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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
Men are scarier than demons . This book read more like a mystery yes but the demonic presence was still prevalent although justified (sadoko deserved better). The book gave me thoughts about diseases , fear mongering, and the rise of AIDS in the 1980s. Some details included in this original story that seem related to the times (1991) . Idk . Overall a disappointment in the end but kept me very sat and interested .
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Transphobia, Violence
Minor: Sexism, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship
It was ok as a horror novel but the extreme chauvinism was disturbing.
The storyline has some great twists and interesting themes. The ending is especially exciting. The characters are generally not very likable (some of them are really horrible people) but still interesting and complex. The pacing in the first third is quite slow. The text does feature problematic ideas about intersex people that ranged from uncomfortable to actually frustrating. While it was a quick and thrilling read, I’m not sure how much I’d recommend it to others based on some of the most problematic passages.
dark
medium-paced
I read this one super quickly partially because I was sick in bed for a few days and partially because it was just an amazing read. It was very fast paced and was haunting and eerie from the first few pages. I definitely picked this one up because The Ring was one of my favorite horror movies and this novel did not disappoint. There are some sensitive themes in this one though so be aware of that before reading.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Spoilers!
I liked this book a lot I was pretty spooked and I will be reading the next book. The only gripe I have is after all of this, it was a chain email!!!!!
I liked this book a lot I was pretty spooked and I will be reading the next book. The only gripe I have is after all of this, it was a chain email!!!!!
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Ring by Koji Suzuki ; Translated by Robert B. Rohmer and Glynne Walley: Rating - ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ /5 - This is book 1 of 5 in a series.
Those who have viewed these images are fated to die at this exact hour one week from now. If you do not wish to die, you must follow these instructions exactly...
Ring is primarily focused around the character Asakawa Kazuyuki, a 30-something year old journalist who spends a lot of his time working, instead of being at home. One fateful taxi ride leads him to believe that there was more to the recent death of his niece when the driver tells him about another who died at the same time as her, in a completely different city. Asakawa follows his journalistic instincts that leads him to finding a mysterious tape, that when watched, claims he will die within a week. Now he has to work together with other journalists and his old High School friend to figure out the charm that will cure them of this curse.
I have mixed feelings about this book. One thing I'm mixed on is if I would categorize this particular book as a horror book. I wasn't particularly horrified by it or scared; I was sometimes more grossed out about how these particular men characters talked about women. So, I'm not sure if it's because of the translation, or if it's simply because I'm less likely to be scared by the ominous present of a murderous video tape.
Another thing I have mixed feelings on is that the book is certainly of a different time of life, when it was a lot more acceptable to be gross about certain things, lol. I think it's definitely interesting that there's these men; one who is particularly standard a man with the way he talks and thinks and another who's intentions are often questionable and unknown, and they're the ones that we're set to "root for" in terms of surviving. I can definitely see people who were born and raised to be a man reading this book and siding heavily with either man. But, for me, I didn't particularly feel any special way about their impeding doom.
What I really did enjoy was that you're figuring out the mystery along with Asakawa. The majority of the book is him trying to piece together the mystery and it's him using his journalism skills (and heavily relying on his more educated friend) to piece things together. What kept me interested was thinking, "Where is this going to go? How do they figure this out?" and Koji did a really nice job of constantly laying down the tracks to take me along on that journey.
Overall, I'm intrigued enough to possibly read more of this series and maybe even see if it gets scarier as the books go along. This is, after all, the origin of the video tape. I'd be interested to see how this grows and if maybe the movies take from the other books more than this one. Lastly, I would not go into this book with the expectation to be scared of ghosts and ghouls. The horror is more in the suspense of 'What is going to happen? Will they make it in time?" which leads me to towards more Thriller than anything. There is supernatural hints, but it's not an overall bearing on the plot.
- Book comes with heavy trigger warnings: Misogynist men, Rape, Blood (not so much gore), small spaces (if it bothers you to read about them) and slight Transphobia (I hesitate to say that's what it is, but I can't think of a better word).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Murder
Minor: Transphobia, Blood, Toxic friendship, Alcohol
Re-read 2020:
I remember how scared I was when I read this book in highschool--probably also influenced by how they potrayed Sadako in films. But reading it again, it's somehow not that scary? Not gonna lie I still got chills when the main character finally learned about Sadako, but still, this book is not as scary as I thought it was.
I had some issues with it to be honest, there is this one sexist statement that I couldn't help but to roll my eyes and also the way this book potrayed rape as if it isn't a big deal.
The ending was kind of anti-climatic therefore the re-read because I want and will to continue the series.
I remember how scared I was when I read this book in highschool--probably also influenced by how they potrayed Sadako in films. But reading it again, it's somehow not that scary? Not gonna lie I still got chills when the main character finally learned about Sadako, but still, this book is not as scary as I thought it was.
I had some issues with it to be honest, there is this one sexist statement that I couldn't help but to roll my eyes and also the way this book potrayed rape as if it isn't a big deal.
The ending was kind of anti-climatic therefore the re-read because I want and will to continue the series.