If you want to make a book truly scary, an evil child will send chills up the readers’ spines. In Baby Teeth, Zoje Stage has created a little girl that will give you nightmares.
Being a parent is a wonderful experience. Most parents believe they have the perfect child. But children can be scary. Children can be terrifying. Children can be malicious and deceptive. And children are quite capable of being killers.
I have heard parents jokingly call their toddler “demon child” when their child is in no way demonic or evil. That is not a cool nickname although it would be appropriate for Hanna, the little girl in Baby Teeth. Before calling a child “demon child,” ask yourself: does this child want to kill me? Does this child want to kill her mother? Is this child possessed?
If Hanna were my daughter, I don’t know that I could have put up with her shenanigans as long as Suzette, her mother, did. Of course, around her dad, Hanna is a perfect little angel.
Hanna is old enough to start kindergarten, but she still isn’t speaking. Of course, her parents worry that something is wrong with her. There is something wrong with her, but it is anything they think it is. Hanna is a healthy child physically; it’s her mind that is sick and dangerous.
This book will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat. You’ll need to be careful not to bite your fingernails down so far they start bleeding. I know I wanted to climb in the book, grab hold of this child, and shake some sense into her.
The ending? A sequel is definitely in order, and I want to read it.
I was sent a copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Once you read this creepy, chilling, and unsettling book, you’ll never look at children the same again. If you would like a copy of your own to read, I’ve provided an Amazon link for you below.
Amazon Link: Baby Teeth
Favorite Sentences:
The room in the hospital’s dungeon carried the threat of needles and smelled like lemon candles tinged with poison.
What sort of mother had a child who showed up like a demon to announce she wasn’t even your daughter?
Why, after years when she wouldn’t even doodle, was she suddenly making sick, disgusting things?
Sometimes sleep was a commanding presence, a magician in a heavy cloak.
New Words Learned:
atypically – not representative of a type, group, or class
Crohn’s disease – a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestines, especially the colon and ileum, associated with ulcers and fistulae.
delineation – the action of describing or portraying something precisely
exigence – a problem that needs to be addressed
https://rhetoricandwritingmajor101.weebly.com/what-is-an-exigence.html
fistula – an abnormal or surgically made passage between a hollow or tubular organ and the body surface, or between two hollow or tubular organs
funereal – having the mournful, somber character appropriate for a funeral
Mary Janes – closed, low-cut shoes with one or more straps across the instep. Among girls, Mary Janes are traditionally worn with pantyhose or socks, and a dress or a skirt and blouse.
mutism – inability to speak, typically as a result of congenital deafness or brain damage
nitrile gloves – Often referred to as medical-grade gloves, nitrile gloves are made out of a synthetic rubber and are an ideal alternative when latex allergies are of concern. They are the superior glove when it comes to puncture resistance.
stricture – a restriction on a person or activity
verve – vigor and spirit or enthusiasm
About the Author:
An author of dark and suspenseful novels, Zoje Stage lives in Pittsburgh, PA. Baby Teeth is her first novel.
