What do you think?
Rate this book
KL Tower of Terror
Suria embarks on a vertical marathon up the KL Tower but quickly finds themselves isolated in a nightmarish environment. The service stairwell transforms into a haunted, oppressive space as they encounter fellow runners collapsed on the stairs, disembodied cries for medics, and eerie atmospheric shifts.
As the climb becomes increasingly surreal, Suria’s psychological state deteriorates. Unsettling physical sensations, like tremors underfoot and disorienting movements in the tower, heighten the tension.
KL Tower of Terror explores themes of isolation, fear of the unknown, and the human desire to push forward despite an overwhelming sense of danger.
As the climb becomes increasingly surreal, Suria’s psychological state deteriorates. Unsettling physical sensations, like tremors underfoot and disorienting movements in the tower, heighten the tension.
KL Tower of Terror explores themes of isolation, fear of the unknown, and the human desire to push forward despite an overwhelming sense of danger.
248 pages, Paperback
First published May 23, 2025
13 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 28, 2025
Hmm tak faham the ending. But I really like the writing though.
July 3, 2025
I’m quite confused about what just happened?? does this mean Suria died during the event? The story feels very repetitive, though I genuinely enjoy the author’s writing style. I just wish the execution had been clearer and approached differently. It’s unfortunate, because I really liked the premise. With a title that mentions “terror”, I was expecting more action or intensity.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 8, 2025
The writing felt like poetry. Author is really good in describing something that spiral, twisted, making you feel uneasy sama dengan the character.
Plot dia pendek je. Tapi the fact that she can write ‘the same thing’ in different styles is what captivated me to finish this book. Macam, at the end of the book, I pun habis marathon sama dengan the main character
Plot dia pendek je. Tapi the fact that she can write ‘the same thing’ in different styles is what captivated me to finish this book. Macam, at the end of the book, I pun habis marathon sama dengan the main character
June 9, 2025
this book could be a hit or a miss. don't read my review if you have this book in your possession and are planning to read it because it might affect your impression.
first of all, Nayli Nasran has a beautiful writing style. i love how the the author made the connection between the steps in the race and Suria's life since childhood, and i definitely would love to explore more books from Nayli Nasran in the future.
i was also in awe of how she could portray the same feeling of being lost but in different ways in different scenes. however, at one point it felt rather repetitive to me because nothing else was happening except for the cycle of Suria feeling like giving up, then sensing someone/something watching her, then rising up the steps again.
i still pushed through the book because i was hoping that the ending could unravel the repetitive things that keep haunting Suria, like a moment of "OH THAT'S WHY", sadly it never came. i was utterly confused after reading the ending. i thought i was okay with open-ending books, but this book apparently proved me wrong? i was speechless because i didn't know what to think with the ending. i do have my interpretation (included in the last part of my review), but there are still a lot of plot points and questions that were left unanswered, which is why i feel like i didn't understand the ending. if given the chance, i'd love to join a discussion with the author/editorial team to understand the message behind the ending.
overall, a good debut book especially for people who enjoy open-ended books. you can check out @shahridzuanpages's review on Instagram, he enjoyed KL Tower of Terror and figured that this is his favourite book from the publisher, Bookiut so far.
my interpretations:
first of all, Nayli Nasran has a beautiful writing style. i love how the the author made the connection between the steps in the race and Suria's life since childhood, and i definitely would love to explore more books from Nayli Nasran in the future.
i was also in awe of how she could portray the same feeling of being lost but in different ways in different scenes. however, at one point it felt rather repetitive to me because nothing else was happening except for the cycle of Suria feeling like giving up, then sensing someone/something watching her, then rising up the steps again.
i still pushed through the book because i was hoping that the ending could unravel the repetitive things that keep haunting Suria, like a moment of "OH THAT'S WHY", sadly it never came. i was utterly confused after reading the ending. i thought i was okay with open-ending books, but this book apparently proved me wrong? i was speechless because i didn't know what to think with the ending. i do have my interpretation (included in the last part of my review), but there are still a lot of plot points and questions that were left unanswered, which is why i feel like i didn't understand the ending. if given the chance, i'd love to join a discussion with the author/editorial team to understand the message behind the ending.
overall, a good debut book especially for people who enjoy open-ended books. you can check out @shahridzuanpages's review on Instagram, he enjoyed KL Tower of Terror and figured that this is his favourite book from the publisher, Bookiut so far.
my interpretations:
June 20, 2025
This book took me on a wild emotional rollercoaster I was not prepared for. One of the things I loved most was the writing style—it’s witty, light, and super easy to read. The author pulls you in with a fun, almost casual vibe, but as the story goes on, the tone shifts. What starts off as a simple race up KL Tower turns into something much darker and more psychological than I ever expected (my bad, I forgot the title).
We follow Suria, the main character, on an endless climb. I thought I was in for a thrilling race story. Ugh, I was so wrong. As Suria faces this never-ending journey, it becomes clear that this is more than just a physical climb—it’s deep and emotional. I’m pretty sure the people at the coffee shop thought I was having a meltdown, with my jaw hanging open the whole time. Might have to avoid that place for a bit.
And then—the twist. I won’t spoil anything, but the ending left me absolutely breathless. That final line: “Do you understand now, Suria?” hit me like a ton of bricks. Honestly, I still don’t fully understand… and maybe I’m not supposed to. That’s part of the brilliance. The open ending leaves everything hanging, making you question everything that came before it.
In conclusion, KL Tower of Terror isn’t just a book—it’s an experience. It’s haunting, mind-bending, and emotional in ways I didn’t expect. If you’re looking for a story that’ll leave you questioning things long after the final page, this is it. Just be warned: the emotional impact stays with you.
We follow Suria, the main character, on an endless climb. I thought I was in for a thrilling race story. Ugh, I was so wrong. As Suria faces this never-ending journey, it becomes clear that this is more than just a physical climb—it’s deep and emotional. I’m pretty sure the people at the coffee shop thought I was having a meltdown, with my jaw hanging open the whole time. Might have to avoid that place for a bit.
And then—the twist. I won’t spoil anything, but the ending left me absolutely breathless. That final line: “Do you understand now, Suria?” hit me like a ton of bricks. Honestly, I still don’t fully understand… and maybe I’m not supposed to. That’s part of the brilliance. The open ending leaves everything hanging, making you question everything that came before it.
In conclusion, KL Tower of Terror isn’t just a book—it’s an experience. It’s haunting, mind-bending, and emotional in ways I didn’t expect. If you’re looking for a story that’ll leave you questioning things long after the final page, this is it. Just be warned: the emotional impact stays with you.
July 6, 2025
First of all, the premise of the story is interesting. A haunted vertical race up the KL Tower is a novel plot point that I don't really see anywhere, so I picked up this book.
There are things I like in it but there are more that I don't. The writing itself at the start is quite good, the prose isn't too flowery. But it reached to a point where the wording gets too repetitive because the writing becomes too descriptive. In the first half of the book, there are good attempts of connection between Suria's childhood ambitions that led to her decision to participate in the race. But then when things started to be disorienting as the race started, the writing got a bit haywire. I probably couldn't flip more than 5 pages without seeing the word "oppressive" or "(insert description of whatever's happening), as if blablabla". These to me should have been minimised to prompt readers to be more anticipating, leaving room for interpretation. But instead, we're fed by all these unnecessary descriptions. A good few rounds of editing should be able to solve this, I think.
I don't dislike Suria as a character. I think she is brave and ambitious but sadly,I can't quite connect with her character. At first she was described to be an introverted bookworm who wasn't as athletic as her aunt, she was never one for physical activities. Then suddenly she joined races at school, went to many marathons etc. So which one is she actually? The loneliness she felt about her family also felt disjointed and distant, it was surface level to me. She perceived family get-togethers as a forgotten norm rather than actually understanding the culture behind it. Despite that, I really like the appreciation that Suria had for Kuala Lumpur and its architecture.
Another thing that bothered me was Suria’s wasted potential to guide the readers into understanding the ending. Suria is very smart, she makes sharp observations of her surroundings, but she does not connect the dots. For example ‘xxxxx is happening (description of current event. Maybe a shadow lurking in the corner etc), it is as if yyyyyy (interpretation of the event. The shadow feels like a watcher or an oppressive force)” and then what does the “yyyyy” might symbolize for the direction of the story?
Now it is explicit that the claustrophobic experience during the race as well as the abnormal happenstances refer to Suria’s internal struggles and I understand the message. But I don’t think that they’re substantiated enough to be convincing due to repetitive occurrences. It’s formulaic, something happens, Suria observes the situation descriptively, then she brushes it off and continue walking. It was like 60% into the book that she only started to speculate that the Tower was haunted, and even then she did not make any inferences between her then interpretations from her observation with what they might entail.
This is why the ending feels lacklustre to me. I like open endings, some of my favourite books have open endings, but only if they are done well. I feel like the ending was a cop out to create a dramatic flair of horror after the race. Instead of shock that I should feel as a reader, I only felt disappointed because the ending felt lazy as the story did not have good foreshadowing and development. We were fed with incessant descriptions throughout the race but then the ending tried to be vague. It feels out of place. The ending itself isn’t bad actually, it was just not properly built upon a foundation set by the story prior.
Overall, I think this is an okay debut from the author and there are room for improvements for future publications.
There are things I like in it but there are more that I don't. The writing itself at the start is quite good, the prose isn't too flowery. But it reached to a point where the wording gets too repetitive because the writing becomes too descriptive. In the first half of the book, there are good attempts of connection between Suria's childhood ambitions that led to her decision to participate in the race. But then when things started to be disorienting as the race started, the writing got a bit haywire. I probably couldn't flip more than 5 pages without seeing the word "oppressive" or "(insert description of whatever's happening), as if blablabla". These to me should have been minimised to prompt readers to be more anticipating, leaving room for interpretation. But instead, we're fed by all these unnecessary descriptions. A good few rounds of editing should be able to solve this, I think.
I don't dislike Suria as a character. I think she is brave and ambitious but sadly,I can't quite connect with her character. At first she was described to be an introverted bookworm who wasn't as athletic as her aunt, she was never one for physical activities. Then suddenly she joined races at school, went to many marathons etc. So which one is she actually? The loneliness she felt about her family also felt disjointed and distant, it was surface level to me. She perceived family get-togethers as a forgotten norm rather than actually understanding the culture behind it. Despite that, I really like the appreciation that Suria had for Kuala Lumpur and its architecture.
Another thing that bothered me was Suria’s wasted potential to guide the readers into understanding the ending. Suria is very smart, she makes sharp observations of her surroundings, but she does not connect the dots. For example ‘xxxxx is happening (description of current event. Maybe a shadow lurking in the corner etc), it is as if yyyyyy (interpretation of the event. The shadow feels like a watcher or an oppressive force)” and then what does the “yyyyy” might symbolize for the direction of the story?
Now it is explicit that the claustrophobic experience during the race as well as the abnormal happenstances refer to Suria’s internal struggles and I understand the message. But I don’t think that they’re substantiated enough to be convincing due to repetitive occurrences. It’s formulaic, something happens, Suria observes the situation descriptively, then she brushes it off and continue walking. It was like 60% into the book that she only started to speculate that the Tower was haunted, and even then she did not make any inferences between her then interpretations from her observation with what they might entail.
This is why the ending feels lacklustre to me. I like open endings, some of my favourite books have open endings, but only if they are done well. I feel like the ending was a cop out to create a dramatic flair of horror after the race. Instead of shock that I should feel as a reader, I only felt disappointed because the ending felt lazy as the story did not have good foreshadowing and development. We were fed with incessant descriptions throughout the race but then the ending tried to be vague. It feels out of place. The ending itself isn’t bad actually, it was just not properly built upon a foundation set by the story prior.
Overall, I think this is an okay debut from the author and there are room for improvements for future publications.
July 4, 2025
Personal Rating: 2.8 stars
I liked the idea, the premise of the whole book. I knew this book wasn't for me from the beginning but I wanted to give it a try at reading something new and this... was new. I'd like to appreciate the author's hard work and dedication in making this book happen. Congratulations!
It was kind of underwhelming for me because my expectations were high. The book is 'KL Tower of Terror' so I was expecting terror. I was expecting toe curling drop dead mind blowing plot twists. But... yeah... my expectations were kind high for this. I was slightly disappointed.
I'm kind of glad the book made me spiral a little? I was questioning everything as I flipped the pages. I felt like I was being gaslighted by Suria. Like gurlll, go back?? Why you keep running? Ha, that, was brilliant. That messed with my brain. That... made an impact on me for sure.
There are some things that were left unanswered... but maybe that's the idea? Maybe the author wants us to question everything and leave us to stare at the wall, dazed and confused. Haha. Some improvements can be made, some background information for some characters, stretching out some scenes, add more plot twist.
For what it's worth, this book is good for the right readers. It's just wasn't for me.
I'd suggest this book to early teens - teens, for them to get insights on how to write a story because the way the author wrote this? Absolutely descriptive. It was so easy to imagine everything. I respect that.
Keep on writing. Don't stop here :)
I liked the idea, the premise of the whole book. I knew this book wasn't for me from the beginning but I wanted to give it a try at reading something new and this... was new. I'd like to appreciate the author's hard work and dedication in making this book happen. Congratulations!
It was kind of underwhelming for me because my expectations were high. The book is 'KL Tower of Terror' so I was expecting terror. I was expecting toe curling drop dead mind blowing plot twists. But... yeah... my expectations were kind high for this. I was slightly disappointed.
I'm kind of glad the book made me spiral a little? I was questioning everything as I flipped the pages. I felt like I was being gaslighted by Suria. Like gurlll, go back?? Why you keep running? Ha, that, was brilliant. That messed with my brain. That... made an impact on me for sure.
There are some things that were left unanswered... but maybe that's the idea? Maybe the author wants us to question everything and leave us to stare at the wall, dazed and confused. Haha. Some improvements can be made, some background information for some characters, stretching out some scenes, add more plot twist.
For what it's worth, this book is good for the right readers. It's just wasn't for me.
I'd suggest this book to early teens - teens, for them to get insights on how to write a story because the way the author wrote this? Absolutely descriptive. It was so easy to imagine everything. I respect that.
Keep on writing. Don't stop here :)
June 13, 2025
[Paid collaboration with Bookiut]
It's when you DON'T KNOW...
... that you'll get chills!
This is by far my favourite book from the publisher.
Psychological thrillers are a tricky read. They usually either fall flat for me or they tie me up in knots and get me all confused.
Not this.
Tower Of Terror ushers in Suria, who is determined to make it to the top of the KL Tower in a race. If you're guessing it would be mostly about the trials of her upward steps, you may be right, but not in the typical sense of the word.
When strange things started to happen as Suria battled her way up the skyscraper, I found myself sailing through the pages. The atmosphere developed gracefully before wrapping me in questions and spine chillers. Before I knew it, I was pretty immersed in the corners of the steps, rooting for Suria as she fought her way through the unknown.
The element of thriller at play here is right up my alley. Nothing is certain. Everything felt off. The sense of discomfort truly propelled the plot forwards.
I'm impressed by the creative use of a single setting to conjure a rather multi-dimensional experience. The author worked my sensors pretty good with this one.
My only caution would be the final portion of the book. Depending on the type of reader you are, the final pages could serve different experiences. Regardless, I strongly feel this is a book worth picking up!
It's when you DON'T KNOW...
... that you'll get chills!
This is by far my favourite book from the publisher.
Psychological thrillers are a tricky read. They usually either fall flat for me or they tie me up in knots and get me all confused.
Not this.
Tower Of Terror ushers in Suria, who is determined to make it to the top of the KL Tower in a race. If you're guessing it would be mostly about the trials of her upward steps, you may be right, but not in the typical sense of the word.
When strange things started to happen as Suria battled her way up the skyscraper, I found myself sailing through the pages. The atmosphere developed gracefully before wrapping me in questions and spine chillers. Before I knew it, I was pretty immersed in the corners of the steps, rooting for Suria as she fought her way through the unknown.
The element of thriller at play here is right up my alley. Nothing is certain. Everything felt off. The sense of discomfort truly propelled the plot forwards.
I'm impressed by the creative use of a single setting to conjure a rather multi-dimensional experience. The author worked my sensors pretty good with this one.
My only caution would be the final portion of the book. Depending on the type of reader you are, the final pages could serve different experiences. Regardless, I strongly feel this is a book worth picking up!
July 21, 2025
I really like this author’s writing style, which is not surprising since she is a poet. I can clearly see traces of NF Afrina’s writing in her work. To me, the story carries thousands of hidden meanings. It all depends on how the reader chooses to interpret the ending and the reasons behind what happened. Personally, I believe Suria might have died during the climb, possibly when the tower collapsed. Ever since, her ghost has been wandering the place, which explains why she could sense time shifting and behaving differently there.
Regarding the part about Surah Yasin, it is also possible that Suria did not actually die. She might have simply gone missing, trapped in a time loop within the tower. I am genuinely curious about what the writer is trying to convey here. I also admire how the writer uses repetition in a clever way, repeating ideas with different sentences, which makes the story even more engaging. It mirrors what Suria had to endure, being stuck in a repetitive cycle. The writer definitely has the talent to craft eerie stories. There were moments when I actually felt goosebumps and was scared to continue reading because I could really sense what Suria was feeling during her encounters while climbing.
Regarding the part about Surah Yasin, it is also possible that Suria did not actually die. She might have simply gone missing, trapped in a time loop within the tower. I am genuinely curious about what the writer is trying to convey here. I also admire how the writer uses repetition in a clever way, repeating ideas with different sentences, which makes the story even more engaging. It mirrors what Suria had to endure, being stuck in a repetitive cycle. The writer definitely has the talent to craft eerie stories. There were moments when I actually felt goosebumps and was scared to continue reading because I could really sense what Suria was feeling during her encounters while climbing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 6, 2025
This was pitch perfect
Picture this: you're joining a vertical marathon but as you climb higher and higher, things gets weirder. You hearing sounds. Things gets quiet all of a sudden and you're haunted by visions. Is the tower haunted? Or are you just going insane the closer you get to the top. The concept is simple but amazing.
The writing is eerie and it is well-written. I love how the author incorporate local Malaysian motifs into her writing like 'walking on dodol' instead of 'walking on quicksand'. I love that there is no need to translation in some Malay language incorporated to make it feel more localised.
It does gets repetitive in the middle and I do wonder what does the 'visions' means as creepy as they are.
I do LOVE the ending is up for readers' interpretation. My personal interpretation (spoiler)
the tower did catch on fire or have experienced damage during the race and our protagonist became one of the souls trapped there and she reached the top to see that it has been so long to the point that the city has become a dystopian ruins.
Picture this: you're joining a vertical marathon but as you climb higher and higher, things gets weirder. You hearing sounds. Things gets quiet all of a sudden and you're haunted by visions. Is the tower haunted? Or are you just going insane the closer you get to the top. The concept is simple but amazing.
The writing is eerie and it is well-written. I love how the author incorporate local Malaysian motifs into her writing like 'walking on dodol' instead of 'walking on quicksand'. I love that there is no need to translation in some Malay language incorporated to make it feel more localised.
It does gets repetitive in the middle and I do wonder what does the 'visions' means as creepy as they are.
I do LOVE the ending is up for readers' interpretation. My personal interpretation (spoiler)
the tower did catch on fire or have experienced damage during the race and our protagonist became one of the souls trapped there and she reached the top to see that it has been so long to the point that the city has become a dystopian ruins.
June 8, 2025
3.7/5 ⭐️
ARC version review
https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSkU8t8uh/
this is an uncomfortable, nerve-wracking and suffocating reading experience tbh. as if you’re the one who entered the kl towerthon. kudos for a unique storyline, informative and easily understood story.
the ending? idk how to describe.
ARC version review
https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSkU8t8uh/
this is an uncomfortable, nerve-wracking and suffocating reading experience tbh. as if you’re the one who entered the kl towerthon. kudos for a unique storyline, informative and easily understood story.
the ending? idk how to describe.
June 11, 2025
CONTAIN SPOILER
Aku faham cerita dia pasal time loop, tapi aku tak faham dengan ending dia. Tergantung. Tiba-tiba. Lebih menarik kalau cerita dia mengisahkan seseorang yang masuk Towerthon tu, then setiap level ada mission, kemudian as the MC goes through the missions, dia cuba mencari jawapan (as in apa yang berlaku sebenarnya, kenapa, and siapa punya angkara)
Aku faham cerita dia pasal time loop, tapi aku tak faham dengan ending dia. Tergantung. Tiba-tiba. Lebih menarik kalau cerita dia mengisahkan seseorang yang masuk Towerthon tu, then setiap level ada mission, kemudian as the MC goes through the missions, dia cuba mencari jawapan (as in apa yang berlaku sebenarnya, kenapa, and siapa punya angkara)
August 23, 2025
I read it 2 times because the first time I was a bit confused. Only the second read did It click, the ending was a fuyoh moment. His hints didn’t register at first. Overall, a good experience. Entertaining, would definitely re-read again. The book cover is misleading (or is that on purpose? I don’t know)…
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews