I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison Published by Berkley on October 4 2022
Genres: Adult, Horror
Pages: 336
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A most unusual werewolf tale that combines body horror, romance and humor in surprising ways. If you aren’t reading Rachel Harrison, you need to get on that, stat.
“I run and run. It doesn’t matter how fast I’m going, which I know is fast, animal fast, my senses are not dulled by the speed. My pace amplifies everything. There’s no outrunning any of it. Not my senses. Not my feelings. Not myself.
The werewolf thing only enhances all the parts of me that were already broken and wrong. It’s trapped me with the worst of myself. It’s my reckoning.”
I love being surprised by a book, and Such Sharp Teeth was the perfect Halloween surprise. I was blown away by Rachel Harrison’s writing, her ability to convey raw emotions, her pitch perfect dialog and wry humor. The book is full of messy characters who don’t exactly know what they’re doing or what they want, and yet they keep moving forward—is there any other choice? This is the story about a woman who turns into a werewolf, but more than that, it’s about family ties, recovery from trauma and learning how to forgive, even when it’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done.
Rory Morris has returned to her hometown to care for her pregnant sister Scarlett, after Scarlett’s boyfriend left her high and dry. She’s isn’t thrilled to be back—she loves her exciting single life in New York City—and being home brings back all sorts of memories she’d rather not deal with. Like Ian Pedretti, for example, who’s had a crush on Rory since they were in middle school. When Rory runs into Ian in a bar, sparks start to fly. And Ian still has a crush on her, so why not? But later that night, Rory accidentally hits an animal on her way home, and when she gets out to investigate, something attacks and bites her.
Later in the hospital, Rory is shocked to find the terrible bite wound has healed. And other weird stuff is happening to her body. She bleeds silver, she’s hot all the time, and when she looks in the mirror, there’s a red-eyed wolf lurking over her shoulder. She only wants to eat meat—she craves it. And why does she stink of wet dog? It all adds up to something terrible: Rory was bitten by a werewolf, and she has until the next full moon to figure out what to do.
There’s a lot to unpack with this story, but I want to talk about the supernatural elements first. Harrison’s werewolf mythos isn’t glamorous or pretty. It’s dark, visceral and painful. Rory is overwhelmed by all the smells around her. Any food other than meat makes her want to throw up. She constantly sweats. The descriptions of her change into her wolf form are shocking and gross. She grabs anything that moves, including squirrels and rats, and later after she’s back in her own body, she vomits up the teeth and tails of the animals she’s gorged on. If you’re looking for a sexy werewolf story, you won’t find it here. This is as close to what I imagine the experience would be like if werewolves were a real thing.
So yes, this is about Rory coping with the harsh new reality of being a werewolf, but the meat of the story is about navigating relationships and the ups and downs of loving someone fiercely, even when they disappoint you or piss you off. I absolutely loved Rory’s relationship with her twin sister Scarlett. They are best friends, but they’re both hiding big secrets from each other. When their mother is added to the mix, the emotions become palpable. Rory suffered familial abuse as a child and she blames her mother for it. She’s never been able to forgive her, although she loves her mother dearly. It was heartbreaking to read the scenes between them as they try to deal with something that’s been swept under the rug for far too long, and I applaud Harrison’s decision to add uncomfortable topics and conversations to her story.
I also loved the romance between Rory and Ian, which isn’t the focus but adds a nice dynamic to the story. The sweet, sexy moments between them were a nice contrast to the more horrific werewolf elements, and Ian was such a funny, understanding guy, I sort of wanted to jump into bed with him myself!
The story also deals with more serious topics like women’s rights and equality, and Harrison uses the tried and true metaphor of change to show character growth. Scarlett and Rory bond over the shared experience of their changing bodies (pregnancy and turning into a monster), and neither one of them is happy about it. Scarlett isn’t completely certain she wants a baby, and Rory just wants to find a cure and go back to the way she was. It might seem like all of this in one story wouldn’t work, but trust me when I say each element is perfectly balanced. It’s rare to find an author who can successfully mix romance, horror and humor with weightier subjects, but Harrison succeeds brilliantly.
In the end, there are no easy solutions to the characters’ problems. Instead, each one is resolved in a believable way. I would love to see Such Sharper Teeth morph into a series—some things are left open just in case—although I suspect this is where Rory’s story ends. And it’s perfect.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
I just grabbed this from the library last week. I read Cackle last year and really loved it. If you haven’t checked it out yet, I definitely recommend it.
I’m definitely going to read Cackle! Hope you enjoy:-)
She bleeds silver? That’s something different. Had to laugh at “… but the meat of the story is…”. 🙂 I remember when I first learned of this one I was intrigued but also skeptical. I’m glad to see it ended up being a great story. I’d love to try it one day.
It was different! And thanks for catching my “meat” pun, it was deliberate:-)
Great review, Tammy! It’s been a while since I read a good werewolf story and I’m loving the sound of this one. The bit about where she vomits up the teeth and tails of the animals she’s gorged on is pretty gross but I’d deal with it LOL I also really like that she bleeds silver because I haven’t read a werewolf book where that has happened before so that’s something unique for me. I will keep this book in the back of my mind next time I’m buying books!
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…Cover Reveal: A Terror Triptych by Kasey Fallon
The bleeding silver part was so cool. And werewolves are allergic to silver so it was odd.
This sounds like a very intriguing take on the werewolf myth, particularly where you describe the not-so-glamorous aftereffects of the transformation, which sound closer to what must be the… real thing (if such a *thing* exists of course…)
Thanks for sharing!! 🙂
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…BLACK MOUTH, by Ronald Malfi
I love that she added the gritty reality of changing into a werewolf. It gave the story more heft, I think:-)
Hmm, I am kind of curious. Great review!
Thanks! You might like this:-)
Ooo, I love a good werewolf story. Exciting review, Tammy!
Priscilla Bettis recently posted…An Interview and My First Dog Meat Review!
Thanks Priscilla, tons of fun but also serious in places. Somehow it all made sense:-)
I loved this. Your whole first paragraph summed up this book so much. The family ties were perfect, and I love how she explored Scarlett’s ambivalence towards being pregnant as well. And it was kind of gross at times- like when she was spiting up the rat’s tails and whatnot. I was like yuck! 🙂
Greg recently posted…Movies That Suck (reposting) The 7th Voyage of Sinbad
It was so good, and I’m glad you loved it too! The gross parts were so unexpected:-)
This sounds fabulous and I haven’t read a story with werewolves in it for ages, probably not since Shadowhunters. Definitely adding to my TBR!
It’s been a while since I’ve read a werewolf story too! Definitely worth the wait:-)
I forget, is this your first book by Rachel Harrison? If so, I’m really glad you enjoyed! She’s come a long way from The Return, her writing becoming more polished and her storytelling becoming much tighter and in such a short time too. I loved this one!
Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum recently posted…Book Review: Lute by Jennifer Thorne
Yes, my first! I want to catch up with Cackle at some point.
This sounds good. I realised recently that I haven’t read many books featuring werewolves, so might have to add this one to my TBR list 😀
I don’t see werewolf books that often, unless it’s paranormal romance. I’m so glad I read this:-)
Oh, yay! I can’t wait to read this one. I really like her books.
Jennifer | Book Den recently posted…UNDER THE WHISPERING DOOR by T.J. Klune – Review
Can’t wait to read this!
Like I said – I need this book in my life.
Lynn 😀
Great review! 😀 I wasn’t sure if I was going to pick this one up, but now I definitely need to!
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