Japanese Gothic The instant Sunday Times bestseller. An all-new haunted house Samurai horror from the bestselling author of Bat Eater!

This book is the very definition of a slow burn. It hooked me right from the start with its writing style and the whole idea behind it, but then… not much really happens for a long stretch. It only really picks up again toward the end. The twist and the ending were okay, but also a bit confusing, and I was definitely left with some questions. I didn’t really like Lee, to be honest, but I thought Sen was a great main character. Some of the things she did were pretty intense, but I could always understand where she was coming from. The concept sounded super interesting to me—a kind of haunted house story with samurai, modern elements, ghosts, and secrets. At times, though, it felt like it might turn into a romance, which luckily it didn’t. Actually, the relationship between Sen and Lee is pretty complicated. There’s a lot of family drama and an unreliable narrator. I just wish it had been a bit creepier and less slow in parts. That said, I’d still recommend it. The atmosphere is really well done—dark, but not in a cold way. The writing style is great, and the whole theme feels pretty unique. I also really liked the mix with Japanese folklore. Conclusion: A good pick if you’re into Japan and want a haunted house story that isn’t too scary but still pretty bloody/ brutal.