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River of Teeth
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
174 posts | 173 read | 120 to read
Sarah Gailey's wildfire debut River of Teeth is a rollicking alternate history adventure that Charlie Jane Anders calls "preposterously fun."In the early 20th Century, the United States government concocted a plan to import hippopotamuses into the marshlands of Louisiana to be bred and slaughtered as an alternative meat source. This is true.Other true things about hippos: they are savage, they are fast, and their jaws can snap a man in two.This was a terrible plan.Contained within this volume is an 1890s America that might have been: a bayou overrun by feral hippos and mercenary hippo wranglers from around the globe. It is the story of Winslow Houndstooth and his crew. It is the story of their fortunes. It is the story of his revenge.
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DimeryRene
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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Tattoo of Ruby! Still so obsessed with this novella 😅
She‘s got a little cowboy hat and scarf

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JacintaMCarter
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

#2023Book56
I loved the premise of this story and the characters. However, there were so many characters introduced in such a short novella that none of them really got the depth they deserved.

TieDyeDude I read the collection American Hippo, which has the two novellas and a bonus short, so I felt like I had a little more time in the world, but it is so unique I wish there were more! 1y
31 likes1 comment
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GirlNamedJesse
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

This was SO MUCH FUN! A great caper, some may say. I absolutely cannot wait to read the sequel. 🦛 What wonderful characters and twists to the plot!

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DimeryRene
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

Literally such a good book. Highly recommend the audio.

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DimeryRene
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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OBSESSED. 🦛🦛🦛🦛🦛

14 likes1 stack add
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rachelsbrittain
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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Anyone else love a good alternate history western?

bookriot.com/alternate-history-westerns/

BookmarkTavern I really loved both these novellas! 2y
33 likes1 comment
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Julsmarshall
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

This book was strange, funny, and awesome! What if a crazy idea that was floated in by a US government official in the 1890s to introduce hippos to the Mississippi river as a meat source (true story) had been adopted? It would be this book. A rip-roaring read filled diverse characters, wit, and delightful criminals. Loved it!! And great on #audio. #BookspinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2y
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Jari-chan
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

Just finished my #DoubleSpin in time! A great example of Alternative History - what would've happened if the idea of brining Hippos into the marshlands would've become real? I especially loved the atmosphere in this book and yes, of course, the Hippo riding idea. But it of course isn't as cute as it sounds - Hippos are highly dangerous. This story shows us what can happen if you mess with Hippos and their Rangers.

@TheAromaOfBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 2y
31 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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Laughterhp
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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I have a love hate relationship with Sarah Gailey. Some books I like and some just aren‘t for me. I‘ve heard book riot talk about this book so many times on the Get Booked podcast (before Amanda left) and I was never drawn to this book. I picked it up because I needed to read a western. I never thought I would love hippos more!

#NoShameReadathon22 - western
#SuperSeptember

Addison_Reads I recommend this to so many people and they always look at me like I'm nuts when I tell them it's a western with hippos. It's such a great story though. 2y
Nessavamusic This sounds fun! Stacked! 2y
52 likes1 stack add2 comments
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wirewrappedlily
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
Pickpick

Absolutely fantastic. A good, wild romp. I particularly recommend this as a palate cleanser if you‘ve been in a rut. It‘s fast, it‘s tense, but it‘s still fun.

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Robotswithpersonality
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
This post contains spoilers
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Hippo western, hell yes! I guess it's the Wild South rather than the Wild West, which makes it no less awesome. Shady riverboat tycoon, non-binary love interest, bi-sexual/pan(?) slightly grumpy main character, pregnant (lesbian?) assassin, genderfluid french con, complete disregard for gender norms and casually diverse set of characters. Magnifique! {Also revenge and violence.} Adorable and bad ass hippos feature, not just feral man-eating ones.

Robotswithpersonality Will definitely be picking up the next book in this series/universe. 2y
2 likes1 comment
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shanaqui
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey

I was thinking about this and trying to remember the story. Couldn't, but I love hippos and I could use a comfort reread, so why not? All I remember so far is that I love Hero.

willaful I started this and got grossed out *real* fast. 2y
shanaqui @willaful There's definitely some scenes that are not pretty! 2y
willaful It's a shame because I also love hippos. At least in theory. :-) 2y
11 likes3 comments
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khooliha
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
Pickpick

Not the strongest pick, but this is mostly fun! Grimmer than I was expecting. Biggest complaint was going back to the "caper" runner too often.

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khooliha
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey

There's a Hoolihan in this book! He, uh, is responsible for the feral hippo problem? Whoops!

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adoramichaels
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

Fun, unique, and a creative short read!!

#sarahgailey #Riverofteeth #fun #creative #unique

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adoramichaels
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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Book Mail is the Best Mail. Especially if it is from an awesome independent bookstore!!

#bookmail #independentbookstore #bookmark

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peanutnine
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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Eggs Beautiful 🌿🌱🍃 3y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks So pretty 💚 3y
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Tera66
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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I love hippos! And so I know a lot of fun facts about them, like they kill more humans than any other animal in Africa. For real! And that they started off really small and so were really agressive, but as they evolved to the cute chubby things they are, they never lost the attitude.
But I didn't know that in the early 20th century the US Government toyed with the idea of bringing them over and raising then as an alternative to cattle. 👇

Tera66 The plan was to put them in the Louisiana Bayou, and this book is the story of how that could have gone really really wrong. Like some of the hippos get loose and become feral, wild and murderous! The feral hippos have taken part of the Mississippi river and a team of misfits have been commissioned by the government to push them through the gate to Mexico, making them Mexico's problem. This book is wild! The cowboys ride hippos, not horses.🐎👇 3y
Tera66 This book is a short Novela, and alot of fun. I would recommend for anyone who likes wacky scifi. Its a cowboy story with hippos! For real! 3y
KathyWheeler Omg! I must read this! 3y
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BookDragonNotWorm This sounds awesome!!! 3y
Tera66 @KathyWheeler @BookDragonNotWorm Its Banana Pants!🍌👖 3y
KathyWheeler @Tera66 it sounds like it. I lived in Louisiana for awhile, and the idea of hippos in the bayous is just too much! 3y
Reggie I think they are now a problem in Columbia because Pablo Escobar took some in as pets and then released them into the wild where they have multiplied out of control. 3y
Tera66 @KathyWheeler Yay, I bought it! 😀 3y
Tera66 @Reggie So you are saying there is a chance I could become a hippo wrangler?!😀🤠 I kind of feel bad for the hippos though. 3y
Reggie @Tera66 lol, maybe? I do too because I think they‘re at the point of overpopulation that they either have started or about to start culling them. 3y
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peanutnine
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

I loved this novella! It's an alternate history set in the early 1900s where hippos have been imported into the Louisiana bayou as a source of livestock. A ragtag team of criminals is hired by the government to rid a section of the river from feral 'hops' and chaos ensues.
This was such a fun setting with great characters! I read it in one sitting! I wish I had known there was a second one, I would have bought the compilation edition. Ah well

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peanutnine
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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None of my current reads were keeping my interest tonight so I started something new. Oakley is being sweet and keeping me company
#catsoflitsy #oakleythecat

rubyslippersreads 😻😻😻 4y
RaeLovesToRead Awww snuggly cat! 😍 4y
44 likes2 comments
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Hooked_on_books
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

Hippos are imported to the US in the 1800s to feed the populace, but a mishap allows a large group of hippos to escape and go feral, prompting a group of hippo wranglers to attempt to solve this little problem. It doesn‘t get much more wildly creative than that, eh? I really enjoyed this, but it‘s so violent I don‘t think I‘ll continue with the series. I do think Gailey‘s a gem, though.

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LyndyG
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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Has anyone read this? I just finished and wanted to hear everyone‘s thoughts.

BethM I read as did my #lmpbc group, it has river of teeth, her other story, and a bonus. It was so weird but I loved it 3y
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LaraS
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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Immean...if this forward from the author doesn‘t make you want to read an alt-history Western with feral hippos, then nothin I say will.

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Texreader
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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MsMelissa What the heck kind of a list is this? Two of the books aren‘t even historical fiction, which the article author even points out, and one book is history non-fiction. Obviously not written by someone who actually reads historical fiction 😂 4y
Texreader @Book_Fiend_Melissa Ha! I barely started it and decided to “bookmark” here on Litsy to read later and see who else might enjoy it. That‘s hilarious. I look forward to catching those! 4y
MsMelissa So, what did you think? They should have left the historical fiction part out of the title 😄 4y
Texreader @Book_Fiend_Melissa Finally read it and i think a few of them aren‘t historical fiction, ie one is nonfiction and one is an alternate history. Wonder why they bothered with such a misleading headline. 4y
50 likes4 comments
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danimgill
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

This was an imaginative and engaging alternate history set in an 1890s US full of hippos that was based on the seed of a real idea from back then. The story centers on a caper complete with the usual ragtag group of crime specialists, only way more diverse and interesting. My only complaint is that I wish it had been longer (and that I wish goodreads reviewers would learn about they/them pronouns and nonbinary characters, sigh)

BookmarkTavern I felt the same way about length! I wanted this and the sequel to both be longer! I wanted more time with these characters. 4y
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BookmarkTavern
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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Non-binary time! 💛🤍💜🖤

(I‘m including Lock In, because although Chris isn‘t explicitly labeled non-binary, I think the whole existence of threeps lends itself to a gender identity outside of a binary, and also because I love it)

#pridemonth #bookflag #nonbinary

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Lucy_Anywhere
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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Mehso-so

An crime caper set in 1850s Louisiana with a diverse cast of hippo-riding cowboys? Exactly my kind of read! I loved the idea and I think I would have come to adore the characters too. There was A LOT going on, though, and I'm not sure I completely followed the plot. If only this had been longer with more time for character development, I'd have loved it!

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Lucy_Anywhere
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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First #BFC Check-In for this round @wanderinglynn The brave new world of remote teaching has taken a bit of getting used to, so I'm well chuffed with the three books I managed to read this week! With the gyms closed here, I've had to switch my gym goal to daily yoga. I'm not minding the shutdown too much at the moment - it's quiet and sunny, I chat to students at least once a day, and the air pollution has dropped like a stone!

wanderinglynn Way to be flexible! 🙌🏻 You‘ve definitely embraces this week‘s motto. 🎉 5y
Meaw_catlady Yes !! You can do it!! Do you use yoga with Adriene for your at home yoga? 5y
Lucy_Anywhere @Meaw_catlady Yes! She's great! One good thing about the shutdown is that I can use yoga to switch off immediately after work 😁 5y
12 likes3 comments
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UnRuLee
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
Pickpick

Okay but is anybody else madly in love with Hero? Discuss. (Next up, Taste of Marrow.)

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Deifio
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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1) Before we moved 4 years ago we sold lots of books. I do all three, but I mostly buy ebooks
2) At the moment ages. I only read a couple if pages every day
3) Tagged. I loved the premise but the writing was weird

#wondrouswednesday @Eggs

MemoirsForMe I can relate to #2. It takes me ages to finish a book, especially when I‘m reading a few at a time. 😆 5y
Deifio @UwannaPublishme I didn't used to read several books at a time. It gets confusing and maybe that's why I don't read as much these days. The other reason being lack of sleep 😅 5y
Eggs Re: confusing — yessss @Deifio (edited) 5y
24 likes3 comments
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The.Intentional.Reader
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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So who knew that Hippos, the frontier South and a gang of anti-heroes could work so well together in a book. This book is awesome and the author get kudos for exchanging hippos for horses. 🦛🦛

brilliantglow There is some semblance of facts in this though. They did try to bring hippos to the south states to farm for meat. It's kind of crazy 5y
10 likes1 comment
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sprainedbrain
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

Imagine, if you will, the American south is the old Wild West, and the swamps and rivers are full of feral, man-eating hippos. Our heroes are a ragtag bunch of colorful, criminal-type tamed-hippo-riding characters.

This novella packs all of that into a fun caper that was really a delight to read. I will be reading the second book!

Another great #NewYearWhoDis pick from @sebrittainclark 🙌🏻

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

monalyisha Very cool! 5y
Prairiegirl_reading Glad you liked it! 😄 5y
Addison_Reads Love this book! 💚 5y
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Read66
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
Pickpick

Fun alternative history western with cowboys and hippos. Nice character development although there were a lot of characters to keep track of...

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Addison_Reads
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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Since I read fiction, nonfiction, ya, and graphic novels, I cheated and picked 10 from each category so I didn't have to narrow down too much. Choosing these was like picking which pet or kid I love more...😂

Here's my #Top10oftheDecade #FictionEdition.

Any friends who have not already done this, I'd love to see your picks.

StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego RPO almost made my list. Such a good book! 5y
Hooked_on_books I love that you choose We Sold Our Souls. I just love Grady Hendrix and gobble his books as soon as I can get my hands on them. 5y
Addison_Reads @Hooked_on_books I love all his books too. I'd never read him before Litsy. You know he has a book coming out in 2020? I can't wait! 😁 5y
Addison_Reads @StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego My inner 80s child couldn't pass up putting RPO in here. 😁 5y
Hooked_on_books I didn‘t know! Super exciting. 🥳 5y
35 likes5 comments
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Riveted_Reader_Melissa
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this alternative history, speculative fiction, western short story. In fact, I think this will qualify as a #genrebusting choice for #Booked2019.

Once in American history there was a discussion of bringing hippos to the states as a cattle species in the marshes & bayous of the south. This story is set in a world where cowboys and gunfights occurred with hippos, such a fun imaginary trip based on an alternate historical possibility.

JSW I‘ve always loved hippos; I may need this on principle. 😂😂😂 5y
TheSpineView Great job!🤩🤩🤩 5y
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BarbaraTheBibliophage Wow. That is kind of crazy! 5y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @BarbaraTheBibliophage Right! It made me think of that part in The World Without Us and the discussion of bringing in elephants into the plains to basically replace the buffalo. Crazy and so fun to think about. 5y
63 likes3 stack adds6 comments
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Addison_Reads
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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Day 6. #7Days7Covers #CoverCrush

@rachelsbrittain If you haven't been asked already, would you like to join? Simply post 7 book covers you love for 7 days. No explanation needed. Try to tag another Litten each day to keep the fun going.

rachelsbrittain I haven't! Thanks for tagging me 😊 (Also, LOVE this book.) 5y
24 likes1 comment
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Pogue
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

OMG this was the most erotic book I have read. The relationship with Hero and Houndstooth made me sweat and it was not at all graphic! Just hot. I loved this book.

Prairiegirl_reading I had no idea!! 5y
Pogue @Prairiegirl_reading neither did I, the narrator made this book for me. He did an amazing job. 5y
Prairiegirl_reading @Pogue my Libby doesn‘t have it. 😫 5y
18 likes4 comments
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Angitron
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

I wasn‘t totally blown away by this one, but I enjoyed it well enough. It‘s an alternate history Western in which hippos are used very similarly to horses. There are wacky characters and a caper at the center of the story. I feel like it could‘ve used a longer treatment - I didn‘t bond with the characters as much as I liked. But the world building was good and zany enough to keep things interesting!

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sebrittainclark
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

5/5

I can't believe it took me so long to read this novella.

It imagines the south as a wild west where the marshes are filled with hippos. The characters are all really fascinating, and the plot had me completely immersed in the world. I can't wait to read the sequel!

cathysaid “Man-eating hippo mayhem is my new favorite mayhem.“ 😂 There's a sentence that will likely never be used again. 5y
rachelsbrittain Can't believe you haven't already started the sequel with that cliffhanger! 5y
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kyraleseberg
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

Such a fun novella!
Alternate history where the US govt bred hippos in the LA marshes for meat. Now they hire Winslow Houndstooth to rid the area of the feral creatures to open the river back up to trade boats headed for the Gulf. A rag tag group of criminals is assembled to accomplish the task and allow Houndstooth to exact revenge on a man from his past.
Awesome diverse character representation and a weird and entertaining plot!

Addison_Reads 💚 such a great book. Make sure to read the sequel, Taste of Marrow. It's fun too. 5y
kyraleseberg @Addison_Reads Already placed a hold at my library! 🙌 5y
18 likes2 comments
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Ashley_Nicoletto
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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Mehso-so

Book 2 of #24in48 finished. I have three others in progress because options. 🤣

I have to admit I didn‘t love this as much as the hype said I would. I don‘t own the rest of the series and most likely won‘t continue. #unpopularopinion

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Ashley_Nicoletto
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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Starting to get a little tired despite my two naps today. 🤭

Moving this party to bed and starting this novella. I will definitely have to finish it in the morning. #24in48

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xicanti
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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I hit 8:13 for #24In48 while I finished RIVER OF TEETH, a book that started a bit rough but soon won me over. I immediately requested the duology omnibus from the library because I‘ve gotta see what‘s next for the surviving members of the crew.

Now I‘m gonna give my eyes a small rest (and my ereader time to recharge) with a comic, some poetry, and my daily chapter of INDIGENOUS MEN AND MASCULINITIES.

TK421 I really liked River of Teeth. ❤Hippos!❤ 5y
xicanti @TK421 so many hippos! 🦛 5y
42 likes2 comments
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Lindy
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

A pulp Western … except it‘s set in an alternate Wild Wild American South … and it‘s got hippos instead of horses and cattle … and the band of merry outlaws are gay, lesbian and non binary. I ignored the questionable stereotyping and let the ridiculous fun of it carry me away. It‘s short—a 4-hour #audiobook—and I‘ve got the second half of this duology queued up next in Hoopla.

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Lindy
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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Something swampy, something blue, something translated, something true. #ReadingEnvySummerChallenge
@ReadingEnvy

ReadingEnvy I skimmed back in your reviews to see if these are tbr or finished? I will be interested in your opinion about River of Teeth! A coworker recently read it and emailed the whole library about it, ha! 6y
Lindy @ReadingEnvy I read all four of these in May. 😊 Haven‘t had a chance to review River of Teeth yet but I‘ve been back-and-forthing with @tournevis about the bad French in it. 6y
tournevis @readingency Yeah, I rage quit it. Couldn't stand the stereotypes and the lack of basic research. @Lindy 6y
See All 9 Comments
ReadingEnvy @Lindy I've struggled to keep up with litsy but I'll go back to find them! Your blue is on my list. 6y
ReadingEnvy Also congrats! 6y
Lindy @ReadingEnvy Here‘s something translated: (edited) 6y
andrew61 Great choices lindy 6y
Lindy @andrew61 Thanks! 6y
38 likes1 stack add9 comments
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RedbagReadbooks
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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This book. Batman returns in the background and my daughter Gracyn playing Minecraft. Good evening. Oh ....and I have wine 🍷

TK421 I loved this one. Enjoy!☺ 6y
18 likes1 comment
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speljamr
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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Pickpick

This was a fun adventure and I'll follow up with the rest of the series. It did feel like there was a lot crammed into a small novella. I think I'd have preferred to see this world and it's characters explored in more detail with a full novel or series of novels.

#fantasy

106 likes1 stack add
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speljamr
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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1. Quietly reading
2. Getting 3rd row tickets to a RUSH concert.
3. River of Teeth, by Sarah Gailey - tagged on post
4. Thomas Jefferson
5. 🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀

#friyayintro @howjessreads

BarbaraTheBibliophage 💚☘️👊🏻💚☘️👊🏻 6y
69 likes1 comment
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tournevis
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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#friyayintros @howjessreads
1️⃣ None, I'm not Irish.
2️⃣ It's a cliché, but luck does not exist. There is probability and happenstance.
3️⃣ I tried to read it, but I bailed. Actually, I raged quit it.
4️⃣ H. Léander d'Entremont. You won't find him in the history books but he was one super ambitious, highly diluted curmudgeon! What a guy!
5️⃣ I'll send love and kisses. Let's start with you @howjessreads 😘😘😘😘😘

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tournevis
River of Teeth | Sarah Gailey
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Bailedbailed

That's it! I'm done. This book could have been so good. Archie would be a great character were she not a walking cliché with inane speaking patterns and bad French grammar. It's profoundly insulting. It's sloppy and I blame both Gailey and whoever was her editor for this. Such stereotypes would have condemned her had they been about African-Americans or Natives, but it's just a Créole, a Francophone, so who cares? I DO! Bye!

sk888888 It was one of the craziest books I ever read. Srsly. 6y
tournevis @sk888888 I liked the crazy. A lot. I could have done without the offensive stereotypes. 6y
46 likes2 comments