Reviews

Penance by Kanae Minato

jillie's review

dark mysterious

3.5

Not as good as Confessions, but very gripping. I really hope more of her works are translated into English. 

May 2024

luminous's review

2.0

Might have been better read with eyeballs rather than ears. It was hard to figure out what was going on, and especially at the end I had no idea who was having conversations, as the people having the convo weren't named. It was an interesting story, but at the same time I felt held at arm's length. I wasn't invested in any of the characters. The second and third stories were my favorite. The last one should have been full of revelations to make me gasp, but I can barely piece what the story was, or even the motive for the crime.

dumb_library's review against another edition

3.0

I read Confessions by Kanae and absolutely loved it. This one didn’t pack as much of a punch and I was pretty bored starting about halfway through. It felt very repetitive and it seemed to lead to nowhere. I still find Kanae’s writing to be amazing and I will definitely be checking out any other translated works by her!

snowymiya's review

challenging dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

faw44's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense

3.5

labraitz94's review against another edition

challenging mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

littlebirdyy's review

dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

book is so good RAH

arwcrs's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

lnat2209's review

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

eileenthecrow's review

2.0

this started great and as the story went on i realized i don't care about most of the characters or their point of views. it also felt a bit unrealistic at times but oh well, i would be okay with it if i had just cared about what was happening. by the third one, i was just really disinterested.