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Book Summary and Reviews of Greenteeth by Molly O'Neill

Greenteeth by Molly O'Neill

Greenteeth

by Molly O'Neill

  • Readers' Rating (1):
  • Published:
  • Feb 2025, 320 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

From an absolutely unmissable voice in cozy fantasy, this tale shares the story of fae, folklore, and found family, told by a charismatic lake-dwelling monster with a voice unlike any other.

Beneath the still surface of a lake lurks a monster with needle sharp teeth. Hungry and ready to pounce.

Jenny Greenteeth has never spoken to a human before, but when a witch is thrown into her lake, 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.

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

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"This delightfully magical historical fantasy combines creatures out of folklore (including the lake-dwelling monster Jenny) with a desperate quest, a sad tale of magic leaving the world, and a soul-quaking battle between quiet good and vast evil, all set in a beautiful story of sisterhood and found family among the most disparate of creatures. Readers who love the creatures, magic, and mythic settings of T. Kingfisher's Thornhedge and Nicola Griffith's Spear will find something similar and beautiful in O'Neill's debut." ―Library Journal (starred review)

"This vivid fantasy, inspired by the stories of King Arthur and by Welsh folklore, explores a Britain populated by fae, ancient but dying off. O'Neill's debut is full of magic that is rich, mysterious, and exciting, and Jenny Greenteeth is a morally grey, delightfully monstrous protagonist that fantasy readers are bound to fall in love with. Fans of T. Kingfisher's award-winning Nettle & Bone (2022) will enjoy this novel's questing structure as well as its twists on stories familiar and new." ―Booklist (starred review)

"O'Neill's story of friendship, family, and perseverance is so sweetly written that even her finely drawn fairy world and excellent plotting take a backseat to the growing bonds among her unlikely heroes. Full of magic, but even more heart." ―Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"This will be a hit with fans of classic quest fantasies." ―Publishers Weekly

"An excellent example of the recent trend of books about outcasts who form a chosen family — except that O'Neill continually springs twists that feel organic and keep the reader guessing ... All those surprises have the effect of deepening the characters, turning Greenteeth into a more keen exploration of how monsters can live safely among us." ―The Washington Post

"A charmingly monstrous debut." ―T. Kingfisher, author of Nettle and Bone

"An extraordinary tale about the most unforgettable (and unlikely) heroine! Jenny Greenteeth is a brilliant creation, a fabulous lake monster and a magnificent character! I loved every second of this wonderful, delicious book!" ―Sarah Beth Durst, New York Times bestselling author of The Spellshop

This information about Greenteeth was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

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Author Information

Molly O'Neill

Molly O'Neill was born in the UK and moved to Australia in 2019. She works as a geologist, building roads and rail tracks, and she also runs Book Fair Australia, a literature festival in Sydney.

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