Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the River of Teeth duology. I borrowed this on audiobook from my library.

Thoughts: This was a fun read set in a crazy alternate historical setting where hippos are farmed in Louisiana. I enjoyed the action, the quirky setting, and the intriguing cast of characters here. I plan on reading the second book in the series. I enjoyed this a lot more than "The Echo Wife" which I also just finished reading. Previous to reading this I had read Gailey's "Upright Women Wanted" which I also enjoyed and Gailey's "The Echo Wife", which I strongly disliked.

This book follows a character that has gotten a government contract to remove feral hippos from the Mississippi River. He forms an Ocean's 11 like team to take on the task. Little known to the others he has a goal for revenge in mind as well.

This has very much of a wild west heist feel to it, but with hippos. The characters are quirky and fun, the dialogue is witty and fast, there is quite a bit of action as well. I really enjoyed the fast pace of the story and how hilarious this concept (of farming hippos) is. I did have a bit of trouble keeping some of the characters straight, there were introduced very rapidly.

I listened to this on audiobook and it was well done. I would definitely recommend listening to on audiobook if you enjoy audiobooks.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I really enjoyed this crazy alternate history set in a wild west gun-slinging type of setting but with hippos! If you enjoy western fantasy/alternate history I would recommend. This was a ton of fun. I plan on reading the second novella in this duology, "Taste of Marrow", relatively soon. ( )

Sadly this was very over-hyped. The conceit is BRILLIANT, but the plotting and characters do not live up to it. The writing was fine, not bad, not great. I have no desire to read a sequel, even though I would like to have to desire to read the sequel. ( )

Great.
Non-binary character and fat positivity abounds. so great.
( )

I need to keep in mind that this was a debut novel, there are some interesting ideas, at least in the main worldbuilding conceit, and the bulk of the writing is competent.

Unfortunately, I really didn't enjoy this.

It's important to bear the above and following in mind, I'm not the biggest fan of the 'putting a crew together to do a thing' stories, though when they are done well they can be thoroughly entertaining, and I can be an impossible to please Goldilocks at times.

I don't have a lot of nice things to say about this, so I'm going to try and keep my criticisms to a minimum too.

For cowpokes and hippos, it could really have done with more cowdoy and death pigs. I couldn't help recalling the feeling of watching Cowboys and Aliens.

There is the potential for something greater here, but I think the fundamental issue is one of following the pattern of characters, tropes, arcs, moments, emotions, relationships, etc. without imbuing any of it with its own soul and originality. Nothing feels real or weighted or impactful or earned. Miracle after miracle happens as plot armour surrounds almost all characters. There are no stakes or motivations because all the stakes and motivations feel like dispassionate plot points, which also leads to everyone and everything just feeling rather mean and petty because they seem to just be acting on a script.

I feel awful for this last paragraph and I am sure this author truly cared about this story and was doing their best. I don't doing that and I am not trying to be mean. I am impressed by anyone who can finish a book, let alone get it published with an audiobook. This isn't about disrespect. It's simply pointing out that, in my personal opinion this author needed more practice and support from their editor. I'm also just fascinated by having all the ingredients, but leaving them uncooked. I would love to see a more cooked version of this book.

Peter Berkrot's narration for the audiobook is decent. ( )

I enjoyed River of Teeth a lot more than I expected to. This was my second experience reading Sarah Gailey's work and it definitely won't be the last. The cast of characters was diverse and really came to life on the page. The plot, as off-the-wall as it is, was really gritty and gripping. I recommend it for anyone looking for a fast, immersive read. ( )