Reviews

Where We Go When All We Were Is Gone by Sequoia Nagamatsu

clusterf_cked's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.75

nualasiobhan333's review against another edition

mysterious fast-paced

4.5

camelia0910's review

2.5

Maybe it's my fault becaus ei couldn't get into these stories as much as i would have wanted to. Or the stories just weren't compelling enough. I just couldn't seem to focus on most of these stories and they were just a background noise...

annzly's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

3.5

aardwyrm's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective tense slow-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? Yes

4.5

Beautifully intertwined and painfully sharp

hivequeeen's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

I loved this book so much. Really unexpected, bizarre stories, beautifully crafted. Love a modern take on an old legend. 

nadiadhansen's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

3.75

strange and magical, that bring in elements of japanese folk lore to tell very differen little stories pretty successfully

joghansah's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional lighthearted mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

Very odd, unique, and interesting short stories. I enjoy some more than others (especially Peach boy),

interlibraryloan's review against another edition

4.0

Such a fascinating series of stories, all underlaid by a magical realism steeped in Japanese folklore. Enchanting yet terrifying, it feels hard to capture this book in one genre, and maybe it would be an injustice to do so. Fantasy acts as a mirror, here, rather than an escape. I doubt any of these stories will be leaving me anytime soon.

livres_de_bloss's review against another edition

3.0

This was a real mixed bag for me. Overall, the theme felt geared at parents which I didn’t connect with. Some of these were strong, others left me scratching my head.

Individual Ratings:
The Return to Monsterland: 3.5/5
Placentophagy: 1.5/5 (This grossed me out.)
Rokurokubi: 3/5
Girl Zero: 4.5/5
The Peach Boy: 2.5/5 (Strange.)
The Inn of the Dead's Orientation for Being a Japanese Ghost: 5/5 (My favourite of the twelve.)
The Passage of Time in the Abyss: 4/5
The Rest of the Way: 3.5/5
Where We Go When All We Were Is Gone: 4.5/5 (Another good one.)
Snow Baby: 1/5 (I didn’t understand this at all.)
Headwater LLC: 4.5/5 (This was sad but really well done.)
Kenta's Posthumous Chrysanthemum: 2/5 (Again, not really sure what was going on here.)

I tracked this down because How High We Go In The Dark has been the best book I’ve read in 2023. I’m glad I read this one, but it wasn’t nearly as good and not worth the £12 I paid for it.