Nothing But Blackened Teeth is a haunted mansion story about messy people. The messy people are layered on top of the Japanese folktale horror story, and while there are some fun interactions between the characters and Khaw does a really good job of describing the horror scenes, the book overall falls flat.

The characterization is a bit rushed, and the relationships just don't flow for me. The plot almost takes a back seat to the characterization, which means that's underdeveloped too.

Where this book really shines, though, is Khaw's writing when they're giving us the horrific elements of the book. Their prose is haunting, poetic, and really does creepy well. Their use of Japanese folklore really shines through, and it give the book a distinct flavor that separates it, at least to a degree, from every other haunted house story.

I wish this had worked better for me, but if you're willing to sit through some uneven scenes, rushed characterization, and plot that works more as a set piece than action in order to read some great creepy scenes, this is worth the few hours it takes to read.