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studaslop's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.0
River of Teeth is a fast-paced, witty, and very indulgent work. The characters are distinct and fun and feel like they have long histories, despite the brevity of their introductions. Gailey’s alternative history is just grounded enough to be enjoyable, but not so alien as to be absurd. (That said, it is unfortunately absent of any explicitly Black or Indigenous people who would have made up a not insignificant portion of the population.) It was an unexpectedly queer story as well, which was a pleasant surprise.
My biggest issues with the novella really come down to the “-la” part—it’s too short! There are scenes and relationships I wish we could’ve seen develop more, and the third act felt rushed despite the fast-paced but balanced first and second acts.
All in all, though, I’m definitely going to get my hands on the sequel. I had a blast listening to the story. I *highly* recommend the audiobook. Some of the accents are suspect, but it’s very well done, really helps place you into the setting, and augments the campiness of it all.
My biggest issues with the novella really come down to the “-la” part—it’s too short! There are scenes and relationships I wish we could’ve seen develop more, and the third act felt rushed despite the fast-paced but balanced first and second acts.
All in all, though, I’m definitely going to get my hands on the sequel. I had a blast listening to the story. I *highly* recommend the audiobook. Some of the accents are suspect, but it’s very well done, really helps place you into the setting, and augments the campiness of it all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, and Gore
wreathedinviolets's review
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This was a nice romp through some hippo-infested swamps. I felt it was the perfect length— everything moved at a brisk pace but there was time for relationships to develop and I was definitely invested. It left me wanting more in a good way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
oliverreeds's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
good but the tension wasnt balanced. there should have been more exposition. more character building. so good tho.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
booksandteatime's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Violence, and Blood
Rep: Nonbinary, pan/queer?, bichloebear21's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
jhbandcats's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I've read only three so far, but I think Sarah Gailey's books are in a class all their own. Rollicking and funny
speculative fiction, they're *really*
entertaining. The first one I read, Upright Women Wanted, was about traveling Librarians (capitalized) running an underground railroad of sorts in the Wild West. This time, Gailey's tale is based on a real life What If - what if, in 1910, hippos really had been imported to be bred for meat in the swamps of the Mississippi River? (Yes, this almost really happened.)
Hippopotamuses might look fairly docile and sluggish but they're really fast and they can be really vicious. It's one thing if a hopper (like a cowboy but ... not) has hand fed a baby hippo so it's a devoted domesticated beast, but what about the ones that get away and breed, and breed, and breed till their offspring are feral?
This tightly-packed novella gives us a handful of rascally scoundrels who come together to gradually remove the ferals from the huge lake where their population has exploded. The man with the plan, though, thinks he can make a fast buck by evacuating the ferals quickly - but as with most plans, things don't go the way he'd hoped. He's gathered the fastest gun in the West, a demolitions expert, an assassin, and a fast-talking thief up against the villain who owns the lake and who wants the feral hippos right where they are.
It's a fabulous story and I'm about to embark on the second half in the sequel, Taste of Marrow.
speculative fiction, they're *really*
entertaining. The first one I read, Upright Women Wanted, was about traveling Librarians (capitalized) running an underground railroad of sorts in the Wild West. This time, Gailey's tale is based on a real life What If - what if, in 1910, hippos really had been imported to be bred for meat in the swamps of the Mississippi River? (Yes, this almost really happened.)
Hippopotamuses might look fairly docile and sluggish but they're really fast and they can be really vicious. It's one thing if a hopper (like a cowboy but ... not) has hand fed a baby hippo so it's a devoted domesticated beast, but what about the ones that get away and breed, and breed, and breed till their offspring are feral?
This tightly-packed novella gives us a handful of rascally scoundrels who come together to gradually remove the ferals from the huge lake where their population has exploded. The man with the plan, though, thinks he can make a fast buck by evacuating the ferals quickly - but as with most plans, things don't go the way he'd hoped. He's gathered the fastest gun in the West, a demolitions expert, an assassin, and a fast-talking thief up against the villain who owns the lake and who wants the feral hippos right where they are.
It's a fabulous story and I'm about to embark on the second half in the sequel, Taste of Marrow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
anxiousnachos's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
How is it possible for me to love one author so much, another Sarah Gailey book that I loved. This was absolutely wild and full of rollicking Western fun but with hippos! I know it’s a novella so short but I still read the whole thing in one sitting (it’s about double the length I would usually do in one sitting). I am craving more books with the exact energy/vibes that the Hero/Houndstooth relationship has, good god I need more of that in my veins, it was GLORIOUS. The FLIRTING. This is the shit!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Death, and Pregnancy
twinsunsfour's review against another edition
too gory for me!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Torture, and Violence
emmy621's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Violence
frankiefield's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I know it is a novella but i wish it was longer! Things moved really fast which was exciting, but sometimes things moved just a little too quickly. Ending felt rushed but was overall still satisfying.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
The violence was more detailed than I enjoy. A significant amount of eye horror.