Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw

43 reviews

justacowboy's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Gore and Murder

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt

rnbhargava's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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? Yes

3.75

It’s brief, there’s messiness between the characters, once it really gets going it’s swift and horrific.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism

It’s a horror book with messy histories between its characters. They go and mess with stuff they probably shouldn’t have messed with because they love going to haunted or supposedly haunted places. There is gruesome material as it plays out.

mreadsbooks's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcohol

Minor: Infidelity, Sexual content, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Fire/Fire injury

bskalka's review against another edition

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? No

3.0

This book was just ok. I liked the death that happened but not much else. The relationships were confusing. I didn't understand the ghosts at all. It was also hard to envision because the setting was described so poorly I genuinely didn't know where in the house they were at times. The ritual didn't seem well thought out either. But the number one problem I have with this book is it wasn't scary. The characters barely reacted to the spirits making them not scary at all and almost forgotten. When the spirits are the main point of your book, you can't make your characters act like they aren't there.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Torture, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

moxiereads's review against another edition

dark sad 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? Yes

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

sn8man's review against another edition

dark sad 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? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Infidelity and Classism

Minor: Mental illness

dinwarden's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad 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

2.5

I really wanted to like this book, the cover is very scary and I was excited to get scared. The ghost was cool, the cast of characters, not so much.

I have no issue with a short story that is more plot driven than character driven, but it felt like the author was trying to make me feel attached to characters who were overall bland and two dimensional.

Philip dying was miserable, literally the most competent person w any personality tbh

Overall, boring, and had a lot more potential unfortunately.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity

Minor: Alcoholism and Toxic relationship

stephanieluxton's review

dark

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

This book is about a group of 20 somethings who go to a spooky haunted house and then spooky things happen.

I picked up this book because it's short and I liked the cover.

A lot of people hate this book. It has a reputation. People complain about the strange choice of words. I knew this going into it but I also wanted to see for myself. After reading it, I definitely see where people are coming from.

The use of big words and strange metephors was weird at times and distracting. It's quite over the top. Even if ti was toned down a but to the point where it was just a poetic way of writing, I don't think it works for this book because the complicated prose doesn't align with the way our characters speak.

Our charcacters are all stereotypes. We have the protagonist (humble final girl type), rich preppy guy, the mean hot girl, the nice guy, and the jokester. This book is short so there isn't time to flesh out these characters. I think the smidge of backstory we get is really interesting and I wish it was explored more.

I didn't like this book because the plot was rushed. Group goes to haunted cursed place. Group faces haunted curse. Group wants to leave. Group figures out pretty quickly how curse works from convenient library. Tensions run high as group fractures and there's drama. Suboptimal solution presents itself. Problem kind of solved. The end.

The plot line is typical and basic but it still could have been good with some effort and character development. I think I am extra mad because the way the events unfold and the problem is solved doesn't even bother me that much. I just feel like it lacked proper emotional impact because it was so rushed.

Do I recommend? Not really. Is it totally unreadable? No. The fact that its short is both a blessing and it's downfall. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Fire/Fire injury

readingmushrooms's review

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Mental illness, Excrement, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

Minor: Infidelity

samanthalw96's review against another edition

tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, and Alcohol

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Infidelity and Vomit