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alicelalicon's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, and Pandemic/Epidemic
kt2e56's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This started out great but sort of petered out as it went on. I think once the characters’ stories begin to intersect is where the trouble begins. Things start to become a bit too convenient and eventually lead to a really rushed ending that feels a bit like a deus ex machina. I also feel like as the story goes on, the Japanese folklore (aka the most interesting bits) sort of becomes less and less important and the book goes from being a creepy historical horror novel to a quasi-political thriller which just wasn’t what I was in the mood for. Don’t get me wrong, this was still entertaining but it just wasn’t as spooky as The Hunger so I feel a bit disappointed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Miscarriage, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Antisemitism, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic
fernbomb's review
dark
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
While I wanted to love this book, there were just too many mediocre elements of it’s execution that ultimately made this book very mid. The concept had so much potential: a historical horror where the roots of said horror is racism. It was actually a worthwhile read, as I learned a lot about that period of history, and the author does have a very important perspective to share. Unfortunately the characters were written with little depth, with unbelievable character arc’s. The atmosphere of the environment was also lacking, giving this book the feeling that it was written at the 8th grade level. The biggest flaw in this book for me is the authors seemingly neoliberal conclusion to the embedded violence of the american system of white supremacy, that the government is going to correct itself. Racism is literally a feature of the system, and it seems the author thinks racism is simply a flaw, that laughably, the FBI can solve lmao.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Body horror and Child death
Minor: Sexual assault