The Suffering

Great series. This book focused more on the relationship between okiku and the boy than horror, but it was still really fun to read. I would have loved more horror and perspective of okiku, but I still absolutely love the story. Great author.

This is the second half (I can’t imagine there being more in this series, though I could be wrong) of the story begun in The Girl in the Well. That story was narrated by Okiku, the ghost of a young Japanese woman abused and murdered several centuries ago, who developed an understandable if bloodthirsty taste for stalking and destroying the abusers and killers of children. She found herself attracted to Tarquin, a half-Japanese modern teenage boy, and became his companion after helping to rid him of an evil spirit that had haunted him since childhood. The present novel is narrated by Tarquin, and his voice places the book squarely in YA territory.The main story focuses on Tarquin and Okiku’s search for their Japanese friend Kagura, a former shrine maiden, who has vanished after accompanying an American “ghost-hunter” TV crew into the so-called Suicide Forest in search of a mysterious village that is reputed to be hidden inside it. Kagura’s folklorist father had studied the village extensively and even claimed to have seen it himself, only to disappear when he attempted to return there, so Kagura hoped to find clues about what had happened to him by guiding the crew to the village. To rescue Kagura, Tarquin and Okiku must, in turn, locate the village and uncover its dark secrets. Bracketing this story is the question of what kind of relationship Tarquin and Okiku can have, given that she is a centuries-old ghost, and how that relationship might compare with a developing one that Tarquin has with Kendele, a girl in his high school. A second question is the degree to which Tarquin wants to take part in Okiku’s vengeance hunts and the degree to which they are justified: is it all right for her to kill someone who, she believes, will become a murderer in the future, when all he has done so far is commit a few rapes?I didn’t find Tarquin as interesting as Okiku, but I certainly enjoyed the story. As with the earlier book, its greatest strength is its portrayal of the fascinating, and very spooky, world of Japanese mythology and folk tales. (If you really want to visualize events in these two books, I recommend looking at the pictures in Dover’s electronic clip art anthology Japanese Ghosts and Demons http://smile.amazon.com/Japanese-Ghosts-Demons-CD-ROM-Electronic/dp/0486990524/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1454602708&sr=1-1.) There’s no sex in the books, but parts of them are very dark, “not for the faint of heart.” I hope the author will continue to explore this setting in other novels. Japanese Ghosts and Demons CD-ROM and Book (Dover Electronic Clip Art)

No part of YA Horror is in my wheel house. But I actually really liked this story. It took me a bit to remember what had happened in the first book (both read for Book Riot’s Read Harder challenges) but then a lot of things clicked into place for this story.It’s starts in an American High School, goes to Japan, there’s a haunted/possessed village, and some romance. It’s really well told and definitely creepy.

The Suffering by Rin Chupeco is the sequel to Girl From the Well. Tark and Okiku work together as a vigilante team ridding the world of murderers. They have to enter the Japanese forest that’s known for people committing suicide within its borders. Kagura is missing, so Callie, Tark and Okiku venture into the forest to find her and the American ghost hunting TV crew she went with. They were searching for a village that supposedly exists but no one has discovered it. The search party discovers horrific rituals and sacrifices that the village leader tricked the citizens into believing were helpful to the village, but the leader was sacrificing young women for personal power and to open Hell’s gates. Callie and Tark get split up and Tark encounters terrible, vengeful, angry spirits, members of the missing TV crew and eventually he finds Kagura. Together, Okiku, Tark and Kagura fight the spirit of the evil leader and try to appease the tortured spirits. Danger, suspense and creepiness made me want to read nonstop, 5 stars for this haunted sequel!

Bought as a birthday gift for my daughter….she flew through it!

The Suffering was an intense voyage in the minds of a teenager who is not only grasping the hormonal challenges most teen face but he is also in deep struggle with his spiritual gifts and purpose. Anyone who likes folklores, love story wrapped into the darkness. Will love this tale!! Like I do!!!!

I did not read book one of this series, but I did love this book. I was taken by Tark and Okiku! I think they are great characters. I was also taken by the story. Though most of the names in this book I am not sure I was saying in my head correctly (lol) I did my best. I love who Tark and Okiku helps ghosts trapped spirits. I did very much enjoy this book!

This is my new favorite author. I loved her first book, and I couldn't believe a second book in a series could be even better than the first. She tied in so many unique elements, such as the sorrow of the suicide forest, lost ruins and lost futures of new characters along with some of the same engaging characters from the first book. I look so forward to her next book or books. The characters are great, the story is suspenseful and I could not put it down.

I bought this one after I really enjoyed the first book. I really enjoyed this one too I read it in 24 hours. The story was brilliant and it is so easy to like the characters.

Me gusto más el primer libro, y eso a secas, ya que está historia va todavía maaaas lenta en llegar a lo emocionante del libro

Wonderfull book. The second after girl from the well. My son 9 likes scary books and he and I oved it. It is very well written, breathtaking. One of the best books. Some details are quite gruesome but always adding to the story. Can't wait to read Rin Chuoeco's next book.

Really really enjoyed this book! It was worth every penny and I actually had to put it down sometimes at night when it got alittle too scary.