A review by minimicropup
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw

dark mysterious sad tense medium-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

3.0

Intellectual. Overbearing. Ghoulish. 
🇯🇵 Set in a Heian-era mansion in Japan. 
POV: Our MC is recovering from personal crises, while attending their best friend’s wedding in a spooky location, surrounded by a diverse friend group and an ex or two. 
 
Mood Reading Match Up: 
-Elements of friendship drama with a dark twist, kind of reminiscent of a “Friends” sitcom scenario but set in a horror context 
-Historical mansion spooks and hauntings, enveloped in a chilling atmosphere 
-Supernatural Japanese folklore horror 
-Esoteric prose, heavy on lyrical storytelling and symbolic metaphors 
 
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🐺 Growls, Howls, and Tail Wags 🐕 
✏️ Writing: The writing style is fanciful, melodramatic, and somewhat pretentious, but fitting the tone and character. The heavy use of simile and long-winded sentences can make the reading experience challenging but ultimately contributes to the atmospheric and immersive vibes of the story. Without audio I might still be “reading” this though! 
 
🫥 Characters: The protagonist, Cat, is initially unlikeable due to her over-the-top ways, yet her character is shrouded in mystery. The character dynamics and their histories are intriguingly revealed, and that kept me engaged. Their friendship dynamics get messy! 
 
🗺️ Worldbuilding: Despite the complex writing style, the mansion setting is vividly portrayed. I got lost in its spooky corridors without needing a detailed layout. 
 
🔥 Fuel: The suspense builds from the mansion setting, friends telling scary stories, and the gradual layering of supernatural elements. The story delves deep into friendship drama, which had me questioning the true nature of the relationships depicted. 
 
🐢🐇 Pacing: The narrative’s pacing can feel slow due to the dense prose and seemingly random analogies (to me), but the novella’s length feels appropriate for the story being told. 
 
🎬 Scenes: The interactions and decision-making among the characters feel symbolic but can be confusing, with mixed signals about their friendships and intentions. 
 
🤔 Random Thoughts: Overall I think this was a unique blend of horror and folklore, and a deep, atmospheric read with complex character dynamics and cultural depth. I personally found most scenes confusing and strange before I was able to feel the creepiness and horrors. 
 
🎧 Audio: The audio enhances the experience, adding depth and expressiveness that helps the characters and writing flow better. When reading text I kept assigning flat monotone voices to everyone because of the tone I was inferring from the writing, but the audio fixed that for me. 
 
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Content Heads-Up: Suicide (attempted). Mental illness (depression, hallucinations). Body gore (dismemberment, vomit, blood, body fluids). Alcohol (partying; intoxication). Loss of a spouse. Violence (weapons, fists). 
Rep includes: Malaysian, Bengali, Telugu, Japanese, White American, and bisexual characters. 
 
Format: Kindle 
 
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