Reviews tagging 'Injury/Injury detail'

Nails and Eyes by Kaori Fujino

5 reviews

kt_jams's review

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challenging dark reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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iridescentjemz's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Nails and Eyes:
A man loses his wife and moves his lover into his home with him and his three year old daughter. Bringing your kid to meet your mistress is a bold move but this man did. 
Slowly pulls you into the story, really setting the scene. Absolutely not what I was expecting, I had about a million different twists that could’ve been going on but I didn’t guess what the end actually was. 
Really enjoyed the writing and the characters were intriguing, the premise was also interesting. It was more a sense of uneasiness rather than full on horror but definitely body horror particularly if you’ve got a thing about eyes.

What Shoko Forgets:
An elderly woman at a medical facility has short term memory loss after a stroke and is being visited at night by a mysterious man. 
An interesting story on loneliness, trauma and losing yourself. It’s an open story, open ending and with that open to interpretation. We don’t know if the man is real but he’s real to Shoko. 

Minute Fears:
A child believes there is a curse on his park. 
I enjoyed all the stories in this book but this was the highlight. A little bit folk horror, a lot urban legend and creepier than the previous too.

Overall an enjoyable read, I really like Kaori Fujino’s writing and her characters are so interesting and well rounded. Each story is also a commentary on the different roles of women particularly in Japan but probably more generally as well and how that affects them and those around them. 
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thegayestghost's review

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dark sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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abbie_'s review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

4.0

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my free digital ARC in exchange for a review!

A delightfully creepy little Japanese horror novella (+ two short stories!) that would be a good pick if you’re looking to include some women in translation in your October TBR! 👻
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The titular novella really steals the show here. It’s about a young woman who becomes a stepmother to a little girl who is decidedly unnerving. There was an incident with the girl’s mother which she may or may not, accidentally or intentionally, had a hand in, resulting in her death. I loved how Kaori Fujino explored these timorous dynamics - the woman never knowing how much authority she has, how much she should discipline the child, where the boundaries lie. This becomes all the more complicated when she becomes obsessed with the deceased mother’s interiors blog. There are also themes of infidelity and revenge explored, with some scenes that will definitely make you squirm!
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I did have some questions about the ending though. The child is supposed to be three years old, and based on my own niece when she was three, I’m not sure she’d have had the fine motor skills to pull that off?? 😂 But either way it was creepy and made me cringe in a good psychological-horror-y way!
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The two short stories were also pretty good. One features an old woman in physical therapy who’s convinced she’s being harassed by a malevolent spirit, and the other has more of an urban legend vibe, where a young boy is traumatised by the ‘curse’ supposedly placed on him by the ghost of a playground he visits 👻
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Quick read, good thrills, interesting themes, would recommend!
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Translated by Kendall Heitzman
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sadiaa's review

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5.0

This book is split up into a collection of short stories, the first story is called nails and eyes and is about 50% of the book. It took a little bit to get into it but I was hooked. It tells the story of a woman who starts a relationship with a married man from the perspective of the married couple's three year old daughter. It relays the trauma she has, after her mother dies from an apparent 'accident'. I wish the story was longer as i felt it ended too abruptly and definitely wanted to know what happens next. 
The second story was my least favourite, taking place in a hospital/rehabilitation center, it was boring compared and almost made me stop reading.
The last story was also great, it tells the story from the perspective of a mother who has a child who believes himself to be cursed. I enjoyed this story and I did not see the plot twist  coming.
I would definitely keep an eye out for more from the author, Japanese authors just have a way with writing that immediately hooks you into a story, no matter how ordinary it may be.
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