The Suffering

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: The Suffering

Bound together, Tark and Okiku each have their own brand of hunting. Tark uses rituals to exorcise the dead, while Okiku avenges murdered children. When Okiku targets a boy from Tark's school for murderous intentions, Tark begins to doubt they are any better than those they kill. When they receive word that Kagura has gone missing in Japan's suicide forest, Aokigahara, the two must come to terms with how they feel and set their sights on the darkness within the forest.

In The Suffering, Rin Chupeco once again brings Japanese folklore to life. The horror that awaits in the forest is only the beginning for Tark and Okiku. As they began to search Aokigahara the casual ease bodies are found is disturbing, yet not entirely beyond the truth. Even before they reach the deeper mythology and spirits, the tone is set and it only gets darker as the story progresses.

As Tark and Okiku search for Kagura, the settings come to life in chilling clarity. You can hear the spirits as they claw across the ground on finger bones and gnash their teeth in attempts to kill Tark. And the horror as Tark begins to uncover what is hidden within the forest and what has been done to innocents makes your skin crawl.

Paranormal horror at its finest, I could continuously read books about Tark and Okiku fighting off the dead. Tark fends off the fear as best he can with sarcastic comebacks but doesn't hesitate to admit when he is beyond scared. Tark uses all he can at his disposal to trap and exorcise the spirits. And through it all you see Okiku fighting by his side, beginning to realize that she's more than just a vengeful spirit. The chemistry between the two is addicting. I highly recommend The Suffering to fans of horror.

Bravo! Seriously, this book was excellent. I made it evident that I wasn't a huge fan of Rin Chupeco's first book, The Girl From the Well. It started out strong, but it just didn't hold up the way I wanted it to. I wanted terror. I wanted ghosts. I'm happy to say that The Suffering offered all of that, and more. You know that feeling you get when a creepy story is getting to you? The feeling where spiders crawl up your back, and unseen eyes are watching you. That, is this book. It's glorious.

See, this book is entirely from Tark's point of view. That's the first thing that sold me. Seeing Okiku through his eyes, living her endless existence of revenge as a part of Tark's life, was something beautiful. It really pushed home the idea that these two are irrevocably linked. Plus, Tark was so much stronger this time around. The way this book begins, with a terrifying game of tag, shows that immediately. I can't deny, I think I love Tark as much as Okiku does now.

Better still, the main setting of this particular book is in the dense forests of Aokigahara. The “suicide forest” is a 35-square-kilometer death trap in real life. In this story, it's even more horrible than that. For a boy who can see ghosts, or more accurately for a boy whom ghosts can see like a beacon of light, Aokigahara isn't the safest place to be. I'll admit, this part of the book stole my breath away. The balance between tension, and all out terror, was right on point. I warn you, it's not for the faint of heart.

Rin Chupeco wholly impressed me, and I'm kind of hoping that there are more books coming in this series! I'll follow Tark and Okiku anywhere.