Reviews with content warning for Sexual harassment - The Sacrifice

It was alright up to halfway through the book, the dry writing made it hard for me to get really into it, but once the pace picked up it became a thrilling, enjoyable read. The plot twist caught me off guard and the ending made me a bit sorrowful but I wouldn't have it any other way.

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_p0ssum_'s review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book had me STRESSING.

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katherinek's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

4 ⭐ CW: violence, gun violence, cursing, blood, gore, racism, human sacrifice, animal death, cursing, sexual harassment mention, death

The Sacrifice by Rin Chupeco is a YA horror focusing on a nonbinary Filipino (Filipine?) MC, and drawing on Chupeco's experience with caves on the islands of the Philippines. We also get a male love interest that is bi.

We follow Alon, who is acting as a guide on the island of Kisapmata for a group of Hollywood big shots who plan to exploit Filipino culture and legends in order to get fame and recognition by doing a ghost hunting show. We don't learn much about Alon, but they are warning everyone away from the island the whole time people are there. The island doesn't want them there. When people start seeing ghosts of dead loved ones and people they've harmed, some seem to lose their minds when weird freaky stuff starts happening. Turns out the island is alive and doesn't like humans who have harmed other people.

This was a great creepy read for spooky season! We definitely get themes on exploiting indigenous cultures for profit without giving respect, and themes on the lengths some people will go to in order to get power for themselves. It gave me urban-legend-comes-to-life vibes. Chase is the wholesome himbo of my heart, and I want my own Askal to protect me. I really liked the twist! Although it made me feel bad for Alon.

I definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys ghost hunting shows and messages on morality and guilt. Who doesn't want to read about a haunted island that turns out houses an ancient god?

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apersonfromflorida's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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warlocksarecool21's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This was such an interesting creepy little book, I still don’t know if I can verbalize all my thoughts. I was hooked by the initial premise of a Hollywood production team fucking around (and finding out) on a haunted island. I thought the theme of White people’s greed and destruction and its ties to colonization was really fascinating and how the Diwata almost seemed like it was there to protect the local people from outsiders. The most interesting part of this book for me was Alon. I knew from the start that there was more we didn’t know about them and that they had some kind of connection to the Diwata and the island but I still was surprised by the reveal at the end. At first I was irritated we didn’t get to be in Alon’s head that much, everything we learned about him was through the dialogue but by the end I realized it was intentional so everything wouldn’t be given away.

I thought the idea that Alon was raised by the Diwata and acts as His conscience was really intriguing, that a human could be so loved and valued by this ancient god. I also adored Askal, I love little weirdo monster dogs. I knew he had to be something more than a dog bc of how perceptive he was and I was so excited I was right.

In regards to the plot/writing, I thought the author did a good job shrouding everything in mystery, even though Alon is our protagonist, they’re kind of an unreliable narrator so it’s like we’re figuring it out with the rest of the crew. While I did like watching Hemlock and the other producers get their comeuppance, I felt that the commentary surrounding their sins was a little heavy-handed but that didn’t bother me too much. I wish the relationship between Alon and Chase was developed a bit more, I wasn’t really convinced that they liked each other than they were both hot and the same age but I am a cranky asexual.

Finally, even though the writing was purposely detached at times, the creepiness and suspense throughout the book was really done. The significance of the balete trees and the mahakiya plants was really interesting to me, and I was definitely weirded out at times. The balete monsters and everything else the Diwata conjured up definitely gave me the same creepy vibes as all the creatures and weirdness of the Upside Down in Stranger Things, so if you liked that element of the show you’ll probably enjoy this book.
This is a creepy yet fun YA horror and I definitely recommend it.

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awkwardimagination's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I was really really enjoying this book, it was so good from the very first line. But I cannot help but feel,,, disappointed by the ending? maybe its my brain and I'm tired but i was hoping for something idfferent and reading the last chunk of the book made my brain feel mushy. I do really like this book, Alon and Askal were fantastic and the central theme of the book is one I like a lot - much about humanity and our actions. A great summary of this book is basically "greedy white men get whats coming to them, finally"

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jessereadsthings's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

2.0

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