BITE - SIZED REVIEW: Greenteeth by Molly O'Neill
"I shall bring them back to the old ways; blood sacrifices, castles and chieftains. The island at the edge of the world, how easy it can slip back into darkness."
Orbit (Hachette), NY: February 2025
Picture it: 17th century Britain. A witch, a goblin, and a verdant river hag named Jenny set off on an epic adventure. The quest: collect three magical trinkets in hopes of defeating an all-powerful foe in hopes of saving the heart of the British Isles.
As a Yankee unfamiliar with the likes of this particular British bogeyman, I feel obligated to explain that our eponymous hero Jenny Greenteeth enjoys a long history of being used by worried parents to scare their small children away from suspect bodies of water. Why so scary? This river fairy, with her green skin and teeth like a hacksaw, is said to have a penchant for dragging unwary children underneath the water’s surface and into her gore-strewn lair. Sounds pretty rad, tbh.
Debut author (yes, another one) Molly O’Neill is a British transplant to Aus and also happens to run a most helpful review blog, consisting of popular fiction, fantasy, and YA novels. This might not be my cup of tea but I admire her dedication in averaging 8ish books a month. Writing also appears to O’Neill’s Clark Kent, as she mentions being an Engineering Geologist in her book bio. (I don’t really know what that is—I’m just a public servant trying to hide from Elon...)
What really struck me about this story is its underlying theme of motherhood, which is appropriate as I’m writing this on Mother’s Day. The novel lightly touches on how femininity and motherhood intersect; is one still a good mother if she doesn’t fit into society’s view of a “good” woman?
To elaborate, our story begins with our witch Temperance (human) being condemned to death and forced from her village and away from her small children by an overzealous Proctor— one who appears to be hiding something particularly insidious. Jenny, though an unlikely ally she may appear to be, understands how Temperance must sacrifice everything to win against the Proctor in order to reunite with her children. Jenny is a mother herself and recognizes Temperance’s devotion within her own love for her daughter (also named Jenny).
You see, motherhood is a sisterhood—one that has a bond stronger than gorilla tape on a drag queen’s underside.
While there were some grisly bits in this novel that I enjoyed (I was looking for a MONSTER story, after all), I found it difficult getting enough motivation to finish the novel. Honestly, it was quite bland. I did appreciate the folklore, however, and it did pair nicely with my library copy of Rebel Folklore that I was tandem reading. Again, I was hoping for something that wasn’t there. Horror catfished pt. deux.
Besides my grumblings, I’m sure it is a fine fantasy/adventure novel for those who are so inclined, elves and unicorns included.
Next.