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A review by curiouslykatt
The Graveyard Apartment by Mariko Koike
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Mixed bag of unease, spine-chilling creepiness, but a lingering of missing satisfaction.
A young couple along with their daughter and family dog move into a newly built apartment building: Central Plaza Mansion. The one big catch is location, the apartment complex neighbours a temple and graveyard. Which is all well and good, as long as the neighbours stay quiet and peaceful.
This is an extremely slow moving story and much of the horror is strictly psychological horror. There’s enough to create an overall feeling of unease, but not enough to throw you down a terror spiral.
I did spend a lot of time worrying Cookie (the dog) was going to be an early casualty to the building, which if you know me it’s the absolute worst for me.
This story does explore how grief and past jealousies can linger, fester and contribute to present day horrors.
Overall it’s an enjoyable enough read even with the overall experience being a bit lacklustre for what I was hoping for from the book.