation in exchange for implants that give them enhanced abilities, but with a terrible cost.
Love does a great job developing a unique world that has depth, political forces that feel real, and a cast of characters that stay relatable and sympathetic despite their need to do terrible things. You really feel the grim nature of the caste system that has developed in this world. There is a pronounced difference between those in power, those who have landed in the middle, and those living at the lowest end of the color spectrum, where things are extremely bleak.
Petya, our POV character, is an understandable if tragic figure. A refugee from a troubled part of the world, he is now caught up in the maneuvering of these big corporations. He struggles with addiction to cope, and tries to find peace within his found family. The real highlight of his character is the role he takes for the group’s newest member, having to introduce him to the horrific realities of his new life while also feeling fiercely protective of him.
Jordan Joshua is the narrator and is a testament to how vital good casting is to how an audiobook hits with its audience. He brings a genuine sense of resigned determination to his performance as Petya. Additionally, the various character voices are extremely well utilized to both distinguish the various players, but also to add the right tone and gravitas to certain key figures in the novel. This is beyond mere narration and truly rises to the level of a performance.
The underlying lore also does a great job justifying the premise of a tooth-eating vampire. The choice to have these characters need to consume the teeth of victims adds a different angle to the traditional vampire mythology, while also tying it specifically into the greater plot of the story in a way that feels both gross and elegant. Much of the story includes graphic descriptions of the process required to feed, but Love has tied them to the brutal psychological impacts it has on the characters, particularly Petya.
Toothsucker is definitely a fast-paced science fiction story with some horror elements that would appeal to fans of either genre. The audiobook in particular is worth looking at for the additional level of immersion it brings. That combination of great writing, perfect casting, and excellent performance is exactly what you want from an audiobook.
I recently had the chance to listen to the ALC of Toothsucker by Kaden Love, and this was such a great ride. Set in a cyberpunk future where light has become currency, the story introduces us to a group of down-on-their-luck people. They have sold themselves to a corporation in exchange for implants that give them enhanced abilities, but with a terrible cost.
Love does a great job developing a unique world that has depth, political forces that feel real, and a cast of characters that stay relatable and sympathetic despite their need to do terrible things. You really feel the grim nature of the caste system that has developed in this world. There is a pronounced difference between those in power, those who have landed in the middle, and those living at the lowest end of the color spectrum, where things are extremely bleak.
Petya, our POV character, is an understandable if tragic figure. A refugee from a troubled part of the world, he is now caught up in the maneuvering of these big corporations. He struggles with addiction to cope, and tries to find peace within his found family. The real highlight of his character is the role he takes for the group’s newest member, having to introduce him to the horrific realities of his new life while also feeling fiercely protective of him.
Jordan Joshua is the narrator and is a testament to how vital good casting is to how an audiobook hits with its audience. He brings a genuine sense of resigned determination to his performance as Petya. Additionally, the various character voices are extremely well utilized to both distinguish the various players, but also to add the right tone and gravitas to certain key figures in the novel. This is beyond mere narration and truly rises to the level of a performance.
The underlying lore also does a great job justifying the premise of a tooth-eating vampire. The choice to have these characters need to consume the teeth of victims adds a different angle to the traditional vampire mythology, while also tying it specifically into the greater plot of the story in a way that feels both gross and elegant. Much of the story includes graphic descriptions of the process required to feed, but Love has tied them to the brutal psychological impacts it has on the characters, particularly Petya.
Toothsucker is definitely a fast-paced science fiction story with some horror elements that would appeal to fans of either genre. The audiobook in particular is worth looking at for the additional level of immersion it brings. That combination of great writing, perfect casting, and excellent performance is exactly what you want from an audiobook.
August 1, 2025
4.25/5
This was surprisingly fun.
This was a cyberpunk/tech-vampire novel set in the U.S.'s (now the Republic of Capital) ultra-capitalist future.
Cybernetic implants are mandatory, to an extent, and corporations rule. Everything.
The book makes some sharp jabs at our immigration policies, capitalism, AI, and society as a whole.
The story was fast for the most part (for me, personally, the pacing was a little rough around some of the dialogue, seriously, the monologuing at the end lol), the characters were endearing, and fun.
I had a good time with this and look forward to book 2 when it's released.
This was surprisingly fun.
This was a cyberpunk/tech-vampire novel set in the U.S.'s (now the Republic of Capital) ultra-capitalist future.
Cybernetic implants are mandatory, to an extent, and corporations rule. Everything.
The book makes some sharp jabs at our immigration policies, capitalism, AI, and society as a whole.
The story was fast for the most part (for me, personally, the pacing was a little rough around some of the dialogue, seriously, the monologuing at the end lol), the characters were endearing, and fun.
I had a good time with this and look forward to book 2 when it's released.
June 10, 2025
Another great read by Kaden - the world building and creative concepts this author comes up with is truly mind boggling. I was a little hesitant on the concept of “tooth sucking” but this book does an amazing job of illustrating the grim obsession and it sucked me in (no pun intended). My only qualm is it took me a little bit to get into at first and understand the world building but other than that it’s a quick and exciting read! Would recommend if you love red rising and a fast paced sci-fi.
October 9, 2025
This book was so much fun. I fell in love with the characters. Awesome characters and character relationships with awesome settings in the cyberpunk world. Tooth eating vampires is such a unique and fun idea as the main character fights his need to feed and balances that with his own morals and values.
May 19, 2026
This was super fun! The last 5 or so chapters really sold it for me. Really cool vibes and I love a slow drop of discovery and law that changes the way you see everything. Keen for the next one!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 11, 2025
Let me see those pearly whites
January 11, 2026
That was bananas. B-A-N-A-N-A-S.
Okay.
What in the everloving fuck?
I could end my review there, but I won’t.
This world is a mix of scifi and fantasy, and I’d actually say it leans more into the scifi than fantasy, but there’s enough of the fantasy element to keep it in the contest. The backdrop is cyberpunk futuristic and I’d also describe it as a capitalistic hellscape. The government has been replaced by companies in that when electing folks, you vote for which company you want in what role. The idea being that politicians are already representing companies anyway, why not just give up the farce?
We’ve got the main character, Petya, and his cohorts, and although it’s not a long book, we do get to know the mc very well. Petya is a refugee, he was struggling when he first arrived, and so when this monster of a scientist comes to him and tells him that he can earn a lot of easy money by undergoing some experiments… he agrees. He then becomes a tooth vampire. His body is changed in such a way that he starts to crave human teeth and will become very ill and feral if he doesn’t feed every so often. His teeth have been reinforced and enhanced to the degree that they can just nom on other people’s teeth. He can’t go graverobbing, though. He needs them fresh out of a living mouth no less than an hour from “harvesting.”
Yep.
Now there’s a disease spreading throughout the world that’s affecting people with cybernetic implants and turning their bones into goo. The crazy ass scientist who has infected this group of people with tooth vampirism wants them to figure out which corporation is experimenting on the “goo” people and why.
There was a lot going on with the worldbuilding. We have figured out how to make light solid, and the different wavelengths of light translated into social status.. with the red districts being the lowest of the low class, being described as a hellscape, while the violet district is a rich persons’s district with extravegence and wealth displayed everywhere… and then all the different wavelengths in between… the green district is kind of a middle class district. It kind of brought to mind Lightbringer by Brent Weeks given the amount of focus on the different wavelengths and the different kind of things each spectrum can do — there are “indigo rounds” in guns, for example.
The teeth eating thing is a drug which they become addicted to, but also a source of power. After eating the teeth, they can store this power for later when they get into fights, or if they’re starting to crave teeth again and start becoming more feral and instict driven which can be really dangerous. It’s not the only drug in this universe, either. I really, really enjoyed the fact that nostalgia has become a literal drug in this universe that people can get hooked on. This is also why I say it leans more into the sci-fi, so much of the world-building is cyberpunk dystopia, and there’s way too much of it to try and review here or risk a super-bloated review.
There were some things in the writing style that didn’t work for me. I’ve never been a fan of fake or substitute cursing. I can sometimes enjoy a blend of real-world and in-world cursing, but exclusively in-world doesn’t usually do it for me. It was used something like 240 times in a ~300-page book, which just kind of flooded me with it while reading. To each their own, though. There are a fair number of people who like in-world curse words.
As far as the characters, the book opens with saying the MC doesn’t have much guilt anymore and that after the first 3 months or so of murdering folks for their teeth, they became numb to it. Later on in the book as they are teaching a newcomer what it means to be experimented on by this guy, and that the rest of their life they’d have to murder people to stay alive, their morality shifts again and they seem to be struggling with it. The newcomer gets over it far too quick for me, honestly. They go from being horrified to ripping the jaw off someone and eating their teeth, to almost a baseline of normality in a short period of time. I do understand that it’s an addiction, and that they need to do it, but if I had to eat people’s teeth to survive, I’d be in full-blown panic mode for a good long time, and I’d be searching for any alternative and exhausting all possibilities before just accepting that I’m now a murderer. I’d be far more likely just to tranq someone, drag em’ somewhere, pull their teeth out, and leave them alive. They did go into why certain alternatives wouldn’t work, like that animals wouldn’t work… but that also doesn’t make sense to me since animal teeth and people teeth are basically made of the same stuff. We are animals after all, classified with the great apes. But, I digress. Then we wouldn’t have tooth vampires. There needs to be a comedy scene where the MC kills a dude for the teeth, and it turns out it’s just dentures.
There is a lot of dope shit in here that I really enjoyed, and some aspects that I wasn’t really the target audience for – but all that said, I finished the book, I liked it, and it’s not a cut!
If this review sounded interesting to you, I’d definitely pick it up. There’s a lot of relevant messaging, a lot of really good ideas, very unique world building, and a bananas plot-line. I mean, honestly… have you ever read about tooth vampires before? You haven’t.
Okay.
What in the everloving fuck?
I could end my review there, but I won’t.
This world is a mix of scifi and fantasy, and I’d actually say it leans more into the scifi than fantasy, but there’s enough of the fantasy element to keep it in the contest. The backdrop is cyberpunk futuristic and I’d also describe it as a capitalistic hellscape. The government has been replaced by companies in that when electing folks, you vote for which company you want in what role. The idea being that politicians are already representing companies anyway, why not just give up the farce?
We’ve got the main character, Petya, and his cohorts, and although it’s not a long book, we do get to know the mc very well. Petya is a refugee, he was struggling when he first arrived, and so when this monster of a scientist comes to him and tells him that he can earn a lot of easy money by undergoing some experiments… he agrees. He then becomes a tooth vampire. His body is changed in such a way that he starts to crave human teeth and will become very ill and feral if he doesn’t feed every so often. His teeth have been reinforced and enhanced to the degree that they can just nom on other people’s teeth. He can’t go graverobbing, though. He needs them fresh out of a living mouth no less than an hour from “harvesting.”
Yep.
Now there’s a disease spreading throughout the world that’s affecting people with cybernetic implants and turning their bones into goo. The crazy ass scientist who has infected this group of people with tooth vampirism wants them to figure out which corporation is experimenting on the “goo” people and why.
There was a lot going on with the worldbuilding. We have figured out how to make light solid, and the different wavelengths of light translated into social status.. with the red districts being the lowest of the low class, being described as a hellscape, while the violet district is a rich persons’s district with extravegence and wealth displayed everywhere… and then all the different wavelengths in between… the green district is kind of a middle class district. It kind of brought to mind Lightbringer by Brent Weeks given the amount of focus on the different wavelengths and the different kind of things each spectrum can do — there are “indigo rounds” in guns, for example.
The teeth eating thing is a drug which they become addicted to, but also a source of power. After eating the teeth, they can store this power for later when they get into fights, or if they’re starting to crave teeth again and start becoming more feral and instict driven which can be really dangerous. It’s not the only drug in this universe, either. I really, really enjoyed the fact that nostalgia has become a literal drug in this universe that people can get hooked on. This is also why I say it leans more into the sci-fi, so much of the world-building is cyberpunk dystopia, and there’s way too much of it to try and review here or risk a super-bloated review.
There were some things in the writing style that didn’t work for me. I’ve never been a fan of fake or substitute cursing. I can sometimes enjoy a blend of real-world and in-world cursing, but exclusively in-world doesn’t usually do it for me. It was used something like 240 times in a ~300-page book, which just kind of flooded me with it while reading. To each their own, though. There are a fair number of people who like in-world curse words.
As far as the characters, the book opens with saying the MC doesn’t have much guilt anymore and that after the first 3 months or so of murdering folks for their teeth, they became numb to it. Later on in the book as they are teaching a newcomer what it means to be experimented on by this guy, and that the rest of their life they’d have to murder people to stay alive, their morality shifts again and they seem to be struggling with it. The newcomer gets over it far too quick for me, honestly. They go from being horrified to ripping the jaw off someone and eating their teeth, to almost a baseline of normality in a short period of time. I do understand that it’s an addiction, and that they need to do it, but if I had to eat people’s teeth to survive, I’d be in full-blown panic mode for a good long time, and I’d be searching for any alternative and exhausting all possibilities before just accepting that I’m now a murderer. I’d be far more likely just to tranq someone, drag em’ somewhere, pull their teeth out, and leave them alive. They did go into why certain alternatives wouldn’t work, like that animals wouldn’t work… but that also doesn’t make sense to me since animal teeth and people teeth are basically made of the same stuff. We are animals after all, classified with the great apes. But, I digress. Then we wouldn’t have tooth vampires. There needs to be a comedy scene where the MC kills a dude for the teeth, and it turns out it’s just dentures.
There is a lot of dope shit in here that I really enjoyed, and some aspects that I wasn’t really the target audience for – but all that said, I finished the book, I liked it, and it’s not a cut!
If this review sounded interesting to you, I’d definitely pick it up. There’s a lot of relevant messaging, a lot of really good ideas, very unique world building, and a bananas plot-line. I mean, honestly… have you ever read about tooth vampires before? You haven’t.
July 14, 2026
This review was originally posted on sffinsiders.com
Earlier, a game called Split Fiction came out, a co-op campaign game by the developers of It Takes Two. It detailed two people trapped in a writing machine that steals their memories to churn out books (cough cough, machine learning = bad. Cough cough, AI), and one storyline is fantasy while the other was sci-fi. I was obsessed. So obsessed, in fact, that because I hadn’t read a sci-fi story in a while, I went to twitter to find some reccs.
Thus enters Toothsucker by Kaden Love. I’ve read one of his novellas before, and have the series on my TBR, but when he offered me this ARC as one to fill my sci-fi itch, I was sold from the jump. I mean, cyberpunk vampires? What’s not to love. Better yet is the “magic” system, but I’ll get into that a bit later.
This is a book steeped in impressive worldbuilding and lore, set in the future of (what I assume to be) the Earth, where countries have united into empires ruled by corporations and conglomerates. Presently, a medical faction is in charge, trying to leverage “cures” to the afflicted and suffering. Cures against what, you ask? Light. In Kaden’s story, scientists discovered the physical aspect of light, and essentially became the new currency. It became everything, really.
Are you rich? You live in the indigo or violet districts, as those light signatures are higher energy and thus worth more. Poor? You’re in yellow, maybe orange if you’re unlucky. Red is resigned for monsters and those given to addiction so far they aren’t human any longer.
In this story, we follow Petya, a man that fled to Light City from an empire he could not support. He is full of turmoil at the raging war and the lives being taken, the propaganda spewed and bandied, and the lies constantly being told. He is a part of an elite team of people with “Bites.” Implants that make them crave teeth, but also make them significantly stronger, faster, sharper, and all around more capable than the average person. The team’s task? To take out a medical conglomerate at the behest of their master, a man with leverage over them and a medical corporation of his own to rule.
I won’t go too deep into what happens after, but its a rollercoaster, and a damn fun one. The journey Petya and the others go on is quite enjoyable, and I’m excited to see where it goes. Since Petya is the sole POV, he is obviously the focus of the story and undergoes the most growth. The side characters are all likeable (except for the ones you are made to hate, which I won’t spoil), but Boyband makes the most growth, and I found myself really enjoying his development as the story went on.
Also, on the topic of characters, there are sentient (maybe they already are sentient but in a way humans can’t understand?) dolphins, called finnians. For a while, when finnians were referred to I didn’t really get it. And then it all clicks. Is that where I thought the story was going? No, but it was a very fun and welcome twist.
The atmosphere was exactly what you’d want from a cyberpunk story; dystopian, full of neon lights, and all manner of futuristic curse words that seem downright made up. I guess they are, considering this is science ‘fiction’. The setting with the allotment of districts in the city based on light levels was super cool, as was the incorporation on certain bullets, armor, and tech being stronger based on the light used. Not quite magic, but I’ll count it.
The twist at the end was totally out of left field in a really good way. I find myself wondering if there were any signs I missed. Probably, but I try not to stress on that stuff too much and admit when I’ve been had. A very intriguing story, with some strong (and not so subliminal) messages that really stick with the reader and make them think. The pages churn by as Kaden masterfully paces this one, and as I said earlier, I eagerly await what comes next.
For all you readers out there with polarizing opinions on romance in books, here it is. There is romance, but its not the main plotline. It takes a back seat, and is of lesser import compared to the more emotional, human themes present. Thus, if you only read books with romance, or if you prefer books without romance, this book fits well for both. I personally don’t have very strong preferences unless its about spice (though I don’t read romance only books), but I found the romance development a bit fast and puzzling at times. Though as I said, I’m not the expert here, its not my thing, so who knows. Try it and find out for yourself.
This was a really good book, one that I thoroughly enjoyed from cover to cover. Gripping, fast-paced, and emotional, Toothsucker was a surprising drop from an author I knew to be a fantasy writer, but a very welcome surprise regardless. If you like Cyberpunk Edgerunners or 2077, vampire stories, or this year’s game of the year Split Fiction (yes I’m calling it now even though it isn’t until December), Toothsucker is perfect for you.
Earlier, a game called Split Fiction came out, a co-op campaign game by the developers of It Takes Two. It detailed two people trapped in a writing machine that steals their memories to churn out books (cough cough, machine learning = bad. Cough cough, AI), and one storyline is fantasy while the other was sci-fi. I was obsessed. So obsessed, in fact, that because I hadn’t read a sci-fi story in a while, I went to twitter to find some reccs.
Thus enters Toothsucker by Kaden Love. I’ve read one of his novellas before, and have the series on my TBR, but when he offered me this ARC as one to fill my sci-fi itch, I was sold from the jump. I mean, cyberpunk vampires? What’s not to love. Better yet is the “magic” system, but I’ll get into that a bit later.
This is a book steeped in impressive worldbuilding and lore, set in the future of (what I assume to be) the Earth, where countries have united into empires ruled by corporations and conglomerates. Presently, a medical faction is in charge, trying to leverage “cures” to the afflicted and suffering. Cures against what, you ask? Light. In Kaden’s story, scientists discovered the physical aspect of light, and essentially became the new currency. It became everything, really.
Are you rich? You live in the indigo or violet districts, as those light signatures are higher energy and thus worth more. Poor? You’re in yellow, maybe orange if you’re unlucky. Red is resigned for monsters and those given to addiction so far they aren’t human any longer.
In this story, we follow Petya, a man that fled to Light City from an empire he could not support. He is full of turmoil at the raging war and the lives being taken, the propaganda spewed and bandied, and the lies constantly being told. He is a part of an elite team of people with “Bites.” Implants that make them crave teeth, but also make them significantly stronger, faster, sharper, and all around more capable than the average person. The team’s task? To take out a medical conglomerate at the behest of their master, a man with leverage over them and a medical corporation of his own to rule.
I won’t go too deep into what happens after, but its a rollercoaster, and a damn fun one. The journey Petya and the others go on is quite enjoyable, and I’m excited to see where it goes. Since Petya is the sole POV, he is obviously the focus of the story and undergoes the most growth. The side characters are all likeable (except for the ones you are made to hate, which I won’t spoil), but Boyband makes the most growth, and I found myself really enjoying his development as the story went on.
Also, on the topic of characters, there are sentient (maybe they already are sentient but in a way humans can’t understand?) dolphins, called finnians. For a while, when finnians were referred to I didn’t really get it. And then it all clicks. Is that where I thought the story was going? No, but it was a very fun and welcome twist.
The atmosphere was exactly what you’d want from a cyberpunk story; dystopian, full of neon lights, and all manner of futuristic curse words that seem downright made up. I guess they are, considering this is science ‘fiction’. The setting with the allotment of districts in the city based on light levels was super cool, as was the incorporation on certain bullets, armor, and tech being stronger based on the light used. Not quite magic, but I’ll count it.
The twist at the end was totally out of left field in a really good way. I find myself wondering if there were any signs I missed. Probably, but I try not to stress on that stuff too much and admit when I’ve been had. A very intriguing story, with some strong (and not so subliminal) messages that really stick with the reader and make them think. The pages churn by as Kaden masterfully paces this one, and as I said earlier, I eagerly await what comes next.
For all you readers out there with polarizing opinions on romance in books, here it is. There is romance, but its not the main plotline. It takes a back seat, and is of lesser import compared to the more emotional, human themes present. Thus, if you only read books with romance, or if you prefer books without romance, this book fits well for both. I personally don’t have very strong preferences unless its about spice (though I don’t read romance only books), but I found the romance development a bit fast and puzzling at times. Though as I said, I’m not the expert here, its not my thing, so who knows. Try it and find out for yourself.
This was a really good book, one that I thoroughly enjoyed from cover to cover. Gripping, fast-paced, and emotional, Toothsucker was a surprising drop from an author I knew to be a fantasy writer, but a very welcome surprise regardless. If you like Cyberpunk Edgerunners or 2077, vampire stories, or this year’s game of the year Split Fiction (yes I’m calling it now even though it isn’t until December), Toothsucker is perfect for you.
April 30, 2025
Kaden Love is no stranger to eye-catching SFF ideas; his debut epic fantasy series Paladins of the Harvest, now two books in, features an intriguing organ transplant magic system. But his latest, Toothsucker, a fast-paced cyberpunk tale set in a future dystopia, takes to this to the next level, more full of wild concepts than Elon Musk’s ketamine diary. But in a pleasing sign of Kaden’s evolution as a writer, all these ideas simply serve to amaze rather than confuse and blend into a convincing cyberpunk hellscape, and among all the utterly wild neon-soaked brainstorming he still finds time to create a strong character-driven story with some very topical themes.
The story takes place in the Republic of Capital, the name of which suggests Love’s first cool idea: that political parties have been replaced by corporate entities who vie for the presidency from different sectors: entertainment, pharma, tech, etc. This is a society transformed by the discovery of the physical form of light (cool idea number two) and its districts go from one end of the spectrum (red, orange, yellow, the dangerous areas) to the middle (blue, green) and to the violent and indigo sectors, where the rich and influential live. Our protagonists are a bunch of young, lost souls who’ve been given a new hope under the tutelage of a suspicious scientist/power-broker aiming to attain power for (maybe?) good in this dystopia, and given a set of cool super powers to use on missions. The only downside? (cool idea number three coming at you): To sustain these new powers they must constantly snack on a diet of teeth, ripped right out of their victims’ mouths. Vampires, but for calcium rather than iron.
What’s so impressive about this cyberpunk tale is that these wild ideas are so effective, not falling into the trap of being chaotic but rather uniting to build a vivid world. The corporate-sector-as-government idea is cleverly done, framing the central plot around a tech virus that eats away at the bones and Big Pharma’s cure for it that various parties are scrabbling to get to first. It makes for a cool mission structure as well as we see the entertainment sector, complete with cybernetic dolphins (which are as wildly fun as they sound) and the SocStans, which are blue collar workers who became powerful once AI took all the white collar jobs, a very cool thought experiment. The ordering of the country by the spectrum of light is also endlessly fascinating; Love using the color schemes that so define the cyberpunk genre as integral world building. This is a well-thought out idea, complete with one of the most disturbing and horrific red light districts you’ll ever see.
Then of course there’s the tooth-eating. Love doesn’t skimp on this; so many scenes are frankly taken from the horror genre as unwitting victims have their jaws ripped off as our characters greedily snack on the molars (the best teeth, of course). The writing here is vivid and wickedly gruesome—there are some scenes you’ll take to your dreams I fear. And there’s so many more ideas as well, my favorites including edible tabs that provoke feelings such as nostalgia and social media adoration (would save a lot of time, sign me up).
But Love also supports this creative feast with some excellent characterization of the central protagonist, Petya, an immigrant with a complex past who’s desperate to do good even as he’s been forced to follow a mysterious stranger’s agenda and the horrific tooth-eating requirements that come with it. Some readers may struggle to empathize with him I suspect given that the victims of his violent addiction are frequently innocent, but I actually quite enjoyed the wild discordance between his self-conscious narrative and the utter moral depravity of his acts. This is the nature of addiction after all; and Love makes his self-loathing clear, a loathing that only abates when he meets Naoma, a singer beloved of the elites who appears contemptuous at first but has more going on. Their burgeoning relationship adds a compelling character arc to the second half.
Love also uses Petya’s narrative to explore meaty themes of immigration and the treatment of immigrants, which is a welcome through-line here; as well as the examination of corporate influence which is so central to a good cyberpunk story and spins out into a thrilling, twisty conspiracy thriller by the end.
Overall, I was so impressed by Love’s evolution here; this is a strong calling card for an exciting talent and a must-read for cyberpunk fans or just fans of wildly original worldbuilding. Tooth-eating vampires, a corporatist society run along the spectrum of light, and augmented dolphins; it should be mad, but it’s cyberpunk gold. Love’s neon tooth fairy hasn’t let us down.
The story takes place in the Republic of Capital, the name of which suggests Love’s first cool idea: that political parties have been replaced by corporate entities who vie for the presidency from different sectors: entertainment, pharma, tech, etc. This is a society transformed by the discovery of the physical form of light (cool idea number two) and its districts go from one end of the spectrum (red, orange, yellow, the dangerous areas) to the middle (blue, green) and to the violent and indigo sectors, where the rich and influential live. Our protagonists are a bunch of young, lost souls who’ve been given a new hope under the tutelage of a suspicious scientist/power-broker aiming to attain power for (maybe?) good in this dystopia, and given a set of cool super powers to use on missions. The only downside? (cool idea number three coming at you): To sustain these new powers they must constantly snack on a diet of teeth, ripped right out of their victims’ mouths. Vampires, but for calcium rather than iron.
What’s so impressive about this cyberpunk tale is that these wild ideas are so effective, not falling into the trap of being chaotic but rather uniting to build a vivid world. The corporate-sector-as-government idea is cleverly done, framing the central plot around a tech virus that eats away at the bones and Big Pharma’s cure for it that various parties are scrabbling to get to first. It makes for a cool mission structure as well as we see the entertainment sector, complete with cybernetic dolphins (which are as wildly fun as they sound) and the SocStans, which are blue collar workers who became powerful once AI took all the white collar jobs, a very cool thought experiment. The ordering of the country by the spectrum of light is also endlessly fascinating; Love using the color schemes that so define the cyberpunk genre as integral world building. This is a well-thought out idea, complete with one of the most disturbing and horrific red light districts you’ll ever see.
Then of course there’s the tooth-eating. Love doesn’t skimp on this; so many scenes are frankly taken from the horror genre as unwitting victims have their jaws ripped off as our characters greedily snack on the molars (the best teeth, of course). The writing here is vivid and wickedly gruesome—there are some scenes you’ll take to your dreams I fear. And there’s so many more ideas as well, my favorites including edible tabs that provoke feelings such as nostalgia and social media adoration (would save a lot of time, sign me up).
But Love also supports this creative feast with some excellent characterization of the central protagonist, Petya, an immigrant with a complex past who’s desperate to do good even as he’s been forced to follow a mysterious stranger’s agenda and the horrific tooth-eating requirements that come with it. Some readers may struggle to empathize with him I suspect given that the victims of his violent addiction are frequently innocent, but I actually quite enjoyed the wild discordance between his self-conscious narrative and the utter moral depravity of his acts. This is the nature of addiction after all; and Love makes his self-loathing clear, a loathing that only abates when he meets Naoma, a singer beloved of the elites who appears contemptuous at first but has more going on. Their burgeoning relationship adds a compelling character arc to the second half.
Love also uses Petya’s narrative to explore meaty themes of immigration and the treatment of immigrants, which is a welcome through-line here; as well as the examination of corporate influence which is so central to a good cyberpunk story and spins out into a thrilling, twisty conspiracy thriller by the end.
Overall, I was so impressed by Love’s evolution here; this is a strong calling card for an exciting talent and a must-read for cyberpunk fans or just fans of wildly original worldbuilding. Tooth-eating vampires, a corporatist society run along the spectrum of light, and augmented dolphins; it should be mad, but it’s cyberpunk gold. Love’s neon tooth fairy hasn’t let us down.
July 6, 2025
This was such a wild ride — gritty, fast-paced, and filled with originality. The concept of cyberpunk vampires alone is enough to grab attention, but the execution takes it further with emotional weight, world-building flair, and a cast of compelling characters. There were a few pacing and structure issues early on, and some parts of the writing took a moment to settle into, but overall, this book hit hard in all the right ways. I’m definitely intrigued to keep reading the series. - Final Score 8.5/10
📺 I reviewed this book as part of Reader’s Sidequest, a book club and podcast where we deep-dive indie reads, fantasy, and sci-fi. Check us out here! https://www.tiktok.com/@readers_side_...
📺 I reviewed this book as part of Reader’s Sidequest, a book club and podcast where we deep-dive indie reads, fantasy, and sci-fi. Check us out here! https://www.tiktok.com/@readers_side_...
September 29, 2025
If a plot hole and no character growth was a book, this would be that book. Unfortunately, Toothsucker by Kaden Love turned out to be a shallow and uninspired read that had potential, but fell short in every way.
The Characters: We follow Petya throughout this book, who has easily become one of the most wishy-washy, inconsistent, and hypocritical MMC I have come across. Any conviction that he has changes multiple times throughout the story, that I question if he’s ever thought out any plan in his life. Joining him is Boyband, a bland sidekick whose personality faded amongst the noise, Naoma, a pop star with nothing interesting about her and no agency of her own, and Raita, who is a caricature of the flirty female friend, but make it problematic. Sprinkle in some of the most z-rated secondary cast that is sidelined for the entire book until the very end, and you have a band of characters that the author insists is a found family by telling me that they are, rather than showing me.
The Plot: Petya has a cybernetic implant called the Bite, which gives him the insatiable urge to eat teeth. He’s convinced himself that this was forced on him, when in reality, he made a deal with the devil of this story, and refuses to face the consequences of that action. Now equipped with this, he’s tasked by his boss to discredit their competition so they can climb the social latter. The Bite is explained to be the alternative to a healthcare company’s greedy ineffective drug, but I’m wondering why we think the better alternative is killing people and eating their teeth? There are only so many teeth in the world, what happens when we run out?
The Setting: This world does not feel lived in. Not only are we not given many descriptions of what the world looks like, but we hardly move around or interact with the scenery or NPCs. Instead, Petya preaches to us via long winded expositional trauma dumps, but offers up no solutions, no plans, no alternatives, and no nuanced perspectives. No one challenges what Petya has to say about the world that we are in and its flaws, and only respond with shallow “Damn-that’s-crazy-esque” lines. No one has an alternative perspective on this life, and everything that is presented to us is taken as gospel truth. Petya’s country of origin is bad because he says it’s bad. The Healthcare system is failing because he says it’s failing. The pop music is filled with sharky consumeristic tactics because he says it is. We are told, told, told, everything by Petya, but never shown the world and given the opportunity to make the decision on our own as the audience. This world feels shallow because no one speaks or sounds like a human being. There is no debate or challenge. We are expected to listen to this string of consciousness and have nothing to say afterwards.
The Themes: We are faced with themes of Commercialism, Capitalism, Immigration Reforms, Drug Use, Healthcare Reform, Socialism, and so much more, all which Petya and the world have nothing to say about it. With a setting that closely mirrors politics happening around the world now, we aren’t using the opportunity to explore the richness of people’s perspectives. This read like Petya has never had to debate anyone who disagreed with him, or explain himself. What were the specific politics of Medislavia that had him feel the need to flee? Are there any unconscious biases that he needs to overcome having come from an oppressive government? How is the Bite a better alternative to a daily use pill, when the side effects of the Bite is violent murder? The list of questions and inconsistencies go on.
The Writing/Editing: This read as an early draft for me. Beyond the grammatical errors, there are far too many plot holes and inconsistencies that take you out of the narrative. Some information that is vital to understanding the plot is handed to us beyond the 50% mark, and becomes infuriating. What this needed was more story boarding, outline of in-world politics, and character motives/personalities before this project was completed. As it stands, this is a gathering of interesting scenes smashed haphazardly together in an incoherent manner.
I wanted to like this. The idea sounded unique and fun, but we didn’t do anything unique or novel in this world. Instead, we are given a hodgepodge of other intellectual properties and real-world politics and did nothing different with it.
The Characters: We follow Petya throughout this book, who has easily become one of the most wishy-washy, inconsistent, and hypocritical MMC I have come across. Any conviction that he has changes multiple times throughout the story, that I question if he’s ever thought out any plan in his life. Joining him is Boyband, a bland sidekick whose personality faded amongst the noise, Naoma, a pop star with nothing interesting about her and no agency of her own, and Raita, who is a caricature of the flirty female friend, but make it problematic. Sprinkle in some of the most z-rated secondary cast that is sidelined for the entire book until the very end, and you have a band of characters that the author insists is a found family by telling me that they are, rather than showing me.
The Plot: Petya has a cybernetic implant called the Bite, which gives him the insatiable urge to eat teeth. He’s convinced himself that this was forced on him, when in reality, he made a deal with the devil of this story, and refuses to face the consequences of that action. Now equipped with this, he’s tasked by his boss to discredit their competition so they can climb the social latter. The Bite is explained to be the alternative to a healthcare company’s greedy ineffective drug, but I’m wondering why we think the better alternative is killing people and eating their teeth? There are only so many teeth in the world, what happens when we run out?
The Setting: This world does not feel lived in. Not only are we not given many descriptions of what the world looks like, but we hardly move around or interact with the scenery or NPCs. Instead, Petya preaches to us via long winded expositional trauma dumps, but offers up no solutions, no plans, no alternatives, and no nuanced perspectives. No one challenges what Petya has to say about the world that we are in and its flaws, and only respond with shallow “Damn-that’s-crazy-esque” lines. No one has an alternative perspective on this life, and everything that is presented to us is taken as gospel truth. Petya’s country of origin is bad because he says it’s bad. The Healthcare system is failing because he says it’s failing. The pop music is filled with sharky consumeristic tactics because he says it is. We are told, told, told, everything by Petya, but never shown the world and given the opportunity to make the decision on our own as the audience. This world feels shallow because no one speaks or sounds like a human being. There is no debate or challenge. We are expected to listen to this string of consciousness and have nothing to say afterwards.
The Themes: We are faced with themes of Commercialism, Capitalism, Immigration Reforms, Drug Use, Healthcare Reform, Socialism, and so much more, all which Petya and the world have nothing to say about it. With a setting that closely mirrors politics happening around the world now, we aren’t using the opportunity to explore the richness of people’s perspectives. This read like Petya has never had to debate anyone who disagreed with him, or explain himself. What were the specific politics of Medislavia that had him feel the need to flee? Are there any unconscious biases that he needs to overcome having come from an oppressive government? How is the Bite a better alternative to a daily use pill, when the side effects of the Bite is violent murder? The list of questions and inconsistencies go on.
The Writing/Editing: This read as an early draft for me. Beyond the grammatical errors, there are far too many plot holes and inconsistencies that take you out of the narrative. Some information that is vital to understanding the plot is handed to us beyond the 50% mark, and becomes infuriating. What this needed was more story boarding, outline of in-world politics, and character motives/personalities before this project was completed. As it stands, this is a gathering of interesting scenes smashed haphazardly together in an incoherent manner.
I wanted to like this. The idea sounded unique and fun, but we didn’t do anything unique or novel in this world. Instead, we are given a hodgepodge of other intellectual properties and real-world politics and did nothing different with it.
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