Japanese Gothic

Japanese Gothic was just published on April 14, 2026. It is a horror story interwoven with Japanese mythology. This dual timeline novel is about two people who live centuries apart but discover that there is a door connecting their worlds.

The publisher's summary:

October, 2026: Lee Turner doesn’t remember how or why he killed his college roommate. The details are blurred and bloody. All he knows is he has to flee New York and go to the one place that might offer refuge—his father’s new home in Japan, a house hidden by sword ferns and wild ginger. But something is terribly wrong with the house: no animals will come near it, the bedroom window isn't always a window, and a woman with a sword appears in the yard when night falls.

October, 1877: Sen is a young samurai in exile, hiding from the imperial soldiers in a house behind the sword ferns. A monster came home from war wearing her father’s face, but Sen would do anything to please him, even turn her sword on her own mother. She knows the soldiers will soon slaughter her whole family when she sees a terrible omen: a young foreign man who appears outside her window.

One of these people is a ghost, and one of these stories is a lie.  Something is hiding beneath the house of sword ferns, and Lee and Sen will soon wish they never unburied it.

I found the beginning to be slow reading. It consisted solely of the inner dialogue of the main character Lee Turner. There was too much of it. It would have been nice to have more action to maintain interest in the book. The next few chapters gives us more of the same from the character Sen. 

There is something about the writing style that turned me off but I can't quite put my finger on what that is. I feel the book fell flat. I never became interested in the story. It was not gothic nor horror as it was advertised to be. It neither is a traditional historical fiction story which is what I expected. In general, I was underwhelmed by the book and DNF'd it. 

No rating.

The Last House on Needless Street

I selected this book for the Key Word Reading Challenge. The Last House on Needless Street was named one of the best horror books of all time by Esquire and Cosmopolitan magazines. It was published on March 18, 2021.

The publisher's summary:  

In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three. A teenage girl who isn’t allowed outside, not after last time.

A man who drinks alone in front of his TV, trying to ignore the gaps in his memory.

And a house cat who loves napping and reading the Bible. An unspeakable secret binds them together, but when a new neighbor moves in next door, what is buried out among the birch trees may come back to haunt them all.

This book is a stunning read with many plot twists. It is narrated by three characters: Ted, Lauren and Olivia. Ted is the main character. Olivia is his cat while Lauren is his daughter. They all live in Ted's parental home, a falling down old house that no one cleans. It’s a mess. Ted rarely leaves the house but occasionally Ted walks deep into the forest where he feels at peace. Olivia and Lauren never get to leave the house though. Occasionally we read about Ted's childhood and it's not pretty. His father was an alcoholic while his mother, a nurse, was just plain nuts. Mom served baby food to her family!

Eleven years before the current time period a six year old girl went missing. Her body was never found. Known simply as the Girl with a Lollipop, Lulu was playing at a beach with her family when she vanished. The last chapter shows what happened to her but Ted was a suspect all along. Eventually Lulu's sister Dee buys the house next door to Ted's so she can monitor him. Dee firmly believes that Ted killed her sister.

The suspense is taut and pacing fast making this a fantastic read. In fact, I read it in one sitting. It's advertised as a horror story but I would call it a twisted suspense thriller. I saw no horror in the plot and I certainly never became afraid. I didn't know where the plot was going until 2/3 into the story. The name of the street Ted's house was located on was funny. Ever heard of a Needless Street? The title let's you know what type of book you're reading 

5 out of 5 stars.

Squad

Squad is a feminist horror story told in comic book format and was written for young adults aged 14 to 17. It was published in 2021. The story is about a new girl who is invited to join her high school’s most popular clique. Of course, all is not well with the group.

The publisher's summary:  

When Becca transfers to a high school in an elite San Francisco suburb, she’s worried she’s not going to fit in. To her surprise, she’s immediately adopted by the most popular girls in school. At first glance, Marley, Arianna, and Mandy are perfect. But at a party under a full moon, Becca learns that they also have a big secret.

Becca’s new friends are werewolves. Their prey? Slimy boys who take advantage of unsuspecting girls. Eager to be accepted, Becca allows her friends to turn her into a werewolf, and finally, for the first time in her life, she feels like she truly belongs.

But then things get complicated. As their pack begins to buckle under the pressure, their moral high ground gets muddier and muddier—and Becca realizes that she might have feelings for one of her new best friends.

Lisa Sterle’s stylish illustrations paired with Maggie Tokuda-Hall’s sharp writing make Squad a fierce, haunting, and fast-paced thrillerthatwill resonate with fans of Riverdale, and with readers of This Savage Song, Lumberjanes, and Paper Girls. 

I was not expecting this story to be about werewolves. The girls in the clique turn into wolves once a month and eat a boy who takes advantage of unsuspecting girls. They call it being hungry. The illustrations paired with each meal aren't too graphic so the story maintains light feel. I was amused at the authenticity of the dialogue. The girls say the word "like" all the time which is how kids today speak. 

The girls were able to control themselves after a kill so no one suspected them of murder. However, after Becca violates the rule not to kill anyone from their own school, the group begins to fall apart. All of the students in their high school constantly stare at them after the boyfriend of Ariana is accidentally killed by Becca. They are suspects in the eyes of their peers but the police are clueless. The story ends with Becca and Marley discovering that they are attracted to each other and go off into the sunset together. I was not expecting this either. 

All in all, Squad was a fun, light read. 5 out of 5 stars.

Tender

Tender was published on March 12, 2024. It is a psychological thriller in comic format and is the author's debut graphic novel.

The publisher's summary:

Carolanne wanted a perfect wedding, a perfect husband, a perfect family. She carefully performs her own roles (gal pal, bestie, girlfriend, wife, and expectant mother) and manipulates those around her to try and get the results she wants. Her desire to control the uncontrollable ultimately becomes her undoing. When things don't go her way, she exerts dominance over the one thing she does have total control over: her body; until that "betrays" her. After suffering a horrible loss, Carolanne spirals into a literal, all-consuming delusion causing her body to produce symptoms of a hysterical pregnancy ― as a result of her slicing off bits of her own flesh and eating them.

Chicago cartoonist and educator Beth Hetland’s graphic novel debut is a brilliant psychological thriller that tears down the wall of a genre ― body horror ― so often identified with male creators. Heady and visceral, Tender uses horrific tropes to confront women’s societal expectations of self-sacrifice despite those traditional roles often coming at the expense of female sexuality and empowerment.

 

I won't lie. After finishing the book I had to read the summary above in order to figure out what I just read. The story alternates between time periods as you would see with any psychological thriller. However, I was not expecting it and was confused as to what happened in Carolanne's life. A re-read helped me understand.

The horror aspect of the book is from Carolanne's self mutilation. We only have illustrations to know she was doing this to herself. Some of the illustrations were so jarring that I couldn't look at them. It's only apparent that Carolanne was trying to have a perfect life from these drawings and that the pressure she put on herself had to come out somewhere. We read about her striving for the perfect relationship, perfect wedding and perfect motherhood. Unfortunately none of that actually happened.

The ending was unexpected. I am still thinking about it a week after reading the novel and have a sinking feeling in my stomach. The author deserves accolades for writing the usual date, wedding, baby story from the horror genre. It works.

Not recommended for kids. The drawings have nudity and self-mutilation. 5 out of 5 stars.