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mxpringle's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
The writing in this book was so bad that it was simply absurd. There were even some lines that weren't even complete sentences. The topics of each sentence jumped around with so little flow that it was nearly impossible to follow what was actually happening. The characters were all incredibly shallow, arguing over decades old arguments yet all for some reason deciding to go on their ex's honeymoons??? This was less of a horror novel and more just a group of people arguing about silly relationship drama from years ago, and then happening to run into a variety of Japanese mythological beasts. The mythology and horror aspects were so poorly researched and explained that they added next to nothing to the story. I was so disappointed in this book because I truly did expect it to be an area of horror that isn't often explored, but it turned out to be one of the most asinine books I've ever read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Death and Infidelity
Minor: Mental illness and Suicide
nixieba25f's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Infidelity, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
graceert's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, and Murder
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
aprica's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Toxic friendship and Alcohol
Minor: Suicide
jenny_d's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
ashleycmms's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Mental illness, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol
Minor: Grief
these are horrible horrible people lmaomidsummernoodle's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I like the writing style a lot and the story is cool, but my god. The vivid gore in this book is going to haunt me forever. If you’re sensitive to gore, leave this one alone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Suicide, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
has3000's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book is a good, interesting book to read in one or two sittings around Halloween.
The writing is an exercise in using overly flavorful language, some of which is cheesy and some of which is brilliant. But once you get used to the style it works for this book. I did have to look up several words, and there were many more that I just assumed I got the correct meaning from context.
The plot is simple and classic horror, which the book acknowledges through the words and thoughts of its characters. It’s creepy without trying too hard, and it was interesting to have a Japanese-themed horror story, because I don’t have much exposure to that. The description of the different horrifying creatures from Japanese art was really cool.
Oh, and Cassandra Khaw has a last name that was made to write horror.
The writing is an exercise in using overly flavorful language, some of which is cheesy and some of which is brilliant. But once you get used to the style it works for this book. I did have to look up several words, and there were many more that I just assumed I got the correct meaning from context.
The plot is simple and classic horror, which the book acknowledges through the words and thoughts of its characters. It’s creepy without trying too hard, and it was interesting to have a Japanese-themed horror story, because I don’t have much exposure to that. The description of the different horrifying creatures from Japanese art was really cool.
Oh, and Cassandra Khaw has a last name that was made to write horror.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Eating disorder and Suicide
toomanybooks326's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide
lumberjacksnackpack's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I was excited by the premise, but Nothing But Blackened Teeth gets bogged down by its crutches, trying to cover unlikable characters and a lagging plot with self-referential metacommentary that goes nowhere.
Cat is unlikable by design, but the novel's attempts to explain her behavior as part of her mentally-ill bisexual dark heart character with references to her past self-harming and suicidal behavior are never given much emotional depth. She claims she's trying to be better, to be with her friends, but none of this is ever supported by the characters or their behavior.
The side characters are one-dimensional, their increasingly unnecessary flavor text forcing them into Cabin in the Woods like Horror character trope boxes. Phillip is the hero/athlete, Fiaz is the nerd/scholar, Lin is the Fool, Talia is the Whore, leaving Cat the Virgin. It's overdone and lacks depth (in the epilogue we get more reasons why Phillip was a decent guy than literally anywhere else).
I did enjoy some of the horrific imagery, the yokai in the walls following them, some of Cat's fugue passages about the house were atmospheric and original, and I really enjoyed the growing obsession and even fondness Cat seems to have towards the ohaguro-bettari, it was the most intriguing part of the novella, and it fades into the background.
The plot becomes entirely contrived once they discover that Talia has been stolen by the ohaguro-bettari, with the whole "there must be a book" thing. It felt like a lazy attempt to give them some third-act goal, with no support to make it work. There's a lot of handwaving about the house having some sort of influence on them to be more horrible, violent people, but again, it doesn't go anywhere, and there's no justification. Cat wonders if they're some kind of entertainment of the yokai, and I'd love for that to be explored more. For there to be any real worldbuilding at all, instead of focusing on the vapid and petty drama of these characters.
The pacing overall is off, because there's no real plot direction that isn't forced.
Overall, I thought Nothing But Blackened Teeth had good bones, but no real foundation for a visceral, scary story.
Cat is unlikable by design, but the novel's attempts to explain her behavior as part of her mentally-ill bisexual dark heart character with references to her past self-harming and suicidal behavior are never given much emotional depth. She claims she's trying to be better, to be with her friends, but none of this is ever supported by the characters or their behavior.
The side characters are one-dimensional, their increasingly unnecessary flavor text forcing them into Cabin in the Woods like Horror character trope boxes. Phillip is the hero/athlete, Fiaz is the nerd/scholar, Lin is the Fool, Talia is the Whore, leaving Cat the Virgin. It's overdone and lacks depth (in the epilogue we get more reasons why Phillip was a decent guy than literally anywhere else).
I did enjoy some of the horrific imagery, the yokai in the walls following them, some of Cat's fugue passages about the house were atmospheric and original, and I really enjoyed the growing obsession and even fondness Cat seems to have towards the ohaguro-bettari, it was the most intriguing part of the novella, and it fades into the background.
The plot becomes entirely contrived once they discover that Talia has been stolen by the ohaguro-bettari, with the whole "there must be a book" thing. It felt like a lazy attempt to give them some third-act goal, with no support to make it work. There's a lot of handwaving about the house having some sort of influence on them to be more horrible, violent people, but again, it doesn't go anywhere, and there's no justification. Cat wonders if they're some kind of entertainment of the yokai, and I'd love for that to be explored more. For there to be any real worldbuilding at all, instead of focusing on the vapid and petty drama of these characters.
The pacing overall is off, because there's no real plot direction that isn't forced.
Overall, I thought Nothing But Blackened Teeth had good bones, but no real foundation for a visceral, scary story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis