What Big Teeth

What Big Teeth

  • Downloads:3745
  • Type:Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date:2021-03-26 13:11:38
  • Update Date:2025-09-06
  • Status:finish
  • Author:Rose Szabo
  • ISBN:0374314306
  • Environment:PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Summary

Rose Szabo's thrilling debut What Big Teeth is a dark, gothic fantasy YA novel about a teen girl who returns home to her strange, wild family after years of estrangement, perfect for fans of Wilder Girls。。。

Eleanor Zarrin has been distanceed from her wild family for years。 When she returns home after a violent incident at boarding school, trying to fit back into the space she left is harder than she thought。 Eleanor is left to fend for herself within her family of monsters。 But when a mysterious figure arrives at their family estate, she must find a way to overcome the monster invading her home or risk becoming a monster herself。

Exquisitely terrifying, beautiful, and savage, What Big Teeth is a genre-defying story from an exciting new literary voice。

Download

Reviews

Bridgette

"What Big Teeth" is a well written book that fells like a horror story。 The main character, Eleanor, would describe it that way。 Eleanor, who previously attended boarding school for years, returns home to her very strange family that has basically ignored her all these years。 Things fall apart after her grandmother dies and the reader is taken down a road of horrifying twists and turns。 A great debut novel and I look forward to book #2 from Rose Szabo! "What Big Teeth" is a well written book that fells like a horror story。 The main character, Eleanor, would describe it that way。 Eleanor, who previously attended boarding school for years, returns home to her very strange family that has basically ignored her all these years。 Things fall apart after her grandmother dies and the reader is taken down a road of horrifying twists and turns。 A great debut novel and I look forward to book #2 from Rose Szabo! 。。。more

Esther O。 Lee

Fun horror-tinged read, especially if you like monster families! The poly subtext (on love, possession, and knowing your lover) is really fascinating。

Katherine Booth

This book is absolutely bizarre。 I spent at least half of the story wondering if it was well written, or unbelievably clever。 I was hanging on till the very end which convinced me it was an absurd and delightful book。

Nada Moustafa

Eleanor Zarrin comes from a family of monsters, and after an incident at her boarding school, she's not sure if she's the scariest or the weakest。 She flees the school to hide at home, where she no longer seems to fit in with her bloodthirsty family。Eleanor arrives at a menacing castle that the Zarrins built a generation ago, where the woods aren't safe, filled with giant hunting wolves that she once called cousin, sister and grandfather。 Her grandmother's convinced that the tarot cards show Ele Eleanor Zarrin comes from a family of monsters, and after an incident at her boarding school, she's not sure if she's the scariest or the weakest。 She flees the school to hide at home, where she no longer seems to fit in with her bloodthirsty family。Eleanor arrives at a menacing castle that the Zarrins built a generation ago, where the woods aren't safe, filled with giant hunting wolves that she once called cousin, sister and grandfather。 Her grandmother's convinced that the tarot cards show Eleanor's facing a choice: she can ruin or save them all。 The only problem is, Eleanor has no idea what she's talking about。 And no one seems to want to tell her the truth about anything。This story will swallow you whole。 The fabulously gothic setting, the monstrous characters, the cleverly layered mysteries - all perfection。 It's both stunningly sinister and gloriously gruesome。 A masterpiece of horror, where the true monsters are not who we expect them to be。 。。。more

Bill Sting

DNF 30%。 I started the book because I was going to possibly meet the author, but it didn’t work out and I lost motivation to finish。 What I read of the book was very confusing—maybe I’ll pick up again at a later time。

s。m。 lechon

I’ll own up to the fact that the main thing that got me interested in this novel was the cover。I mean, look at it。But immediately upon entering the mysterious, lawless world of What Big Teeth, I was entranced。 Rose Szabo’s debut is equal parts family drama and horror, manifesting as a gothic that horrifies and bewitches。 It feels almost fairytale in nature, with magic that cares not for rules or regulations, and atmospheric enough to keep you up at night。 The pacing is a bit odd, lots of buildup I’ll own up to the fact that the main thing that got me interested in this novel was the cover。I mean, look at it。But immediately upon entering the mysterious, lawless world of What Big Teeth, I was entranced。 Rose Szabo’s debut is equal parts family drama and horror, manifesting as a gothic that horrifies and bewitches。 It feels almost fairytale in nature, with magic that cares not for rules or regulations, and atmospheric enough to keep you up at night。 The pacing is a bit odd, lots of buildup that feels asynchronous with the second half of the novel, but with a payoff that’s absolutely worth it。Eleanor Zarrin grew up running in the woods outside of her family’s house, running on two legs instead of four like the rest of her relatives。 The only member of the Zarrins to be unable to turn into a wolf at will, she was sent away to boarding school, banished from her family for her differences。 But when an incident at the school proves Eleanor has more wolf in her than previously thought, she returns home to her feral family, desperate for answers about her identity。 Reunion is bittersweet。 Her family seemingly wants little to do with her and resents her presence, her grandmother Persephone is keeping secrets, and even the family accountant, Arthur, is not what he seems。 Longing for acceptance and answers, Eleanor reaches out to her long-lost maternal grandmother, another non-wolf, only for the family’s maze of secrets to end up being far more labyrinthine than she ever imagined。The magic and atmosphere in this book is phenomenal。 It has such a creeping, gothic tone, set in this massive family house set aside on a hill separate from the town below, surrounded by forestry and the ocean cliffside。 Eleanor wanders through this house the entire book, desperate for that family connection and finding only loneliness。 When she turns to her long-lost grandmother in search of that love, the gothic tone ramps up into horror, but it never loses that mysterious charm。 This is horror for haters of slashers and jump scares, relying entirely on imagery, creativity, and emotional impact for its terror instead。 This gothic tone automatically makes for a slower-paced book that I don’t see very often in young adult genres, and I wish YA would take more chances on books like this。 Teenagers are fully capable of enjoying slower stories with less action, and this is the exact kind of story I would’ve loved as a baby horror fan。A big addition to the horror is the magic involved。 What Big Teeth is obviously about pseudo-werewolves, with Eleanor featured as our human narrator。 Her family turns inside out at will, not motivated by the moon phases, and almost completely amoral as the family has deliberately separated themselves from society。 They see nothing wrong with attacking people they don’t like, fighting with each other in an attempt to rip each other to shreds, or eating people who happen to wander a little too close to their woods。 It was kind of refreshing to see monsters so unconcerned with human morality; so often I see monsters in fiction consumed with how to return to humanity, how to hide themselves, or how to live in an ethical way that may go against their every instinct。 Eleanor’s terrible but caring family is human in their own way, but they’re still monsters。Eleanor, as mentioned in the summary, has her own darkness inside her, a kind of relation she shares with her maternal grandmother。 They stand aside from the rest of the family because of their lack of transformations and their uncomfortableness with the family’s amorality, but these two women get their own brand of horror。 What Big Teeth is unconcerned with creating a hard magic system, instead using unusual forms of magic and abilities to further its gothic atmosphere。 Some of this magic is unsettling。 Nothing graphic or inappropriate for teens, but again, wildly creative and spooky。 Some of the images this novel conjures are going to be sticking with me for a long time。The slow, spooky tone defines the first three-fourths of the novel in the best way, but it all seems to devolve into more of action-fantasy for our climax。 This isn’t inherently a bad thing, but it felt tonally off from the rest of the story。 Instead of culminating in a gothic ending, one that prioritizes emotional resonance over action, it ended up being kind of a traditional punch-out。 Magic was involved, yes, but the undertones of dread and horror were discarded。 The ending wasn’t bad by any means, but I was disappointed that the tone that held the entire novel together didn’t make it into the climax。What Big Teeth was an absolutely stellar debut from Szabo。 We don’t see a lot these days in the YA horror genre and I hope they continue to write in this space with such elegant tone and imagery。🌟 review 🌟 blog 🌟 。。。more

Rianna

Where do I even begin。Was real interested in this title。 Finally decided to read it now thanks to someone at work who was looking for a werewolf book。 Then I found out the book I found wasn’t actually werewolves cause I confused it with something else。 Then I had werewolves on the brain。 So sorry random person。 I hope that other book was still enjoyable cause it did sound good。This is not what I expected。 I thought this was a story of a girl who suddenly turns into a werewolf and returns home to Where do I even begin。Was real interested in this title。 Finally decided to read it now thanks to someone at work who was looking for a werewolf book。 Then I found out the book I found wasn’t actually werewolves cause I confused it with something else。 Then I had werewolves on the brain。 So sorry random person。 I hope that other book was still enjoyable cause it did sound good。This is not what I expected。 I thought this was a story of a girl who suddenly turns into a werewolf and returns home to learn her whole family is werewolves and spends the rest of the book learning werewolf things and dealing with werewolf problems。 This was a girl who knew from the start。 We open with Eleanor returning home from boarding school because of something terrible she did。 She hasn’t been home in 8 years ever since her grandma made her leave。 Eleanor is returning to her family that consists of:Grandpa who is a werewolf (actually shapeshifter might be more accurate but anyway)Grandma: a witchAunt: a witchCousin: a werewolfMother: relatively normal except for always needing to be in water Father: a werewolfSister: a werewolfAnd poor Eleanor who isn’t sure where she belongs with them anymore。 Hard to blame when your grandpa tries to eat you。 What follows is a strange story of Eleanor trying to fit in again and home and a bunch of other craziness that will keep you glued and guessing what is going on to the very end。 Ultimately, this was a fun read。 。。。more

Arizona Hurn

When Riveted posted the first three chapters of this book to read for free, I thought I'd use it to pass some time。 The cover is beautiful and has slowly been drawing me in for weeks。 Well, I devoured those three chapters, and the next time I went into work, I purchased it。 It took only a few hours for me to finish。This is a YA gothic supernatural novel that I described as "if Stephen King wrote The Addams Family, but they were actually monsters。" I loved the atmosphere of this novel and I loved When Riveted posted the first three chapters of this book to read for free, I thought I'd use it to pass some time。 The cover is beautiful and has slowly been drawing me in for weeks。 Well, I devoured those three chapters, and the next time I went into work, I purchased it。 It took only a few hours for me to finish。This is a YA gothic supernatural novel that I described as "if Stephen King wrote The Addams Family, but they were actually monsters。" I loved the atmosphere of this novel and I loved how casually the monstrous nature of the family was introduced without explaining it to the reader。 We're slowly immersed in the abnormal of Eleanor's family, and then things are radically changed and she has to fight herself, her family, and outsiders, to find her place in the Zarrin's past and future。 I have seen other complaints about how all of the characters are horrible, and I think that's a key part of the story。 It's not about redemption, or moralizing these actions, but how you move forward over and over after your mistakes。One of my complaints about the novel is simultaneously something I enjoyed about it: there are aspects of the secondary characters' histories that aren't fully explained, to the point where it almost feels like there are a few loopholes。 It didn't make the immediate narrative confusing, but it did leave me curious。 My only other complaint is that near the end of the book it relied on extra perspectives to flesh out the storyline, and it felt like a crutch in the story。 I still enjoyed the material immensely, and I think it's a book worth reading, no matter what you enjoy。 。。。more

Lindsay

This was such a unique book。 It's part horror, part romance, part sci-if, part historical fiction, part coming of age, part - (fill in the blank) - its here, somewhere。 Instead of atmosphere or world building (though there was that too) there was more of a character or creature building that I enjoyed most about this book。 I wish we had learned more of the secrets of the rest of the family (Luma, Rhys, Miklos, etc) that is one of the biggest pieces missing in the end。 But overall a great book wh This was such a unique book。 It's part horror, part romance, part sci-if, part historical fiction, part coming of age, part - (fill in the blank) - its here, somewhere。 Instead of atmosphere or world building (though there was that too) there was more of a character or creature building that I enjoyed most about this book。 I wish we had learned more of the secrets of the rest of the family (Luma, Rhys, Miklos, etc) that is one of the biggest pieces missing in the end。 But overall a great book which I'd recommend to the older end of YA readers。 。。。more

Charlotte Frank

4。5 stars。 A very interesting read。

lilah paige

this just wasn’t for me :/

Dale

I was so confused by this book。

Gwen

Holy shitThis was the weirdest, most eerie book I have ever read。 And i loved every second of it。

Eli

this was spooky and mysterious, but i went into this thinking it would be a lot gayer and was disappointed。

Pesabr

The story is absolutely great

Cracked Spines

CWs for the book: mild body horror + gore, rape (?), homophobia, animal death, child/infant death。CWs for this review: rape (in PLOT)OVERALL: I very much did not enjoy this book。 Throughout the first half, I only had minor issues, but from there it went steadily downhill。 I love the concept and wish I’d been able to enjoy it more。PLOT: The main/overall plot was really good, and I liked it。 But the middle was reeeally slow。 Also, the entire Arthur subplot was very disturbing and made me really un CWs for the book: mild body horror + gore, rape (?), homophobia, animal death, child/infant death。CWs for this review: rape (in PLOT)OVERALL: I very much did not enjoy this book。 Throughout the first half, I only had minor issues, but from there it went steadily downhill。 I love the concept and wish I’d been able to enjoy it more。PLOT: The main/overall plot was really good, and I liked it。 But the middle was reeeally slow。 Also, the entire Arthur subplot was very disturbing and made me really uncomfortable。 The way the Zarrins treated him was shitty (it was addressed at the end, but it still bothered me), and also the fact that practically the entire Zarrin family was either romantically or sexually involved with him was weird。 It’s also unclear whether some of those relations were consensual。 (view spoiler)[ For example, towards the end of the book when Arthur explains everything that happened to him, he makes it sound as though he had no choice in being with Persephone just because she wanted it。 And when Persephone recounts those same events, she doesn’t seem to have gotten his consent, and she was also physically violent towards him。 (hide spoiler)] I think the homophobia towards Rhys was never properly addressed。 And lastly, this is more of a personal preference, but I thought it was ridiculous how much of the plot relied on Eleanor being really oblivious。 Most of the events of the book never would’ve happened if Eleanor just stopped consciously ignoring all of the signs in front of her。STRUCTURE: No major issues with structure, but the long monologues at the end just didn’t work for me。 It was hard to stay interested/invested。THEME: There was an underlying conflation of violence with romance in this book, which is obviously not good。 (view spoiler)[ What really solidified that for me was Persephone telling the story of the time she first went after Arthur to “know what Miklos sees in him”。 (hide spoiler)]CHARACTERS: I liked the queer rep, but I didn’t like the way it was handled。 Idk if that makes sense。 For the most part it was pretty casual rep, but Eleanor also reacted pretty poorly to finding out that certain characters were queer。 And it seemed as if the author/characters were avoiding saying the words “gay” or “queer。” Specifically, (view spoiler)[ when Eleanor sees Arthur dancing with her father, she thinks “Maybe Rhys meant something to him, something I didn’t。 Something I could never mean。 Maybe Father had, too, once。 Arthur was。。。I didn’t know what Arthur was。” Now obviously Arthur being attracted to men doesn’t mean he’s GAY, but the phrasing makes it seem like Eleanor is specifically avoiding saying gay or queer or bi, etc。 (hide spoiler)] 。。。more

Abbie

Not as good as I was hoping it would be。。。

CR Daylex

One of the strangest books I’ve read in a long time and I’m still not sure what to make of it。 The opening was intense and bloody, but then our protagonist comes back years later to a family she no longer has any real connection to。 It was a family driven story but without a sense of real depth of feeling between them。 Nevertheless it was readable and paced well。

Heather

Two hours (15 percent) into this audiobook and I'm calling it quits。 The pacing is ridiculously slow。 There's so much detail in every flake of snow and breath of air that two hours in, all that's happened is the main character has eaten dinner with her family。 The story is crawling at a snail's pace and it's not even remotely entertaining。 I have no interest in werewolves generally, but I really wanted to read this because the cover art is so stunning。 But nothing。 is。 happening。 Except the teen Two hours (15 percent) into this audiobook and I'm calling it quits。 The pacing is ridiculously slow。 There's so much detail in every flake of snow and breath of air that two hours in, all that's happened is the main character has eaten dinner with her family。 The story is crawling at a snail's pace and it's not even remotely entertaining。 I have no interest in werewolves generally, but I really wanted to read this because the cover art is so stunning。 But nothing。 is。 happening。 Except the teenage girl in the lead role is crushing on the elderly man who is her aunt's accountant, and slowly realizing that her little sister and her male cousin are both flirting with him as well。 I'm not going to stick around to find out what that's about, sorry not sorry。 。。。more

Toni_BookNook4

“We are Zarrins”。What an odd book, but that’s what I was hoping for。 Rose Szabo first novel reminds me of a Munsters meet the Addam’s family but all twisted and creepy。 We see a family try to be a family as much as they can。 A young Eleanor coming home trying to figure out what to do or who to be, and trying not to be killed。 This story was a very odd but I couldn’t put in down! A very neat genre-bending fantasy with definite twist and turns, I am giving this a 3。75-4 stars 👹👹👹👹

Avery

Stop pairing adults with children and pretending that's somehow romantic。 It's fucking gross。 Stop pairing adults with children and pretending that's somehow romantic。 It's fucking gross。 。。。more

Denise Keierleber

This is a rare genre for me to read, fantasy。 I have to say I enjoyed it。 I was able to visualize the characters in my head, and allowed them to change as I learned more about them。

Michelle

Wonderfully original。 A book about monsters loving each other and still being monsters。

Dana

Between a 2 & 3 starMy reading experience with this book can best be described as vague and foggy。 It didn't make sense for a long time, and when pieces start coming together I still couldn't make everything out。 I had (have?) so many unanswered questions, and so many aspects of this book go unexplained。 I was prepared for a totally odious family because of some reviews I read before starting this book。 However, because this story was so hard to understand at first, I found myself too baffled an Between a 2 & 3 starMy reading experience with this book can best be described as vague and foggy。 It didn't make sense for a long time, and when pieces start coming together I still couldn't make everything out。 I had (have?) so many unanswered questions, and so many aspects of this book go unexplained。 I was prepared for a totally odious family because of some reviews I read before starting this book。 However, because this story was so hard to understand at first, I found myself too baffled and bewildered by the family's behavior to be that mad。 As I got a better ("better") grasp on the family's personalities, motives, and desires I did become more angry with them。 I thought Eleanor's family was selfish, self-serving, and immature。 I especially hated how badly they treated Margaret and Arthur; Margaret like a slave to her own family, Arthur like a plaything instead of a person。 Speaking of Arthur, I don't even know how to start describing how WEIRD his relationship with the rest of the family was。 The way everybody seemed to be in love with Arthur, and the way Arthur had absolutely no control or autonomy over what other people wanted to do with him, made me so uneasy and uncomfortable。 My negative feelings only grew when Grandmere was introduced to the story。 The way Eleanor acted/felt about her Grandmere was to the T how victims behave in abusive situations: feeling scared and on edge when doing perfectly reasonable things because it might pose the risk of making someone (usually their abuser) angry, making excuses for harmful behavior when they can't escape it/their abuser, to name a few。 I absolutely hated Grandmere。 I hated how disrespectfully she treated the rest of Eleanor's family and I hate how controlling and manipulative she was。 Also I didn't know how to feel about the queer undertones in this story。 They just seemed so random and out of place? I think this book is too weird in general for any kind of romance subplot to fit nicely fit into it。 I don't know if I would recommend this to anyone lol。 Maybe if you're really into vague and weird vibes in your books? 。。。more

Kim Trusty

I’m sure this will be someone’s jam, just ain’t mine。 Great premise but the pacing between plot points was dead slow and descriptions of characters are not the same same as character development。 Actually put it down for a week and then skimmed to the end。

Linda Stack-Nelson

The vibes? Immaculate。 The plotting? Questionable at best。

Carole (Carole's Random Life in Books)

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books。I enjoyed this book quite a bit! I marked this book as currently reading weeks ago but it really only took me a few days to read it once I had time to sit down with it。 I have to admit that one of the main reasons I wanted to read this book was the fabulous cover。 The story sounded promising so I was eager to give it a try。 Once I started reading this book, I was hooked and ended up having a fantastic time with it。Eleanor goes back h This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books。I enjoyed this book quite a bit! I marked this book as currently reading weeks ago but it really only took me a few days to read it once I had time to sit down with it。 I have to admit that one of the main reasons I wanted to read this book was the fabulous cover。 The story sounded promising so I was eager to give it a try。 Once I started reading this book, I was hooked and ended up having a fantastic time with it。Eleanor goes back home to her family after being away at school at the start of the story。 It becomes immediately apparent that Eleanor's family isn't your normal family。 Her grandfather and several other members of the family turn into wolves and her mother spends most of her time in a tub。 I immediately had so many questions that I needed answers to which kept me turning the pages as fast as I could。The book is told from Eleanor's point of view。 Eleanor was an interesting character。 I liked her but I wanted to know more than I felt like she was sharing。 I wanted to know why Eleanor left the family to go to school in the first place but the big mystery for me was finding out what Eleanor was and what she could do。 I had similar questions about some of the other family members and Arthur who was more of a family friend。 This book was rather weird。 I like weird books so that worked out well for me but I am not sure that this will be the right book for every reader。 I really liked the writing and found myself pulled in the story right away。 I liked the fact that anything could happen at any time and I was on the edge of my seat just waiting to see what would happen。 I would recommend this book to readers looking for something different。 I had a great time with this book and look forward to reading more of this author's work in the future。I received a review copy of this book from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group via Bookish First。Initial ThoughtsI liked this book。 It was a little weird but I like weird so it all worked。 。。。more

MaKenzie

I’m beyond disappointed by this book。 It was on my 2021 most anticipated list and to be totally honest it’s the worst book I’ve read in a long time。 The cover is BEAUTIFUL and the concept for the book is so interesting and weird-I was sure I was going to love it。This book is frustrating and underwhelming。 There is cast of interesting characters presented and then only a small fraction of those characters are explored。 We have no idea what’s happening half the book and when the ‘big reveal’ is un I’m beyond disappointed by this book。 It was on my 2021 most anticipated list and to be totally honest it’s the worst book I’ve read in a long time。 The cover is BEAUTIFUL and the concept for the book is so interesting and weird-I was sure I was going to love it。This book is frustrating and underwhelming。 There is cast of interesting characters presented and then only a small fraction of those characters are explored。 We have no idea what’s happening half the book and when the ‘big reveal’ is unveiled it is so unsatisfying。 This book does not feel cohesive and it feels incomplete because of how much further explanation and detail is necessary to make the plot make sense。 And to be totally honest, it does not seem like there is a completely fleshed out plot to begin with。 All of that being said, I’ve seen a lot of buzz surrounding this book so to each their own。 If you too were drawn to read this, perhaps give it a try。 Hopefully you’ll have a better time than I did。 。。。more

Sarah Wyatt

The last 1/4th of the book saved it for me。 The first 3/4th dragged on a bit but the ending was creepy and weird and awesome。

Hope

Horror that keeps you guessing!Many of those who didn't like this book probably prefer spoon-fed understanding like a Stephen King novel。 Probably the same people who thought Inception was a bad movie。 Simply not understanding is not a reason to give a book a low rating。 Now that I've ranted about the lazy review/reader combo, let's talk about why you SHOULD read What Big Teeth。 Themes: monsters, myths, family dramaCharacters: Unlikeable monsters who do terrible things! Of course you're not goin Horror that keeps you guessing!Many of those who didn't like this book probably prefer spoon-fed understanding like a Stephen King novel。 Probably the same people who thought Inception was a bad movie。 Simply not understanding is not a reason to give a book a low rating。 Now that I've ranted about the lazy review/reader combo, let's talk about why you SHOULD read What Big Teeth。 Themes: monsters, myths, family dramaCharacters: Unlikeable monsters who do terrible things! Of course you're not going to like them - that is the entire point。 They're weird, mysterious, and creepy。 Plot: Such a promising cover and synopsis give way to a confusing opening sequence with the main character。 Eleanor Zarrin is an outcast who doesn't fit in with her family or at school。 Slowly unfolding the reasons why, combined with a chilling family secret made me savor this story。Writing Style: The beginning is confusing, hands down。 I decided to stick with Szabo's tale weaving long enough to get sucked into the lore of it all。 I'm fascinated by monsters and myths。。。the ethos of a good gothic horror story is hard to come by in the current era of vampire love stories。 Overall: If you're a fan of unique takes on horror, this book will definitely swallow you whole。 。。。more