This book is just so awesome! One of the most imaginative ghost stories I have ever read, told from the ghost's perspective is a gritty, dark and unputdownable tale of revenge and the afterlife.

This book was so-so for me - but I think it's because it was compared to The Ring and described as very creepy. It was slow paced for me, and the characters were not fleshed out so much. It was interesting learning about the urban legend like beings from another culture.

Thank you to Sourcebook Fire for the eARC

In the beginning I felt completely lost and almost put the book down. However, I quickly became engrossed in the relationship between Okiku and Tark. As I read, I forgot that only Tark could see Okiku and that she wasn't real. The story felt reminiscent of the movie The Ring with the gothic creepiness feel. The doll aspect aided in the creepiness. I couldn't wait to get to the second book!

I recommend!

I really enjoyed reading both of these stories! I just devoured them both, making my grand total of books read on November 1st, 4 books. And I wasn't even planning on reading The Sufferings initially, but I loved The Girl from the Well so much, well, I had to read it!

I loved the way that these stories were told. The first book was from Okiku's perspective, but it was basically her watching the cousins, and it was almost like we were in Callie's head. And then in the 2nd book were in Tark's head.

These books are horror books, they have various forms of dead people. And there are a bunch of horror story moments, especially in the first book. But it's also about relationships, between Tark and Callie, Callie and Okiku, and Okiku and Tark.

I enjoyed the plots of both books, the first focused on Tark's tattoos and possession, and the 2nd focusing on finding a friend in a haunted village. I loved both stories, but the 2nd one was a bit more intriguing, because there was a mystery, as to what happened in the town's past, to the characters in the recent past, and how they're going to survive. It was excellent to read!

I really enjoyed reading both of these books, they were really fantastic, and I think now I've read all of Rin Chupeco's currently published books, and I can't wait to read more!

I requested this one back in the day as I had every intention of reading it. However, its been years and I still haven't gotten around to it and while I feel guilty at not reviewing a book I think that I need to admit to myself that I won't be reading this one anytime soon....if at all.

Sorry, this was a DNF for me. I could not connect with the characters and the writing style just wasn't my thing.

I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Okiku wants vengeance...and she gets it. Whenever there's a monster hurting a child-the same way she was hurt 300 years ago in Japan-her spirit is there to deliver punishment. But one American boy draws her like no other. The two are pulled into a world of eerie doll rituals and dark Shinto exorcisms that will take them from the American Midwest to the remote valleys and shrines of Aomori, Japan. The boy is not a monster, but something evil writhes beneath his skin, trapped by a series of intricate tattoos. Can Okiku protect him? Or is her presence only bringing more harm?

*2.5 stars*

This was quite the disappointment. Let's start with the positives:

Some clever turns-of-phrase kept me engaged with the prose;
Some scenes were quite hypnotic;
Some...

Oh, never mind. The overwhelming feeling about this book was "Why?"

Why did Okiku do nothing? Just stand, watch, follow...rinse and repeat. That is basically all she does for 95% of the book. Very, VERY boring! It was compared to Dexter and The Grudge. Well, that is wrong on both counts. At least Dexter actually does something...and The Grudge is scary. This isn't.

Will I read the (inevitable) follow-up? At the moment, that is a toss-up. Too disappointed right now to say "yes" for sure...


Paul
ARH