I Should Read That

Book review¹

Jenny Greenteeth has never spoken to a human before, but when a witch is thrown into her lake by an angry mob, something makes Jenny decide she’s worth saving. Temperance doesn’t know why her village has suddenly turned against her, only that it has something to do with the malevolent new pastor. All she wants is to return to her husband and children, still trapped under his baleful influence.

Though they have nothing in common, these two unlikely companions must band together on a magical quest to defeat the evil that threatens Temperance’s family, Jenny’s lake, and possibly the very soul of Britain.

I’m a huge fan of T. Kingfisher’s books and am always on the lookout for more fantasy that shares her style. Greenteeth by Molly O’Neill is exactly that – a charming, cosy yet bloody debut novel that is an absolute delight to read.

This book is told in the first person with Jenny as our narrator. An ancient lake monster who just wants to mind her business, her peace is disturbed when the villagers throw a suspected witch into her waters and she makes an important decision – she saves the witch. This spurns her to leave her lake and send her on a wonderful character arc. I loved seeing her grumpy facade slip as she grew closer to her companions. She is, however, very much not human and this is a theme explored in the story. She is also more than a monster – she has such wonderful depth of character and I just adored seeing the story through her eyes.

I loved the setting and the world that O’Neill creates in Greenteeth. She works with existing British folklore and weaves a tale of fae and mythology that spans across Britain. Jenny’s lake, the countryside the crew traverse, and the fae creatures are all a delight and so vivid. The addition of some of my favourite tropes – found family and a good old fashion quest – make it a fun, cosy, and compelling tale.

The book does slow down a little in the middle and there were some choices with one particular character that I didn’t love, but otherwise Greenteeth is a great fantasy read for people like me who want a bit of teeth to go alongside the cosy vibes. If you like T. Kingfisher’s fantasy stories as well as cosy fantasy that still involves limbs being forcibly removed, Greenteeth is the book for you. I can’t wait to see what she writes next!

1. A copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review ↩︎