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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
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
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Could do without the sexual assault !
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment
Minor: Transphobia
The Ring (2002) is my favourite horror film, and I thought I'd try reading the book. It is a very different concept to the story I'm familiar with but it still blew me away. More on a mystery/ thriller path than horror, but still really enjoyed it.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
sad
fast-paced
more rapey and transphobic than initially expected
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Transphobia
I had high expectations of this book and it just wasn’t scary. I was really hoping for some really creepy, unsettling scenes but there literally wasn’t any. The two main characters are AWFUL people, I didn’t want them to survive
I have long since loved this horror movie so I was excited to finally read this book.
I was surprised to find this story different in marked ways from the movie. While the storyline of the book and movie are generally the same, there are some differences between the two. A strong supporting character is present in the book but not in the movie and his worldview is certainly questionable, at least for the first two-thirds of the book. I didn't find the men in this book to be particularly likable, even the main character, Asakawa, in his support of his friend, who, if he were to be believed, performed some despicable acts.
In the end, this is one of the rare instances, where I liked the movie better. I think choosing a woman as the main character softened some of the cringeworthy and misogynistic tones of the book. That being said, I think this is a classic in the horror genre. I also welcome reading horror books from outside English speaking countries.
I was surprised to find this story different in marked ways from the movie. While the storyline of the book and movie are generally the same, there are some differences between the two. A strong supporting character is present in the book but not in the movie and his worldview is certainly questionable, at least for the first two-thirds of the book. I didn't find the men in this book to be particularly likable, even the main character, Asakawa, in his support of his friend, who, if he were to be believed, performed some despicable acts.
In the end, this is one of the rare instances, where I liked the movie better. I think choosing a woman as the main character softened some of the cringeworthy and misogynistic tones of the book. That being said, I think this is a classic in the horror genre. I also welcome reading horror books from outside English speaking countries.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
OK, I've been struggling to rate/review this book. I'm still not confident on my 4.0 star rating but that's where I'm at right now.
So on the one hand, The Ring (the American movie) is one of my favorite horror films. Although the source material is quite different, that's factoring in to my enjoyment of the book a bit.
This book was written in 1991. I need to remember that when thinking about some of the more uncomfortable aspects. For those who haven't read the book this will be a bit of a spoiler --Sadako is an intersex individual who associates with a female identity. My initial thought was "this is totally unnecessary and it feels gross making the "bad guy" intersex. But then the more I thought about, I accepted that choice. Tis aspect of Sadako was another way in which she felt different from society and her biologic identity was never used as the reason why she created the curse. Finally, Asakawa and Ryuji continue to use she/her pronouns when discussing Sadako. I'm a cis-het female, so what I say here doesn't hold much weight, but in the end I didn't find this book to be transphobic.
I really hated Ryuji's character. He's a major player in this story so I can't imagine it was the author's intention to make him so unlikeable.Ryuji is a self-proclaimed rapist. He bragged about this to Asakawa. And then knowing this, Asakawa continued to be his close friend. Both of these men suck. The doctor who pushed Sadako into the well sucks too. I don't care if he was fever-crazy with smallpox. He still raped Sadako and then pushed her into the well when he discovered her secret.
So yeah, I have some negative critics about this book but I still liked the story as a whole and I will probably continue to the read the series.
The ending is what really sold it for me. I read the last few pages and was low-key amazed at the complexity of the different meanings "the ring" holds.
So on the one hand, The Ring (the American movie) is one of my favorite horror films. Although the source material is quite different, that's factoring in to my enjoyment of the book a bit.
This book was written in 1991. I need to remember that when thinking about some of the more uncomfortable aspects. For those who haven't read the book this will be a bit of a spoiler --
I really hated Ryuji's character. He's a major player in this story so I can't imagine it was the author's intention to make him so unlikeable.
So yeah, I have some negative critics about this book but I still liked the story as a whole and I will probably continue to the read the series.
The ending is what really sold it for me. I read the last few pages and was low-key amazed at the complexity of the different meanings "the ring" holds.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Rape
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No