Reviews

Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage

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chuckstafer's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This was quite an interesting story. We were introduced to Hanna and her mom Suzette deep into their "issues" with each other and the torment that the daughter was inflicting on the mom. Why did this start? How did things get to this elevated state? How the heck did this little girl get these ideas?

Those are the main questions I had at the beginning to end of the story, and a whole zero of those questions were answered by the end of the novel. This story felt like one that started to get its "sea legs" and then just fizzled out with no satisfying ending or answers to questions that were being raised. It felt like we were thrust into this ongoing story with no relevant background info ever being provided to us.

The characters we were introduced to weren't even very likable either. The mom was selfish and too timid to do anything for most of the novel. The daughter was (for lack of a better term) an evil witch, but was too smart for her age so many of her actions were too unrealistic. The father was so annoyingly oblivious to what was going on in his own family and would never believe his wife until it was too late. They were all just obnoxious in their own way and not my favorite family by any means.

Overall, there were parts of this book that worked, but many parts that did not. I wish there was more backstory and explanation as to how the family got into this situation in the first place, as well as a satisfying conclusion. The ending teased more of the story, but it wasn't enough to save this one for me.

jessicasearles's review against another edition

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This book pissed me off too much, tbh. It wasn't good for my mental health.

72allshookup's review against another edition

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4.0

This was definitely different when it comes to books. It kept me listening and wanting to know how the book would end, now I’m wondering...will there be another book???

exorcismemily's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5⭐

Baby Teeth started out so well for me. I had heard a lot of good things about this book, and I was really excited about reading it. It's an interesting storyline, but I couldn't help but feel disappointed by the time I got to the end of the book.

The suspense / dread in this book builds well. It does continue to get progressively worse, but I feel like this book played it safe. I wanted dark, and Baby Teeth edges towards dark & then backs away. It's a slow burn that ended up not leading up to much for me.

I enjoyed how tense / stressful this book was in the beginning. I wouldn't call this a fun read - it's not an enjoyable story, but it's intriguing. There were a few borderline creepy scenes, and I feel like Baby Teeth could have been a favorite if it would have taken the plunge into horror. I feel like the story couldn't entirely decide what it wanted to be. I ended up skimming toward the end, and I feel like there was a bit too much filler at times. That being said, I enjoyed the concept, and would read another book from Zoje Stage. Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press for a review copy!