Jessica

Japanese Gothic deals with two different characters across timelines: Lee Turner is from the year 2026 and has fled from America and gone to his father’s home in Japan after killing his roommate. Sen is a young girl in Japan in 1877, trying to become a samurai. Both live in the same house across centuries. However, Sen and Lee find a closet door that breaches between timelines and allows them to visit and communicate with each other. Will going back and forth throughout time change Lee and Sen’s destiny?

The story of Lee and Sen is a tragic one. Both have horrible family lives. Lee’s mother disappeared when he was a child while on vacation. She is presumed to be in a sex trafficking ring or dead. Lee’s father avoids communicating fully with him, which makes Lee feel alone. To avoid the pain of this, he self-medicates in order not to feel anything. Sen’s father is abusive. He and his friends are trying to force the government to bring the way of the samurai back. However, he came back as the sole survivor. Now, Sen had her family go into hiding from the government to stay alive. Ever since Sen’s father came back, he has been abusive to Sen, her brothers, and her mother. He especially focuses on Sen, making her think all the time that she is not worthy of becoming a samurai and is a constant disappointment.

The grief the characters feel is overwhelming. Lee is constantly haunted by the fact that he couldn’t save his mom. He hears her in his dreams asking him to save her, and he feels hopeless each time that he is not able to do anything. Sen is constantly worried about pleasing her father to her own detriment. She trains to the point that she is tired. She also refuses to argue with him, even though it is against her best self-interest, like when she was asked to watch her younger sister die and to cut off her mother’s fingers.

There is also a concept of an unreliable narrator. Lee had been drugging himself for years when the story starts, and he stops cold turkey once he gets to Japan. Because of the drugs, he doesn’t remember all the details of killing his roommate or even where he hid the body. It makes you wonder if he really killed anybody or not.

There is also the aspect of the memory being reliable as well. Both Lee and Sen have situations that their mothers put them through, some things that may have been more horrifying than they realized when they analyze events from an adult point of view. It shows how children try to think of a situation as safe, because no child wants to believe that their parent would actually hurt them. However, Lee and Sen slowly realize that their mothers caused them more trauma during their childhood than they would have liked.

The story is a very gripping tale of grief and tragedy. You feel for the characters during their struggles throughout the book, and how they go about trying to prepare for their destiny. In honor of the book, I have the following questions: If you had the chance to learn about your future, would you take it?

Every time I read this book, I hear the song Beyond the Sea by Bobby Darin. I think the song fits perfectly with the book. The sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea is told from the perspective of Arthur Parnassus. Like in the song, Arthur finally has everything he wants: his children (Lucy, Chauncy, Talia, Phee, Theodore, and Sal), his fiancée Linus Baker, and his friends Zoe and Helen. He has a place that is safe that he can call his own with the people he loves and cares about the most. Not only that, but the village beside the island seems to be more accepting of magical creatures. All the See Something, Say Something posters have been taken down throughout the village, and magical creatures can roam the village without being marginalized.

Everything seems to be going great. However, there is a storm brewing. Arthur has been called to testify before government officials about his dark times in the orphanage as a child. However, the government officials are not holding back on their hesitation and doubts about Arthur’s story. After Arthur loses his temper and brings out the phoenix in front of the government, his parenting is now called into question. Now, DICOMY wants to send a case worker to observe Arthur and his children to see if they are safe with him. Also, throughout this, Arthur and Linus take in another kid to the house, David, who has alternative views of their family dynamics. Will Arthur be able to keep his family together with so many forces against him?

There are several things that I like about this book. In the first book of the series, Arthur is often portrayed as very knowledgeable and calm. Nothing seems to really rattle him to make him lose his cool. However, we get to see a new side of Arthur in this book. The abuse he received as a child still haunts him and affects his decision. He feels like he has to be the bright light in the room for everyone so that everyone can survive and be happy. However, he soon discovers that he can’t take on the world’s problems by himself and that he has to work on fixing himself before he can help others.

I also like how the children progressed in the story. Not only are they thriving with their new powers, but they also work together to make their voices known. They have calm and productive conversations with Linus and Arthur to make them see their point of view. It was very refreshing to see the kids voice their opinions on things, and that they don’t back down. Sal, in particular, has become the leader among the kids and helps to make sure all of their voices are heard.

The one concept that I am glad that they focused on is the definition of “monster”. Despite the government saying that they are trying to do the best for magical children, they still use the propaganda of See Something, Say Something to instill fear of the magical community and that humans need to be separated from them for their own safety. However, the new character, David, brings his own definition of monster to the island. He thinks that it is great to be a monster because he knows that people sometimes like to be scared for fun. He doesn’t think of being a monster as negative, but as a service to provide people. It is interesting to see him reclaim a word that has caused so many problems on Marsyas Island, and allows the inhabitants to have a new perspective on the word.

Overall, I really liked the book because it illustrates how a family will fight with everything they have to protect one another. I also like how it exposes how governments try to keep certain groups of people marginalized. It illustrates that we as a society have to fight for those who are marginalized to make the world a better place. In the spirit of the book, I ask the following question: How far would you go to protect those that you love?

What happens if you can randomly disappear without a trace? That is the state the world is in, in the book Absence. People are popping, also known as Spontaneous Human Absence. The only thing you hear before a person disappears is a loud pop, and then they are gone. This has caused chaos, including cults, mass suicides, and an uptick in murders and kidnappings. However, one of the people who is trying to control the chaos is Harvey Ellis, who works night shift for the Bureau of Depopulation Affairs. It is a government agency that investigates people who are believed to be Absence. If they are truly Absence, the Absence’s remainders get government stipends in an effort to boost morale in the country.

One day, Harvey is given an unexpected assignment: a claim of a Return. In Dawnville, Kansas, a woman who was thought to be Absent is claiming to have returned from the void. She is spreading the word that there is a life after popping. However, can Harvey truly trust the story the woman is spreading, or is she just another rising prophet looking for a flock? Harvey and his partner, Shonda, head to Dawnville to find out.

How would people randomly disappearing out of existence change society? It is an interesting concept that the novel explores. Being alone is considered a dangerous option. If you are alone and you pop, no one would know. There would be no way to tell if you disappeared of your own volition, kidnapped, or popped. It causes people instead to use monitoring systems on themselves so they can constantly update loved ones of their continued existence.

It was also interesting to see how technology changed during this. Transportation had to be automated, including planes, trains, buses, and cars, because if someone popped, there would be no one to control the vehicle. There are still transportation systems that could be run manually, but you couldn’t work it alone. You have to travel at least in pairs.

There is also the concept of a skeptic versus a believer. With people continuously disappearing at a rapid rate with no end in sight, people are looking for answers. In the book, Harvey came across a person who worshipped every known religion just in case one of them would prevent him from popping. In regard to the current case that Harvey is on, he constantly fights with Shonda over the woman who claims that she returned from the void. Harvey desperately wants to believe the woman because there is hope in her story that there is something beyond the popping. However, Shonda believes that the returned woman is pulling the wool over their eyes. The constant back and forth throughout the book illustrates the hope we put on people, especially when it is dealing with the unknown.

One of the things that I found fascinating in the book is how religion changed. People understand the concept of death, but how do you explain the concept of sudden disappearance? Do you treat it like a death or something unexplained? In the book, many different religions are explored. Some new religions are created to explain Absence. Cults had an uprising. Religions like the Catholic Church splinter off into smaller groups, not liking the original teachings. It is interesting to see people’s faith shaken and looking for answers anywhere they can get them. It is more about what makes a person feel safe versus what is right or wrong.

Overall, I really like the book. It makes you wonder how you feel safe in a world where you could randomly disappear without any warning, whether it's through community, religion, or technology. In the spirit of the book, I have the following question: How would you continue to live life with people randomly disappearing out of existence?

What would you do if you were the only one of your kind left in this world? That is a question answered by Atticus O’ Sullivan, the last living Druid. He has hidden himself for centuries from the god of love, Aneghus Og. Atticus took the magical sword Fragarach, which Aneghus thinks rightfully belongs to him because it will give him unlimited power to rule over the realm of the gods. Atticus has fought off Aneghus’ minions throughout the century.

Currently, Atticus pretends to be a 21-year-old in the college town of Tempe, Arizona. He likes it there because the Fae can’t travel there easily. Atticus runs a business called the Third Eye Books and Herbs. Despite the lack of Fae in the area, there are plenty of supernatural creatures around, including werewolves, vampires, witches, etc. Atticus is kept company by his loyal wolfhound, Oberon, with whom he is able to communicate telepathically.

Life is good for Atticus until he receives a warning from the Morrigan, a goddess of death. She tells him that Aneghus is near and will be coming for Atticus himself. Now, Atticus has to decide if he should keep running or finish Aneghus once and for all. What will he choose?

I liked the book that shows how supernatural beings fit into the modern world. They have regular jobs, but try to keep their magical side a secret. Seeing them try to blend into society is entertaining.

I also like how the book deals with the different gods. Each god has their own agenda and doesn’t mind messing with people’s lives to get to their goal, especially Atticus. It leads Atticus to wonder whom he should really trust or if he is really alone in dealing with the gods.

One of the most entertaining characters of the book is Oberon. His happy devotion to Atticus is adorable. He also has interesting commentary on the different beings that Atticus interacts with, which makes Atticus laugh a lot of the time.

Overall, I think the book was good. It is wonderful if you like mythology mixed with urban fantasy. There are ten books in this series. I am curious to see how the story continues. After reading this, my question to you is the following: What would you do if you were the last of your kind left on Earth, especially if there were forces against you?

So what happens when your friend accidentally unleashes supernatural forces on the whole neighborhood? You get Suburban Hell. We follow Amy and her group of friends: Melissa, Jess, and Liz. They have been the best of friends for several years, having met at the school their kids attend. They consider themselves the outsiders of the moms in their neighborhood because they are not obsessed with all the pageantry that their neighborhood subscribes to. The story starts innocuously enough. The girls are having one of their get-togethers at Liz’s house. She is excited to start work on her She Shed in the backyard. She wanted it to be the girls’ new hangout. She eagerly shows them the dig site, but when they look at the empty hole where the shed is supposed to be built, they notice a weird presence in the air and an odd smell.

They slowly dismissed everything, but then things started to change. Amy, Melissa, and Jess went to Liz’s house later and noticed she was acting strangely. Her facial expressions are off, she was dressing differently, her attitude drastically changed for the worse, and she didn’t seem to care about the house and kids anymore. Amy tried to reach out to Liz; however, Liz lured Amy outside. Liz’s face morphs into something sinister as she pushes Amy into the pit outside her house. While in the pit, Amy feels herself being sucked down by a supernatural force. She barely escaped, but she is left with a nasty wound. Amy knows that whatever she saw was not her friend, and she is determined that with the help of Melissa and Jess, they can save Liz. However, whatever is possessing Liz is not going out without a fight, and somehow Amy’s little daughter Emily seems to have a connection to the evil presence within Liz.

The books explore several main themes. Moms are expected to take on the household. They are expected to take care of the kids, have food ready, and plan activities. There is also a theme of women not being believed. I found it quite baffling that none of the husbands believed their wives about the supernatural things happening in the neighborhood, especially with the obvious changes with Liz. The husbands all assume that Liz is either having a tough time or a break in reality.

One of the things that I like in the book is that it asks the following question: How far would you go for your friend when they are in serious trouble, especially when it is beyond your comprehension? It is an interesting thing to think about. We see the women in the book struggle a lot with that question, which I found very realistic. I also like how they explore how friendships sometimes work. Sometimes, you are only with friends for a season. It may take you a while until you find your tribe.

There were a couple of things I didn’t like about the book. I didn’t like the way the husbands tried to explain away the supernatural events that were happening in the book when it was obvious something was off. I also hated Liz’s husband, Tim. I don’t understand how he could be so indifferent to the changes that were happening with his wife. Lastly, I didn’t like how the Emily situation was resolved. I thought that there would be more to it, but it just fell flat.

Overall, I did like the book. I liked how Amy was the anchor for all of them and how they worked together. The ending leaves an opening for a second possible book. I look forward to what comes next if they continue the story.