The cover of this novella does the book a little bit of a disservice because it mismanaged my expectations. It seems like every combination of romantic and sexual relationship between the five is in their past, creating one of those toxic and “incestuous” friend groups (what the show All American wonderfully calls “The Vortex”). The major difference with the characters here is their shared history and resultant baggage. would very much fit in with the Atlas Six crew. These characters are all broken and working through their own emotions and thoughts anyone who has read Olivie Blake’s The Atlas Six will know if these kinds of characters work for you. Our main POV character, Cat, is probably the most likable of the bunch, but that’s pretty much only because we see the story through her perspective. The main cast includes five characters who are petty, arrogant, and insecure. If likable characters are something you need in a story, definitely avoid this one. The characters in this book are unlikeable, and you kind of just have to be ok with that. I think it all comes down to knowing what works for you and what doesn’t as a reader, because Khaw goes hard with what she is doing here and that is either going to really work for you, or it will really turn you off. While this novella definitely won’t be for everyone, and I still had some things I wasn’t super impressed by, on the whole I had a great time reading this novella (and it’s also short).
And, with this novella in particular, I do recommend checking it out and seeing if its your thing.
I knew that it had a not-so-hot sub 3 rating on Goodreads, but the cover and blurb were so enticing I couldn’t help but check it out for myself. I have seen people who were absolutely swept away by it, and people who absolutely despised it. I knew walking into this novella that it seems to be pretty polarizing. Now, admittedly, I have very little knowledge or experience of the background and origins of a lot the dangerous entities lurking with these pages – so my reading experience might be a bit different than someone who better understands the history and tropes of this specific kind of horror (and I had to do a lot of googling while reading to try and catch myself up!). Khaw’s horror novella, Nothing But Blackened Teeth, is an unsettling story immersed in Japanese horror. When four friends come together in a haunted mansion to celebrate a wedding, things take a very dark turn when a ohaguro bettari starts surrounding them….but it may be the four humans themselves who are the greatest threat to each other.
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