Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon, my Darlings. For today’s post, I am sharing my review of the novel Greenteeth by Molly O’Neill. This is a new fantasy novel, just published earlier this year, and even better, this is a debut novel! I am a huge fan of finding new authors and reading debut novels, as it is always exciting to see what new voices are appearing in my favorite genres. Debut novels are so special, as they are often truly passion projects of the author.
I have to say, I am very delighted with this novel. It is clear that O’Neill had such a deep passion for the novel and her characters. However, what is most exciting for me is that she also has a clearly deep and abiding love for both fantasy literature and Celtic folklore! I originally picked up the book in a bookstore (as I had not heard of it before I saw it on the shelf) because I saw the title, and thought ‘Is this really a novel about Jenny Greenteeth?’, and the answer was yes.
I was thrilled to find a novel about the British Lake Monster, as she is not often written about, and I honestly have only read about her from a folklore standpoint, never in fiction! The cover also grabbed me with its beautiful greens and blues with hints of pink and its stylized illustration of Jenny. I would definitely be in store for a fun read, at least I hoped (spoiler, I was right).
The book ended up being something I had not expected, as it delved much deeper into folklore than just Jenny herself. There is a Witch named Temperence who was being persecuted, and a Goblin named Brakus, to round out our main trio of characters. To my utter fangirling joy, this book features appearances from both Gwyn ap Nudd and Creiddylad! I do not exaggerate with this, as I had a huge folklore fangirl moment, screaming in delight, when I found out they would have to go to the Faery Court of Gwyn ap Nudd. There are also many Arthurian references, which made me overflow with happiness. Not to mention that there are other folklore figures represented in the novel beyond the ones mentioned here. I will not give any more details, as I do not want to spoil this reading experience for anyone! But there are definitely surprises in store that will be a lot of fun if you enjoy folklore and Celtic legends as much as I do. The ending was something that I vaguely had begun to piece together along the way, but I was still a bit surprised that my assumptions turned out to be confirmed, as it made for a pleasant way to tie up the storyline!
If you love a good cozy fantasy, with some edge, and enjoy lots of old faerylore details, this is such a fantastic read. I cannot wait to see what else Molly O’Neill has in store for us in the coming years. I hope you have enjoyed this review of Greenteeth. Do you want to read this novel? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is the book cover. I found the image on https://www.amazon.com/Greenteeth-Molly-ONeill/dp/031658424X.
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Further Reading
- Greenteeth by Molly O’Neill