Boys with Sharp Teeth

by Jenni Howell

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Dangerous, dark and dazzling, Boys with Sharp Teeth is a decadent tale of academia, secrets and lies with a supernatural twist. This is perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Maggie Stiefvater.

*An Instant New York Times Bestseller*

We Were Liars meets The Raven Boys in this mind-bending YA debut about dark revenge, twisted desire, and the sinister secrets lurking behind the walls of an elite boarding school.

"A darkly delicious spiral where each page makes you crave more." ―CG Drews, author of Don't Let The Forest In

"A stunningly lush, utterly compelling, darkly beautiful debut!" ―Ginny Myers Sain, New York Times bestselling author of Dark and Shallow Lies

Seventeen-year-old Marin James has spent her entire life living in the shadow of the exclusive Huntsworth Academy. And when her cousin’s dead body is found in a creek on school property, Marin knows exactly who’s to blame: Adrian Hargraves and Henry Wu, the enigmatic yet dangerously alluring leaders of the school's social elite.

Swapping her ripped jeans for a crisp prep school skirt, Marin infiltrates Huntsworth to seek justice. But her quest is quickly muddied by a confusing attraction to her new life, and to the two dysfunctional and depraved boys who somehow understand her better than anyone ever has.

When Marin uncovers an otherworldly secret the boys are hiding within Huntsworth's ivied gates, the lines between right and wrong, love and hate, and nightmare and reality begin to crumble — and nothing is as it seems.

Welcome to Huntsworth Academy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250334596
Publisher:	Roaring Brook Press
Publication date:	04/08/2025
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.40(d)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Jenni Howell tried out archaeology, linguistics, mongoose herding (known to some as “teaching”), finance, and espionage, but always got bored. Now she writes books, so her entire world changes every six months—and she will never be bored again.

Editorial Reviews

02/03/2025

High school senior Marin James is certain that her older cousin Sam Bullvane’s drowning death was not an accident. Using a forged application and a fake tuition check, she assumes a new identity as Jamie Vane and transfers into elite Huntsworth Preparatory Academy, where Sam worked as a security guard. She has three suspects, all students: haughty, brainy Adrian Hargraves; wealthy orphaned scoundrel Henry Wu; and insecure, eager-to-please Baz Hallward, the headmistress’s daughter. As Marin races to uncover the perpetrator before her con is discovered, she becomes embroiled in her suspects’ dangerous, thrill-seeking ways. Supernatural happenings, having to communicate with who she assumes is one of the suspects through anonymous marginalia notes, and growing attachments to both Adrian and Henry further complicate her investigation. Debut author Howell deftly conveys grief in this complex and morose offering, highlighting through the characters’ messy interactions—including Marin’s vengeance-fueled scheming and Adrian’s guilt over a past transgression—the ways in which loss can impact one’s emotions and decision-making. Fans of heady, twisty dark academia tales will revel in unpicking this knotty mystery. Most character cue as white; Henry is of East Asian descent. Ages 14–up. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Boys With Sharp Teeth:

"Boys With Sharp Teeth is the kind of book that whispers terrible secrets in your ear late at night. With each page turn, you'll find yourself struggling to catch your breath as grief, revenge, and obsession intertwine like twisting ivy. This is a stunningly lush, utterly compelling, darkly beautiful debut!" —Ginny Myers Sain, New York Times bestselling author of Dark and Shallow Lies

“In this beautifully crafted, twisted love story, Howell explores what happens when love doesn’t make you better, but in fact makes you worse. These complicated characters have tangled relationships and thorny secrets that make for a truly stunning tale." —Kamilah Cole, indie bestselling author of So Let Them Burn

"Jenni Howell is a talent to watch, and Boys With Sharp Teeth proves it. If you're looking for a devious dark academia book with beautiful prose and shocking twists, you've found it." —Jesse Q. Sutanto, USA Today bestselling author of Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers

"With atmospheric tension and a twisted mystery to solve, Boys With Sharp Teeth is a darkly delicious spiral where each page makes you crave more." —CG Drews, author of Don't Let The Forest In

“A taut and darkly lyrical tale of obsession and grief, Boys With Sharp Teeth holds a shadowy mirror up to the lengths we might go to for revenge, with each savage twist compelling you to turn the page long after the lights have gone out.” —Amy Goldsmith, author of Those We Drown and Our Wicked Histories

“Dark academia at its finest! Howell’s debut is a chilling dissection of what it means to be alive with a page-turning mystery that will keep you up at night.” —Rachel Moore, author of Us in Ruins and The Library of Shadows

"Fans of heady, twisty dark academia tales will revel in unpicking this knotty mystery." —Publishers Weekly

“Sings with tension….An intensely dark debut that’s focused on style.” —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2025-02-15
Desperate to avenge her murdered cousin, a girl assumes a false identity and infiltrates his boarding school to uncover the truth.

Three days ago, Marin James’ cousin, Sam Bullvane, died. Sam was her best friend, her port in the storm as she grew up in their tiny mountain town with a uninterested father and an absent mother. Though his death was assumed to be an accidental drowning due to an overdose, Marin knows Sam was murdered. Now she’s determined to find the culprits and make them pay. Assuming the fake identity of Jamie Vane and enrolling in Huntsworth Preparatory Academy are easier than expected. But ingratiating herself with Sam’s former friends—and murder suspects—proves riskier. Quiet girl Baz Hallward feels like the easiest mark. Henry Wu is all games, tinged with danger. And Adrian Hargraves, with his perfect face, initially wants nothing to do with Marin—and she immediately loathes him. As her investigation deepens, she enters a heated entanglement with Henry and Adrian, while uncovering their secrets. Mirrors show her supernatural horrors, and she’ll have to confront them, too, if she wants to learn the truth. Marin’s early sleuthing sings with tension, but aimless philosophical musings and twists that attentive readers will see coming make it unravel quickly. Overwrought language obscures the escalating danger. Most characters present white; Henry’s surname implies Asian heritage.

An intensely dark debut that’s focused on style over substance.(Paranormal mystery. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews