[Review, Romance] Bare Your Teeth: Wicked Ones Duology Book 1 by Twoony (Self-Published, 2025)
A wickedly delightful hate-and-lust fae dark romantasy set against the backdrop of a magical war.
Bare Your Teeth: Wicked Ones Duology Book 1 by Twoony (Self-Published, 2025)
Information
Genre: Romance (Hate/Lust), Fantasy, Fae
Demographic: Adult (18+)
Length: 361 Pages
Content Advisory: This work contains mature themes including explicit sexual content, violence & gore, war, PTSD, and death; and moderate themes of sexual assault, homophobia & transphobia, deadnaming, child abuse
Representation: Achillean Romance, Trans-Femme main character
Links: Goodreads, Storygraph
Review
*ARC REVIEW: I was given an advanced copy of this book to read and review, with thanks to Booksprout and the author Twoony for the eARC.
A wickedly delightful hate-and-lust fae dark romantasy set against the backdrop of a magical war.
Bare Your Teeth is a wickedly delightful hate-and-lust fae dark romantasy starring the fae shade Nicholas Darkmoon and the human medic William Vandervult. Diametrically opposed these two loath each other so delightfully that it creates a vicious banter between the two that develops into lustful secret encounters and shared admiration. However, that does mean that for the majority of the book, the two loath and lust for each other over building a genuine romantic connection, only really coming together in a more romantic sense in the third act.
Despite the romantic pair in Bare Your Teeth having more of a lustful relationship in this first book, that does not mean there isn’t room for romance and a common understanding between the two. Nicholas and William are very similar, powerful, arrogant, and shaped by their environments; the cold and cruel faerie courts for Nicholas and being a child soldier for William. We see in the prologue under happy circumstances William is less closed off, softer, and not just living but thriving. But having this weighty duty of being sent away to war at such a young age and the cruelty of the military has drastically changed him to the point even William no longer recognises who he is though he still is fiercely protective of those he loves. In contrast, Nicholas revels in the attention, power and freedom away from his controlling father the war gives him, but, he has shallow relationships with those around him - from his father, Laurent, who sees him as only a tool, to his sister who wants him dead thinking he will turn as monstrous as their enemy at any second, and even his lover Arden who is using his position near Nicholas and Laurent to ascend in Fae society. William is the first person who doesn’t give a fuck who Nicholas is and honestly shows his disdain and lust for him at the same time and this intrigues Nicholas to no end. Leading the two to come together in a sort of unhealthy coping mechanism of lust-fueled bad decisions to cope with their feelings about the war, how they are treated by fae and humans alike, and their complicated feelings toward each other. Eventuating in them recognising the solace they gain from each other away from the cruelty of their own circumstances.
However, this mutual understanding and shared romance doesn’t hit its stride to the third act with the two seeking a more carnal connection before then. We also don’t really get a sense of how these two will function as a couple outside the dysfunctional setting of war. This leads to a little under-development in the relationship part of the romance that I hope will be expanded upon in the sequel when it comes out. However, the plot is fast-paced moving from action scene to action scene with lustful moments and introspection sprinkled in that it never really bothered me. This fast pace suits the wartime setting as well as the way the narrative focuses on the mental toll of war on our human characters. Bare Your Teeth is great at showing how William’s self-worth and humanity have been affected by his long deployment as well as his 180 personality change as a result of it. While also showing Nicholas's desire for a more human connection with those he is close to. There is an irony in the fact that Fae are reviled for their cruelty by their human allies but humans are just as cruel, capricious, and senselessly violent. It is through their relationship both Nicholas and William regain some of their humanity despite their circumstances.
Besides William and Nicholas, we also get a third POV character in the form of William’s best friend Charmaine. Charmaine is a trans-woman who hides her identity to protect herself from the cruelty and discrimination of the army. Charmaine is a lot like the younger William, having not lost all hope yet and often provides a bit of optimism in comparison to the cynical William. However, she is also a realist and is well aware of their circumstances and how it all could go wrong at any time and provides a counter view of the ongoing events. Charmaine is the well-needed injection of humanity into this novel that often focuses on the crueller aspects of our characters. As William's only true friend among the human soldiers. As his conscious and drive to live she plays a vital role in the narrative. However, she only has a few select chapters of narration as the secondary POV character to our two main protagonists. I hope in the second book we get more of Charmaine’s POV as she is often a delight to read.
The main antagonist Calix Fearworn however is less interesting. A stock standard “magical being driven mad by his power and curiosity” he often doesn’t play an active role in the narrative. Our heroes more often face his monstrous creations than the dangerous fae shade himself. His motivations also feel underdeveloped and two-dimensional. And the final confrontation was so quick that it felt anti-climactic. Instead, a lot of the antagonism in this book is better developed on characters like William’s fellow soldiers - whose mistrust and xenophobia towards fae as well as cruelty make his relationship with Nicholas dangerous - or Laurent - Nicholas’ powerful and controlling father. Because even when they are not physically there - and Laurent isn’t for most of the narrative - we still feel the effects of their toll on the characters. Because of these elements, Fearworn feels more like a plot-device antagonist over the themes of war, cruelty, and control that permeate throughout the narrative and are acted upon by human and fae alike.
Overall Bare Your Teeth was a fast-paced and heat-filled ride with a delightful hate-lust plot and two well-rounded protagonists with excellent banter that have the potential to expand upon romantic connection in the sequel. I can’t wait for the sequel when it drops to see the end of Nicholas’ and William’s story.
Thank you for reading this review of Bare Your Teeth: Wicked Ones Duology Book 1 by Twoony (Self-Published, 2025) consider subscribing to see my future reviews of mainly comics, manga, and SFF fiction and articles relating to writing and pop culture. Or consider buying me a Kofi so I can continue to deliver you new content in this new year.
