You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
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
It was slow paced and one of the main characters friends is a rapist.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Transphobia
I wish Ryuji was real so I could beat him to death with my bare hands <3
TW: SA, transphobia, misogyny,
=====================================
DNF - Struggled to make it 80% through due to horrendous main characters only to find the origin of Sadako's curse is revealed to be a violent and transphobic rape. No thanks, I'm good. Utterly disappointed that a film franchise I enjoy so much has such a rotten core.
=====================================
DNF - Struggled to make it 80% through due to horrendous main characters only to find the origin of Sadako's curse is revealed to be a violent and transphobic rape. No thanks, I'm good. Utterly disappointed that a film franchise I enjoy so much has such a rotten core.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Transphobia
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Sadako did nothing wrong. If that all happened to me I'd do all of that too.
what i enjoyed so much about ring was all about sadako and the tape. the way asakawa and ryuji go about solving it is very tense and interesting and provides plenty of sadako backstory. i thought the story was a very claustrophobic sort of eerie, a mystery without a clear ending... which i wish i had finished on as i'm making my way through reading spiral, which i'll be reviewing when finished.
there is an undercurrent of sexism and interphobia, which darkens the experience, but i found it could mostly be ignored to focus on the rest of the story. this is personal opinion, though, as there are some topics discussed at length (such as rape) and these topics are not handled all too well.
there is an undercurrent of sexism and interphobia, which darkens the experience, but i found it could mostly be ignored to focus on the rest of the story. this is personal opinion, though, as there are some topics discussed at length (such as rape) and these topics are not handled all too well.
dark
mysterious
tense
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:
Yes