Reviews with content warning for Transphobia - Ring (Ring, #1)

One of the most achingly ‘90s pieces of media I have ever consumed. I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone who is familiar with the existence of the film, whether or not they have seen it. I would recommend this book to someone who likes unsolvable mysteries and watching bad things happen to bad people.

Content Warnings

cadimy's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No

3.0

Content Warnings

cantfindmybookmark's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-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

2.0

Content Warnings

lostfoxtrail's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

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

2.5

There’s a good premise here but the explanation was a huge let down for me personally. Some problematic elements too, which decreased my reading enjoyment substantially. Probably wouldn’t recommend.

Content Warnings

grabbytheheel's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

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

Content Warnings

misstea's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.25

Content Warnings

juliawren's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

There are definite tones of misogyny and seriously fucked up characters (please for the love of God check the content warnings), but that's what made this such an addicting read. I could hardly put it down.

Forget morally gray - this is on the same level as Lolita. Whether or not some of the themes and ideas being presented are the author's or just a downright alarming depiction of misogyny present in Japanese culture when this was written, you'll need to approach this story with some serious media literacy to understand that it is 100% a social and philosophical commentary, and you should not agree with all of the characters or their actions because that is the point. There will definitely be times where you won't agree with the author, too (at least I seriously hope not), but I lean towards the belief that his personal ideology (while still sexist and displaying substantial

victim-blaming

qualities that shouldn't be ignored) does not entirely align with these characters, especially given the ending (which, contrary to what many readers claim, does make perfect sense and has nothing to do with

Sadako wanting to have a literal child

- do y'all understand what a metaphor is??).

If you think the ending falls apart with the paranormal stuff, I'd recommend reading up on the Japanese concept of

curses,

as it differs considerably from American mythology/culture about ghosts. Weirdly, I'd also recommend Jujutsu Kaisen if you like anime or manga, since it gets into this concept and you can really understand how these kinds of

curses

are made.

That aside, the story was nearly as good as the American version (I didn't love the original as much but might give it another try after reading this). The mystery presented fit together perfectly by the end. Even having watched both movie versions and knowing the general plot / final twist, I felt the tension all the way through. This was a wonderfully chilling and terrifyingly disturbing read, and anyone who enjoyed the films and likes a good scare and can stomach horror, both real and paranormal, will enjoy it.

Content Warnings

novellearts's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I’m a bit conflicted on this book. I ended up giving it a 4 because is I still found it enjoyable.. but there were parts of the story that I found extremely unnecessary.

Why did the author find it necessary to have the best friend Ryuji admit to raping a girl? And why did Asakawa not do anything about that admission? Not only that but then there’s a second rape at the end with Sadako who turns out to be intersex and is then murdered.

This is one of the rare occurrences where I did enjoy the film more than the book. I missed the possession aspect that the film gave to this story.

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