Publisher Description
From an absolutely unmissable new voice in cozy fantasy comes Greenteeth, “an extraordinary tale about the most unforgettable heroine:” (Sarah Beth Durst) a charismatic lake-dwelling monster named Jenny Greenteeth with a voice unlike any other.
Beneath the still surface of a lake lurks a monster with needle sharp teeth. Hungry and ready to pounce.
Jenny Greenteeth has never spoken to a human before, but when a witch is thrown into her lake, something makes Jenny decide she’s worth saving. Temperance doesn’t know why her village has suddenly turned against her, only that it has something to do with the malevolent new pastor.
Though they have nothing in common, these two must band together on a magical quest to defeat the evil that threatens Jenny’s lake and Temperance’s family, as well as the very soul of Britain.
This is a tale of fae, folklore, and found family, perfect for fans of T. Kingfisher and Travis Baldree.
My Thoughts
Like many pre-teen kids, I went through a phase where I was fascinated with all things faerie. I devoured books like The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia McKillip, The Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey, and The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. What really tweaked my imagination though was the book Faeries by Brian Froud. It was in that book that I first encountered Jenny Greenteeth.
For some reason, the short section on Jenny and the accompanying illustration have stayed in my mind over the decades, so I was immediately intrigued when I came across this book by Molly O’Neill.
Folklore fans will love this imaginative look at Jenny Greenteeth, one of the many water “monsters” that show up in British folklore. O‘Neill spins a tale about Jenny combined with some Arthurian lore.
O’Neill has successfully humanized the Jenny in this book, making her a friend, a mother, a deadly foe, and (at the end) something much, much more. The narrative description here is wonderful and the author paints vivid pictures of both Jenny’s underwater realm and the realm of man.
My early reading of Fround’s Faeries led me to discover the fact that scholarly study of the little people actually existed, so maybe, just maybe so do they! In fact, as I I read Heather Fawcett’s Emily Wilde books last year, I imagined Emily as a young Katharine Briggs.
I am so pleased to see a new generation of writers discovering those old tales and spinning them into something completely new. Greenteeth should surely find an audience among fantasy and folklore readers.
★ “Full of magic that is rich, mysterious, and exciting.” – Booklist (Starred review)
★ “Full of magic, but even more heart.” –Kirkus (Starred review)
★”A beautiful story of found family among the most disparate of creatures.” –Library Journal (Starred review)
Publication Date: February 25, 2025
Published By: Hachette Book Group
Thanks to the Chili Public Library for the book
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