I have recently become obsessed with Rachel Harrison's work and 'Such Sharp Teeth' was just as fantastic as everything else of hers I have loved. Rachel writes female friendships and sister dynamics so well that I always find myself easily put into the shoes of the MC, no matter how different their reality is to mine. I adore how the characters aren't put through senseless torture, Rachel's books are not pain-fests whereby everything awful thing under the sun happens to the MC and every other side character is horrific and bitchy. These characters are flawed, yes, but ultimately relatable and therefore, likeable! Their stories are scary, uncomfortable and yet so is life and so again, relatable. I feel like many people could read this book and put their own trauma in place of the MC's and there's something powerful and uplifting about seeing someone else's struggle, navigation and triumph through darkness. I cannot wait to read more of her work!!

I didn't love Cackle as much as I hoped I would, but I've listened to enough interviews with Rachel Harrison to know I want to keep trying her work and I'm so glad I did. In all honesty I've never been much of a vampire or werewolf girl, despite going through the Twilight phase in my youth, and Such Sharp Teeth made me realise that the reason I've never been drawn to werewolf stories is because they're primarily about men who turn into some form of beast. In this story, though, it's 27-year-old Rory Morris who finds herself with a brand new time of the month to worry about after a vicious attack in her hometown. As soon as she could, Rory left home and has been living in Manhattan, pursuing her dream career, treating herself to fine clothes, going out with friends and casually hooking up with strangers. When her pregnant twin sister reveals her partner has walked out, Rory takes a break from her job to return home and support her until the baby arrives. After bumping into Ian, an old friend from school who always had a soft spot for, at a local bar, Rory is attacked on her way home when something throws a deer carcass onto her car. Mauled and left for dead, she's found the next morning by a dog walker and wakes up in hospital. What's initially thought to be a bear attack that's left her with surprisingly few injuries, despite Rory's memory of the attack, turns out to be something much more sinister when she finds herself craving meat and detesting silver. The best way I can describe this book is slice-of-life horror. It's a classic city girl returns to hometown story, but the city girl in question just so happens to be a werewolf. I loved it. Rory herself is a brilliant character and I loved her sense of humour. She's not entirely happy about coming home - she loves living in Manhattan - but she doesn't detest her hometown either, and she doesn't need to start hating the city when the town she grew up starts growing on her. Like all good return to hometown stories, Rory ends up re-examining some of the darker moments from her childhood and her complicated relationship with her mother--especially with twin sister Scarlett on the verge of becoming a mother herself--and I was fascinated by the way Harrison used lycanthropy as a way to comment on the repercussions of sexual assault. After being found bruised, bloodied and left for dead in the woodland, one of the first things Rory's asked when she wakes up in hospital is why she got out of her car. As the novel progresses and she realises the predicament she's in, she's constantly punishing herself with questions like 'Why didn't I run faster?' or 'Why didn't I scream louder?' and that rage has an outlet every full moon. The way Rory transforms isn't pretty either. In fact Such Sharp Teeth has a lot to say about the ways women's bodies can change, for better or worse, with Rory's bones and muscles painfully readjusting themselves once a month, Scarlett literally growing a human in her belly and their mother going through the menopause. This isn't an 'alas, being a woman is so difficult' book, though, but a tribute to the things our bodies can put us through and the way we can adapt because we literally have no other choice. And then there's Rory's blossoming relationship with Ian, which is so darn charming. It's so easy to believe that these are two people who've known each other for most of their lives and they're so easy to root for. Anyone who's a fan of the likes of Emily Henry who'd like to dip their toes into horror would do well to start with this one. Such Sharp Teeth worked for me on every level. I loved what it had to say and how it said it without ever losing its ultimate goal to be an entertaining story. It's left me craving more werewolf stories and I can't wait to read whatever Rachel Harrison does next.

Rory is back in her hometown to help her pregnant twin sister, Scarlett. Driving one night she hits something big and when she gets out to investigate she is attacked and mauled by a monster. Thankfully she survives but now her body is changing, her senses are heightened and silver burns her skin, what is she becoming? This is a creature feature with added dark humour and incredible snappy dialogue. The banter between the sisters and friends is sarcastic and acerbic and often funny as hell! The body transformations and descriptions are pure horror and brutally explicit. You can feel the skin tear, the bones break, the pain and agony, it is incredibly written! It speaks of facing your past, family, friendship, love, acceptance and clawing your way into your own skin. A fast paced and thrilling read, impossible to put down, this lived up to the hype! This is not your usual werewolf story, it is a tale of processing trauma, body acceptance and the relationships we take for granted. All the characters are engaging but the connection between the sisters and an old school crush are wonderfully portrayed here, the good and the bad. I cannot express how effortless the writing is, it merges mythology with contemporary fiction seamlessly and I could not stop reading! The wit is sharp and tears through the pages, shredding like sharpened teeth. The story is multi layered, there is a rawness to the descriptive prose that does not hold back. A thrilling and exceptional read

Everything is fine Everything is not fine. Rory (Aurora) is forced to return home, where bad memories lurk as her pregnant twin sister. Scarlett is estranged from the babies father and needs her help. On the way home from meeting an old friend, Ian, although she is driving very carefully she thinks she’s hit a large deer if the front of her car is anything to go by. She then realises the deer carcass is cold, she further appreciates she’s not alone. There is an upright something, the size of a bear but the proportions are all wrong. The fur is too sparse, the feet have talons, the knuckles are bald and yikes it has red eyes and fangs. It can’t be real can it? It attacks, bites, it’s utterly monstrous. What on earth has she been bitten by? And, post bite why is she craving meat and has an aversion to silver? This is a brilliant modern fusion of a fairytale blended with the supernatural, some romance and a family/smalltown drama. It’s original and quirky with razor sharp wit, which makes you laugh out loud, then it makes you wince and sometimes horrified! There is atmosphere in abundance, especially around the lunar calendar then it teeters into the scary. The is the vibrant and vivid utilising all the senses and sometimes you wish didn’t! I like the authors writing style which engages me and makes you believe even when you know it’s hard to believe. Anyone that can make you laugh, then gasp in amazement has to have a load of talent! It’s fresh, entertaining with the yucky parts counterbalanced by some on/off romance courtesy of Ian who is a well grounded character. I really like Rory, she’s funny, fierce and yet vulnerable and her issues on returning home are relatable, especially in regards to family though there is also some trauma in her past. Scarlett is very likeable too and similar to her twin, she is flawed and believable as a character. You’re with Rory all the way in this and I really like the fairytale ending with such sharp teeth grandma, sorry grandpa! Although I enjoyed Cackle a tad more than this, it’s still a very good book and I can’t wait to read what Rachel Harrison imagines next.

“It’s a miracle and it’s a curse, the secrets our bodies keep.” When Rory agreed to temporarily move back to her hometown to support her pregnant twin, Scarlett, irrevocable changes to her life (and body) weren’t what she had in mind. After running into Ian, who’s been in love with her forever, at a bar, she has an accident on her way home. It wasn’t a bear that attacked Rory that night under the watchful gaze of the full moon. It turns out werewolves aren’t as fictional as we’ve all been led to believe. ““Yep. Werewolf,” I say. “A real thing apparently. Who knew?”” While Rory was justifiably concerned about Bambi’s welfare after the accident, it’s not Rory’s car Bambi needs to worry about; it’s her appetite. The body horror is strong with this one, with the transformation process a particularly visceral experience. The close encounters with a smorgasbord of meats will mean you’re likely to either crave a big juicy steak while reading or reconsider your carnivore status entirely. Or, if you’re like me, your stomach will be turning even as you wish you had a cheeseburger in front of you waiting to be devoured. Having a female werewolf central to the story doesn’t just make for an entertaining read. It also paves the way for themes of power and control, rage, how we live after trauma and the reclamation of bodily autonomy when your body has been used by another as an object and it doesn’t feel like you inhabit it anymore. Rory’s struggles with what her life looks like now and with her family and past are explored while she works her way through the deli section of the local supermarket. Content warnings are included on my blog. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Titan Books for the opportunity to read this book.