Book Review: Nothing But Blackened Teeth

NOTHING BUT BLACKENED TEETH | Cassandra Khaw
10.19.2021 | Tor Nightfire
Rating: 4/5 stars

A Heian-era mansion stands abandoned, its foundation resting on the bones of a bride and its walls packed with the remains of the girls sacrificed to keep her company. It’s the perfect wedding venue for a group of thrill-seeking friends. A night of food, drinks, and games quickly spirals into a nightmare. Lurking in the shadows is the ghost bride with a black smile and a hungry heart.

I absolutely adore horror stories steeped in real-life folklore. Cassandra Shaw has managed to take Japanese folklore, combine it with one of the most atmospheric stories I’ve recently read, and deliver something unique to readers in just over 100 pages. Pure magic! First off, there’s not a chance you would find me in this abandoned, haunted mansion. Nope. This group of friends just set up camp like it’s nothing and I couldn’t look away from the pages while I was anticipating the horrors coming for them. I loved how the drama of this friend group propelled the story and the actions of our characters forward, but I did feel at times the creep factor was lost because I was distracted by a dialogue between characters. Overall, this is a solid novella that deserves all the attention! I look forward to reading more of Shaw’s work in the future.

A huge thank you to Tor Nightfire for my gifted copy!

This book is available to buy from: Amazon | Book Depository

Disclosure: What Jess Reads is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This in no way influences my opinion of the above book.