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kvltprincess's review against another edition
4.0
Kind of hard to get into because I didn't find Misao and Teppei very likeable characters. It is certainly creepy though, and that last third or so of the book - wow! What a wild ride.
darkpika12's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I hope I'm saying this right. For a Tokyo horror book it was good. It was a weird book and how it ended would strange. I never read a haunting like this before. And I loved it.
ula_j's review against another edition
3.0
Very creepy story of a family moving into an apartment built next to a graveyard.
zarco_j's review against another edition
1.0
I had to flounce this, 35% in and about to die from boredom.
sausome's review against another edition
3.0
A spooky tale, though not quite as scary as I wanted it to be. I'm glad my apartment does not have a basement!
hippiechick56's review against another edition
2.0
It was translated from Japanese and some fundamental element got lost in translation.
bexrecca's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 rounded up. Atmospheric and creepy. The first part dragged a bit, but the end was like a slowly ticking clock in a horror movie - something bad is going to happen as the clock starts to go faster.
kelamity_reads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I really enjoyed this book. The slow place, the way the atmosphere builds to be more and more opressive, and the growing sense of isolation really drew me in.
I purchased this book prior to COVID and I'm glad that I didn't get around to reading it until post-lockdown as I don't think I would have truly believed or personally felt the level of isolation that the characters experienced in the story if I hadn't lived through multiple lockdowns myself.
This story is very much a Japanese horror and thus may not appeal to people who prefer a more Westernised approach to horror. It's much more understated and subtle. If you have watched Japanese horror movies like 'Dark Water' (Honogurai mizu no soko kara) and enjoyed them, then you'll likely enjoy this story, too.
The closest thing to a criticism I can come up with is that there was the occasional awkward word choice that made me pause for a moment but I'm confident that's simply due to the story being translated into English from the original Japanese.
I purchased this book prior to COVID and I'm glad that I didn't get around to reading it until post-lockdown as I don't think I would have truly believed or personally felt the level of isolation that the characters experienced in the story if I hadn't lived through multiple lockdowns myself.
This story is very much a Japanese horror and thus may not appeal to people who prefer a more Westernised approach to horror. It's much more understated and subtle. If you have watched Japanese horror movies like 'Dark Water' (Honogurai mizu no soko kara) and enjoyed them, then you'll likely enjoy this story, too.
The closest thing to a criticism I can come up with is that there was the occasional awkward word choice that made me pause for a moment but I'm confident that's simply due to the story being translated into English from the original Japanese.
angustiacosmica's review against another edition
4.0
I always whine and complain about wanting to read horror books with actual spooks in it. Nothing about fearing those who are alive, or humans being the real monsters; just good ol' spooks.
Well, here I got just what I wanted.
A dreary ambiance, dread that slowly builds up, ghosts and whatnot! A spectacular performance really...
But then, the real horror of it all.
An open ending that left me turning the pages over and over in case it was a lil joke by the author.
I'm so mad I want to visit Japan and throw a tantrum at Mariko's door out of sheer frustration.
Humans truly are the real monsters
Well, here I got just what I wanted.
A dreary ambiance, dread that slowly builds up, ghosts and whatnot! A spectacular performance really...
But then, the real horror of it all.
An open ending that left me turning the pages over and over in case it was a lil joke by the author.
I'm so mad I want to visit Japan and throw a tantrum at Mariko's door out of sheer frustration.
Humans truly are the real monsters