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beanaroni's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really liked Khaw's prose but I think that the story could've benefited from another hundred pages or so. the ending wasn't what I expected, nor hoped, it would be, and it came far too soon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Gore, Blood, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Confinement and Mental illness
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
rayshell's review
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Really beautiful and sensory writing, particularly the descriptions and metaphors communicating the narrative perspective. Heady, hazy, woozy in the best way. The plot could be been more fleshed out and characters more developed. The juice of this story is in the feelings and reflections it inspires in the reader.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, Body horror, Violence, Death, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt
deckled_edges's review
dark
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.5
Giving it half a star because the cover is pretty cool.
This book is the written equivalent of an 84 minute straight to streaming horror movie made by a studio you've never heard of with actors you'll never see in anything else again.
Which could be good! That kind of description is appealing to me! I like B-rated movies with paper thin plots and a cast of unlikable characters that are all going to die in gruesome ways. This book somehow still managed to miss even that mark.
Every single character is insufferable. Each one a rough cut out of their archetype with zero attempt at refining them. They bicker and they're pithy and they all hate each other but for some reason are all together for this event. (Probably because no one else wants to deal with them.) Lin is the worst of the bunch in that his character serves absolutely no purpose. The characterizations and roles they all play somehow get worse once he's introduced? I was kind of hoping he was a ghost that infiltrated the group and that was why none of their interactions, or his constant flip-flopping of characterizations, made any sense. But.. no such luck.
It's not a scary story either. It could be! But it's not. The cover is the scariest part. Any chances there are to establish an atmosphere are completely ruined by some god awful forced simile. Not even a metaphor. A simile. At least one every other page. Generally multiple per page. Long drawn out descriptions that are meant to evoke some sense of unknown, of being unsettled, of the creeping dread, but the author gets so bogged down in trying to find the most esoterically poetic way to describe someone's footsteps that what little hint of dread they managed to eek out of you has just completely dried up. You're bored. You're waiting for something to happen. Even when things are actively happening, you're waiting for something to happen in a way that is at all interesting.
Spoilers for the ending.And only one of them died? Like okay I guess. You start to see the house affect all of them in various ways and you kind of think they're going to turn on each other, kill each other thinking they're seeing something else. Get possessed. Something. And in a way they do turn on one another but the arguments are so dramatic and over the top and don't at all match the tone of what's actually happening? And then when intense things actually ARE happening, someone has time to make a joke. I did see in quite a few other reviews people point out the fact that Faiz could read the surprise book as though that were some sort of plot hole or bad writing. And there's a lot I don't like about this writing style but I will say it's very clear there was nothing in that book. They just clung on to what he'd been convinced he saw because it was better than doing nothing while Phillip died.
Overall a really disappointing read that had the potential to be a lot more.
This book is the written equivalent of an 84 minute straight to streaming horror movie made by a studio you've never heard of with actors you'll never see in anything else again.
Which could be good! That kind of description is appealing to me! I like B-rated movies with paper thin plots and a cast of unlikable characters that are all going to die in gruesome ways. This book somehow still managed to miss even that mark.
Every single character is insufferable. Each one a rough cut out of their archetype with zero attempt at refining them. They bicker and they're pithy and they all hate each other but for some reason are all together for this event. (Probably because no one else wants to deal with them.) Lin is the worst of the bunch in that his character serves absolutely no purpose. The characterizations and roles they all play somehow get worse once he's introduced? I was kind of hoping he was a ghost that infiltrated the group and that was why none of their interactions, or his constant flip-flopping of characterizations, made any sense. But.. no such luck.
It's not a scary story either. It could be! But it's not. The cover is the scariest part. Any chances there are to establish an atmosphere are completely ruined by some god awful forced simile. Not even a metaphor. A simile. At least one every other page. Generally multiple per page. Long drawn out descriptions that are meant to evoke some sense of unknown, of being unsettled, of the creeping dread, but the author gets so bogged down in trying to find the most esoterically poetic way to describe someone's footsteps that what little hint of dread they managed to eek out of you has just completely dried up. You're bored. You're waiting for something to happen. Even when things are actively happening, you're waiting for something to happen in a way that is at all interesting.
Spoilers for the ending.
Overall a really disappointing read that had the potential to be a lot more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Murder
Moderate: Mental illness
necroplasm's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
maybe someday i'll find one of these short horror reads that i actually like! anyways i honestly nearly DNF'd this bc i found the characters and their dynamic to be incredibly obnoxious, but the book was so damn short i figured i'd just finish it anyways. for something that was touted in reviews as ~Sooooo Disturbing~ there were like 2 parts that even had the POTENTIAL to be scary and literally a single kill that was admittedly kinda fucked up but not really Extreme. if this book scared you i'm sorry to say you're a total lightweight 💔
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Murder, Violence, Death, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Alcohol, and Drug use
Minor: Sexual content
readingmushrooms's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Blood, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, Mental illness, Grief, Excrement, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Infidelity
vivaciousvaleska's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Body horror, Death, Alcohol, Blood, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, and Violence
ghouligan's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Body horror, Alcohol, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness
maresuju's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
minimicropup's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Intellectual. Overbearing. Ghoulish.
🇯🇵 Set in a Heian-era mansion in Japan.
POV: Our MC is recovering from personal crises, while attending their best friend’s wedding in a spooky location, surrounded by a diverse friend group and an ex or two.
Mood Reading Match Up:
-Elements of friendship drama with a dark twist, kind of reminiscent of a “Friends” sitcom scenario but set in a horror context
-Historical mansion spooks and hauntings, enveloped in a chilling atmosphere
-Supernatural Japanese folklore horror
-Esoteric prose, heavy on lyrical storytelling and symbolic metaphors
—
🐺 Growls, Howls, and Tail Wags 🐕
✏️ Writing: The writing style is fanciful, melodramatic, and somewhat pretentious, but fitting the tone and character. The heavy use of simile and long-winded sentences can make the reading experience challenging but ultimately contributes to the atmospheric and immersive vibes of the story. Without audio I might still be “reading” this though!
🫥 Characters: The protagonist, Cat, is initially unlikeable due to her over-the-top ways, yet her character is shrouded in mystery. The character dynamics and their histories are intriguingly revealed, and that kept me engaged. Their friendship dynamics get messy!
🗺️ Worldbuilding: Despite the complex writing style, the mansion setting is vividly portrayed. I got lost in its spooky corridors without needing a detailed layout.
🔥 Fuel: The suspense builds from the mansion setting, friends telling scary stories, and the gradual layering of supernatural elements. The story delves deep into friendship drama, which had me questioning the true nature of the relationships depicted.
🐢🐇 Pacing: The narrative’s pacing can feel slow due to the dense prose and seemingly random analogies (to me), but the novella’s length feels appropriate for the story being told.
🎬 Scenes: The interactions and decision-making among the characters feel symbolic but can be confusing, with mixed signals about their friendships and intentions.
🤔 Random Thoughts: Overall I think this was a unique blend of horror and folklore, and a deep, atmospheric read with complex character dynamics and cultural depth. I personally found most scenes confusing and strange before I was able to feel the creepiness and horrors.
🎧 Audio: The audio enhances the experience, adding depth and expressiveness that helps the characters and writing flow better. When reading text I kept assigning flat monotone voices to everyone because of the tone I was inferring from the writing, but the audio fixed that for me.
—
Content Heads-Up: Suicide (attempted). Mental illness (depression, hallucinations). Body gore (dismemberment, vomit, blood, body fluids). Alcohol (partying; intoxication). Loss of a spouse. Violence (weapons, fists).
Rep includes: Malaysian, Bengali, Telugu, Japanese, White American, and bisexual characters.
Format: Kindle
“Reviews are my musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶 refined by my AI Bestie ✨”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Violence
wrensreadingroom's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Cursing, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Gore, Physical abuse, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence