The River Has Teeth

The River Has Teeth
Erica Waters
HarperCollins, 2021
393 pages
Grades 9-Up
Mystery/Fantasy

Alternating first person narratives relate the disappearance of a girl in a rural southern wildlife preserve. It is Natasha's sister Rochelle who disappears. The girls grew up surrounded by poverty and addiction and, though they were eventually adopted and now have financial and emotional security, their sister-bond is strong. Natasha is determined to find Rochelle, even if it means taking on her abusive boyfriend or seeking help from the local witch. Bella is the said local witch with secrets of her own. She and her family are considered "trash" by the town, yet it's residents come to purchase brews when hopeless situations arise. Bella suspects that her mother may be the source of the Rochelle's-and then other girl's-disappearances. Mom's magic went wrong and now she is stuck turning into a river siren at night, no longer able to control her own instincts. The new partners end up working together to unravel the whereabouts of the missing girls. Slowly they learn to trust each other, revealing secrets and parts of their pasts, and romantic feelings begin to develop. The news about Rochelle goes from bad to worse and it becomes unclear the source behind what actually happened. Can Bella and Natasha work together to get to the truth?

October was the perfect month to read this dark and atmospheric paranormal mystery. I was drawn to the story after hearing it was about witches, but it turned out to be much more. At its core The River Has Teeth is a girl-power, feminist adventure. The women use the strength they have, tapping into nature's powers to supplement, to fight the male agenda and power structure. There is a tentative romance between the two main characters and most of the secondary characters are gender/sexually fluid. There are some truly violent bits, making this not a great choice for the squeamish. The mystery was well-drawn out. Red herrings and surprises were planted along the way. I was able to figure out the culprit before the two teens did, but it took me a minute. There is much anger and intensity within the pages of this novel, but it results in a nail-biting page-turner that I read through quickly. I love that the source of the magic came from nature and enjoyed watching the characters harness it. Waters completely nails the setting and mood, creating a southern gothic adventure that will be sure to creep-out even the bravest reader.