Greenteeth

About This Audiobook

Molly O’Neill’s *Greenteeth* isn’t your grandmother’s fairy tale—it’s a darkly witty, texture-rich fable where the real monsters aren’t the ones lurking in the reeds. The story unfolds through the sharp, sardonic voice of its narrator, a sentient lake monster named Greenteeth, who watches over a world of bickering fae, desperate humans, and a cottage industry of questionable witchcraft. The prose crackles with folklore’s edge, where magic feels tactile and dangerous, not the sanitized sparkle of most fantasy. O’Neill’s world-building thrives in the unglamorous spaces: a lake that refuses to freeze, a bog that never dries, and a cottage that’s less cozy than it is claustrophobic. If you crave fantasy that prioritizes atmosphere over grand quests, this is a balm for the soul—just don’t expect to come out smelling like roses.

The audiobook’s strength lies in Catrin Walker-Booth’s narration, which transforms Greenteeth’s voice into a guttural, honey-dripped purr that’s as unsettling as it is endearing. Walker-Booth doesn’t just read the lines; she *performs* them, modulating between Greenteeth’s world-weary wisdom and the brittle hauteur of the fae elite. The production design leans into the story’s murky aesthetic, with ambient sounds that make the listener feel the damp seeping into their bones. Minor quibble: the pacing drags in the middle act, where the plot meanders like a tourist lost in a peat bog. But O’Neill’s sharp dialogue and Walker-Booth’s charisma keep the wheels turning.