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kurumipanda's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
slow-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
Standard horror movie setup (5 twenty-somethings with interpersonal drama go to a haunted house), in a great atmospheric setting, with a focus on detailed imagery and character descriptions over action. Decent scene and character setup at the start, evocative imagery but far too much purple prose and arguing, a few excellent spooky moments, a fantastic genre savvy line, and action that stalled out as soon as it started. Audiobook has incorrect Japanese pronunciations, which may be mostly intentional.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, and Violence
Moderate: Cursing, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Mental illness, and Vomit
Minor: Infidelity
cursivewolf's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The visuals were so perfectly horror-esque. Elegant but dirty and got under your skin.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Drug use, Self harm, Alcohol, Blood, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Vomit
ilaxaria's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Death, Murder, and Gore
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Sexual content
Minor: Vomit
librarymouse's review
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This novella is beautifully written and disgusting. It seems I've developed a penchant for finding books that fit that description as of late. Cassandra Khaw's writing style is very immersive. That being said, the story feels like it finishes too quickly and I want to know more of the characters than what we're given. The initial pacing of the novella feels like an introduction to a far longer work, and we are thrown into the story without necessary context. It does well for setting an uncertain tone and pulling the reader's along with the characters in their interpersonal disputes, but the lack of resolution is unsatisfying.
To reiterate though, Cassandra Khaw's writing and the depth of her world building was enrapturing, and I would have happily read 500+ pages of this story.
To reiterate though, Cassandra Khaw's writing and the depth of her world building was enrapturing, and I would have happily read 500+ pages of this story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Blood, Excrement, Mental illness, Violence, Death, Murder, Alcohol, Body horror, Gore, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual content
luvey_reads's review
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Toxic friendship, and Gore
Moderate: Cursing, Blood, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Vomit, and Suicide
sugarbucky's review
dark
mysterious
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Body horror, and Murder
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Vomit
fearsickness's review
medium-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
i have several bones to pick with this book, but my biggest issues are:
- the writing is just endless, often nonsensical, similes. everything is compared to something else, with no break to fully process the imagery and take in what you're reading. it feels like khaw got too caught up in trying to be witty and evocative that they forgot to actually add substance to their prose. at a point it becomes monotonous.
- the attempt at tongue-in-cheek meta commentary on horror conventions just felt wildly out of place. it wasn't very funny, and nothing was subverted.
everyone you think is going to die dies, and it's all given away about midway through the story. the tropes being commented on also do not mesh well against the backdrop of japanese "horror", and what i would argue is a big mishandling/misunderstanding of youkai folklore. doesn't help that the tropes are also somewhat outdated, and the narrative plays into tropes worse than the ones characters comment on.
overall, i'm sure there are people who will enjoy this. it has the feel of a ghost story for a reader who is just making their first foray into the horror genre. i really wanted to enjoy this, because i love and appreciate horror authors of color, but it just fell very flat for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Mental illness, Blood, and Death
i think it kind of sucks that one of the side characters is a darker skinned woman of color who is painted as an airheaded mean girl, and that the one white man in the groupescape_2_better_realities's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
If your looking for a quick read that is horror tense and dark with Allitle bit of character drama than this is the book for you. It is very fast paced, not boring. I feel like the story could have been drawn out more and with way more detail and more explanation. But overall an interesting read. 😁
Content Warnings
Minor: Cursing, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Vomit, Body horror, and Blood
lordsnow's review
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Drug use, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Mental illness, and Vomit
bethboo's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
The thing is that if this novella had been like a full 7-10 hour book, I probably would have eaten it up, but because it was so short there was no development at all. There was a lot of telling versus showing when it came to characters and that was annoying. Also the whole thing where the only two girls in the group hate each other, like seriously? I LOVE psychological horror like this. Where the house/haunting itself messes with the characters' perceptions, like Haunting of Hill House, especially. So if the characters and the story and the history and the house itself had been fleshed out, I believe that I would have liked it so much more. There were times where I was like what the fuck is going on? Not in a good way. Just that I was genuinely confused as to what the author was trying to tell me was happening.
But, overall, the story was...fine.
Also, because I didn't know the characters that well it was weird and kind of gross when they started taking apart that one kid's body. And NO ONE questioned it? At all?? Weird.
But, overall, the story was...fine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit and Gore
Minor: Suicide attempt