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rmnedder's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Disclaimer: thank you to NetGalley and Broken River Books for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I really enjoyed the premise of the novella. I’m a huge fan of analog horror, and was really excited by the combination of analog and supernatural horror. I wish we had seen more of Bullet Tooth, but what I did see of him I really liked; he’s creepy, he’s eldritch, and I really enjoyed his parasitic relationship with violence. I just wish he and the analog horror featured more. The analog horror in particular felt like a background idea, which felt weird since this is a horror novella.
The characters were alright, if a bit two-dimensional. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the pacing though. The plot itself was fine, but it felt like there were a lot of things that were rushed or weren’t given the appropriate narrative weight; not everything felt justified. The ending felt very rushed.
My biggest issue with this book is honestly the writing style. There are editing errors left and right: missing or unnecessary punctuation, fragmented sentences, incorrect words. The dialogue feels very stilted and unnatural at times; it just didn’t read like the way real people would speak. The prose, while sometimes very clever, usually feels awkward and clunky; entire scenes feel very overwritten. There’s a lot of unnecessary detail that bogs down the reader and makes chapters drag out, and it’s difficult to tell what’s important. It’s a shame, too, because I can tell that this is supposed to be a fast-paced story, but all the fluff and editing errors distracted me as a reader and made this move way slower than intended. It honestly felt like this book was in need of another round of edits.
There are moments that were legitimately hilarious, and there were some really interesting motifs or character moments that I was very intrigued by, but they were overshadowed by a series of shortcomings that made it difficult for me to be fully engaged with the story. Overall, I’d say that this was a book with great potential, but it ultimately fell very short in its execution.
shrikebait's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Picked this one up because it sounded nuts and I love some weird horror. Bullet Tooth definitely delivered the horror, but the real beauty is in the characters.
Each and every main character was wonderfully written. I loved seeing how their unique personalities, pasts, and goals intersected as Bullet Tooth started pulling the strings.
I'm still thinking about one character in particular: Devin, the local bootleg man. He starts out like any other minor character, but his story hit me hard as the pages turned. Beautifully and tragically written.
I would have liked to know how Caleb knew when Bullet Tooth was influencing events. He just "knows." I'm wondering whether it's a gut feeling or whether he has some psychic link with the entity.
There were a couple minor editing issues but nothing that altered the plot.
Thank you to the author and BookSirens for the chance to read this book for free. I'm leaving this review of my own accord.
Each and every main character was wonderfully written. I loved seeing how their unique personalities, pasts, and goals intersected as Bullet Tooth started pulling the strings.
I'm still thinking about one character in particular: Devin, the local bootleg man. He starts out like any other minor character, but his story hit me hard as the pages turned. Beautifully and tragically written.
I would have liked to know how Caleb knew when Bullet Tooth was influencing events. He just "knows." I'm wondering whether it's a gut feeling or whether he has some psychic link with the entity.
There were a couple minor editing issues but nothing that altered the plot.
Thank you to the author and BookSirens for the chance to read this book for free. I'm leaving this review of my own accord.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Suicide, Racial slurs, and Violence
Moderate: Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Drug abuse, War, Drug use, and Racism
Minor: Vomit
kristienlovewithhorror's review
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
If you love and appreciate hip hop and you have a thing for analog horror and VHS tapes, you’ll enjoy the ride that is Bullet Tooth.
Bullet Tooth is a villainous creature that thrives on pain, violence and chaos. He comes when he’s summoned and he’s just been called to the hood of Chicago.
We have 3 main characters, who are 3 different paths in life yet they have each been brought together by the wrath of Bullet Tooth.
This book does have some heavy topics so check these trigger warnings: suicide, death off page, gore, gun violence, attempted SA.
The author does an amazing job of really pulling you in and making you feel like this could all be real. While I did have some issues with one of the characters and the ending seems to go at light speed compared to the rest of the book, I found myself invested in the story and wanting to see how these characters make it through.
I also wanted a little more bullet tooth. We got one chapter that touched on his back story and it’s actually my favorite chapter. I would love a little more of seeing how he operates in his element.
I also wanted a little more bullet tooth. We got one chapter that touched on his back story and it’s actually my favorite chapter. I would love a little more of seeing how he operates in his element.
All in all, I enjoyed how the author took very real, present day issues and married them with horror so seamlessly. This was my first time reading Grant Wamack and it won’t be my last.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Suicide, and Gore
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Death of parent
drakaina16's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Thank you to the author for providing a review copy.
Bullet Tooth is a short but nasty story with a truly nasty villain. Part urban legend, part ancient evil, this story really worked for me. I had a ton of fun with it. My only complaint is that I wanted it to be longer, as the ending felt a bit abrupt. 4.25 stars
Bullet Tooth is a short but nasty story with a truly nasty villain. Part urban legend, part ancient evil, this story really worked for me. I had a ton of fun with it. My only complaint is that I wanted it to be longer, as the ending felt a bit abrupt. 4.25 stars
hypevoy's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
thanks netgalley and broken river books for the earc in exchange for an honest review.
bullet tooth is a fast, wild ride. it starts off by introducing you to these well crafted characters, that you can’t help in rooting for (especially jas and caleb for me), then brings in an intriguing, disgusting monster that only amps up your interest.
i loved the grittiness of the setting. it reminded me of candyman, which there is a reference of. chicago is its own living, breathing character here. black horror is beautiful and i want more stories like this.
unfortunately, while i enjoyed my time with these characters, i feel like the titular monster didn’t get nearly enough presence in his own story. it also started going at high speed around the 60% point and i feel like it wrapped up too quickly. i think the book could have done a lot more with some extra pages.
i really hope to see more for this author and i’d love to see more of bullet tooth specifically.
bullet tooth is a fast, wild ride. it starts off by introducing you to these well crafted characters, that you can’t help in rooting for (especially jas and caleb for me), then brings in an intriguing, disgusting monster that only amps up your interest.
i loved the grittiness of the setting. it reminded me of candyman, which there is a reference of. chicago is its own living, breathing character here. black horror is beautiful and i want more stories like this.
unfortunately, while i enjoyed my time with these characters, i feel like the titular monster didn’t get nearly enough presence in his own story. it also started going at high speed around the 60% point and i feel like it wrapped up too quickly. i think the book could have done a lot more with some extra pages.
i really hope to see more for this author and i’d love to see more of bullet tooth specifically.
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