Reviews with content warning for Suicide attempt - Nothing But Blackened Teeth

This was somehow too aware of its genre. I get that we're all annoyed by horror story protagonists making stupid decisions but these had a few comments too many about being in a haunted house story and what one has to do to not be the first kill. Being this meta is also kinda a different subgebre of horror than the atmospheric haunted castle Khaw created as a setting and they don't work together. And while I liked the visuals it wasn't particularly scary, especially the ghost didn't have the creeping effect she was supposed to. The characters were a bit thin (though with this length that's basically unavoidable) and the ending felt less ominous and more uninspired. And again one of those instances where the development from characters having regular relationships and conversations to... that climax came out of nowhere and wasn't really believeable. Really enjoyed the overflowy purple prose though.

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mreadsbooks's review against another edition

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4.0

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allyareads's review against another edition

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dark mysterious 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

3.75

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amris's review against another edition

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challenging dark 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

4.0

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rayshell's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Really beautiful and sensory writing, particularly the descriptions and metaphors communicating the narrative perspective. Heady, hazy, woozy in the best way. The plot could be been more fleshed out and characters more developed. The juice of this story is in the feelings and reflections it inspires in the reader.

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hauntedantiqueshop's review against another edition

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mysterious 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

2.0

Went in blind and I will say: I need to do research and reread this one (so rating will probably change!). I felt lost and confused most of the time and I think that’s purely because I don’t know a lot of Japanese folklore. I liked it with what little knowledge I have!

I think it’s also worth mentioning that this is one of the few books I’ve read with a “happy” ending.

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hkveit's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad fast-paced

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

3.25

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vivaciousvaleska's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.25

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