Reviews

Ang mga Kaibigan ni Mama Susan by Bob Ong

swallowthemoons's review against another edition

2.0

I really enjoyed Ong’s previous works and was thrilled to see him put out a horror one, but I was disappointed. Religious horror has got to be the most fitting sub-genre of horror to be set in the Philippines, but it only works if the story is well-developed and thought-out. The novel's format didn’t help either, and I felt like Ong would do a better job of fleshing out the characters and building up the tension if he wrote it in prose.

Don’t watch the movie either; that’s even worse.

blahnanas's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

4.25

togidemi's review against another edition

3.0

3.5! also realized since this is my 52nd book of the year i've tECHNICALLY read more than a book a week all year, fuck yeah

My gripe with the book is... it feels like two completely separate books smashed together. (It doesn't help that that tone shift happens almost exactly at the half point of the book. I'm not joking. Past, like, page 64? You're getting a completely different experience than what you've been getting up until that point.) I get that the contrast IS what's supposed to sell the horror further, but they're too dang tonally different that I just got really confused. Aside from

Spoiler

the nightmares

, the first half of the book is straight-up just a college kid dicking around, doing whatever slice-of-life shit a college kid does. And then the second half?

Spoiler

Straight up fucking cults and communes, bro.

It no longer even reads like the same damn character is writing these entries, because they get really descriptive and thorough all of a sudden - like a normal prose novel - whereas the entries in the first half omitted just as many details as a regular diary entry would.

Other than that, yeah, it was okay. Horror imagery done pretty well. Everyone is unsettling. Ending was a total banger, goddamn, even though in my opinion it felt pretty rushed.

phlegmie's review against another edition

3.0

Kumpara sa mga naunang libro ni Bob Ong, hindi masyado maganda ang istilo ng pagkasulat nito. Pero, hindi ko alam kung nakakatakot o sadya talagang matatakutin ako, dahil kinilabutan ako sa ending.

jinelyn's review

adventurous dark funny informative mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

wensoom's review against another edition

2.0

I love when books slowly thicken its plot but this was not it for me. The climax at the last chapters were pretty boring but I love the characters and the story overall was good.

currentlyreading_'s review against another edition

4.0

Ang creepy! Isa sa mga pinakakinakatakutan ko ang mga rebulto at poon.

ardentlyaugustine's review

dark mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

I read this in at least 4 hours at school and then the 7 last pages during the commute home and at home. Fast paced and made me feel like I was the one being trapped and isolated like 'Galo' from the book. It felt like I was the one experiencing an inescapable maze. It was a different kind of feeling whenever I read about the statues Mama Susan had, and how the statue of a woman holding 3 children (I think?) somehow resembled Galo and 2 other kids he was with in the story. It was creepy, and bonechillingly amazing. Considering this is my first Bob Ong book and my standards might look a little low, I'd like to read more of his works and other Filipino authors' books soon! Anyways, 5/5, it was a nice book. 🎀

clairedearest_'s review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.0

medyo naboringan ako sa umpisa

adabanana's review

4.0

First half had little(to no) relation with the plot but the second half was creepy. I'm not sure if I was spoiled on booktok but I kinda predicted the ending of the story which made it less terrifying (?). However, I can tell that after reading, I became more conscious whenever I wake up in an ungodly hour hahah thats it. Enjoy reading.