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spookynorvegan's review against another edition
3.0
3.75 stars
I haven't read the first four books in the Ring series, but am familiar with the general plotline through the film versions, and appreciated this book's continuation with some of the original characters and premise.
However, I found the translation itself a bit difficult to get through; the prose was quite clumsy and required some serious attention to be waded through. Also, the reveal near the conclusion was given in a manner that was bafflingly blunt and coarse.
S was creepy, and downright weird, but I felt a bit confused and impatient getting through it, more than terrified.
I haven't read the first four books in the Ring series, but am familiar with the general plotline through the film versions, and appreciated this book's continuation with some of the original characters and premise.
However, I found the translation itself a bit difficult to get through; the prose was quite clumsy and required some serious attention to be waded through. Also, the reveal near the conclusion was given in a manner that was bafflingly blunt and coarse.
S was creepy, and downright weird, but I felt a bit confused and impatient getting through it, more than terrified.
bigshotjd's review against another edition
2.75
Five stars until the end when it becomes shit.
book ends with someone picking up a phone saying "oh, you know the main bad guy? Turns out he died 🤷👍"
sarah_jess1029's review
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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
lizzie28mcguire's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
arcadelove's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
3.75
A great horror novel marred by a lackluster ending. Had me hooked, I read all of it over two days.
Spoilers ahead.
Loved the callbacks to all the previous Ring novels. But that ending... Ryuji Ex Machina. He just explained everything in the last 10% of the book, appearing out of nowhere. Things had been ramping up SO much, and then this just caused it to fall flat. It almost felt like the author just got tired of writing the book and wanted to end it. A bit of a disappointment there.
Rating is as high as it is because of the meat of the book. It'd probably be higher if the ending wasn't so damn disappointing.
Spoilers ahead.
Rating is as high as it is because of the meat of the book. It'd probably be higher if the ending wasn't so damn disappointing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Suicide, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
Minor: Rape and Car accident
eiderweek's review against another edition
3.0
Quite a lot of fun, but not really incredible. Feels more like a continuation of Spiral primarily, but it does build off of everything else. Some ridiculous moments are quite funny.
jamie_cant_read's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
sreader23's review against another edition
3.0
I think this would have been so much better written from Akane’s POV. As it is she feels more like an object moved around in the story as needed than a real person.
wolvy's review against another edition
4.0
This was pretty bonkers as it went on but I really enjoyed the ride.
sugarstormer's review against another edition
4.0
Things I liked: striking imagery, the return to more intimate stakes with a more intimate setting, thus far the most likable protagonists in the series, and twists and turns that caught me by surprise.
Things that didn't quite work for me: odd and somewhat lopsided pacing, a bit of a disregard for some established lore from Birthday in particular, a few half-baked plot conveniences, disorienting location descriptions (perhaps attributable to the translation), and an exposition dump towards the end that feels rushed.
Despite some gripes I've had with this series, I haven't been able to get it out of my head. The premises are always unique, the subtext is compelling, and the mythos is fluid and dense.
4 stars may be a little generous, but in the context of the series as a whole, I liked many of the decisions that were made for the direction and scale of this book.
Things that didn't quite work for me: odd and somewhat lopsided pacing, a bit of a disregard for some established lore from Birthday in particular, a few half-baked plot conveniences, disorienting location descriptions (perhaps attributable to the translation), and an exposition dump towards the end that feels rushed.
Despite some gripes I've had with this series, I haven't been able to get it out of my head. The premises are always unique, the subtext is compelling, and the mythos is fluid and dense.
4 stars may be a little generous, but in the context of the series as a whole, I liked many of the decisions that were made for the direction and scale of this book.