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readsforlove's review against another edition
3.5
Another delightful read from Chupeco. It was after I spent three and a half hours riveted and unmoving that I realized I just need to go read every book by this author. They are incredible.
The premise was dope AF. A ghost that takes vengeance on the murderers of children? Hell. Yeah. I ate that shit up. It was scary and sad and well written. I loved how it was told from Okiku's point of view, and thought that was a really interesting choice.
I would have given this a solid four stars, but I had to knock off another half star because of the lack of emotional depth in the story. I really feel like there was a lot of potential to make me sob with the weight of this story. And it was so heavy. Like. Wow. But due to the distance of Okiku's narration, a lot of that emotional weight just didn't happen. Sure, it can be inferred and implied, but the narrative should work to evoke that. (It would have helped if the narration was shared between Okiku and Tark.) I think this is an area that Chupeco has really grown in, having read their most recent books first, so I think the issue is just that this was an early novel from this author. I still really enjoyed it, and have already downloaded the audiobook for the sequel. (I think Tark is the narrator in this one, which is very exciting!)
The premise was dope AF. A ghost that takes vengeance on the murderers of children? Hell. Yeah. I ate that shit up. It was scary and sad and well written. I loved how it was told from Okiku's point of view, and thought that was a really interesting choice.
I would have given this a solid four stars, but I had to knock off another half star because of the lack of emotional depth in the story. I really feel like there was a lot of potential to make me sob with the weight of this story. And it was so heavy. Like. Wow. But due to the distance of Okiku's narration, a lot of that emotional weight just didn't happen. Sure, it can be inferred and implied, but the narrative should work to evoke that. (It would have helped if the narration was shared between Okiku and Tark.) I think this is an area that Chupeco has really grown in, having read their most recent books first, so I think the issue is just that this was an early novel from this author. I still really enjoyed it, and have already downloaded the audiobook for the sequel. (I think Tark is the narrator in this one, which is very exciting!)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Stalking
dreamerfreak's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
tspice24's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
The Details:
Narrated by Andi Arndt
Unabridged
This reminded me of Anna Dressed in Blood.
There's were scenes that generally terrified me, and it amplified from listening this at home, on my own, in the dark. I loved that.
I liked that the main perspective was from Okiku, the ghost, as she observed life around her. It particularly interesting when some touched with the sight interacted with her in some way.
I was fascinated by Okiku's habit of counting. I think this is usually used in myths and legends to distract some of the paranormal beings, but here it felt self soothing and we found out the reasoning for it later, which added to a compelling back story.
The dolls were really creepy!
I definitely zoned out during some scenes, but generally this was hooking and intriguing.
I immediately went and listened to the companion novel.
Narrated by Andi Arndt
Unabridged
This reminded me of Anna Dressed in Blood.
There's were scenes that generally terrified me, and it amplified from listening this at home, on my own, in the dark. I loved that.
I liked that the main perspective was from Okiku, the ghost, as she observed life around her. It particularly interesting when some touched with the sight interacted with her in some way.
I was fascinated by Okiku's habit of counting. I think this is usually used in myths and legends to distract some of the paranormal beings, but here it felt self soothing and we found out the reasoning for it later, which added to a compelling back story.
The dolls were really creepy!
I definitely zoned out during some scenes, but generally this was hooking and intriguing.
I immediately went and listened to the companion novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
aryelee's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This book flew by so quickly for me! The writing was very smooth and easy to follow and I enjoyed how the main POV we get is so detached from the living world that she steps back and the book reads like a 3rd person POV book until we get back to her. On a meta level, it's cool to see that separation and difficulty to connect between the living and the dead, where the living are always speaking, moving, being, and the dead are stuck to watch, unchanging.
The premise was interesting as well! A vengeful spirit who murderers others who kill children protecting them in her own way, then being able to protect a young boy and his cousin, wandering the world dedicated to taking revenge for innocent lives taken too soon. There is a lot of horror and gore, but it's along the lines of what you'd expect to see in a horror film. The mysticism of Japan and some of Japanese culture felt a little iffy to me, but that's a personal thing as I'm tired of seeing the place where I've lived and where my family lives be treated like that and constantly treated as something strange and other.
Other than that, I enjoyed this book! Perfect for anyone who enjoys ghost stories and possession.
The premise was interesting as well! A vengeful spirit who murderers others who kill children protecting them in her own way, then being able to protect a young boy and his cousin, wandering the world dedicated to taking revenge for innocent lives taken too soon. There is a lot of horror and gore, but it's along the lines of what you'd expect to see in a horror film. The mysticism of Japan and some of Japanese culture felt a little iffy to me, but that's a personal thing as I'm tired of seeing the place where I've lived and where my family lives be treated like that and constantly treated as something strange and other.
Other than that, I enjoyed this book! Perfect for anyone who enjoys ghost stories and possession.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Torture
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Bullying, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Vomit
roksyreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Dark, tense, and a little bit mysterious; this is a great ghost story inspired by Japanese legend that is satisfyingly creepy but also oddly sweet. It was a comfortable read, easy to finish in a couple of sessions, but balanced nicely by a steady pace. It won't be for everyone, but I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Torture, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Rape
dodie_sullivan's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Kidnapping and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death
qtcarolyn's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Pedophilia, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
the_books_music_life's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
If you like audiobooks you HAVE to listen to the audio version of this book. The narrator is fantastic, the breaks and skips she does the she's reading reflect perfectly with what Okiku is feeling/thinking/experiencing. It adds a whole other level to the reading experience. Do not read this book at night. This is coming from someone who lives for horror movies and scary stuff, this book freaked me out. It was like watching The Grudge for the first time when I was a kid. Ron Chupeco is a master of horror, the book verges on the side of gross, but it’s done in a way where it’s still considered YA.
The way the story is narrated by a spirit is so fascinating and different. Okiku as a narrator makes the story feel as if you’re watching a movie. I was not expecting the book to be so fast paced I was on chapter 7 and a major thing happened. Even though the plot moves kinda fast it’s done in a way that you’re not left behind or lost.
You follow, see and experience everything the way Okiku does and that lends a different lens to the story itself. We only get Okiku’s point of view and the writing jumps and skips to follows Okiku’s moods and what she is experiencing. It honestly felt like I was watching a movie instead of listening to an audiobook, the only time the spell broke-so to speak- was when Okiku started counting things.
I kept getting/seeing similarities between this book and two of my all time favorite Japanese horror movies, The Ring and The Grudge. When I got that validation from the book itself I was so excited because I’ve never seen those movies done in a book like this before.
You can’t help but feel so badly for Okiku. The more you learn about who she was and what happened to her, the more you feel for her and understand her. I want to wrap her in a blanket and just cuddle her. Which, you might find weird since she’s a murdered vengeful ghost.
The big climax was a little juvenile in my opinion, I think it could have been done better but that small thing doesn’t take away how much I enjoyed this book. This is now on my all time favorite book list. There was something that happened near the end of the book that had me so worried.
Overall I would definitely recommend this book, any lover of scary books and horror movies will love this book. I wouldn’t recommend it as a starter into horror cause this book had some scenes that freaked even me out.
The way the story is narrated by a spirit is so fascinating and different. Okiku as a narrator makes the story feel as if you’re watching a movie. I was not expecting the book to be so fast paced I was on chapter 7 and a major thing happened. Even though the plot moves kinda fast it’s done in a way that you’re not left behind or lost.
You follow, see and experience everything the way Okiku does and that lends a different lens to the story itself. We only get Okiku’s point of view and the writing jumps and skips to follows Okiku’s moods and what she is experiencing. It honestly felt like I was watching a movie instead of listening to an audiobook, the only time the spell broke-so to speak- was when Okiku started counting things.
I kept getting/seeing similarities between this book and two of my all time favorite Japanese horror movies, The Ring and The Grudge. When I got that validation from the book itself I was so excited because I’ve never seen those movies done in a book like this before.
You can’t help but feel so badly for Okiku. The more you learn about who she was and what happened to her, the more you feel for her and understand her. I want to wrap her in a blanket and just cuddle her. Which, you might find weird since she’s a murdered vengeful ghost.
The big climax was a little juvenile in my opinion, I think it could have been done better but that small thing doesn’t take away how much I enjoyed this book. This is now on my all time favorite book list. There was something that happened near the end of the book that had me so worried.
Overall I would definitely recommend this book, any lover of scary books and horror movies will love this book. I wouldn’t recommend it as a starter into horror cause this book had some scenes that freaked even me out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Stalking and Death of parent