One of the Weirdest Books I’ve Ever Read | Book Review: What Big Teeth, written by Rose Szabo

Blog Banner with the cover of What Big Teeth on the left and Book Review in bold letters on the left

Hi everyone! Today I’m going to be reviewing What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo, available now from Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo

Publication date:February 2nd, 2021 
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Pages:394
Genre: Fiction, Young Adult, Speculative fiction, fantasy, horror
Buy links:
Book Depository | Blackwells | Goodreads

Synopsis:

Rose Szabo’s thrilling debut is a dark and thrilling 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 estranged from her wild family for years. When she flees boarding school after a horrifying incident, she goes to the only place she thinks is safe: the home she left behind. But when she gets there, she struggles to fit in with her monstrous relatives, who prowl the woods around the family estate and read fortunes in the guts of birds.

Eleanor finds herself desperately trying to hold the family together — in order to save them all, Eleanor must learn to embrace her family of monsters and tame the darkness inside her.

– My Thoughts –

“This was such a strange book” I kept thinking as I turned off my kindle.

We follow the protagonist Eleanor Zarrin as they return to their hometown after an ‘incident’ at boarding school. The opening scene sent chills down my spine and effectively drew me into the story. We learn that Eleanor’s family is far from normal and that the people in their town are very much afraid of the Zarrin family.

Eleanor is very much like a lone wolf as her family doesn’t seem too enthusiastic about her return home. Eleanor craves to be loved, to belong but everyone seems preoccupied on their own. Sure, there’s Arthur – their old family friend- but something seems different about him. The air of mystery is so dense from this point on that I was eagerly fumbling through the story but to no avail.

It’s gothic, sometimes (almost)claustrophobic atmosphere was the only saving grace for this book. As there was barely any character development except for Eleanor’s. The plot took so much time to get to the resolution that I was left feeling unsatisfied.

I guess there was a whiff of romance which made me uncomfortable for a number of reasons- one being the fact that it looked like a love triangle(which I detest). Still, it didn’t add any value to the story and would have been better if it was left out.

Overall, I would recommend it to those who love the cover, love reading about horror with mystery and monstrous, wild things.

Thanks to the publisher for gifting me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for reading! Will you add ‘What Big Teeth’ to your tbr? Or, have you read it already? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!