Greenteeth

Greenteeth by Molly O’Neill is a (mostly) cozy fantasy that kicks off with the unlikely friendship between a hag and a witch.

The hag is Jenny Greenteeth - in English folklore, she is a river-hag who pulls children or the elderly into the river and eats them. The Jenny Greenteeth of Greenteeth isn’t too different. She is more properly a lake hag and will tell us her full proper name is Jenny Greenteeth in the Lake at Chipping Appleby, but she, at least when we meet her, has no qualms about eating a person.

In fact, the only thing stopping her from eating the witch is her desire to avoid indigestion. Said witch is Temperance Crump who is accused of being a witch then manacled and thrown into the lake. Jenny decides, on little more than a whim, to rescue instead of eat her.

Temperance, after recovering from her initial shock and fear of Jenny, quickly reverts to being hurt and offended at being unfairly accused of witchcraft - until she remembered the accusation wasn’t exactly false. “I am a witch, and I can save myself!” She declares, kicking off the adventure.

She soon learns that her accuser is actually an ancient evil being, and she and Jenny are joined by a hobgoblin merchant, Brackus, and Cavall, a canine.

Seeking help from high fae, they embark upon a quest to obtain the necessary items thy will need to defeat this evil.

Greenteeth, told from Jenny’s perspective, is full of adventure and humor and reminds us of the importance of family - including found family.

If you’re into audiobooks, this one is very well done, narrated and performed expertly by Catrin Walker-Booth.

Support your favorite indie bookstore (and me) by using my link to order the audiobook from https://libro.fm/referral?rf_code=lfm60355 OR if you prefer using your eyes to read, support your favorite indie (and give us both 20% off if it’s your first purchase) by using my link at https://refer.bookshop.org/candidanorwood.