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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
medium-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
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Sadako was right. I wish she murdered every single male character in this book.
This is a prime example of the movie(s) being better than and improving on the book in every way. The screenwriters for both the Japanese movie and the American remake must have felt the same way as me because they took out or changed literally every part of this story that is the absolute fucking worst.
First of all, the characters are so flat. The third person POV would shift randomly to other characters in the middle of scene which was so jarring and clumsy. On top of all that, the main character is deeply unlikeable and his childhood friend is absolutely repugnant. I cannot emphasize that enough, because the author keeps bringing attention to how shit these characters are only to attempt to pull the rug out from under the reader towards the end of the book in a way that made me go, "oh fuck OFF with that." Two of the most disgusting characters in the book are seemingly "absolved" through doubt, which felt like Suzuki fucking gaslighting me. There is an unholy trinity of misogyny, transphobia, and fetishization in here that really slapped me in the face.
The only reason this book gets more than 1 star is because the moments of tension, mystery, and creepiness are written very well. Learning more about Sadako to solve the mystery of the tape/curse was the only part that was engaging to me whenever it happened.
The only reason I'm keeping this book is because the Barnes and Noble Special Edition is a work of art (cover is made to look like a video tape, sprayed edges are made to look like TV static).
This is a prime example of the movie(s) being better than and improving on the book in every way. The screenwriters for both the Japanese movie and the American remake must have felt the same way as me because they took out or changed literally every part of this story that is the absolute fucking worst.
First of all, the characters are so flat. The third person POV would shift randomly to other characters in the middle of scene which was so jarring and clumsy. On top of all that, the main character is deeply unlikeable and his childhood friend is absolutely repugnant. I cannot emphasize that enough, because the author keeps bringing attention to how shit these characters are only to attempt to pull the rug out from under the reader towards the end of the book in a way that made me go, "oh fuck OFF with that." Two of the most disgusting characters in the book are seemingly "absolved" through doubt, which felt like Suzuki fucking gaslighting me. There is an unholy trinity of misogyny, transphobia, and fetishization in here that really slapped me in the face.
The only reason this book gets more than 1 star is because the moments of tension, mystery, and creepiness are written very well. Learning more about Sadako to solve the mystery of the tape/curse was the only part that was engaging to me whenever it happened.
The only reason I'm keeping this book is because the Barnes and Noble Special Edition is a work of art (cover is made to look like a video tape, sprayed edges are made to look like TV static).
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Honestly I found the book to be lacking and almost as though I was just getting a day to day report of the guys day and he wasn’t even likable in any way his friend was a terrible person too it was very misogynistic and I didn’t find any horror aspect to it. I went into it with one expectation and just wasn’t given what I was expecting. I think if you go into it knowing it’s not very scary or creepy then maybe it won’t be a let down. As for me I didn’t care about the characters or what was happening and didn’t have a sense of urgency to read it or know what happens next
dark
sad
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
medium-paced