"And she gets lonely down in the dirt."

Okay first off, the award for one of the CREEPIEST covers ever! While I found Cassandra Khaw's style of writing amazing and beautiful, I found myself wanting more. The story eluded to some kind of trouble or trauma in Kat's past, but doesn't explain it further. I think that is my biggest complaint with this novella. It gave little tidbits to hook you in and then never explained them. This book definitely had some really creepy elements heavily rooted in Japanese folklore, which was fantastic. I would have loved more of the horror aspect with the dead bride. I will definitely be watching for future releases from this author and plan to read more.
Note: I received this book as a free early release audiobook from NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated are completely my own.

An interesting Japanese folklore like story. The characters are interesting and the horror elements are very good.

I received this audiobook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

To be honest, when I requested this audiobook, o wasn’t sure it was going to be for me. I enjoy different folklore and fantasy elements in my books, but I’m not the biggest fan of horror. This novella did not hit with me.

The setting and the concept sounded great. A group of young 20 somethings, who have sorted pasts with one another, get together in a haunted mansion for a spooky wedding. Throw in the promise of Japanese folklore and call me intrigued!! But that was where it ended.

I know very little about Japanese mythology. The author wrote the creepy folklore bits without any explanation of what these creatures were. Because of that, I had to take myself out of the story, open Wikipedia, and read a tidbit about these legends. I really wish the author had provided explanations and context for those who aren’t familiar.

Secondly, I hated being the in mind of main protagonist. Everything was bodily for her. The amount of times she mentioned her cerebrum, cerebellum, synapses, or other organs was unrealistic and annoying. I understand that she had unresolved trauma, unknown to the reader. I still didn’t like it.

Finally, once we got to the horror aspects, I was very confused on what was actually happening verses was this just what the protagonist thought. Turns out, it was all real, though I couldn’t exactly tell you what happened. Everything felt so rushed and none of our questions were answered. I feel like characters made actions in order to progress the plot instead of staying true to their character.

I under there is only so much you can do in 128 pages, so this novella needed length and explanation.

Nothing But Blackened Teeth Review.

Now that spooky season is here I wanted to read some horror stories. I must say this cover is one of the creepiest ones I’ve ever seen in my life. As far as the story goes it wasn’t bad, but I was hoping for more gore, blood and guts. I felt the story at times focused too much on the drama between the friends and the horror aspect of the story took a backseat. I must say the ending did catch me by surprise and I didn’t think that would be the outcome at all. The narrator did a great job with this story and I would definitely listen to another book by them.

PERFECT. PERFECT.

Creepy and atmospheric. Every last word was completely intentional, it was like reading architecture. I can't say more about it because it was beautiful and has to be experienced.

The narrator was Suehyla El-Attar and she was top-shelf; totally captivating.

I received a copy of this audiobook for free from NetGalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

This one reminded me so much of Haunting of Hill House, with the slow burn feel. It was very interesting and I think I would enjoy reading it again. I almost feel that the narration may have ruined this one for me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Quick read and enjoyable. It was dark and a page turner but I was not a fan of the ending which is why it was only 3 stars. Great story line though and I would recommend it to my fellow horror readers. I was given an audio copy by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced listener's copy of this novella.

It works perfectly for spooky season - a group of young friends with a tense past gathering together in a haunted location for a wedding. Steeped in folklore, this tale is perfect for sending chills up your spine. My main complaint is that it felt too quick. I wanted to sit longer with these characters, linger in this creepy setting.

There's an old mansion that's said to be the resting place of a deceased bride. The folklore behind this says that other brides have been sacrificed to keep her company.

Of course a group of friends thought it was a good idea to visit and celebrate their friend: a bride to be.

I didn't find the book to be scary, but definitely creepy. The author did well with setting up the haunted mansion atmosphere with descriptive details. I didn't invest much into the people, but the mansion itself was a character that I enjoyed.

I liked the book, but didn't love it.

Cassandra Khaw's Nothing but Blackened Teeth is a gorgeously creepy haunted house tale, steeped in Japanese folklore and full of devastating twists.

An abandoned mansion whose foundations are said to rest on the bones of a young bride, murdered and hidden away. The legend says the walls are packed with the earthly remains of other brides, who have been sacrificed to keep the young bride company through eternity.

A group of friends goes to the mansion with the idea of celebrating the wedding of two of their group. It's a bad idea from the get-go, but the bride-to-be has always dreamed of having her wedding in a haunted house.
Things go downhill as the drinks flow and the truths come out. And none are ready for what is hiding in the shadows, waiting for a new bride to keep her company.

This is a seriously spooky tale!

I love a good haunted house story and this is definitely in that column. It has everything you could want, a greedy ghost who wants as much company as possible for the afterlife, friends who have issues and secrets about each other, a bride-to-be who is selfish and wants what she wants, regardless of the danger.

Cassandra Khaw takes the classic style of the haunted house story and gives it a vicious twist in the guts!

So many real-life issues are packed into this fairly short audiobook. Khaw touches on grief, selfishness, the dark nature of friendship, and the basic rule that all actions have consequences.

The narrator, Suehyla El-Attar, has the perfect voice for this creepy tale.

As usual, Tor Nightfire has found another great scary story to keep us up at night.

Thanks to @Netgalley, Tor Nightfire, Macmillan Audio, and Cassandra Khaw for this audiobook in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Nothing But Blackened Teeth Review!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this gifted copy, in return for an honest review!!

After reading the synopsis of Nothing But Blackened Teeth, I immediately requested it. I always enjoy books having to do with haunted mansions! This one was beautifully written. It literally felt like I was reading poetry the whole time. It was short and sweet and right to the bloody, gory point. Nothing But Blackened Teeth was a 4.25/5⭐️ for me. I am a very visual person and when I don’t know a word in a book I look it up. Because there this book was chalk full of Japanese Folklore AND it was an audio book, I really struggled to understand a lot of it. I would have understood it much better if I had read the book physically! Next time! 😄

Synopsis: To celebrate a wedding, some thrill seeking friends decided to stay a night at a supposedly haunted abandoned mansion. It is said that there are remains of a lonely bride to be buried in the mansions walls and she is waiting for her true love. But, she gets lonely and it willing to sacrifice others to help with her loneliness.

An interesting neo-gothic/surreal short novel. The setting is definitely creepy and evocative. Interesting characters, though maybe not as clearly developed as one would like. Still, worth the read if you like the genre.

This creepy, gothic, horror story is so elegant and grotesque. There is something about the prose that makes this short story pack a punch. The narrator has a cadence that just draws you in and refuses to let go until the last word is read.

The author has a way of using words to make this book spooky and scary, There isn't a lot of violence. I was really happy to find a book like this. Words are scarier than anything and this author knows how to use them!

3 Stars
I was very excited for this new horror release. The cover is terrifying. In the end I found it ok. I found most of tye characters pretty unlikeable, and dare I say annoying. The horror didn't pack as much of a punch as I was wanting either.
Thank you so much to Netgalley, and Macmillan audio for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5
Enjoyment: 10
An abandoned Heian-era mansion believed to be haunted by a bride, whose bones rest beneath the foundation, and her companions, sacrificed girls whose remains lay within the walls is the ultimate niche wedding destination because, why not? What Thrill seeker wouldn't love to get married in such an atmospheric setting?

We follow a group of friends doing just that - they hoped for a great time; instead, they find themselves in a nightmare when they find themselves face to face with the ghost bride with nothing but blackened teeth and a hungry heart.

Where to start? How about at the beginning? I love haunting and ghost stories; they scare the hell out of me. Typically, a cast of characters finds out that something terrible happened in a very similar circumstance to their own in the place where they find themselves AFTER they get to said location. In Nothing But Blackened Teeth, they visit the site BECAUSE of the lore. This is just one of many subtle ways Khaw used many beloved horror tropes and made them fresh.

I am a sucker for books featured around a group of friends, so no surprise here, I loved this book. It's suspenseful, dynamic, and it has a lot of "oh, no, they didn't" moments I love to find in books centered around friends. Nothing But Blacked Teeth is also a psychological book as the characters' grievances and dynamics add their own tone to the story. Khaw did a phenomenal job fleshing out the characters and bringing us in right in the middle of their conflict without ever letting us forget where they are, what has happened at that mansion, and that this is very much a horror story.

I listened to Nothing But Blackened Teeth as an audiobook produced by Macmillan Audio for Tor Nightfire and Narrated by Suehyla El-Attar. Her narration was compelling, enthralling, and haunting. She captured each character's voice and their relationship in an easy-to-follow narrative. I highly recommend this book to horror fans; this a novella to read many times over.

Disclaimer: I first read it as an ARC. In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to Macmillan Audio, Tor Nightfire, Cassandra Khaw, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of Nothing But Blacked Teeth.

What a wild story. It was like someone stomped the gas pedal and didn’t let up until the tank was empty. Super creepy, spooky, and then gory and icky, it was a great story.
For those who haven’t read anything involving Japanese lore, some of the terms might be hard to fully understand, but you get the idea based on the scene that’s set.
My only issue was that some of the terminology used to describe basic things felt unnecessarily complicated, and difficult to really follow? It just made the flow of the story tough to stick with because I was trying to work out what everything meant.
All in all, a solid scary story to listen to. Narrated really well.
Thank you to Netgalley and McMillan audio for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Many thanks to @netgalley for providing this audiobook for review. In this story a strange young woman wants to be married in a haunted house. I mean really? Cue the scary mansion that they somehow were able to obtain through a friend for free. But everything has its price, and they do pay it. This story was shorter than expected, and couldve been a ditty on Tales of the Crypt, or a fireside scary camp story....but for me, it just wasnt so scary. The premise is, but the campy overly dramatic dialouge and silly inter-couple bs, i just wasnt into it. At one point i laughed out loud at what was said but then laughed AGAIN when one character literally asked another why they were being so dramatic🙄. #nothingbutblackenedteeth was a bit of a let down for me. This is a case of the cover being scarier than the content. IMO. Check if out if you like a quick horror story but keep in mind its short and not that terrifying!

So. I finished this in maybe 2 hours.

I thought it was kind of weird. Not horrible, not great. Just odd. I did not feel scared, I just read through it just fine and ended the read feeling just kind of blah about it.

I received an advance audiobook of Nothing but Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw in exchange for an honest review provided by NetGalley & Macmillan Audio out 10/19/21 4⭐️

Who doesn’t love a good horror story this time of year? I do and Nothing but Blackened Teeth certainly delivers. There are a lot of Oh Sh*t / did that really just happen moments. The pace starts off a little slow but then quickly gets dark and gory. I love the writing, the narrator does a great job. Definitely recommend if you’re looking for a quick horror read this spooky season.

Blurb:
A Heian-era mansion stands abandoned, its foundations 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 venue for a group of thrill-seeking friends, brought back together to celebrate a wedding.

A night of food, drinks, and games quickly spirals into a nightmare as secrets get dragged out and relationships are tested.

But the house has secrets too. Lurking in the shadows is the ghost bride with a black smile and a hungry heart.

And she gets lonely down there in the dirt.

Effortlessly turning the classic haunted house story on its head, Nothing but Blackened Teeth is a sharp and devastating exploration of grief, the parasitic nature of relationships, and the consequences of our actions.