What Big Teeth

When I read the synopsis for What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo, I was so excited! I love werewolf stories, and the idea of coming home from boarding school to a strange family sounds like a great plot to me. The opening chapters of the book were intriguing and made me want to know more. Here is an excerpt from Chapter One, after Eleanor arrives home and sees her family for the first time in a long time: “What’s for dinner?” Father asked Rhys. “Show me what you caught.” Rhys grabbed the sack and pulled out a brace of young rabbits by the ears. Their heads lolled limply from their broken necks. Their white throats were pink with blood. Maybe my eyes were adjusting, I thought, since everything seemed to be getting darker around me. And then I fainted. Such a horrifying scene! After I read the first chapter, I was pumped and ready to go wherever this story would take me. Unfortunately, it didn't really take anywhere. I soon lost interest, and I felt like nothing was happening. It's true that the family members say strange things and do strange things, but it's not very exciting. There was some love drama, a new villain was introduced, a character's secret is revealed, and Eleanor explores her powers. However, the plot didn't really maintain my interest. At the climax of the book, I was thinking, "That's it?" The book is marketed as "horror" and "thrilling," but I really didn't get that sense from the book. Overall, What Big Teeth is a tame, YA fantasy with gothic undertones. It wasn't the werewolf story I was expecting, but I'm sure some readers of YA fantasy will appreciate its uniqueness.

I am a bit conflicted. First off, the cover is absolutely perfect in its creepiness with the normal girl but the swipe away scary teeth! That was mostly what made me want to read this book. The little blurb sounded really interesting too. I really wanted to find out what Eleanor was in her family of werewolves and other odd monsters. Sadly though it was nicely gothic and creepy, it was very slow paced and I found it irritating at times that Eleanor was so clueless (by choice sometimes and other times by spells) and so the story meandered as she went searching for answers. I wanted more on the family dynamics and history of the wolves (liked Luma!) and I wanted a definite name for what she was. That was frustrating too. Her Grandmere was nicely creepy and the ending was very action packed. It did not make up for the rest of the story though. Good atmosphere but the story could be better. Hence the confused feelings about the book and I probably would not read it again.

The Monster’s Perspective What if your family were actual monsters? Eleanor returns from boarding school and struggles with the "why" of being sent away and how she fits in. Her return is marked by an unspeakable act she had committed against another student. Each "family monster" is a mystery to her and we get to know them as Eleanor reconnects. She bounces between fear and her desire to belong. It is initially unclear if she's been "tamed" by the outside world or is more human than the rest of her family. It will be a lot of fun finding out. Adam's Family fans will love What Big Teeth. Thank you First Impression for allowing me to read the first three chapters, and then I actually won a raffle to receive the book! I DEVOURED THIS STORY – pun intended. Everyone has secrets and if you love one character get ready to hate them the next and vice-versa. This family has deep-rooted issues and Eleanor is going to uncover everything including what she is. I loved every horrible moment, the quirkiness, the tragedies, and most of all that there’s still a sense of right and wrong in this family of monsters. The author uses descriptions of the characters to shape what the reader thinks about each monster, and I recognized a few tropes that might fit like zombie and werewolf, but I’m not going to spoil anything by saying who I think those are. I will say Eleanor is unique and that was one twist I didn’t see coming and loved her even more for it. Despite their monstrous flaws you’ll fall in love with this family that sticks together until the end.