Thank you to the team over at HTP Hive for the gifted ARC copy of Japanese Gothic!

Holy unreliable narrator! Anyone who knows me knows that Bat Eater is one of those books I never shut up about so Japanese Gothic was one of my most anticipated books this year and it delivered in ways I couldn't have fathomed. 

The Gothic elements were spot on, or should I say, STAINED on ;) Gothic books aren't complete without a little box and little boxes roamed aplenty throughout the story. The vivid and beautiful world-building paired with the violence and gore made for a truly unique adventure. I thought the multiple timelines might throw me for a loop but I'm happy to report that I was thrown for a loop and it was intentional! 

Sen and Lee's characters are so beautifully tragic and their unlikely friendship could melt even the coldest of hearts. The plot unfolds artfully and I don't think anyone without extensive knowledge of Japanese and Okinawan history and folklore would be able to put all the pieces together (or maybe I'm just not used to mysteries lol). We don't actually get the explanations we need until the very last chapter and by then, our hearts have already broken.

As with Bat Eater, it's non-negotiable to read the author's note. Lee-Baker gives her readers a glimpse into the complexities of racial identity at large and also her own, personal, identities. Japanese Gothic frames some incredibly nuanced topics such as the relationship of the colonized with the colonizer, where tradition goes to die, the fickleness of "human nature," and the all-powerful anatomy of time. I admire Kylie Lee-Baker immensely for her candidness in sharing her heritage with us and will be the first to admit that her author's note brought me to tears. 

"We are all inextricably tied to the people who came before us, but only we can determine how our stories end." 

I'd recommend Japanese Gothic to people who enjoy exploring themes of colonization and systemic violence through the lens of horror and magical realism, those who believe in everyone's right to self-determination, and to those who don't mind a little blood.