The prose was so extra, almost every word was gilded, that it was difficult to read.
The characters were so unlikable that I found it hard to want to keep reading this short book.
This is not one I will review for The Scariest Things

I really enjoyed the creepiness of this one! The undertones of dread were throughout the whole thing and I felt like I was holding my breath for the entirety of this one. Will def recommend!

Short and creepy, a tight novella packed full of mythology and lore, a great blend of Japanese yokai stories and western haunted house tropes with twists that actually gave me the creeps. Having read and watched TRESE recently, I loved the unquestioning acceptance of the supernatural and the lack of conflict between Cat having spent time in a psych hospital and seeing the supernatural - it adds depth to the story and actually makes it scarier; if one accepts the supernatural then you're forced to accept what it can do TO you and that opens a whole new world of terror because there's no looking AWAY from it or explaining it away.

I also love the multiple survivor but dead to one another twist. There's a additional horror in knowing there are people out there who saw the worst moments of your life, who could "out" you or remind you or make you relive them. The only thing worse than going through trauma is going through it again without the buffer your psyche gives you.

So good. Definitely time to delve into Khaw's back catalog.

4 friends go to a haunted house *on purpose* because a bride-to-be wants to elope in one. The connective tissue in this is without a doubt, tenuous. Their past history comprised of various dalliances and lives cut short and diverted stokes their inner turmoil, and when they decide to try and wake up the house, marital problems and past history become the least of their worries.

Let’s start with what didn’t work so I can end happily.

It is very meta and self-aware, which is a stylistic thing. It’s not for me. The whole, people who know they’re in a horror movie thing but actions have their own momentum so being aware that you’re acting out a kind of play doesn’t help whatsoever. Coupled with thin connective tissue though, this feels more contrived than an effective device.

Eventually, after the 6th Why Are We Here?, We’re in a movie, and What We Are Doing Doesn’t Make Any Sense, I tended to agree. I think this would have been loads better without the meta component and a more effective lead-up than them just being in the house.

However, there’s plenty I did like about it, too.

Atmospherically and outside of the meta component this shows really fine craftwork. Diction, specificity, verbiage, and simile use are all so good. Some of the most evocative prose around, especially when revealing character, and I include the house here as well.

Plot-wise, it’s… unconventional I’ll say. Sometimes it conforms to even the meta-perspective of how a horror story goes, sometimes it doesn’t. It’s effective at keeping you guessing but fulfilling tropes genre seekers will want. I particularly liked the third act and how it closed out.

As a sum of its parts it comes out ahead, and just to underline how great the prose work is, I boosted it up. I really loved that aspect of it. Had it ended poorly, just from the pleasure of reading it, I might have decided on 3 stars anyways. That’s how consistently good it was.

Definitely worth picking up when it drops and thanks to Netgalley for sending it to me.

The plot was fine; nothing really groundbreaking, but I was intrigued by the idea of a Japanese gothic. The characters weren't described enough for me to determine if I liked them or not. The would-be dread was interrupted by the narrator's internal dialogue. But ultimately, it was the writing that lost me. The author used complicated language that didn't really fit. (Two examples: "the chiaroscuro of his face in silhouette" and "a round face, wide at the cordillera of her cheekbones but otherwise gaunt". These don't even really make sense.) It was overly descriptive without really saying anything. This may have been better with more editing, and possibly either as a short story or a full-length novel, but this really didn't work for me. I stopped reading at 32%.

Not quite sure how to review this. It was quite a short read but the author seemed to struggle with a rhythm in her prose. Lots of descriptive paragraphs that served to take away from the story. There were repetitive phrases throughout and this book could have used a better editor. Some scary scenes helped me make it till the end.

Nadia and Faiz are getting married, and their friends are celebrating their nuptials in style: by spending a night at a Japanese mansion haunted by the spirit of a bride who was abandoned at the altar. Cat, however, is not feeling up for it -- she's still recovering from a suicide attempt, and 4 out of 5 of her friends resent her for it. So, when she starts seeing a girl in bridal robes with a black smile, she doesn't dare to tell them right away, she doesn't want to spoil their fun.
Cue a truly spooky, hair-rising classic yokai tale, perfect for the turn of the seasons or those sleepless autumn nights. Khaw seems to take a couple of liberties with Japanese folklore, but attentive readers will realize that she stays as true to the legends as to the horror genre. Wonderful novella, creepy and gorgeous in equal parts.

I have to say I was immensely excited to get the chance to read this book. However, I was sorely disappointed in what played out in front of me. The biggest and toughest nail in the coffin was its characters -- all insanely unlikable; so that when shit hit the roof, I didn't find myself one way or another caring who survived, who was traumatized, and who met an untimely and grotesque end. Khaw's words are flowery yet detached, and that added an overall coldness to the story. But maybe that was the point.

Nothing But Blackened Teeth was also, well, not all that scary nor suspenseful. Flipping through its short page count, I didn't find myself necessarily needing (or afraid) to turn to the next page.. I know Cassandra Khaw is talented--and maybe I just hyped myself up on this way too much--but this just didn't meet my expectations at all.

Interpersonal relationships, secrets, and drama already threaten to unravel a night of gluttony and partying at a dream destination, but the Heian-era mansion holds horrific secrets of its own. Khaw's novella weaves Japanese folklore into a haunted house tale, and adds an unexpected layer of character conflict to the fold. It's an elegant nightmare that builds, without ever over staying its welcome or showing its entire hand. The lack of answers might frustrate, as will Khaw's reliance on metaphors and overly descriptive prose. Still, it's a thrilling novella that leaves you wanting more.

*An ARC of this book was provided to my by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.*

Cassandra Khaw can really turn some phrases and metaphors, and I think she's an excellent writer. Unfortunately, it just didn't work in this novella. The premise is awesome but it was squandered in all the vocabulary exercises and flat, obnoxious characters. Any time the tension would start to mount, it would be almost immediately broken by the characters having weird, petty arguments about who used to sleep with whom (seriously, the doorway is filling up with eyeballs [I think is what was happening?] and they're yelling at each other because this guy slept with that guy's girlfriend years ago? What?), or excessively florid descriptions of, like, a mean sounding laugh. It was too much. I also didn't understand anyone's reaction to anything, I couldn't picture what was happening despite alllllll of the description, and the ending came and went like oops well that's over.

Again, I think Khaw is very talented - I'm currently reading another novella of hers that I am greatly enjoying, and there were threads of something excellent in this story, but the language experiment just didn't work for me.

Five friends come together for a private wedding ceremony at a haunted Japanese Mansion. Sounds like a perfectly creepy setting right?! It is! Add in all the drama from all the strained relationships and you have an awesome binge-worthy read on your hands!

I loved all the Japanese Folklore and that feeling you get when watching a scary movie and you are yelling at the screen "to just get out!" But of course, no one ever listens......dun dun dun.

This title will be featured in Fangoria magazine's October 2021 issue. Please reach out to this reviewer directly for a PDF copy of the write up once it becomes available.

This novella was amazing! It was creepy, fun, and even a little emotional. I loved all of the background information and the descriptions really helped the story be that much darker and scarier. I read this last week and still have not stopped thinking about it, it was that good!!

Closer to 3.5, but I liked it enough that rounding up can't hurt.

What a wonderfully nasty horror novella Cassandra Khaw has given us in NOTHING BUT BLACKENED TEETH. Unafraid to make all of her characters unlikable, Khaw (in outstanding prose) portrays a pre-wedding getaway in Japan gone horrifically wrong with brutal efficiency. Despite the clear empathy for the people in the story as human beings, Khaw makes it just as clear that they had torn one another to shreds in so many other ways long before they encountered the folkloric horrors in the Heian-era manor they visit.

I would've liked a little more clarity on some of the beings we see in the mansion but I'm also well aware it's not Khaw's job to spell everything out. And it hardly got in the way of my enjoyment of the book, which I tore through in about three half-hour sittings.

When the action gets going, it really moves - a smart take on the self-aware "is this like a movie? Am I the final girl?" sort of ghost story about some good and creepy Japanese yokai. Before the action gets going it's great atmosphere but a really offputting "20 minutes with jerks". The people are all really awful and obnoxious and have awful and obnoxious history together - and in a work this short it just doesn't work to spend the entire first half on such distasteful characters. The language is also a little overwrought at the beginning (it catches up to the subject matter by the end.) In all I enjoyed it after all the dust settled, but I imagine many will give up during the tedious setup.

Characteristics:
Pace: fast paced
Moods: tense, dark, mysterious
Plot- or Character-Driven: plot
Strong Character Development: not really
Lovable Characters: not really
Diverse Cast: unsure
Flaws of the Main Characters a Center Focus: sort of

Overview:
A group of long time friends who seem to love the thrill of haunted, ghosty adventures, settle on a Heian-era mansion as the location for one of the existing couple's wedding venue (which has been a childhood dream of the bride-to-be). The friends' individual relationships are already a bit complicated, and after a night of settling in, drinking, eating, and swapping ghost stories, things begin to intensify and reach a terrifying peak. Before the wedding even has begun, the night turns horrifying, and no one will ultimately walk out the mansion the same as they walked in (and in some cases ... fail to walk out at all).

What I loved:
- I loved the Japanese folklore incorporated seamlessly in this story. I kept my phone close and did a lot of translating and Googling as I progressed, and I loved every bit of it!
- I will forever be impressed by authors who can create a strong mood and atmosphere in a short amount of time and just jam-pack what could be a full novel's worth of content into less than even 200 pages. Cassandra Khaw does this so well. There were moments I found myself physically cringing in response to some of the descriptions. This story sets you up with eerie "something's not right" vibes right of the bat and never lets go.
- It's creepy, and it's creepy well-done.
- I could easily see this play out as an hour and a half horror movie on Netflix and it do phenomenally well.

What I didn’t love:
- Honestly, my only complaint is that I wanted MORE of it. I would've been entirely happy with another 100 pages and not even blinked about it.

Overall:
Fantastic Japanese-centered haunted house/horror tale in under 200 pages! It had me feeling creeped out at times, physically repulsed at others, and overall very satisfied. If you're in the mood for a solid creepy tale that won't take too long to read but scratch that horror itch, this one is so worth picking up! I've thrown it in my "favorites of 2021" as I think this one has left me lingering and wishing for more.

Nothing but Blackened Teeth is kind of the perfect ghost story. Right from the beginning, it establishes a sense of dread that only grows with every page. Five friends, with fraught histories of their own, rent out a haunted Japanese mansion for a wedding. In order to provide a welcoming environment for the ghosts, the group lights a hundred candles to blow out one by one as each person tells a ghost story. When the last candle goes out, things go from tense to hostile. This book feels like a ghost story that would get told in the flickering candlelight of your own haunted sleepover (maybe even at a Japanese mansion). The narrator, Cat, is both incredibly intuitive and slightly detached from the situation, watching as her friends make all the wrong decisions but unable to stop them. Familiar without being predictable and self-aware in a way that brings an alarming inevitability to the ending

I really enjoyed this creeping little novella! While it wasn't as horror filled as I imagined it would be and I do wish the paranormal aspect had been fleshed out a little more, I did like how the relationships and friendships between the obvious frenemies played out.

I didn’t intend to start this this morning but then I couldn’t put it down once I did. Very short, creepy creepy novella. Four stars because like half the dialogue is just some twenty-somethings bitching because they’ve all slept with each other and there are still ~feelings~. Highly recommended for horror fans though!

Friends in an abandoned, crumbling, haunted, mansion with a ghost-bride? I was soooo ready for this horror, especially considering it's a novella, which we don't see enough of, in my opinion. I'm strangely torn writing this review, because the prose itself, while stunning, is also part of my hang-up. There are some gorgeous passages in here, but the overall effect is one that took me out of the story on a regular basis. Even the beginning felt rather jarring, like I was scrambling to orient myself.
An example of what I loved: "The night stretched chandeliered with fireflies and stars and the last cicada songs of the year, the world coloring indigo-dark."
Like wow, atmosphere. Love that. Unfortunately I found there wasn't enough atmosphere throughout though, and instead I often felt disconnected and couldn't entirely picture the house itself.
An example of what I didn't love: "Too excited to have ever molded the Ecstasy-glutted into shambolic choreography, but that had always been a plus point for its most strident advocate."
Like what? A lot of this feels overdone/wordy for no reason.
I was also not sure about the 'friends' part. It rather felt like everyone mostly hated each other and we are never really told the details of the past. There is only a faint glossing over of basics.
Overall, things I did like: the setting, the folklore, and the characters were well-described.
Like any good classic horror, I'm somewhat left wondering what piece I failed to miss, or was it all in our narrator's head?
Thanks to NetGalley for the free arc.