Dentata: A Novel by Riya Anne Polcastro

What Da Cover Says: Some victims aren’t victims for long.

Some victims lie in wait.

Some victims bite back.

Dentata takes over where Jane. left off, continuing the transgressive fiction tradition that introduced readers to The Circle, a rough and tumble group of women who live life on the edge—revelling in mental illness, both real and self-induced, and partying until the sun comes up. Dentata follows Elisabeth, the only member of the group raised in suburbia, as trauma transforms her from the innocent mother hen to the most dangerous of them all.

What I Says: I really enjoyed Jane., it brought together a group of empowered women, tough, violent and not standing for any nonsense, so I was looking forward the second book to see how they were doing and how much partying they were getting up to. Even though I knew the basis for this story I was still shocked, how one moment brings back a life of trauma to the surface, sparking a spiral of vengeful madness that has no chance of being stopped. The revenge seems to take on a life of it’s own, daring Beth to go further and further, becoming more destructive, even to those she holds dear, until the conclusion almost explodes off the page.

I expected this to be a book on revenge but it goes way beyond that, this is all about the PTSD that has built up over time, the shame of the thoughts going around in your head, being surrounded by friends and still alone and losing all semblance of self. The writing is impeccable, it draws you in so quickly, strong characters and hard hitting plot makes the pages just whiz by and before you know it you are done. The question I have now… is there a third book? How with Beth’s friends deal with the fallout from Dentata?