Japanese Gothic A gothic dual-timeline novel of ghosts, hauntings and redemption

This was my first book by Kylie Lee Baker, and I was really curious about it. Of course, I had read the synopsis beforehand, but I didn't really know what to expect from the story itself. In the end, I was surprised by how interesting and different it was. The story follows two characters. On one side, we have Sen, who is the daughter of a samurai. She grows up wanting to become a great fighter herself and make her father proud. But because she's a girl, she constantly has to fight against the expectations placed on her. What really stood out to me was her relationship with her father. It's honestly quite brutal at times. He treats her more like a soldier than a daughter, and there is very little warmth between them. Still, Sen is deeply loyal to him, and you can see how much she wants his approval. From the beginning, though, it feels like something isn't right with her father. He returned from war a changed man, and there is this constant feeling that a bigger mystery is hiding behind his story. On the other side, we have Lee, who returns to his family home after fleeing from university. He's convinced that the police are after him after the death of his flatmate. His relationship with his father is just as strange and uncomfortable, and there are a lot of secrets surrounding his family as well. One of the main things driving Lee is the disappearance of his mother. She vanished years ago, and he has never been able to let go of the mystery. He has strange dreams and experiences that make him believe there is more to the story than anyone knows. What I really liked was the dual timeline. Sen lives in the past, while Lee lives in the present, with around a hundred years between them. Somehow, they are still able to see each other and interact. I won't say how because I don't want to spoil anything, but it creates a really interesting dynamic throughout the book. The atmosphere was probably one of my favorite parts. I love historical fantasy, especially stories set in Asia and stories involving samurai, so this setting was right up my alley. I also liked that Sen was the samurai figure in the story rather than a male character. As for the horror elements, I actually felt this was more of a mystery than a horror novel. Yes, there are some brutal scenes and moments that aren't exactly easy to digest, but the horror felt more subtle to me. A lot of it comes from the characters, their relationships, and the things hiding beneath the surface. There is definitely something dark hanging over the story, but it never felt overdone. The ending worked well for me overall. I figured out where Sen's storyline was heading fairly early on, but Lee's side surprised me more. It was sad in some ways, but it also felt fitting for the story that was being told. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It felt fresh and different from a lot of what I usually read, and the mystery kept me invested the whole way through. If you enjoy historical fantasy, family secrets, dual timelines, and mysteries with horror elements, I would definitely recommend giving this one a try. I'm also looking forward to reading more from Kylie Lee Baker in the future.

Es ist schon eine ganze Weile her, dass mich ein Buch derart durchgerüttelt und emotional aufgewühlt hat. Es fällt mir schwer, hier Worte zu finden. Ich bin zufällig drüber gestolpert, wurde neugierig, bin ohne konkrete Erwartungen reingegangen und wurde belohnt. Lee lebt im Jahr 2026. Er weiß, er hat seinen Mitbewohner getötet. An Einzelheiten erinnert er sich nicht. Lee, dessen leibliche Mutter verschwand, als er 12 war, flieht nach Japan, in das alte Samurai-Haus, das sein Vater mit seiner Lebensgefährtin Hina bewohnt. Dort trifft er schließlich auf eine junge Frau mit einem Schwert und ist sich sicher, sie ist ein Geist, gefesselt an das Haus. Sen lebt 1877 mit ihrer Familie im Exil in besagtem Haus. Ihr Vater, ein Samurai, formt aus ihr Zeit ihres Lebens mit unerbittlicher Härte und Grausamkeit eine Kriegerin, die den Tod nicht fürchten und keine Gnade kennen soll. Immer öfter sieht Sen im Haus einen Fremden. Ein böses Omen? Droht ihr und ihren Lieben Gefahr? Eigentlich unmöglich und vollkommen unbegreiflich, aber zu bestimmten Zeiten verbinden sich die unterschiedlichen Welten von Sen und Lee und beide finden zueinander. Aber warum ist das so, und was hat es für sie zu bedeuten? Beide Protagonisten sind innerlich kaputt, haltlos, traumatisiert. Beide versuchen verzweifelt, anderen gerecht zu werden und schaffen es nicht. Und beide versuchen irgendwie, sich gegenseitig zu retten. Bisweilen kam mir die Geschichte vor wie ein komplexer Fiebertraum. Das ständige Wechseln der Zeitebenen war eine Herausforderung. Aber die Autorin legt präzise jedes Puzzlestück an seinen Platz, bis man am Ende vor einem schlüssigen Gesamtbild steht. Die Elemente japanischer Mythologie, die sie immer wieder einfließen lässt, machen das Ganze noch runder. Mir gingen die Geschichten von Sen und Lee - ihre jeweils einzelnen und vor allem ihre kurze gemeinsame - wirklich unter die Haut. Ich werde diesen Read so schnell nicht vergessen.