3.5 stars

Hm. I think I would've liked this a lot more if I'd read it soon after finishing the first book. (I wanted to, but my library didn't have it at the time.) Because despite my very low threshold for horror, I wasn't really creeped out by this one? Didn't even have trouble sleeping while/after reading it.

But the characters and setting are, as always with Chupeco's work, wonderfully developed. Again, if I was reading this with stronger context from the first book I think I would've felt more immersed, but on its own I felt a little emotionally distanced. The stakes felt lower and less urgent. The relationships weren't quite as compelling.

Still, this was a nice venture out of my usual reading comfort zone, and I enjoyed it overall.

content warnings:

Spoiler

major character "death(s)", minor character deaths, gore, blood, murder, violence, mentions of rape and sexual harassment, mentions of pedophilia

rep:

Spoiler

biracial Japanese-American MC, Japanese and Japanese-American major & minor characters

-----------
CONVERSION: 9.9 / 15 = 3.5 stars

Prose: 5 / 10
Characters & Relationships: 7 / 10
Emotional Impact: 6 / 10
Development / Flow: 6 / 10
Setting: 8 / 10

Diversity & Social Themes: 4 / 5
Intellectual Engagement: N/A
Originality / Trope Execution: N/A
Rereadability: N/A
Memorability: 3 / 5