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A review by inkdrinkers
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
dark
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? It's complicated
4.0
This book is f*cked up.
Five friends travel to an ancient Japanese home to watch their two friends get married. The home is, of course, incredibly haunted. Body horror, blood, ancient rituals, and Japanese folklore creatures ensue.
This was a rec from a friend and I have to say I enjoyed it far more than I initially expected, especially the audiobook! As a horror novel, I think it's paced well and deals with the mixture of folklore, friends, and interpersonal relationships well. You have a lot of backstory to cover in a short amount of pages between the five main characters and the way they act around each other and how it interacts with their "relationship" with the spirit haunting this house.
I will echo what a lot of other people say, this book is absolutely filled to the brim with flowery writing and if that isn't your thing, you're going to loathe it. There were enough similes and metaphors in here to make a university writing professor curse and set the entire book on fire. These aren't good characters either, they're 20-somethings, selfish, and pretentious. But I think it adds to the fact that all these horrific things happen to them in the span of a few hours. It feels like the equivalent of taking a chance on a low rated horror movie on Netflix. You know you're not getting a masterpiece - but, damn, you're going to be entertained for a few hours.
All over, four stars. I've read a lot of bizarre haunting/possession books but I think this one does it well and has characters that, while insufferable, make the logical decisions. I would recommend this to people who (like me, hi) enjoy watching horror/thriller movies that might not be the best, but are still incredibly entertaining in their own right. Pick the audiobook if you'd like a fast-paced one that makes you turn to your phone in horror when the next gory moment happens!
Five friends travel to an ancient Japanese home to watch their two friends get married. The home is, of course, incredibly haunted. Body horror, blood, ancient rituals, and Japanese folklore creatures ensue.
This was a rec from a friend and I have to say I enjoyed it far more than I initially expected, especially the audiobook! As a horror novel, I think it's paced well and deals with the mixture of folklore, friends, and interpersonal relationships well. You have a lot of backstory to cover in a short amount of pages between the five main characters and the way they act around each other and how it interacts with their "relationship" with the spirit haunting this house.
I will echo what a lot of other people say, this book is absolutely filled to the brim with flowery writing and if that isn't your thing, you're going to loathe it. There were enough similes and metaphors in here to make a university writing professor curse and set the entire book on fire. These aren't good characters either, they're 20-somethings, selfish, and pretentious. But I think it adds to the fact that all these horrific things happen to them in the span of a few hours. It feels like the equivalent of taking a chance on a low rated horror movie on Netflix. You know you're not getting a masterpiece - but, damn, you're going to be entertained for a few hours.
All over, four stars. I've read a lot of bizarre haunting/possession books but I think this one does it well and has characters that, while insufferable, make the logical decisions. I would recommend this to people who (like me, hi) enjoy watching horror/thriller movies that might not be the best, but are still incredibly entertaining in their own right. Pick the audiobook if you'd like a fast-paced one that makes you turn to your phone in horror when the next gory moment happens!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Alcohol, Death, Toxic friendship, Murder, Gore, Vomit, Toxic relationship, and Cursing