Review – What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo

Posted March 23, 2021 by Carole in Book Reviews / 11 Comments

What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo
Publisher: Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group
Publication Date: February 2, 2021
Date Read: March 19, 2021
Length: 394 pages
Source: Publisher via Bookish First
★★★★☆

This thrilling debut 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.

What you see isn’t always what you get.

Eleanor Zarrin has been distanced from her family for years. When she returns home after a violent incident at boarding school, trying to fit back into the space she left becomes even more difficult when their headstrong matriarch unexpectedly dies. Eleanor’s bloodthirsty family is left unchecked for the first time in decades, and when her Grandmere arrives to help the family adjust, it’s clear that something dark is lurking beneath her genteel exterior.

Eleanor learns that she has inherited her Grandmere’s terrifying gift, which allows her to control people by devouring them whole. Now she must make a choice between following in her Grandmere’s footsteps, or taking a stand, and saving her family from the monster she invited into their home.

My Review
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.

About the Author

Rose Szabo is a nonbinary writer from Richmond, Virginia, where they live with an assortment of people and animals and teach writing at VCU. They have an MA in English from the University of Maine and an MFA in creative writing from VCU. Their work has been published in See the Elephant and Quaint magazines. What Big Teeth is their first novel.


 Author Links: Website | Instagram | Twitter

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11 responses to “Review – What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo”

  6. Katherine P

    The cover caught my attention too though at a glance it doesn't look like one for me! It does sound like a good read and I love when I fly through a book once I actually sit down and read it!

  8. Northwoman

    It looks like horror but YA can be almost as much of a no go for me. I'm happy it worked for you.

    Anne – Books of My Heart