Rachel Schommer Reviews: 6.16.25

Another pride read this week with LGBTQIA+ rep. It's slight, but it's there!

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NOTHING BUT BLACKENED TEETH by Cassandra Khaw

1. I’ve had this one sitting on my bookshelf for quite some time. I hate to admit it, but I allowed some of the reviews get to me and cloud my judgement before even picking it up. However, I read ‘The Salt Grows Heavy’ by Khaw and loved it so I decided it was time to jump into this novella. Once I did, I realized I’d be having a much different opinion than those reviews I had let scare me.  

2. As I’ve said in the past, I really enjoy haunted house stories and this was a bit of a different take on the situation – 5 not-so-friends stage a wedding at a house known for the ghosts of love gone awry. Things go predictably down hill from there. Predictable in the sense that it’s a bad idea, not that the storyline itself is predictable. 😉 

3. This was a weird one for me because I didn’t like any of the characters. Typically, I’m a very character-driven reader, but the unlikable characters actually worked in this story. There was not one single redeeming character, except maybe the house itself which is creepy AF. I felt the need to look over my shoulder while reading just to make sure there wasn’t anything there.

4. Khaw’s writing style is very distinct. I’ve seen a lot of hate for it in reviews, but I really enjoy it. It’s intricate and flowery. If you haven’t read any of their writing before, but you’ve enjoyed anything by Eric LaRocca, I’m betting you could also get down with Khaw’s style. A couple examples:

              “It doesn’t matter how many corpses are lying in the soil with them. It’s not the same. The dead miss the sun. It’s dark down there.” (pg 24)

              “…how the dead would suckle the memories from her marrow and be warm for a moment on that” (pg 89)

Find it here: (On KU!) Amazon.com: Nothing But Blackened Teeth eBook : Khaw, Cassandra: Kindle Store