Reviews with content warning for Rape - Ring – vòng tròn ác nghiệt

Reviews tagging 'Rape'

Ring – vòng tròn ác nghiệt by Lương Việt Dzũng, Kōji Suzuki

123 reviews

mackenzienoelle's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

First and foremost HEAVY HEAVY SA TRIGGER WARNING. It was NOT handled well and was reoccurring throughout. Super uncomfortable in the worst way.
I almost DNF’d this one but I wanted to know what happened. Was it worth it? I don’t know, I don’t think so.
When this novel isn’t brutalizing and dehumanizing literally every woman in the story (the open contempt for women is so palpable throughout) it reads like GPS instructions. It felt like 80% of this book was just two deeply unlikable characters having annoying conversations in the car or on a boat. So so much detailed, dry description of transportation.
I didn’t enjoy the writing style, I felt the author took too many mid-scene tangents and constantly deflated the suspense.
The best, spookiest part was the last like 3 pages which is soooooo annoying

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laurathehobbit's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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psychogen's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.75

Unlikeable character in a very sterile world. The storytelling dies for me not create a setting to be immersed in.

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mixigod's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5

CW / Sexual Assault

A promising supernatural thriller mystery that starts with a bang - we meet Asakawa who is a neglectful husband and father to his wife and children due to being a complete workaholic as a reporter. He decides to investigate the mysterious death of his niece and uncovers the infamous tape. The horror imagery and vibe at this section of the novel is incredible, it's gripping and vivid. It is clear Suzuki has a very solid grasp on the horror of sensation, the wrongness of something and how much that can rattle someone.

But it is from here on out that the book begins to falter. The horror elements are abandoned completely in favour of unraveling the mystery of the tape within the deadline. The connections were interesting and easy to follow but the story began to be overshadowed by a very recurring and uncomfortable theme of sexual assault and misogyny that did not feel like an attempt to observe the horror in those as being linked to the central horror of the novel.

In fact, one of the leading characters is revealed to be a serial rapist early into the novel and the reaction of our protagonist to this character is largely... blasé? As well as the authors use of sexual assault as a common theme, it seems nearly every female character mentioned in the novel, which there aren't many by the way, are either assaulted or viewed in a majorly misogynistic light.
This lead to an uncomfortable read with no resolution to this element of the novel other than it being a tragic fact apparently. The story also alludes that the desire to commit assault is not that of volition but because of an evil influence?

Safe to say, one should divert to the film adaptations of this if you're looking for a resolute horror as the ending of this novel falls short - likely setting up for the sequel, but does not ultimately deliver on the trials experienced.

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