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A review by sspaghettiboness
The Crimson Labyrinth by Masami Isetani, Yusuke Kishi, Camellia Nieh
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I’ve been in a reading slump since the start of the new year, and this novel reminded me of how thrilling it feels to be immersed in writing. The pacing is absolute perfection, truly never a wasted sentence or boring page.
I read a lot of horror. I’ve read a lot of disgusting splatter punk books that made me physically ill (I read The Slob on the bathroom floor in front of the porcelain throne). This book scared the absolute hell out of me. I went in blind, did not read the back cover or synopsis, and surely that added to the disorienting experience because I related more to the main character than if I’d known. The premise and setting of the book, to me seemed disgustingly real in a good and bad way.
This book makes such clever utilisation of the structure of a 3rd person narrator. There was just enough foreshadowing so that plot twists didn’t feel like they’d been plucked from thin air, but they remained page gripping plot twists all the same.
The absolute best thing, though: in a horror/thriller/sci-fi novel, I think there’s always a moment where you want to walk away or reach through the paper and say, “what the f—- are you doing?” As a character makes a stupid mistake. None of that is to be found here. The choices made by all of the characters felt exceedingly realistic. I think that is what makes this book so terrifying.
I read a lot of horror. I’ve read a lot of disgusting splatter punk books that made me physically ill (I read The Slob on the bathroom floor in front of the porcelain throne). This book scared the absolute hell out of me. I went in blind, did not read the back cover or synopsis, and surely that added to the disorienting experience because I related more to the main character than if I’d known. The premise and setting of the book, to me seemed disgustingly real in a good and bad way.
This book makes such clever utilisation of the structure of a 3rd person narrator. There was just enough foreshadowing so that plot twists didn’t feel like they’d been plucked from thin air, but they remained page gripping plot twists all the same.
The absolute best thing, though: in a horror/thriller/sci-fi novel, I think there’s always a moment where you want to walk away or reach through the paper and say, “what the f—- are you doing?” As a character makes a stupid mistake. None of that is to be found here. The choices made by all of the characters felt exceedingly realistic. I think that is what makes this book so terrifying.