Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw

180 reviews

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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mari2880's review against another edition

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dark 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? It's complicated

1.5

I’m giving the point 5 extra because I believe in the concept of this story but overall it wasn’t great.  To start, there were typos which disrupted the flow of the read. So much could have happened if the characters were better explained, if they took the time for suspense building and if the author built a stronger plot.  I agree with another critique that the author did not properly contextualize the yokai for those who don’t know about it.  I would try another book from this author just because I liked the concept but it needed so much more. 
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marina_michelle's review against another edition

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

2.75

Great premise that could have used a lot more polish
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vavocado's review against another edition

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

3.5

Felt thin, good concept but I would have enjoyed it more if it had been fleshed out further.
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gloom_lord's review against another edition

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dark 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

Nothing but blackened disappointment. 

There are things to like about this book, but they are scant. Descriptive moments that you wish would linger, only to be usurped by poor dialogue and narrative exposition. It just doesn't feel like a complete or realised book. I didn't care about a single character or moment. It never allowed me to empathise. I wish it had. 
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star_charter152's review against another edition

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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? No

2.75

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beanaroni's review against another edition

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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

4.0

I really liked Khaw's prose but I think that the story could've benefited from another hundred pages or so. the ending wasn't what I expected, nor hoped, it would be, and it came far too soon. 
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bebidocrimes's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

The horror really drew me in, but I just couldn't get myself to care about the characters or their petty drama. Maybe it was just the narrator's vocal choices. It's fun to juxtapose ghosts from centuries ago with modern characters and technology, but I think it might date itself kind of quickly because of how much it leans into it. 
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stephanieluxton's review against another edition

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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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gourmetsoda's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Ghastly and a good time for those who love a quick, Until Dawn series of events. I thought more could have been done with
the subtext regarding the dead bride and the women buried in the walls-- I was surprised when that plotline sort of fell away. The ghosts in this story are only decorations-- the real horror comes from the people. Just like real life.
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