Jenni Howell’s debut novel “Boys with Sharp Teeth” plunges readers into a disturbing world where reality and illusion blur against the backdrop of the elite Huntsworth Academy. With a protagonist driven by revenge and supernatural elements that seep through the cracks of normalcy, Howell crafts a narrative that is simultaneously captivating and frustrating—much like the fractured mirrors that feature prominently throughout the story.
While the novel promises an intoxicating blend of dark academia, revenge, and supernatural horror, it delivers these elements with uneven execution, creating a reading experience that is as disorienting as the protagonist’s increasingly unstable perception of reality.
Plot and Premise: Vengeance Gone Awry
The story follows seventeen-year-old Marin James, who infiltrates the prestigious Huntsworth Academy under the false identity of Jamie Vane after her cousin Sam is found dead on school grounds. Convinced that rich, privileged students Adrian Hargraves and Henry Wu are responsible for Sam’s death, Marin is determined to gather evidence against them and bring them to justice.
What begins as a straightforward revenge plot quickly spirals into something more complex and sinister as Marin:
Becomes entangled with the very boys she suspects of murder
Discovers a supernatural presence haunting the mirrors of Huntsworth
Finds herself caught between hatred and attraction
Uncovers a horrifying truth about Henry and his ability to consume emotions and memories
The premise is undeniably compelling, but the execution struggles to maintain coherence as the supernatural elements intensify. Howell’s decision to blend psychological thriller with supernatural horror creates a unique atmosphere, but the rules governing the paranormal aspects remain frustratingly vague, leaving readers to piece together the mechanics of soul-splitting and emotional consumption without clear guidelines.
Character Development: Monsters Wearing Human Faces
The novel’s strongest element is its deeply flawed and morally ambiguous characters. Marin’s transformation from vengeful outsider to someone who begins to mirror the very darkness she despises is handled with psychological nuance. Her internal conflict between seeking justice for Sam and being seduced by Huntsworth’s allure creates genuine tension.
The two “boys with sharp teeth” present distinctly different forms of monstrosity:
Henry Wu: A charismatic sociopath with supernatural abilities who consumes emotions and manipulates everyone around him to fill the void within himself
Adrian Hargraves: A tortured, guilt-ridden accomplice bound to Henry by complicated ties of obligation, who attempts to atone through self-harm and isolation
The dynamic between these three characters drives the narrative, and Howell excels at depicting their toxic interdependence. However, secondary characters like Baz (Basile Hallward) often feel underdeveloped, serving primarily as plot devices rather than fully realized individuals.
Atmosphere and Setting: Haunted Halls and Gilded Cages
Huntsworth Academy emerges as a character in its own right—a place of privilege and decay, where wealth and status mask rot beneath the surface. Howell crafts atmospheric descriptions that evoke both the extravagance and the corruption of the elite school:
“Hauntings take more than mist and mountains. More than dark corridors and twisting paths, more than shuttered windows and creaking floors. Hauntings take greed. Pride. And brokenness.”
The most effective settings include:
The little library with its cracked mirror and marginalia-filled books
The stream where Sam’s body was found
The Tower where Adrian, Henry, and the other seniors reside
These locations pulse with symbolic significance, though at times the metaphors become heavy-handed, particularly as the supernatural elements intensify in the final third of the novel.
Prose and Dialogue: Uneven Elegance
Howell demonstrates considerable skill with language, crafting passages of genuine beauty and psychological insight alongside moments of overwrought prose. When she hits her stride, her writing creates a mesmerizing effect, particularly in scenes exploring the inner turmoil of her characters:
“I know which life I have to take.
Baz’s door opens silently. Her room is neater this time, like she’s made an effort just in case I come back. And I did. I’m here, standing beside her bed, watching her sleep. She looks fragile with her face smooth, finally resting from trying to mimic everyone else’s. Our little mirror. Breakable as glass.”
However, the dialogue occasionally veers into pretentiousness, particularly in the philosophical discussions during the Descartes seminar scenes. While these conversations establish the novel’s intellectual ambitions, they sometimes feel like showcases for cleverness rather than authentic exchanges between teenagers, even exceptionally bright ones.
Thematic Depth: Identity and Moral Ambiguity
Despite its flaws, “Boys with Sharp Teeth” grapples ambitiously with complex themes:
Identity and its fragility: The novel consistently questions how much of ourselves we can lose before we become someone else entirely.
The fine line between love and hate: Howell explores how intense emotions can blur and transform into their opposites.
Moral responsibility: The characters constantly negotiate the boundaries of guilt, complicity, and redemption.
The nature of reality: Drawing on Descartes’ philosophical questioning, the novel repeatedly challenges what can be known for certain.
These thematic elements elevate the story beyond a simple revenge narrative, though they aren’t always integrated seamlessly into the plot.
Structural Weaknesses: Pacing and Coherence
The novel suffers from significant pacing issues, particularly in its final third. The supernatural elements, which initially create an effective sense of unease, eventually overtake the narrative, leading to a convoluted climax that strains credibility even within the established rules of the story’s world.
Other structural problems include:
Uneven escalation: The narrative tension doesn’t build steadily but lurches between intense confrontations and languid philosophical reflection.
Shifting goals: Marin’s motivations change frequently, sometimes without sufficient development to make these shifts believable.
Resolution challenges: The ending attempts to tie together too many loose threads, resulting in a conclusion that feels simultaneously rushed and ambiguous.
Final Verdict: Flawed but Fascinating
“Boys with Sharp Teeth” is a debut that showcases both remarkable potential and significant growing pains. At its best, it’s a haunting exploration of grief, revenge, and the ways we lose ourselves in pursuit of justice. At its worst, it’s a confusing supernatural thriller that sacrifices clarity for atmosphere.
Recommended for readers who:
Appreciate dark academia settings
Enjoy morally ambiguous characters
Don’t mind some logical inconsistencies in service of mood and theme
Are drawn to stories that blend psychological realism with supernatural elements
Not recommended for those seeking:
Clear-cut heroes and villains
Fully explained supernatural systems
Linear, straightforward plotting
Conventional romance elements
Comparisons and Context
As a debut novel, “Boys with Sharp Teeth” shows Howell finding her voice, which occasionally echoes other works in the dark academia and supernatural thriller genres:
The philosophical discussions and elite school setting evoke Donna Tartt’s “The Secret History“
The fractured reality and unreliable narration have similarities to E. Lockhart’s “We Were Liars”
The supernatural elements and intense relationships between damaged characters recall aspects of Maggie Stiefvater’s “The Raven Cycle”
However, Howell’s particular blend of psychological realism and supernatural horror carves out a distinctive niche. The novel’s exploration of mirrors as portals and vessels for consumed emotions offers a fresh take on familiar tropes.
Final Thoughts: A Promising, If Flawed, Debut
Despite its shortcomings, “Boys with Sharp Teeth” announces Howell as a writer with ambitious ideas and considerable talent. The novel’s flaws—its occasionally muddled plotting and uneven pacing—are outweighed by its atmospheric intensity and psychological complexity.
Readers willing to embrace the disorientation and ambiguity will find a darkly compelling story about the monsters we become when seeking vengeance. Those looking for more conventional storytelling may find themselves frustrated by the shifting rules and motivations.
Like its protagonist, “Boys with Sharp Teeth” exists in a liminal space—between genres, between realities, and between brilliance and bewilderment. It’s a cracked mirror that reflects something fascinating, even if the image is sometimes distorted beyond recognition.
For a debut novelist, Howell shows remarkable promise in crafting atmospheric settings and morally complex characters. With more discipline in plotting and world-building, her future works could truly shine. As it stands, “Boys with Sharp Teeth” is an imperfect but memorable introduction to a writer unafraid to explore the darker corners of human experience.