Nothing But Blackened Teeth

A USA TODAY BESTSELLER - A Bram Stoker, Shirley Jackson, British Fantasy, and World Fantasy Award Finalist! - An Indie Next Pick! - An October LibraryReads Pick! - 2022 RUSA Reading List: Horror Winner!

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

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.

Also by Cassandra Khaw:
The Salt Grows Heavy
A Song for Quiet
Hammers on Bone
The Dead Take the A Train (co-written with Richard Kadrey)

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144 pages

Average rating: 4.98

88 RATINGS

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8 REVIEWS

Community Reviews

Anonymous
Jul 12, 2024
6/10 stars
I don’t think I’ve read a book where 99% of the characters don’t like each other and have to save the one character that sucks the most.
Chuckstafer
Feb 02, 2024
4/10 stars
Great concept, but the execution was just “Meh”. Too many metaphors and descriptions of things that were unnecessary and so much of this novella just didn’t make sense.
Hartfullofbooks
Nov 22, 2023
10/10 stars
I absolutely LOVED this one!! My only complaint is it’s very short and I wish there was more! Khaw’s writing is phenomenal and she uses it well to create this atmosphere of terror and horror that grips you and won’t let go. Even though the book is only a few 100 pages I still felt attached to the characters because they felt so real! I went into this book knowing nothing except that it’s set in a haunted Heian era mansion in Japan where friends have gathered for a pre-wedding weekend that very quickly turns sour. I’d suggest going in with very little background as well so you can enjoy the twists and the immersion into Japanese lore, ghosts, yokai, and dark history. I can’t wait to read Khaw’s other novels and hope she gives supernatural horror another go in the future because this book is everything!
Anonymous
Oct 30, 2023
6/10 stars
The only reason I gave this a 3 star rating was because I do like the authors writing and story telling. It also made me want to research more about Asian folklore. However, this book just seemed lacking in the scary. Maybe it is because I watched Shutter so many times? The book reminds me of that movie. It probably would have been scary had I not watched that movie.
Isabell
Jul 02, 2023
2/10 stars
It wasn’t good until the very end. Hard to get through because you had to stop to look up certain words like after every sentence

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