I received an advance reader’s copy (ARC) of Greenteeth by Molly O’Neill. Since this version is just a proof and not the final version, I won’t quote directly and will keep my comments general.

Greenteeth by Molly O’Neill tells the story of Jenny Greenteeth, a lake-dwelling creature who lives near a small human town in Britain. She’s been there for centuries, solitary and content, tending to the plants and animals that dwell in her lake’s waters, mostly ignoring the humans. But one day, several men throw a young woman in the lake to drown, but Jenny intervenes and saves her. The woman, Temperance, is a witch, and wants to get justice for what has been done to her—especially since she thinks that the new parson in town is not entirely human. So Temperance and Jenny, with the help of Jenny’s goblin friend Brackus, set out on a quest to defeat the darkness that has arrived. Their journey takes them across Britain and Faerie, through dangers and strange magics. And all the time, Jenny is discovering that maybe she rather likes having friends after all.

I don’t know if I’ve ever encountered a book that’s more suited to fans of Susanna Clarke and T. Kingfisher than this one. And since I’m a fan of both of those authors, I had a great time with this.

Firstly, Jenny (an excellent name, I must say. Not that I’m biased) is a wonderful protagonist and narrator. She’s a strange little being, rather feral and morally gray by human standards, but also so funny and witty. I loved her rapport with Temperance, and her verbal sparring with Brackus was delightful. The three of them make a marvelous team, even when they struggle with both external threats and differences of opinion. This book is a testament to the power of teamwork, forgiveness, and learning to care for people who live vastly different lives than you.

The settings are also so engaging. This book takes the characters all across Britain, from the frigid highland lochs to green sloping fields and everywhere in between. The scenes in the faerie court are cool too, full of bizarre figures and eerie magic. There are lots of elements of British folklore, from faeries to Arthurian legend. It’s all interwoven very well and makes for a fun story.

There’s one twist that I saw coming from miles away, but it’s still executed quite well and ends up being really satisfying. The stakes are high, but the ending is so rewarding, both from a plot perspective and a character perspective.

In the end, I loved Greenteeth. The characters are wonderful, the pacing of the plot is flawless, the mythology and folklore enrich the story, and the action is interesting. It’s a darkly whimsical, cozily monstrous story, and I can easily see myself swimming through its pages again. And I’m definitely looking forward to more books by Molly O’Neill in the future!

Greenteeth will be published on February 25th, 2025!