The apocalypse wasn’t what anyone expected–no rising flood waters, no zombies, no nuclear bombs. Instead, monsters. Their sudden invasion left the world in shatters, and now, decades later, all that’s left of human civilization are a few nomadic bands struggling to survive off the land. Askari was born to this world, and lives, fights, and survives alongside the community that raised her. But … raised her. But when she breaks one too many of the community’s rules, her punishment is severe: leave.
Armed with her bow and blade, Askari sets off alone, guided only by a map and the promise that if she can find a book hidden in a nearby town, then she can return. But what can one person do alone in such a harsh, violent landscape? How will she survive?
Askari faces a challenge that will force her to learn not only about the world she lives in, but question what she believes about herself.
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This was such an interesting book! A tribe of people are trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world invaded by monsters of all shapes and sizes.
I enjoyed the mix of inventiveness, warrior’s honor, tribal life and degraded cities. If you like monsters and the apocalypse, you’ll probably enjoy this one.
just not my type of book
It was action packed if nothing else. I would have liked to learn more about a couple of the characters, but there was a lot of “monster development” that took place. I do plan on reading the next book in the series, as it is my understanding that we will learn more about some of the things that were only hinted at in this first book. It is an original story. I have read a lot of Post Apocalypse genre stories, and this one definitely stands out as original. Just about every chapter is a new monster experience. My criticisms are primarily character development related. The story itself is written well, has a solid storyline, and is entertaining, so do not think that it isn’t worth the read. Again, I am hoping for some additional satisfaction in the balance of the series.
I will admit that I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started this book, but I had a very hard time putting it down. The world is fascinating. It starts out as something not-Earth, but then then one of the older characters will mention something like a phone that makes you realize they used to live in our times, but now things are different.
The characters feel real and the action can be intense, but never slips into feeling like too much. A very enjoyable novel.
Not a very satisfying ending. I hate being left hanging.
Let me start by saying that this story is unique in many aspects. The setting of the story is just decades into the future, so there are characters who have lived at the beginning of the monster invasion and have managed to survive the onslaught and destruction of the invading monster. As a result, some human communities have developed stringent rules governing their tribes. As you can imagine, there are members within the group who do not agree with some rules and revolt to some degree. That is what this book is about. Askari, the warrior protagonist of the story, has finally broken Baratok’s rules for the last time. She is sent on a mission by the tribe’s elders to retrieve a book in a neighboring town. To accomplish the mission, she is sent out alone with meager rations and weapons, and very few details of what to expect. Askari encounters all types of monsters who have one thing in mind, to have her as their next meal. She also learns that not everything is as it seems and the journey is much more than about retrieving a book.
The author does a great job of character development and instilling some very important life lessons. The monsters in the story varied with each chapter in size, abilities, savagery, and venomous threat.
The final battle in this chapter of the Szornyek saga was intriguing, an awakening to some extent. The reader is left wondering what other surprises await Askari and her community as their venture continues.
A fun Sci fi read, you want to read on.
Unrealistic sci fi
I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. I purchased the next book as soon as I was done with the first.
Light sift a time killer
Did a good job with world building but I couldn’t get past the nearly complete lack of characters’ story arcs. Felt like a huge waste of my time.
This book grabbed me right away. I had to force myself to read slower so I didn’t miss any details. Ariele is an amazing author, and I look forward to reading everything she puts out.
Little too much explicit sex.
good read
Honestly I can’t recommend this book, it gets so boring that I found that I was nodding off to sleep several times in a chapter and that’s so unlike me. The book could be half the word count to be twice as interesting.
The creatures were very well described and truly the monsters were the people who were stuck in their ways.
I expect that juveniles would like this book, but it fails as a book for adults. The concept of monsters suddenly appearing on earth is interesting, but the makeup of monsters is ridiculous. In real life, there are roughly 32 prey animals for every predator, but in this book, there seem to be virtually no prey animals except for rodents and humans, yet dozens of large predators can suddenly appear and attack the humans.
The characters are generally one dimensional, but acceptable for children.
Civilization has collapsed under the invasion of monsters. Humans are now at the bottom of the food chain and fight to survive in whatever communities they can form. Askari’s community is bound by rules she doesn’t always agree with. When she breaks a few too many she is forced to leave to learn why the rules exist. In a fight to survive, Askari will find out just how strong she is and discover startling truths about herself.
Ariele Sieling has boundless creativity when it comes to creature creation. Each monster that was introduced was increasingly different and she wove in their behaviors and ecological backgrounds seamlessly within the story. But I would have liked to see more worldbuilding outside of the monsters. The reader relied on Askari’s lack of knowledge surrounding modern day conveniences and scene setting to show the current state of the world. I would have liked to know a bit more about the history of the world when the monsters first appeared to have a solid foundation. The beginning of the novel was a bit slow for me as I acclimated to the world in Tentacles and Teeth. But I do have to say, Asakri’s fascination with refrigerators was great attention to detail for her character.
Askari is a typical teenager who thinks she knows what’s best, and doesn’t see the full scope of the risks she takes. While she often thinks she is doing the right thing, even if it goes against the rules, she soon finds out that rules are there for a reason. Watching Askari on her journey, and learning for herself what works and doesn’t work in this new world was a great story. The dialogue at times was simplistic and filler, but overall Askari’s progression was an entertaining read. While she learns that some rules are necessary, she still questions the actions of her community. Askari’s constant struggle to discover what she believes is best added to her character development and the overall plot.
Tentacles and Teeth is a great read for those who enjoy both post-apocalyptic and monster stories. It is an imaginative and fast paced novel. I look forward to the next book in this series to see how Askari’s story continues.
This book dives right into the action, throwing the reader into a world where one day monsters from every myth, legend, fairytale, and nightmare were suddenly real and civilization as we know it ended. Askari is part of a tribe that puts safety above all and has many rules to support this. Askari, being of that age where young people think they are immortal and know everything, makes choices that she thinks are sensible but go against the rules of the community. As a result she is sent on a quest that might teach her more about her world, if she can survive it.
This is a fast-paced, entertaining read that starts as many apocalyptic tales do with a survivalist story, but quickly adds societal complexity to the story. This is the first book in a trilogy and hints at all sorts of story lines that can be followed and developed. It is an interesting time period to play in – the apocalypse is just at the edge of living memory. It puts the main characters in a odd position of only knowing this difficult, subsistence survival, but not enough generations past the event to have truly mastered living in it. This come out in the patchwork of knowledge Askari and her friends have. It also comes out in the conflicts between the first generation who did what they had to to survive, and the 3rd generation who ask if perhaps there might be a better way of doing things. I am looking forward to how this develops in book 2.
Unique and action-packed, this one will not let go as it grabbed me from the beginning. Askari is a great character and I am pretty happy that this is only the first book so I can read more. Do not get left behind.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.