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A review by the_books_music_life
The Suffering by Rin Chupeco
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
5.0
I. Love. This. Duology. So. Damn. Much.
This duology had everything I've ever wanted; a horror ghost story with amazing characters who I felt so deeply for, fast paced plot, and the emotional range to make even me cry.
The Suffering picks up two years after the events of The Girl from the Well, and we follow Tark as he navigates high school and his dealings with ghosts and exorcizing them. Along with Tark is his ever present spirit companion, Okiku: a young woman who’s life ended as a victim and spends her afterlife as an avenger.
The book is in Tark’s point of view and I’m a little sad about that, I really loved Okiku’s view of things from the first book, but it is interesting to see how Tarak sees and experiences things.
So right off the bat the book is scary. It starts with (of all things) a paranormal game. A paranormal game I have in fact heard of from scary paranormal content I watch on Youtube.
Okiku and Tark’s friendship is so sweet and unique, they have grown protective of each other these last two years; Okiku more so than Tark as we see with school bullies who try to mess with Tark. The fact that Tark helps Okiku with her avenging , while kind of sad is also understandable. To me at least.
I have differing feelings about Aokigahara. On one hand it’s a terribly sad place with a equally sad history, and on the other I find myself fascinated with the lore and legends and history of the forest. The fact that this book partly takes place in Aokigahara and explore it’s lore is something that really drew me to this duology.
This duology had everything I've ever wanted; a horror ghost story with amazing characters who I felt so deeply for, fast paced plot, and the emotional range to make even me cry.
The Suffering picks up two years after the events of The Girl from the Well, and we follow Tark as he navigates high school and his dealings with ghosts and exorcizing them. Along with Tark is his ever present spirit companion, Okiku: a young woman who’s life ended as a victim and spends her afterlife as an avenger.
The book is in Tark’s point of view and I’m a little sad about that, I really loved Okiku’s view of things from the first book, but it is interesting to see how Tarak sees and experiences things.
So right off the bat the book is scary. It starts with (of all things) a paranormal game. A paranormal game I have in fact heard of from scary paranormal content I watch on Youtube.
Okiku and Tark’s friendship is so sweet and unique, they have grown protective of each other these last two years; Okiku more so than Tark as we see with school bullies who try to mess with Tark. The fact that Tark helps Okiku with her avenging , while kind of sad is also understandable. To me at least.
I have differing feelings about Aokigahara. On one hand it’s a terribly sad place with a equally sad history, and on the other I find myself fascinated with the lore and legends and history of the forest. The fact that this book partly takes place in Aokigahara and explore it’s lore is something that really drew me to this duology.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Death, Child death, Suicide, and Murder
There is ritual sacrifice in this book along with Paranormal Games, Victim blaming, and Aokigahara Japan’s suicide forest.