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wollymammuth's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
The characters in this book are so unlikable. How any of them were ever friends is beyond me, because they all seem to hate each other. I stopped caring halfway through but kept pushing because it’s so short. I wanted to like it, but just can’t bring myself to recommend it.
eveamlizya's review against another edition
2.0
Beautifully poetic, but poor execution. The characters had some potential, but became incredibly annoying about a third of the way in. There was no creepiness, no scare. It was very flat, honestly. The author might as well have said, "They went to an old mansion where a bride was buried alive. She showed up and laughed. She took the bride-to-be and the husband-to-be killed his friend to get her back. The end."
theojayne's review against another edition
1.0
I barely made it through two chapters. The writing was pretentious and confusing, and if you haven't interested me in the main character by the end of the second chapter, you never will.
stagbourne's review against another edition
3.0
Honestly, I'm not sure what to take out of this book. At first I thought it was just a novel with undertones about mental illness and stuff, but the more I read, and the ending itself, made me second guess it.
It was an ok read. It was overly flowery and heavy on the imagery in some places, but only so much that it was annoying rather than inhibitive.
Still, not sure how to feel about it.
It was an ok read. It was overly flowery and heavy on the imagery in some places, but only so much that it was annoying rather than inhibitive.
Still, not sure how to feel about it.
jennys_library's review against another edition
4.0
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
A couple is in search of the most perfect, spookiest wedding venue to get married in. So they, along with a group of friends, stay the night in a haunted mansion. Stories say that a ghost bride haunts this mansion waiting for her groom.
I don't know what happened, but the moment I felt a little breeze outside, my brain started craving everything spooky. The reason behind the haunting and how it happened!? Just wow! I liked some of the characters, but some I couldn't deal with. They all have some sort of twisty connection. Why are they even friends, is what I kept wondering!
This horror was well written and the perfect amount of entertainment and creep factor.
A couple is in search of the most perfect, spookiest wedding venue to get married in. So they, along with a group of friends, stay the night in a haunted mansion. Stories say that a ghost bride haunts this mansion waiting for her groom.
I don't know what happened, but the moment I felt a little breeze outside, my brain started craving everything spooky. The reason behind the haunting and how it happened!? Just wow! I liked some of the characters, but some I couldn't deal with. They all have some sort of twisty connection. Why are they even friends, is what I kept wondering!
This horror was well written and the perfect amount of entertainment and creep factor.
meenie_14's review against another edition
4.0
I liked it. The story was gruesome and haunting. The prose were elegant and fussy. Not fussy in a bad way, but like a Victorian manor: detailed, intricate, a bit foreign to the sleekness of modernity.
keenmf's review against another edition
2.0
I’m disappointed. This book has been in my periphery for a while now as many friends’ chief example of over-the-top-horror. And, frankly that’s a hell of a stretch. Sure, it’s a weird read but it’s more akin to the cult classic film House than it is to a grizzly horror novel.
The characters are all unlikable and the action moves at such a rapid pace that by the time I figured out who’s who, half the party was either dead or insane. The narrator, a young woman named Cat (very quirky) talks like an English undergrads wet dream. Similes and metaphors pepper each sentence of this novella to such an extent that parsing any actual plot through the flowery language is just as insufferable as the characters themselves.
As such, this is a fine example of the horror novel that needed more time in the oven. Cook the tension a bit more, marinate the characters, dress up the plot, use the brilliant setting and for gods sake stop shoehorning the damn title of the book into every description of the ghost. I get it, her teeth were black.
All in all, the audio book is a decent single sitting read that’s perfect for if you’re stuck at the airport or trapped on a long bus ride.
2/5
Go watch the film House.
The characters are all unlikable and the action moves at such a rapid pace that by the time I figured out who’s who, half the party was either dead or insane. The narrator, a young woman named Cat (very quirky) talks like an English undergrads wet dream. Similes and metaphors pepper each sentence of this novella to such an extent that parsing any actual plot through the flowery language is just as insufferable as the characters themselves.
As such, this is a fine example of the horror novel that needed more time in the oven. Cook the tension a bit more, marinate the characters, dress up the plot, use the brilliant setting and for gods sake stop shoehorning the damn title of the book into every description of the ghost. I get it, her teeth were black.
All in all, the audio book is a decent single sitting read that’s perfect for if you’re stuck at the airport or trapped on a long bus ride.
2/5
Go watch the film House.
agathe_athena's review against another edition
4.0
A few months after recovering from a mental break, Cat joins her four best friends for a special elopement. The group used to seek ghosts together, so they chose a haunted Heian-era mansion. Unfortunately, the house is haunted by a ghost bride who wants some company in the afterlife.
This was a very creepy & horrifying novella. The group dynamic felt very real, and the group falling apart added to the tension in the story. Lots of very explicit details.
This was a very creepy & horrifying novella. The group dynamic felt very real, and the group falling apart added to the tension in the story. Lots of very explicit details.
aagigas's review against another edition
3.0
Stunning prose, but the characters felt underdeveloped and the events evolved way too fast for me. Nicely spooky, but I wish the spooky subtleties had drawn out longer before everything happens all at once. Too fast for the characters' actions and motivations ti make total sense. Also little details that took me out of the immersion for being inconsistent with the setting.
ihavebooks's review against another edition
2.0
At first I was so excited for the book. Khaw seemed to be priming us for a lot of character depth, and everything had so many beautiful descriptions. But then the descriptions started to get monotonous, I found myself glazing over pages of metaphors and flowery words that didn’t mean anything. When tension started to build is where I started getting confused. It’s like those flowery words took up space where there should have been plot. My brain wasn’t able to pull the words into imagery - I had NO idea what was happening. And when the antagonist was revealed, it felt like a SPRINT to the end of the book - a conclusion that was confusing, unsatisfying, and left me a bit bored. And by the end of the book, I hated every character and found some of the narrative decisions completely opposite to the build up. Dislike wasn’t in a “oh their depth makes them complicated humans with flaws” way, but a “everyone is garbage and I didn’t want to read a book about them” way. Probably wouldn’t recommend.