House of Teeth

By: Dan Jolley

Narrated by: Josh Hurley

Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's Summary

There’s more to the swamplands than meets the teeth. In this supernatural tale of magic and mysticism, Henry Lemarchand grew up in Philadelphia knowing very little of his family—his father disappeared when he was young, leaving behind only a strange pouch of animal teeth. When he is sent to the Louisiana bayou to spend the summer with his eccentric uncle and cousin in their decaying ancestral mansion, Henry learns about his family’s supernatural legacy—he is part of a long line of rootcrafters, folks who can absorb the powers and memories of anyone whose teeth they touch. In delving into his family’s strange legends, Henry soon discovers that some secrets bite back, especially in the swamplands. This tale of identity awareness and the need for belonging, is set in a world where everything is not as it seems.

©2019 Working Partners Ltd. (P)2019 Audible Originals, LLC.

A comment

This was a free book for me so I thought I would give it a listen. I'm almost sixty and this book was clearly written for a younger audience. Guess what, it drew me in and I couldn't turn off my phone while I was at work listening to it. very good story. Do we really ever get old, just a thought.

Old non fiction guy enjoying this

Preface; I'm an old guy mostly into WWII and other war stuff. And other non fiction, mostly history.
I had a lull in listening to books for a month or so, and responded to an email suggesting these free titles. So I clicked.
I listened to several samples before settling on this one. And I'm glad I chose it!
This story is very well told, and the story line is unlike any other supernatural fiction I can recall. A nice twist all around. The beginning sets the stage well, and quickly progresses into the meat and potatoes. The set stage, and exciting adventure are well scripted and held my interest. The story moved along at a brisk pace without dull, or boring periods.
The only complaint I have is in it's ending. After the climax 'scene', the return to 'normal' happened too quickly. There should have been more immediate aftermath in the story. An annoyance, but still glad I listened to it.

Bad Guy Conveniently Tells All

This was a cool premise and story idea. I was enjoying listening for the first 3/4. But towards the end the “bad guy” gives a long tell all speech about how he did it and how he might be stopped. After that the rest of the story was tied up with a nice bow and wasn’t very engaging anymore. I know it’s a YA book but it felt like a let down that could have been avoided.

Pretty good book

If you are a fan of young adult fiction, you will probably enjoy this book. The voice acting is pretty good. I’m not from Louisiana but his accents worked for me. I would recommend this book, for sure.

Not very engaging, but well read.

_House of Teeth_ by Dan Jolley receives three stars from me. While I found the writing on the target level, the story itself wasn't engaging enough.

This was an audible book, so first the narrator. Josh Hurley narrated this book. His narration is excellent. I feel for younger audiences he has the right cadence and expressions that will bring to life a book for middle grade readers. He is capable of doing several voices that are distinguished from each other. He is a talent and I look forward to seeing more from him in the future. If you see a book narrated by Hurley, the narration will be good.

_House of Teeth_ for me didn't capture my addition as other middle grade books have. There seems to be a contradiction: there is a lot going on simultaneously, and yet the plot is very straight forward without much going on. Jolley has a few elements that are introduced and they don't all fit together in a clear plot. I don't feel he interwove the elements together well.

Let's discuss the magic. Humm, I actually found it kind of lame. No spoilers here I think, but careful. Ok the magic involves teeth. The Lemarchands are able to absorb the memories, and talents of others through touching the discarded teeth. Each of the family wear a set of different teeth and other objects that they can use when needed. This is the part I'm not liking. It seems when written into a corner, the character just has to remember about that tooth that has not been mention or discussed and bam something new can happen. I prefer some boundaries, and less God machine.

Recommended: for adults, maybe not. For young readers? I'm unsure. Give it a try, and let your child listen to it. If he or she seems interested and listens, that's great. if not, its not so bad.

Gripping Tale (tail?)

I like this story because it is set in am unusual location and uses that location as a character. A well spun yarn that kept me eager for the next chapter.

It was ok for a kids book.

I had a hard time getting into this book. I kept losing focus and kept making myself listen. The ending was good.

Very entertaining!

Great, fast paced fantasy that unfolds in a most unusual nature connected story. I hope for a book 2 in the series.

What a great book! I highly recommend!

This book is so creative! What a fun story and the reader is captivating! LOVE

WOW

This book is way better then I ever hoped it could be. Well worth the price. Also hope the is a part 2 of it.