(^^,)
THEN WHO WAS PHONE?
I dove into this immediately after Strange Pictures, curious to know how Uketsu was planning to take me with this mystery book.
It started off rather innocent - as the namesake states, you're introduced to a strange house layout. Once I saw the first layout (not a spoiler - the book title has plurality), I realised I had seen it from somewhere else already. Perhaps Uketsu themselves, or TikTok, or Instagram - some other media. Anyway, I had forgotten what I gained from seeing it the first time, so it wasn't much of a spoiler for me and rather spurred me on to find out (or remember) what was so strange about it.
I had no idea what I was in for.
The story takes you way further than just peculiar blueprints. It takes you to (in Uketsu fashion) a world smaller than you'd like to admit, to family secrets, to whodunnit-style sleuthing, to shock and horror. One wouldn't be wrong in thinking that the entire situation was simply too complex and extreme to be realistic, but humans are capable of more than you would like to admit.
At some point, I was hit with a barrage of information on how things came to be. I got lost in the sheer amount of names, their relation to each other, but I think I got there in the end. I'm sure if I go back and re-read it, perhaps with a pen and paper, I could get my head around the intricacies of the plot. Perhaps I will, in the future.
For now, I liked what I read, and I look forward to the next translated book.
THEN WHO WAS PHONE?
I dove into this immediately after Strange Pictures, curious to know how Uketsu was planning to take me with this mystery book.
It started off rather innocent - as the namesake states, you're introduced to a strange house layout. Once I saw the first layout (not a spoiler - the book title has plurality), I realised I had seen it from somewhere else already. Perhaps Uketsu themselves, or TikTok, or Instagram - some other media. Anyway, I had forgotten what I gained from seeing it the first time, so it wasn't much of a spoiler for me and rather spurred me on to find out (or remember) what was so strange about it.
I had no idea what I was in for.
The story takes you way further than just peculiar blueprints. It takes you to (in Uketsu fashion) a world smaller than you'd like to admit, to family secrets, to whodunnit-style sleuthing, to shock and horror. One wouldn't be wrong in thinking that the entire situation was simply too complex and extreme to be realistic, but humans are capable of more than you would like to admit.
At some point, I was hit with a barrage of information on how things came to be. I got lost in the sheer amount of names, their relation to each other, but I think I got there in the end. I'm sure if I go back and re-read it, perhaps with a pen and paper, I could get my head around the intricacies of the plot. Perhaps I will, in the future.
For now, I liked what I read, and I look forward to the next translated book.
Where did he go?
What great writing. I wasn't sure where this book would take me, but I'm glad it did when it did. I gasped with each revealed plot point, slowly understanding what everything meant and where the pieces of the puzzle fit.
The images which bound the spine of the story were fun and surprisingly intriguing to think about. I really couldn't figure out what they meant before the book explained their meanings, but I think that added to the shock. They reminded me a little bit of dingbats (or rebuses for some) in how one had to view (or rather, solve) them. I won't spoil.
I also have to mention the troubled cast of characters, beautifully carrying out their roles in the story. The world is small, but in this case, perhaps a little too small for comfort.
Overally, a spooky book that I liked reading. My only wish is that I hadn't finished it before it was time for bed. I think I'll stay up a little.
Where did he go?
What great writing. I wasn't sure where this book would take me, but I'm glad it did when it did. I gasped with each revealed plot point, slowly understanding what everything meant and where the pieces of the puzzle fit.
The images which bound the spine of the story were fun and surprisingly intriguing to think about. I really couldn't figure out what they meant before the book explained their meanings, but I think that added to the shock. They reminded me a little bit of dingbats (or rebuses for some) in how one had to view (or rather, solve) them. I won't spoil.
I also have to mention the troubled cast of characters, beautifully carrying out their roles in the story. The world is small, but in this case, perhaps a little too small for comfort.
Overally, a spooky book that I liked reading. My only wish is that I hadn't finished it before it was time for bed. I think I'll stay up a little.
Where did he go?
What great writing. I wasn't sure where this book would take me, but I'm glad it did when it did. I gasped with each revealed plot point, slowly understanding what everything meant and where the pieces of the puzzle fit.
The images which bound the spine of the story were fun and surprisingly intriguing to think about. I really couldn't figure out what they meant before the book explained their meanings, but I think that added to the shock. They reminded me a little bit of dingbats (or rebuses for some) in how one had to view (or rather, solve) them. I won't spoil.
I also have to mention the troubled cast of characters, beautifully carrying out their roles in the story. The world is small, but in this case, perhaps a little too small for comfort.
Overally, a spooky book that I liked reading. My only wish is that I hadn't finished it before it was time for bed. I think I'll stay up a little.
Where did he go?
What great writing. I wasn't sure where this book would take me, but I'm glad it did when it did. I gasped with each revealed plot point, slowly understanding what everything meant and where the pieces of the puzzle fit.
The images which bound the spine of the story were fun and surprisingly intriguing to think about. I really couldn't figure out what they meant before the book explained their meanings, but I think that added to the shock. They reminded me a little bit of dingbats (or rebuses for some) in how one had to view (or rather, solve) them. I won't spoil.
I also have to mention the troubled cast of characters, beautifully carrying out their roles in the story. The world is small, but in this case, perhaps a little too small for comfort.
Overally, a spooky book that I liked reading. My only wish is that I hadn't finished it before it was time for bed. I think I'll stay up a little.
Where did he go?
What great writing. I wasn't sure where this book would take me, but I'm glad it did when it did. I gasped with each revealed plot point, slowly understanding what everything meant and where the pieces of the puzzle fit.
The images which bound the spine of the story were fun and surprisingly intriguing to think about. I really couldn't figure out what they meant before the book explained their meanings, but I think that added to the shock. They reminded me a little bit of dingbats (or rebuses for some) in how one had to view (or rather, solve) them. I won't spoil.
I also have to mention the troubled cast of characters, beautifully carrying out their roles in the story. The world is small, but in this case, perhaps a little too small for comfort.
Overally, a spooky book that I liked reading. My only wish is that I hadn't finished it before it was time for bed. I think I'll stay up a little.
Where did he go?
What great writing. I wasn't sure where this book would take me, but I'm glad it did when it did. I gasped with each revealed plot point, slowly understanding what everything meant and where the pieces of the puzzle fit.
The images which bound the spine of the story were fun and surprisingly intriguing to think about. I really couldn't figure out what they meant before the book explained their meanings, but I think that added to the shock. They reminded me a little bit of dingbats (or rebuses for some) in how one had to view (or rather, solve) them. I won't spoil.
I also have to mention the troubled cast of characters, beautifully carrying out their roles in the story. The world is small, but in this case, perhaps a little too small for comfort.
Overally, a spooky book that I liked reading. My only wish is that I hadn't finished it before it was time for bed. I think I'll stay up a little.
Where did he go?
What great writing. I wasn't sure where this book would take me, but I'm glad it did when it did. I gasped with each revealed plot point, slowly understanding what everything meant and where the pieces of the puzzle fit.
The images which bound the spine of the story were fun and surprisingly intriguing to think about. I really couldn't figure out what they meant before the book explained their meanings, but I think that added to the shock. They reminded me a little bit of dingbats (or rebuses for some) in how one had to view (or rather, solve) them. I won't spoil.
I also have to mention the troubled cast of characters, beautifully carrying out their roles in the story. The world is small, but in this case, perhaps a little too small for comfort.
Overally, a spooky book that I liked reading. My only wish is that I hadn't finished it before it was time for bed. I think I'll stay up a little.
Where did he go?
What great writing. I wasn't sure where this book would take me, but I'm glad it did when it did. I gasped with each revealed plot point, slowly understanding what everything meant and where the pieces of the puzzle fit.
The images which bound the spine of the story were fun and surprisingly intriguing to think about. I really couldn't figure out what they meant before the book explained their meanings, but I think that added to the shock. They reminded me a little bit of dingbats (or rebuses for some) in how one had to view (or rather, solve) them. I won't spoil.
I also have to mention the troubled cast of characters, beautifully carrying out their roles in the story. The world is small, but in this case, perhaps a little too small for comfort.
Overally, a spooky book that I liked reading. My only wish is that I hadn't finished it before it was time for bed. I think I'll stay up a little.
I'm glad they weren't bad.
It's a feel good, coming-of-age-but-already-of-age book that you would enjoy in a week - I certainly did. It has a nice mix of humour, British sarcasm, mysticism and growth.
It does have the usual tropes associated with placing fantasy in an unexpecting world: the friend who doesn't know, the hastily forged band of characters, the plot twist that completely wrecks the status quo. Tropes as they may be, I think they were portrayed and handled well.
There's a healthy balance of switching between the normal and the abnormal, with a dash of realism. It must have been exhausting to be unable to put your all into both your day and night jobs, in general - let alone while being tired.
The ending felt a little sped up compared to the rest of the book; I don't know if it's fantasy books in general but what I've been reading recently starts off quite slow and foundational, then events quickly become flash cards by the end. In this case, once I got to the last chapter, it became very "but then everything was okay in the end" and I think there may have been room to flesh out what happened in more detail. I was in no rush.
Overall, I liked it and I look forward to the second in the series.
I'm glad they weren't bad.
It's a feel good, coming-of-age-but-already-of-age book that you would enjoy in a week - I certainly did. It has a nice mix of humour, British sarcasm, mysticism and growth.
It does have the usual tropes associated with placing fantasy in an unexpecting world: the friend who doesn't know, the hastily forged band of characters, the plot twist that completely wrecks the status quo. Tropes as they may be, I think they were portrayed and handled well.
There's a healthy balance of switching between the normal and the abnormal, with a dash of realism. It must have been exhausting to be unable to put your all into both your day and night jobs, in general - let alone while being tired.
The ending felt a little sped up compared to the rest of the book; I don't know if it's fantasy books in general but what I've been reading recently starts off quite slow and foundational, then events quickly become flash cards by the end. In this case, once I got to the last chapter, it became very "but then everything was okay in the end" and I think there may have been room to flesh out what happened in more detail. I was in no rush.
Overall, I liked it and I look forward to the second in the series.
