A tale of vengeance told in a hyper-sexualiized style reminiscent of Lafcadio Hearn. Fascinating, if not always interesting; Lags a bit in the middle. Includes a terrific faux-academic essay on the possibility of it being a lost tale of Hearn's. ( )

Ghost Story told in the style of Lafcadio Hearn, but much more sexualized, this novella gave me the creeps and goose pimples. ( )

This story lulls you in and then WHAM! hits you in the gut. Which, I don't like to be hit in the gut physically, but, in reading, it's great! The book was written as a 'found' Japanese folktale and is often likened to a darker Grimm's Fairytale. I found it to be more like an Aesop's Fable gone terribly, terribly wrong. Very explicit and graphic so definitely for mature audiences. I thought it was well written and stayed true to its voice throughout. Very unsettling. And that's good! ( )