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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
I was expecting more from this. The concept is great and I liked the need to unravel the snippets on the tape (and the ending revelation of how it works), but the pacing is very slow, the end is entirely setting up for the next book, and it does the whole 'intersex people are scary' horror thing without saying anything interesting. It seems this is a 'the film is better' type situation, maybe unsurprisingly.
Also, I found the translation often was a bit clunky, often translating things that it would have been better to use the romaji or Japanese names for (e.g. bento), but that might be because I'm used to recent translations of Japanese literature where this is more common.
Also, I found the translation often was a bit clunky, often translating things that it would have been better to use the romaji or Japanese names for (e.g. bento), but that might be because I'm used to recent translations of Japanese literature where this is more common.
To see a more in depth review and reading experience you can check out the reading vlog here Reading challenge: Trying to scare myself with horror books
This book starts of with such a bang! I was determined to love it as it hooked me in from the very beginning. However, a few chapters in things popped up which I wasn't as in love with... well, just straight up didn't like. Let's get the gripes out of the way first. One of the main characters is a rapist and him being a rapist doesn't add anything to the plot. Being a rapist, I feel, was used as a character trait to make us feel slightly disgusted with him, which it does... but also a bit disgusted with the author for allowing such a character to exist without there being a decent conversation/critique over this trait. My second gripe is the pace. It was slow. Once the excitement of the first few chapters of actual paranormal activity wore out it got boring. Then we combine this with the big final boo moment, the ending. WTH (what the heck - I keep this swear word free!) was that ending?! I feel like it was going for a cliffhanger but really ended up being a like that moment when you remember a snack squirrelled away in your desk just to discover you ate the snack already.
The pros? aka why this isn't a one star. Well I read it to the end so that must account for something. The mystery aspect was able to pull me through it at least. Also, the few chapters that were on the paranormal side of things, was genuinely scary - it had some real potential.
This book starts of with such a bang! I was determined to love it as it hooked me in from the very beginning. However, a few chapters in things popped up which I wasn't as in love with... well, just straight up didn't like. Let's get the gripes out of the way first. One of the main characters is a rapist and him being a rapist doesn't add anything to the plot. Being a rapist, I feel, was used as a character trait to make us feel slightly disgusted with him, which it does... but also a bit disgusted with the author for allowing such a character to exist without there being a decent conversation/critique over this trait. My second gripe is the pace. It was slow. Once the excitement of the first few chapters of actual paranormal activity wore out it got boring. Then we combine this with the big final boo moment, the ending. WTH (what the heck - I keep this swear word free!) was that ending?! I feel like it was going for a cliffhanger but really ended up being a like that moment when you remember a snack squirrelled away in your desk just to discover you ate the snack already.
The pros? aka why this isn't a one star. Well I read it to the end so that must account for something. The mystery aspect was able to pull me through it at least. Also, the few chapters that were on the paranormal side of things, was genuinely scary - it had some real potential.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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:
Yes
adventurous
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I am taken aback at the quality of the prose. The meticulous research, connecting ideas together, stringing logic along, it's all great. The texture, atmosphere is fantastic.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
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:
No
More effective and creepy than I expected despite the issues I had noticed by the halfway point. The translation in my edition didn't seem great; I could tell certain things would come across different in the original or even just spoken in a movie. The way things are described is also kind of ponderous at times, and would definitely be served better in the movie format I'm more familiar with. But even still when it ends strongly enough that I thought it was decent. Of course, there are numerous things that are presumably shifted in the adaptation (going to watch the original Ringu today since I've already seen the American remake), but the core of the story still is the one that I like with the adaptation I'm familiar with. Where this book differs is in a lot of the more esoteric stuff it references, and also frankly a weird sexual undertone that I don't really know what to make of. Still, it's cool to see where a lot of things began.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated