Malav
I bought this book in Leeds in 2024, and for the longest time it just sat there stuck at the start, it was like some unfinished promise I kept avoiding. I almost gave up on it so many times, but somehow I came back to it… and now I have actually finished it. That alone feels like a small victory.
What surprised me the most is how much my experience with this book changed while reading it, or maybe how much I changed. At first, it felt slow and honestly a bit frustrating. The pacing really threw me off, chapters would jump across so many important moments without letting anything breathe, and more than once I felt pulled out of the story thinking why not just sit with this a little longer?
And yet I kept going, and somewhere along the way I got hooked, not by the structure but by the characters.
Rika and Manako’s relationship completely pulled me in. It’s dynamic, unsettling, and weirdly magnetic. I found myself fascinated by Manako in the same way her so called victims were, and every time the story leaned into that tension I was locked in. It’s uncomfortable to admit, but I understood the pull. Rika on the other hand felt very close to me. The way she thinks, doubts herself, and tries to navigate something she believes she can control. I kept telling myself I would never fall for this, but I also knew that was not true.
Some of my favourite moments were actually the quieter ones, Rika exploring food, learning, being given tasks. I even ended up making my own list of dishes from the book, like some personal side quest I want to come back to one day.
The list of characters is small, which really helps, everyone gets their space and still ties back nicely to Rika. Manako stands out the most, easily the most interesting character but also the most toxic. The feeling of disgust I got from her at times was very real.
The ending was interesting. It felt slow at first, but maybe that was the point. Like the end of a meal, you are not rushing anymore, you are just sitting there letting everything settle. And just when you think it’s over, the author leaves you with a small dessert. I won’t spoil it, but it worked for me.
Looking back now, I don’t think this was ever a bad book. It was just a book I was not ready for before. And now that I have finished it, I feel satisfied.
I bought this book in Leeds in 2024, and for the longest time it just sat there stuck at the start, it was like some unfinished promise I kept avoiding. I almost gave up on it so many times, but somehow I came back to it… and now I have actually finished it. That alone feels like a small victory.
What surprised me the most is how much my experience with this book changed while reading it, or maybe how much I changed. At first, it felt slow and honestly a bit frustrating. The pacing really threw me off, chapters would jump across so many important moments without letting anything breathe, and more than once I felt pulled out of the story thinking why not just sit with this a little longer?
And yet I kept going, and somewhere along the way I got hooked, not by the structure but by the characters.
Rika and Manako’s relationship completely pulled me in. It’s dynamic, unsettling, and weirdly magnetic. I found myself fascinated by Manako in the same way her so called victims were, and every time the story leaned into that tension I was locked in. It’s uncomfortable to admit, but I understood the pull. Rika on the other hand felt very close to me. The way she thinks, doubts herself, and tries to navigate something she believes she can control. I kept telling myself I would never fall for this, but I also knew that was not true.
Some of my favourite moments were actually the quieter ones, Rika exploring food, learning, being given tasks. I even ended up making my own list of dishes from the book, like some personal side quest I want to come back to one day.
The list of characters is small, which really helps, everyone gets their space and still ties back nicely to Rika. Manako stands out the most, easily the most interesting character but also the most toxic. The feeling of disgust I got from her at times was very real.
The ending was interesting. It felt slow at first, but maybe that was the point. Like the end of a meal, you are not rushing anymore, you are just sitting there letting everything settle. And just when you think it’s over, the author leaves you with a small dessert. I won’t spoil it, but it worked for me.
Looking back now, I don’t think this was ever a bad book. It was just a book I was not ready for before. And now that I have finished it, I feel satisfied.
