The second installment of Strange Houses brings a very clever new mystery for the reader to work through. In this instance, there are 11 files containing 11 strange buildings. Each one brings something new to the table. The big question is, how are they all intertwined?
How these all came together was very clever, and while I was able to loosely see some of the connections, I was unable to see the whole picture until the author laid it out for me. Once all the pieces of the puzzle were laid out, it was amazing to see how intricately woven everything was.
What I really found helpful (since I’m not the brightest) was after the reader had the opportunity to review all 11 files, the resolution was explained by showing all the different pieces of evidence and how they tied together. My only quibble was some of this became a bit redundant as it would refer to certain aspects of the files multiple times. But I appreciated the little bit of redundancy in order to make sure I understood how everything tied together.
Strange Pictures will still be my favorite, but this one comes a close second. There is no need to read Strange Houses first, but a few characters are revisited, specifically the author’s architect friend, Kurihara. Fingers crossed there’s another installment on the horizon!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
Some books scare you with monsters. Some scare you with killers. Strange Buildings scares you with something far more unsettling: spaces.
Uketsu has this uncanny ability to make architecture feel alive—and not in a comforting way. From the very first eerie location, I knew this was not going to be a traditional mystery. This is a story built out of rooms, hallways, walls, and invisible lines that quietly whisper, something terrible happened here.
Each building in this book feels like its own haunted memory. A hut in the woods. A house that remembers violence. A prison that seems designed not just to hold bodies, but to crush minds. A home that burns not just with fire, but with buried guilt. Every chapter drops you into a new structure, and every structure feels like a fragment of a larger nightmare waiting to be assembled.
What makes this book so addictive is the way it treats the reader like a detective without ever saying so. You aren’t handed neat clues—you’re given blueprints, odd details, missing rooms, strange inconsistencies. And slowly, without realizing it, your brain starts to connect things. Why does this wall exist? Why does this corridor lead nowhere? Why does this space feel wrong?
And then it hits you: These buildings aren’t just settings. They’re evidence.
Uketsu’s storytelling is icy and methodical, but emotionally devastating beneath the surface. As the puzzle tightens, it becomes clear that something truly monstrous connects all of these places. Not a single villain—but a pattern. A human horror that spreads through design, intention, and silence.
By the time the truth begins to emerge, I didn’t want to believe it. Not because it was confusing—but because it was horrifying in a very real, very human way. This isn’t a book that screams at you. It watches you. It lets you put the pieces together. And when you finally see the full picture, it lingers.
Strange Buildings is the kind of mystery that leaves you staring at your ceiling afterward, thinking about walls, doors, and the things people try to hide behind them.
Special thanks to NetGalley and HarperVia for sharing this unique, puzzle-driven thriller’s digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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Leitura ⭐⭐⭐⭐🦾🦿 (quatro estrelas, uma prótese de braço esquerdo e perna direita)
Não precisa ler o primeiro livro para ler esse, são a mesma temática, mas não são necessariamente conectados.
A cada documento que eu lia (são 11 no total), as histórias iam se encaixando e ao final, as teorias que vão se formando surpreendem e envolvem o leitor nessa história de vingança, culpa e redenção.
Recomendo demais esta leitura se você gosta de mistério e cultura japonesa.
Acredito que eu teria suspeitado de coisas mais cedo se eu soubesse mais sobre a geografia e cultura do Japão, mas o livro explica tão bem, que eu não senti falta do conhecimento prévio.
Ops! The 11 stories were 5 stars, the final chapter was 2 stars at best.
Maybe Uketsu started watching Turkish dramas? It was all too ridiculous and melodramatic for my taste. Adored the structure and tone of voice as always though, but I really really got so bored with the final chapter where the puzzle is put together 😭
The info dumps and repetitions are insane, and I say this as someone who HAAAAATES when people criticize repetition in Japanese books cause they don’t get that the language per se is like that. Still, the last chapter was too much, we didn’t need to re-read every single story and dialogue 300 times!
I’ll still always support Uketsu but that’s my least favorite of the 3!
Gostei bastante da leitura, as leituras dos livros dele são sempre gostosas, rápidas por serem muito dinâmicas e intrigantes. Algumas das histórias são um pouco pesadas e cruéis, mais do que o dos outros livros, mas o livro é bom. As coisas se amarram bem e são bem explicadas e, apesar de as reviravoltas serem um pouco absurdas, achei as desse livro mais plausíveis e explicadas do que nos livros anteriores. A coisa que mais me incomodou mais foi a retratação da mulher, que segue a regra dos livros anteriores e a tendência de mostrar o pior das pessoas. É esperado, dentro do gênero, mas estou um pouco cansada de como o autor costuma fazer a dinâmica. Ainda assim, livro sólido, que vale a leitura.
Thank you Pushkin Press for sending me an arc ❤️ This was one of my most anticipated books of 2026 after LOVING Strange Pictures last years. This is my second favourite Uketsu book by far, there's just something so addictive about the writing that you don't want to stop once you've started. I love playing detective and the mixed media is always so fun 😁
Thank you to Edelweiss and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!
I really do enjoy Uketsu’s novels. He is a master at puzzles and mystery. This one was pretty much a larger scale version of Strange Houses, where a group of 11 buildings come together to paint a sinister story. I just can’t get over how great that one guy is in all these stories. Why isn’t he working for the FBI? You show him a piece of paper and he knows exactly who the killer is in 5 minutes. It’s honestly a little silly and far fetched, but I still do like the big reveals at the end. I mean the whole explanation about the 1st house was so out there that there is literally no way you could have known that! But he did somehow. The ending story to this was honestly so sad. Like the 2 big reveals at the end were devastating. I know a lot of people in the reviews said they gave up listening about the different buildings but it does get really good!! You just have to stay for the entire mystery to be revealed. While I think a lot of this is kind of out there in terms of explanation, you have to turn your brain off and just enjoy the ride with these books.
don’t you hate it when your most anticipated read turns out to be the most disappointing one 😭😭 this tried so hard to replicate strange houses but it was ten times more convoluted and ten times less rewarding. all that build-up really didn’t lead to anything worth gasping over. should have just kept it short and sweet 🤷♀️
Vẫn là Uketsu nhưng theo mình thì ổn hơn Ngôi nhà kỳ quái và Bức tranh kỳ quái. Ngôi nhà 2 có điểm lai giữa 2 cuốn trước. Phần các câu chuyện mà tác giả thu thập về các kiến trúc nhà kỳ lạ được viết ổn, khá hay và thú vị. Kiểu này mà đọc vào tháng 7 cũng hãi phết.
Tuy nhiên, Uketsu với mình chỉ nên dừng ở đoạn mấy cái kỳ quái, ko nên logic tẹo nào. Bằng chứng là đến phần luận giải hồ sơ thì vẫn y như 2 cuốn trước, khiên cưỡng (do xây dựng theo hướng suy luận mà giả định quá nhiều). Đương nhiên với 1 cây bút Internet thì điều tiên quyết là lượt view và cách những phần đầu đã làm rất tốt vai trò giải trí này, thì việc giải thích có khiên cưỡng tý cũng không sao. Với ngôi nhà kỳ quái 2, lý do của những bản thiết kế kỳ quái và câu chuyện phía sau mình không thích vì có những tình tiết mà gây sự "chíu khọ" ở trong lòng cho mình. Không khuyến cáo đọc với những trái tym đa sầu đa cảm.
Tóm lại, nếu bạn đang chán nản, ngại đau đầu lười phải nghĩ, thì okelah, Uketsu là lựa chọn tốt để xả não. Nếu bạn muốn giải trí thì nên đọc!
Cuốn sách 5 sao đầu tiên của năm 2025!!! Tưởng chừng đọc 12 chương như là truyện ngắn nhưng không :))) Với cái não tầm vũ trụ của Uketsu chắp nối 12 chương đó lại một cách gọi là hoàn hảo Twist này đi hết twist kia mà nó lại lạ thì kiểu này đối vs mình nó đọc rất là dính
Strange Buildings || Uketsu, Jim Rion (Penterjemah)
Selepas kejayaan buku Strange Houses, penulis kembali dengan kisah misteri yang seterusnya, Strange Buildings. Buku kali ini membawa kita menyelusuri 11 kisah tentang tempat yang mempunyai kisah misteri.
Pada awalnya, kesemua 11 kisah akan membuatkan pembaca tertanya-tanya apakah pengakhiran bagi setiap cerita. Sehinggalah anda tiba pada bahagian akhir selepas cerita ke 11. Di sinilah segalanya terungkai. Satu demi satu kekusutan terurai pabila penulis dan rakannya berjaya menyelesaikan titik titik misteri yang terkait antara satu sama lain.
Saya kira penulis sebenarnya punya idea yang kreatif. Hanya menjadikan pelan lantai bangunan sebagai penggerak cerita, rasa seram itu berjaya muncul dengan bersahaja tatkala membaca setiap bab. Untuk penggemar siri "Strange" dari Uketsu, jangan lepaskan peluang untuk mendapatkan karya ini.
ARC 📖 Review: Strange Buildings by Uketsu ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5 stars) Pub Date: March 3, 2026.
Okay, not my favorite of the three books, but I still really enjoyed this one! It immediately pulled me in, with the files all having that unsettling premise and the feeling that they all connect, but you don’t know how yet. When they finally did start connecting, it just felt so repetitive and like there were too many stories trying to be woven together.
Thank you @netgalley and @harpervia for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
🏘️🏢
A lonely hut in the woods. A murder house. A hidden chamber. A mysterious shrine. A home in flames. A nightmarish prison. . . .
Each of the buildings in this book tells a chilling story. Each one is part of a puzzle. Look closely . . . and you'll see that everything is connected. All leading to a revelation so horrifying you won't want to believe it.
o começo do livro estava achando meio monótono, tanto que pela metade eu parei e depois voltei. Mas da metade pra frente você vai entendendo mais ou menos onde ele quer chegar e tu vai engajando. Ainda não decidi se achei o final meio forçado com aquelas relações mas sei que ainda acho o Kurihara um baita personagem.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.