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Am I Beautiful?
Adam Miller, a successful marketing manager at a travel agency, visits Tokyo, Japan on business. During his trip, he has a one-night stand with a young Japanese woman, Miki Someya. But Miki latches onto him. She follows him—stalks him—through the streets of Tokyo, professing her love and begging for his. Adam manages to avoid her, but he loses control of himself when she confronts him and threatens to follow him home to tell his wife about their affair.
In a fit of drunken rage, Adam attacks her. He beats her black and blue, then he carves a smile on her face with a pair of shears. Afraid and ashamed, he flees the country and escapes prosecution.
But years later, when children start vanishing in his city and the only suspect is a woman with a scarred face, he suspects his past has followed him home...
Inspired by a classic urban legend, Jon Athan, the author of Lovesick and Maneater, brings you a disturbing new vision of sadistic romance.
WARNING: This novel contains graphic content. Reader discretion is advised.
In a fit of drunken rage, Adam attacks her. He beats her black and blue, then he carves a smile on her face with a pair of shears. Afraid and ashamed, he flees the country and escapes prosecution.
But years later, when children start vanishing in his city and the only suspect is a woman with a scarred face, he suspects his past has followed him home...
Inspired by a classic urban legend, Jon Athan, the author of Lovesick and Maneater, brings you a disturbing new vision of sadistic romance.
WARNING: This novel contains graphic content. Reader discretion is advised.
237 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 15, 2021
352 people are currently reading
2407 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 240 reviews
April 5, 2025
This was one one of the ugliest and nastiest books that I’ve seen in some time. There were actually a few scenes that I skimmed through, because I didn’t want to read the content. I enjoyed Miki as the tragic antagonist and felt her story was fleshed out very well. Adam, however, is one of the most unlikable characters you’ll encounter. While you’re strangely content with how his particular character ends up, it’s the journey getting there that I questioned. Miki’s path of destruction, the final scene with Adam’s family, and everything that did happen in Japan were all necessary parts of the story, but felt overdone. The slow burn effect that the author was going for hurt the impact of the book, as it felt like things got very repetitive during a good portion of it. And, in particular, the ending sequence with Adam and his family was extremely violent and vulgar. I feel that Jon Athan could have gone with a bit of a less is more approach, and still had the desired impact. But it all came together with some nice twists and turns, had a good approach to the plot and its cast, and should appease the sickest of minds out there.
August 24, 2021
Am I Beautiful?
This is a great, Jon Athan’s book!!
I just finished it, and I’m a little bit unsettled.
I don’t have triggers, but there are things, I don’t really like to read about. This book is full of those things.
The story is well written, the characters well developed. However, I wanted to know more about Miki .
Am I Beautiful?, is a very good revenge story.
Jon Athan, showed us , how a beautiful, sweet woman, could become a Monster.
I highly recommend, " Am I Beautiful? " to extreme horror book’s fans!
This is a great, Jon Athan’s book!!
I just finished it, and I’m a little bit unsettled.
I don’t have triggers, but there are things, I don’t really like to read about. This book is full of those things.
The story is well written, the characters well developed. However, I wanted to know more about Miki .
Am I Beautiful?, is a very good revenge story.
Jon Athan, showed us , how a beautiful, sweet woman, could become a Monster.
I highly recommend, " Am I Beautiful? " to extreme horror book’s fans!
December 24, 2022
Such a great twist on the classic Kuchisake-onna Japanese urban legend. I kinda liked it.
During his business trip to Japan, Adam Miller has a one night stand with a young Japanese woman—Miki Someya. He thought that sinful escapade was the end of it but Miki starts stalking him, showing up at his hotel and following him everywhere. Until he loses control and beats Miki within an inch of her life, fled the country and escaped.
Years later, a killer with a scarred face is on the loose in his home country. Who could possibly that be? You guess it.
Bloody, merciless and freaking satisfying. Jon Athan is truly one of the most promising modern day splatterpunk writers out there and I love him! He writes nasty and really disgusting stuff and I'm all for it. A lot of people would find this offensive but this is why I love the genre so much, I love a little bit of shameless reading sometimes and this book delivered enough blows and knocked my senses for half a day. Not bad, Jon.
Again. NOT RECCOMMENDED FOR THE EASILY REPELLED. The last few scenes would probably haunt you so please spare yourselves the trauma and stay away. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED
During his business trip to Japan, Adam Miller has a one night stand with a young Japanese woman—Miki Someya. He thought that sinful escapade was the end of it but Miki starts stalking him, showing up at his hotel and following him everywhere. Until he loses control and beats Miki within an inch of her life, fled the country and escaped.
Years later, a killer with a scarred face is on the loose in his home country. Who could possibly that be? You guess it.
Bloody, merciless and freaking satisfying. Jon Athan is truly one of the most promising modern day splatterpunk writers out there and I love him! He writes nasty and really disgusting stuff and I'm all for it. A lot of people would find this offensive but this is why I love the genre so much, I love a little bit of shameless reading sometimes and this book delivered enough blows and knocked my senses for half a day. Not bad, Jon.
Again. NOT RECCOMMENDED FOR THE EASILY REPELLED. The last few scenes would probably haunt you so please spare yourselves the trauma and stay away. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED
October 7, 2021
Am I Beautiful? is NOT for the faint of heart. I thought this story was going to go one way and it completely threw me. It had me hooked throughout.
Jon Athan does not skimp on the gory details. I had to skim read parts that were too extreme (especially the parts about children) but I couldn’t look away. The story as a whole is very well-written and the parts without any gore are engaging. If you want a fast paced thriller filled with the most extreme gore descriptions you can think of, then you have come to the right place.
You will constantly flip between thinking either Adam or Miki is the worst person alive. Even after the unspeakable horrors presented here, you may still sympathise with Miki because of what she was put through. And you may find yourself fearing for Adam, even though initially you may not like his character.
3.5 Stars (rounded up to a 4) 💀
Jon Athan does not skimp on the gory details. I had to skim read parts that were too extreme (especially the parts about children) but I couldn’t look away. The story as a whole is very well-written and the parts without any gore are engaging. If you want a fast paced thriller filled with the most extreme gore descriptions you can think of, then you have come to the right place.
You will constantly flip between thinking either Adam or Miki is the worst person alive. Even after the unspeakable horrors presented here, you may still sympathise with Miki because of what she was put through. And you may find yourself fearing for Adam, even though initially you may not like his character.
3.5 Stars (rounded up to a 4) 💀
April 16, 2021
Great twist on the classic "Slit-Mouthed Woman" urban legend.
This book will send you on a whirlwind of conflicting emotions where you dont know whether to root for the violent, unfaithful husband or the mentally unstable, but misunderstood woman who the man has turned into a ruthless monster.
Jon Athan....you did good with this one. I look forward to seeing your take on more of these urban legends from around the world.
Im giving this book 4 out of 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
You can watch my full video review at:
https://youtu.be/voFhwe7RpRM
This book will send you on a whirlwind of conflicting emotions where you dont know whether to root for the violent, unfaithful husband or the mentally unstable, but misunderstood woman who the man has turned into a ruthless monster.
Jon Athan....you did good with this one. I look forward to seeing your take on more of these urban legends from around the world.
Im giving this book 4 out of 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
You can watch my full video review at:
https://youtu.be/voFhwe7RpRM
June 17, 2024
A little slow to get started and rather repetitive in places, I felt like I was sometimes reading the same sentence over again.
The storyline was believable and had me feeling sorry for both Adam and Miki at different times...but I do believe Adam was the true evil one here? But you'll have to make your own mind up on this!!
I did get a bit annoyed with Miki's character and the way her serial murders happened:
1) How did she and her trench coat never get drenched in her victims blood? considering the necks, arteries and veins she sliced through?
2) Why was she never seen after she'd done the killings by another living person...OK...we know the story was set in Covid Lockdown...but people still went out!
3) Those bloody dressmaking shears must have been some super weapon...what were they made of? She managed to cut through bone, muscle, sinews, fingers, cut a heart and uterus out...all the surgeons out there would be amazed by her surgical achievements using a pair of scissors!!
All that said and done, I did enjoy the book and it got better and better as I got further into the story.
There are a lot of triggers here so please take caution if you are going to read it.
ROASTED RILEY...well...lets just say that brought my dinner back up...the ending was an absolute corker!!
Congratulations Mr Athan......You've managed to do it again...Write a very vile, twisted, brutal and disturbing book...Thank You!
4 "Beautiful" ⭐⭐⭐⭐'s
The storyline was believable and had me feeling sorry for both Adam and Miki at different times...but I do believe Adam was the true evil one here? But you'll have to make your own mind up on this!!
I did get a bit annoyed with Miki's character and the way her serial murders happened:
1) How did she and her trench coat never get drenched in her victims blood? considering the necks, arteries and veins she sliced through?
2) Why was she never seen after she'd done the killings by another living person...OK...we know the story was set in Covid Lockdown...but people still went out!
3) Those bloody dressmaking shears must have been some super weapon...what were they made of? She managed to cut through bone, muscle, sinews, fingers, cut a heart and uterus out...all the surgeons out there would be amazed by her surgical achievements using a pair of scissors!!
All that said and done, I did enjoy the book and it got better and better as I got further into the story.
There are a lot of triggers here so please take caution if you are going to read it.
ROASTED RILEY...well...lets just say that brought my dinner back up...the ending was an absolute corker!!
Congratulations Mr Athan......You've managed to do it again...Write a very vile, twisted, brutal and disturbing book...Thank You!
4 "Beautiful" ⭐⭐⭐⭐'s
April 20, 2021
This is a great read! But I have to be honest. The part in Japan where every other line of dialogue was Japanese and then translated to English got a bit tiresome. However, the story itself was realistic. An affair gone awry.. leading to one of them being a serial killer.. very real and plausible. And the violence?!?!?!!?? Yes very over the top and extreme in the best way
February 27, 2021
Well that was a brutal really messed up read. This book had a different feel than other Jon Athan books I've read. This book will probably trigger most in some way or another as the kill scenes in this book were very sadistic, violent and brutal as well as very graphically descriptive. So if you are easily triggered by violence probably not a read for you. Jon Athan I feel is slowly mastering his craft taking his subject matters and experimenting with new ideas and concepts and doing it well while keeping the violence and brutality that I expect when I read a Jon Athan book. Fans of extreme horror though should be satisfied an disturbed by this one.
March 7, 2021
Just some advise: (if you haven't already) don't read the description of the book, or the blurb on the back. It gives away literally the first 40% of the book.
April 28, 2024
This book was well written but easily the hardest book for me to read thus far....
Potential spoiler...
.
.
.
.
.
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Honestly, I think the reason this book was so damn hard to stomach was that our villain targets children. In the last couple of chapters, I honestly had to sit the book down and walk away. I have a toddler daughter and reading those scenes shattered my fucking heart.
I appreciate what Athan does in his work, and while I enjoy his books, there are usually scenes that I struggle with ( some more than others).
I put this book up there with the groomer and into the wolves den.
Potential spoiler...
.
.
.
.
.
.
Honestly, I think the reason this book was so damn hard to stomach was that our villain targets children. In the last couple of chapters, I honestly had to sit the book down and walk away. I have a toddler daughter and reading those scenes shattered my fucking heart.
I appreciate what Athan does in his work, and while I enjoy his books, there are usually scenes that I struggle with ( some more than others).
I put this book up there with the groomer and into the wolves den.
February 23, 2025
(3.5/5)
An affair gone wrong, two people who never should have been together, and a vengeance that spirals into something far beyond personal retribution. Am I Beautiful? explores the dark consequences of betrayal, obsession, and rage, delving into the double standards society holds when it comes to infidelity and revenge. This is extreme horror, so beware.
The protagonist’s transformation from scorned lover to an unstoppable force of vengeance is compelling, but at times, the story dragged. Some parts could have been trimmed down to maintain tension, and the inclusion of certain translations pulled me out of the narrative rather than immersing me further. However, I still enjoyed it and was pleased with how the characters’ journey unfolded by the end.
At its core, this book is a brutal reminder: don’t cheat, don’t mistreat people, and maybe—just maybe—consider therapy before things escalate to, well… this.
An affair gone wrong, two people who never should have been together, and a vengeance that spirals into something far beyond personal retribution. Am I Beautiful? explores the dark consequences of betrayal, obsession, and rage, delving into the double standards society holds when it comes to infidelity and revenge. This is extreme horror, so beware.
The protagonist’s transformation from scorned lover to an unstoppable force of vengeance is compelling, but at times, the story dragged. Some parts could have been trimmed down to maintain tension, and the inclusion of certain translations pulled me out of the narrative rather than immersing me further. However, I still enjoyed it and was pleased with how the characters’ journey unfolded by the end.
At its core, this book is a brutal reminder: don’t cheat, don’t mistreat people, and maybe—just maybe—consider therapy before things escalate to, well… this.
March 14, 2021
Ummm ... wow! I don’t know what to say ... I mean, really. Like, really. Wow.
Firstly, I was surprised when I googled Athan - he’s young and prolific. He has quite a lengthy bibliography and a massive fan base for the tender age of 28. Well deserved.
But I sometimes found his writing average. Now, don’t get me wrong PLEASE ... Athan made up for it a million times with his storytelling and the squeamish/gore factor. I’m used to splatterpunk- I mean, I love it but he crosses taboos that Laymon never did. And he seems to take great relish in it. And I loved it!
I think I’ve found a new favourite author. If you want gore with a story then add Jon Athan to your list. You won’t regret it. Just have a strong stomach. 4 1/2 stars. Why? Give him a few more years and he will be up there with the greats, just a bit of finessing with his writing 😊😊
Firstly, I was surprised when I googled Athan - he’s young and prolific. He has quite a lengthy bibliography and a massive fan base for the tender age of 28. Well deserved.
But I sometimes found his writing average. Now, don’t get me wrong PLEASE ... Athan made up for it a million times with his storytelling and the squeamish/gore factor. I’m used to splatterpunk- I mean, I love it but he crosses taboos that Laymon never did. And he seems to take great relish in it. And I loved it!
I think I’ve found a new favourite author. If you want gore with a story then add Jon Athan to your list. You won’t regret it. Just have a strong stomach. 4 1/2 stars. Why? Give him a few more years and he will be up there with the greats, just a bit of finessing with his writing 😊😊
December 27, 2022
TW: Cheating, slut shaming, language, use of c-word, domestic abuse, child abuse, drinking, covid mentions, suicide, body mutilation, death of baby
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:Adam Miller, a successful marketing manager at a travel agency, visits Tokyo, Japan on business. During his trip, he has a one-night stand with a young Japanese woman, Miki Someya. But Miki latches onto him. She follows him—stalks him—through the streets of Tokyo, professing her love and begging for his. Adam manages to avoid her, but he loses control of himself when she confronts him and threatens to follow him home to tell his wife about their affair.In a fit of drunken rage, Adam attacks her. He beats her black and blue, then he carves a smile on her face with a pair of shears. Afraid and ashamed, he flees the country and escapes prosecution.But years later, when children start vanishing in his city and the only suspect is a woman with a scarred face, he suspects his past has followed him home...
Release Date:
Genre: Horror
Pages: 237
Rating: ⭐ ⭐
What I Liked:
1. Some parts were extreme
2. Actually had a story to with plot
What I Didn't Like:
1. Cheesy dialog *cringe*
2. Plot makes no sense
3. She's somehow to do whatever she wants
Overall Thoughts:
"She stood five-one—five-three in her casual high-heeled boots—with a slim but curvy figure."---"She sat on a stool at the bar, sipping on a Strawberry Sangria."
Was she sitting or standing? How did he know how tall she was if she was sitting?
There's this super long scene where Adam is beating Miki and it's very long & brutal.
Sexist dribble.. The woman is attacked and than rather dealing with the emotions of that she goes out and seeks revenge on people asking if she's beautiful. Could you imagine if roles were reversed?
I'm completely confused on why she's murdering children.
I love that the dude she met in the bar is just so weak he can't even throw her off of him. He doesn't even realize she's hurting his balls either and when he does he's like "please stop". Um ok. How ridiculous. Like no man no matter the size is going to sit there and take pain to their balls. I also don't understand how he didn't feel her scars when he was kissing her.
I found this book completely boring. None of the victims fight back. They just let her do things to them and that's it. It's boring. Plus the people being killed you know nothing about so you don't care when they are killed.
Oh and the fact that Miki can kill these people and never get blood on her. Okay..... Like she kills a girl in the bathroom in daylight and the only thing she has on her is a dot of blood on her shoe. She has opened arteries and no blood went anywhere on her or even went outside this bathroom stall. Let's talk about the stalls too for a moment. You're going to tell me the stall is big enough to have two people in it and she's able to kill someone in it while on the ground and feet aren't even hanging out of stall. Whenever I go the bathroom I barely have room to even open the door before I'm practically up against the toilet. Plus the gap before the stalls and the unreasonably high stall doors that pretty much show you sitting on the toilet.
Listening to Adam whine on and on about him losing his job is annoying. His family is struggling and they have no money coming in but he lies around the house complaining. Go out and get a job then. It might not be the most glamorous job but it'll feed your family for now.
I'm tired of hearing the baby crying at everything everytime we flash back into Adam's world. Plus the author keeps acting like the baby understands anything going on and even makes a comment that she knew her whole world was upside down now. It's a baby. It understands nothing.
By the end of this book I'm rooting for Adam to get killed. What an asshole. Seriously
What is with this author and writing about covid?
These must be the best shears because she's killed so many people in different ways and hasn't stopped. She's somehow cut through bone too with them. They are just dressmaker shears! The fact that she used them to cut out a uterus out of a woman had me seriously laughing so hard. Do men not know anatomy? It seems like they all write the dumbest things when it comes to women's bodies. These scissors could never cut bone!! The uterus isn't just sitting right there waiting to be cut out.
Also I want to know how a five-foot-one woman is able to move all these people around.
I hated the ending. Author makes out like if Adam hadn't been so sweet (while cheating on his wife) and been nice to Miki she wouldn't have been as invested in stalking him. Plus now she'll just keep killing for zero reason. Also I guess fingerprints aren't a thing in this world. Again Miki manages to run out covered in blood and no one sees it. Plus no one hears him scream.
Final Thoughts:
It was okay. This is my second Jon Athon book I've read. I read Groomer and hated it. I guess this was a little better but I think I'm done with his books. They need an editor. The plot seems to lose its way. Things make zero sense in them.
Recommend For:
• Splatterpunk
• Gory murder scenes
• Woman revenge story
IG | Blog
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:Adam Miller, a successful marketing manager at a travel agency, visits Tokyo, Japan on business. During his trip, he has a one-night stand with a young Japanese woman, Miki Someya. But Miki latches onto him. She follows him—stalks him—through the streets of Tokyo, professing her love and begging for his. Adam manages to avoid her, but he loses control of himself when she confronts him and threatens to follow him home to tell his wife about their affair.In a fit of drunken rage, Adam attacks her. He beats her black and blue, then he carves a smile on her face with a pair of shears. Afraid and ashamed, he flees the country and escapes prosecution.But years later, when children start vanishing in his city and the only suspect is a woman with a scarred face, he suspects his past has followed him home...
Release Date:
Genre: Horror
Pages: 237
Rating: ⭐ ⭐
What I Liked:
1. Some parts were extreme
2. Actually had a story to with plot
What I Didn't Like:
1. Cheesy dialog *cringe*
2. Plot makes no sense
3. She's somehow to do whatever she wants
Overall Thoughts:
"She stood five-one—five-three in her casual high-heeled boots—with a slim but curvy figure."---"She sat on a stool at the bar, sipping on a Strawberry Sangria."
Was she sitting or standing? How did he know how tall she was if she was sitting?
There's this super long scene where Adam is beating Miki and it's very long & brutal.
Sexist dribble.. The woman is attacked and than rather dealing with the emotions of that she goes out and seeks revenge on people asking if she's beautiful. Could you imagine if roles were reversed?
I'm completely confused on why she's murdering children.
I love that the dude she met in the bar is just so weak he can't even throw her off of him. He doesn't even realize she's hurting his balls either and when he does he's like "please stop". Um ok. How ridiculous. Like no man no matter the size is going to sit there and take pain to their balls. I also don't understand how he didn't feel her scars when he was kissing her.
I found this book completely boring. None of the victims fight back. They just let her do things to them and that's it. It's boring. Plus the people being killed you know nothing about so you don't care when they are killed.
Oh and the fact that Miki can kill these people and never get blood on her. Okay..... Like she kills a girl in the bathroom in daylight and the only thing she has on her is a dot of blood on her shoe. She has opened arteries and no blood went anywhere on her or even went outside this bathroom stall. Let's talk about the stalls too for a moment. You're going to tell me the stall is big enough to have two people in it and she's able to kill someone in it while on the ground and feet aren't even hanging out of stall. Whenever I go the bathroom I barely have room to even open the door before I'm practically up against the toilet. Plus the gap before the stalls and the unreasonably high stall doors that pretty much show you sitting on the toilet.
Listening to Adam whine on and on about him losing his job is annoying. His family is struggling and they have no money coming in but he lies around the house complaining. Go out and get a job then. It might not be the most glamorous job but it'll feed your family for now.
I'm tired of hearing the baby crying at everything everytime we flash back into Adam's world. Plus the author keeps acting like the baby understands anything going on and even makes a comment that she knew her whole world was upside down now. It's a baby. It understands nothing.
By the end of this book I'm rooting for Adam to get killed. What an asshole. Seriously
What is with this author and writing about covid?
These must be the best shears because she's killed so many people in different ways and hasn't stopped. She's somehow cut through bone too with them. They are just dressmaker shears! The fact that she used them to cut out a uterus out of a woman had me seriously laughing so hard. Do men not know anatomy? It seems like they all write the dumbest things when it comes to women's bodies. These scissors could never cut bone!! The uterus isn't just sitting right there waiting to be cut out.
Also I want to know how a five-foot-one woman is able to move all these people around.
I hated the ending. Author makes out like if Adam hadn't been so sweet (while cheating on his wife) and been nice to Miki she wouldn't have been as invested in stalking him. Plus now she'll just keep killing for zero reason. Also I guess fingerprints aren't a thing in this world. Again Miki manages to run out covered in blood and no one sees it. Plus no one hears him scream.
Final Thoughts:
It was okay. This is my second Jon Athon book I've read. I read Groomer and hated it. I guess this was a little better but I think I'm done with his books. They need an editor. The plot seems to lose its way. Things make zero sense in them.
Recommend For:
• Splatterpunk
• Gory murder scenes
• Woman revenge story
IG | Blog
February 1, 2023
For me, Jon Athan's novel Am I Beautiful? was a lucky find. If you're a Horror fiction fan, and one who doesn't really mind the gorish details and the violent scenes, which this young author seems to portray with vividness, then this book's for you.
For a starter, I was surprised to learn that this quite prolific author is not yet thirty. In spite of that, he's already written nearly fifty works mainly in the thriller and horror genres. Am I Beautiful? Is one of his recent novels, written and published shortly after the pandemic. That is why much of what fuels the events in the story is closely linked to the lock down of COVID-19. But instead of focusing on the viral outbreak, Athan rather deals with the financial impact which the pandemic had caused. His central character, namely Adam, finds himself at one point struggling with his strained finances on the one hand, and his lack of honesty and redemption on the other. Mixed with that is his gloomy past and darkest deed which pursued him all the way from Japan in the guise of Miki, a young woman he'd seduced in Tokyo before he almost killed her on account of paranoia and a desperate desire to save his marriage.
Miki is an interesting character too. What I like to do is to focus on the exact moment of her transition from a pure and naive lover to a heartless and pitiless murderess. There is a close connection between her physical deformity on the one hand, and her psychological deterioration on the other. In fact a psychoanalytical study of her behavior may reveal the importance of body image, and the concept of self in a social environment on the behavior, and even on the criminality factor of people.
Athan is not a shy author who'd back down and send the cops running to save the innocent at the very last. Therefore, if you intend to read the book, be prepared to see something as authentic and realistic as life itself in all its beauty, but also in all its brutality.
For a starter, I was surprised to learn that this quite prolific author is not yet thirty. In spite of that, he's already written nearly fifty works mainly in the thriller and horror genres. Am I Beautiful? Is one of his recent novels, written and published shortly after the pandemic. That is why much of what fuels the events in the story is closely linked to the lock down of COVID-19. But instead of focusing on the viral outbreak, Athan rather deals with the financial impact which the pandemic had caused. His central character, namely Adam, finds himself at one point struggling with his strained finances on the one hand, and his lack of honesty and redemption on the other. Mixed with that is his gloomy past and darkest deed which pursued him all the way from Japan in the guise of Miki, a young woman he'd seduced in Tokyo before he almost killed her on account of paranoia and a desperate desire to save his marriage.
Miki is an interesting character too. What I like to do is to focus on the exact moment of her transition from a pure and naive lover to a heartless and pitiless murderess. There is a close connection between her physical deformity on the one hand, and her psychological deterioration on the other. In fact a psychoanalytical study of her behavior may reveal the importance of body image, and the concept of self in a social environment on the behavior, and even on the criminality factor of people.
Athan is not a shy author who'd back down and send the cops running to save the innocent at the very last. Therefore, if you intend to read the book, be prepared to see something as authentic and realistic as life itself in all its beauty, but also in all its brutality.
January 20, 2024
Adam and three colleagues are having drinks during a business meeting, in Tokyo, when they all start talking about how much Japanese women love foreigners - goading Adam to go see if it's true, not caring when he repeatedly insists he has a wife. But... that woman at the bar is gorgeous, and what's a little harmless flirting after all? Except that Friday night ends with more than harmless flirting, the woman, Miki, inviting Adam to a hotel.
As Adam's business trip in Tokyo goes on, Miki begins popping up outside his work, his hotel, the convenience store - not understanding why Adam doesn't want to be with her. Eventually her persistence pays off and Adam, at his wits end, agrees to talk privately with her, at her home.
The talk goes very wrong when Miki professes her love for Adam and tells him she's pregnant; on top of that, she threatens to tell his wife everything. Adam loses it and starts beating her mercilessly, even going so far as to carve her face up with a broken bottle. Eventually he comes to his senses and runs away, leaving her laying there, brutally beaten. Adam flees the country the very next morning.
A year and a half later, Miki is recovering, but finding life quite different; people shun her, children are terrified of her, and her hatred towards society grows. Miki has become a monster - and it's time for her to track down the one who made her this way.
Adam begins hearing about a serial killer in the news - one who always slashes their victims faces open, just like he did to Miki. With the pandemic in full force and a stay-at-home order in place, Adam finds himself growing increasingly paranoid - his wife barely recognizing the person he's become. But Adam will do anything to protect his wife and new, young daughter from his past.
Every day, Miki gets closer. Is it too late for Adam?
As Adam's business trip in Tokyo goes on, Miki begins popping up outside his work, his hotel, the convenience store - not understanding why Adam doesn't want to be with her. Eventually her persistence pays off and Adam, at his wits end, agrees to talk privately with her, at her home.
The talk goes very wrong when Miki professes her love for Adam and tells him she's pregnant; on top of that, she threatens to tell his wife everything. Adam loses it and starts beating her mercilessly, even going so far as to carve her face up with a broken bottle. Eventually he comes to his senses and runs away, leaving her laying there, brutally beaten. Adam flees the country the very next morning.
A year and a half later, Miki is recovering, but finding life quite different; people shun her, children are terrified of her, and her hatred towards society grows. Miki has become a monster - and it's time for her to track down the one who made her this way.
Adam begins hearing about a serial killer in the news - one who always slashes their victims faces open, just like he did to Miki. With the pandemic in full force and a stay-at-home order in place, Adam finds himself growing increasingly paranoid - his wife barely recognizing the person he's become. But Adam will do anything to protect his wife and new, young daughter from his past.
Every day, Miki gets closer. Is it too late for Adam?
March 22, 2021
Gruesome!
This is definitely not for the easily offended or squeamish. A great book full of revenge and hatred. Violent and gruesome with some really sick behaviour, but it goes well with the storyline and the character miki. I loved how it built up and how the characters melded together, and the languages interact. A really great read all said and done, but be warned it nasty. But you could imagine reading it in the paper, such as life is.Definitely recommend to fellow extreme horror readers.
This is definitely not for the easily offended or squeamish. A great book full of revenge and hatred. Violent and gruesome with some really sick behaviour, but it goes well with the storyline and the character miki. I loved how it built up and how the characters melded together, and the languages interact. A really great read all said and done, but be warned it nasty. But you could imagine reading it in the paper, such as life is.Definitely recommend to fellow extreme horror readers.
November 24, 2022
I decided to check out the splatterpunk genre, in honor of Halloween 2022. I didn't really have any "spooky stories" waiting to be read - let alone ordered, read, and finished by Halloween. I figured a handful of splatterpunk novels might be a good bet for me, given that they're often in the form of novellas - and even when longer, they're a very quick read.
Obviously, when I was deciding on which books to order, I realized that pretty much any book I ordered in this book would be unbelievably violent, gory, disturbing, shocking... basically, a true test of my continuous claim that I don't really feel as though I'm "offendable." I just don't take offense to things. Discounting the actions of those with personal relationships to me, of course.
While I actually ordered five books from this genre in all, Athan's was the second I picked up.
It was the one I was the most looking forward to, but also the one I was the most nervous to read, to be honest. I wouldn't say I was nervous to the point that I had literal anxiety and needed calm - nothing like that. More just a slight bit of worry that they would prove to be too much and I'd have to call it quits on this crazy, 'effed up genre that has intrigued me for quite some time now.
Well, the verdict is in, and...
I fucking LOVED Am I Beautiful?.
Excuse the language, but unless you are a fan of extreme horror, you shouldn't be reading this review anyway.
I believe I've read that Athan is among "the most disturbing of the disturbed", the "goriest" of the genre. Which is quite a feat. Upon completing this book, that distinction for him is totally warranted.
What I really loved about the book was that it wasn't just non-stop gore from start to finish, without a trace of any real plot line or human characteristics. I think that's what makes it so creepy. The act of taken a human being that people interact with every day, who is perceived as kind, normal, generous... incapable of cruelty. And yet - we don't always know what people are going through, do we? We don't know what they're capable of, or if behind their sweet, compassionate smile lies a uncontrollable, frenzied temper.
American businessman Adam Miller travels to Tokyo with his best friend in an attempt to establish new marketing contacts and partners in Tokyo for their growing travel agency business. After wrapping up a successful meeting with two Japanese businessmen, the four men go for the requisite drink to finalize and celebrate negotiations.
Little does Adam now, this seemingly minor evening out will lead to horrible decisions, a broken heart, ensuing panic - cultivating in a shockingly violent confrontation, that will haunt Adam - and with good reason. He snaps at the young Japanese woman who is either truly delusional, never having been in love, and thinks they really are in love - or may just be manipulative and terrible to begin with. Whatever the case, it doesn't matter much.
What leads to this confrontation is that Miki simply won't let Adam go after just one night. As he and his friend observe despairingly: running into someone once (especially in a city as big as Tokyo) is an accident; two is a pattern. Adam's one-night lover - might have been slightly easier for him to deal with, if he didn't have a wife he loved back home in the States - one with whom he'd be trying to start a family with in the past year.
However, the consequences of his actions, as well as what these actions would mean for his marriage - come FAST, after Miki has pleaded with him to stay with her, tried every tactic to get him to stay, only for him to become increasingly irritated and angry with her refusal to forget about the incident. Finally, she drops the bomb: "I will let your wife back home know what happened." Yep. Adam was careless, of course. When he'd went and showered after sex, Miki used the opportunity to go through his briefcase. Meaning she had access to his e-mails, social media accounts, home address - basically all the personal information you do NOT want a stalker to have.
After he finds this out, he flies into a horrible rage, that, even while he knows he's hurting her and possibly killing her, he feels out-of-his-body and unable to stop his violent and cruel action. The bloody and nearly deadly attack culminates with him taking her large knitting shears, and carving a sick, bloody, scarred smile onto her face. Little does he know, fleeing Tokyo is truly only the beginning of HIS nightmare... because only monsters can recognize other monsters, and when he left her that night, he had changed her from a beautiful young woman to a hideous monster, one who sent children running in the other direction.
Miki was initially determined to put all of herself into a relationship with Adam, making "true love" between them work. Yet, after he gets back to the States, finally has a child with his wife, starting the family they always wanted, enjoying his job and lifestyle - Miki is still in Japan, with goals and dreams of her own. Well, no. A goal and a dream. Singular. Goals and dreams and happy futures are for beautiful, happy, loved people - not mutilated, unloved monsters like herself.
If you think the attack on Miki by Adam is back, just wait until you see what she has in store for Adam, when the time finally arrives... if the initial scenes truly make you sick, I wouldn't advise continuing. I just remember thinking "wow, that was some seriously disturbing, sickening shit. I understand wanting revenge, but I didn't expect THAT..." - only to realize - hey! - it wasn't over yet. Not by a long shot.
It seems that Athan specializes in extreme revenge horror, and in my opinion, that's the most terrifying - as well as the most interesting - kind of extreme horror. I definitely recommend this for lovers of extreme horror, but only if you feel you can handle pretty much anything thrown at you. These books don't come with multiple warning labels for people who are "slightly sensitive" to certain triggers.
One last thing I want to address: for the people who complained in their reviews about her choice of victims before reaching Adam, i.e., "I don't understand why she had to prey on children. I can't read books about children being harmed in such a horrible way. It didn't even make sense to the plotline. Now, if she were murdering a trail of cheating husbands along the way, I could understand the reasoning behind that."
Really? Why? Miki is not the innocent wife that thought she knew her husband - only to be betrayed by him on a business trip where he had a one night stand with a young woman around 15 years his junior. Miki was the willing mistress, the shameful secret. The homewrecker, if you will. So why would she kill cheating men when that's the type of man she wanted to marry before the attack?
Besides, she explains why she kills children. She's a very petite woman, and she even can't manage to fight most grown women into submission - not to the point where she can then play torturous and deadly games with them. So how in the world would she be able to discreetly do this to male victims? If this were a true story, then yes, I'd be outraged, but it's not. I'm always outraged when people harm children. I just feel that when you're going into a book like this, you are renouncing your right to be offended by anything. You have the right to put the book down and stop reading, but you can't say you weren't warned. That's all.
I'm glad I had Jon Athan to guide me into this lovely, twisted genre. LOL. That being said, I don't plan on reading these books regularly. I think it could be damaging for my psyche at the moment to continue reading this type of thing. However, it's definitely something I wouldn't mind returning to every Halloween season!
Obviously, when I was deciding on which books to order, I realized that pretty much any book I ordered in this book would be unbelievably violent, gory, disturbing, shocking... basically, a true test of my continuous claim that I don't really feel as though I'm "offendable." I just don't take offense to things. Discounting the actions of those with personal relationships to me, of course.
While I actually ordered five books from this genre in all, Athan's was the second I picked up.
It was the one I was the most looking forward to, but also the one I was the most nervous to read, to be honest. I wouldn't say I was nervous to the point that I had literal anxiety and needed calm - nothing like that. More just a slight bit of worry that they would prove to be too much and I'd have to call it quits on this crazy, 'effed up genre that has intrigued me for quite some time now.
Well, the verdict is in, and...
I fucking LOVED Am I Beautiful?.
Excuse the language, but unless you are a fan of extreme horror, you shouldn't be reading this review anyway.
I believe I've read that Athan is among "the most disturbing of the disturbed", the "goriest" of the genre. Which is quite a feat. Upon completing this book, that distinction for him is totally warranted.
What I really loved about the book was that it wasn't just non-stop gore from start to finish, without a trace of any real plot line or human characteristics. I think that's what makes it so creepy. The act of taken a human being that people interact with every day, who is perceived as kind, normal, generous... incapable of cruelty. And yet - we don't always know what people are going through, do we? We don't know what they're capable of, or if behind their sweet, compassionate smile lies a uncontrollable, frenzied temper.
American businessman Adam Miller travels to Tokyo with his best friend in an attempt to establish new marketing contacts and partners in Tokyo for their growing travel agency business. After wrapping up a successful meeting with two Japanese businessmen, the four men go for the requisite drink to finalize and celebrate negotiations.
Little does Adam now, this seemingly minor evening out will lead to horrible decisions, a broken heart, ensuing panic - cultivating in a shockingly violent confrontation, that will haunt Adam - and with good reason. He snaps at the young Japanese woman who is either truly delusional, never having been in love, and thinks they really are in love - or may just be manipulative and terrible to begin with. Whatever the case, it doesn't matter much.
What leads to this confrontation is that Miki simply won't let Adam go after just one night. As he and his friend observe despairingly: running into someone once (especially in a city as big as Tokyo) is an accident; two is a pattern. Adam's one-night lover - might have been slightly easier for him to deal with, if he didn't have a wife he loved back home in the States - one with whom he'd be trying to start a family with in the past year.
However, the consequences of his actions, as well as what these actions would mean for his marriage - come FAST, after Miki has pleaded with him to stay with her, tried every tactic to get him to stay, only for him to become increasingly irritated and angry with her refusal to forget about the incident. Finally, she drops the bomb: "I will let your wife back home know what happened." Yep. Adam was careless, of course. When he'd went and showered after sex, Miki used the opportunity to go through his briefcase. Meaning she had access to his e-mails, social media accounts, home address - basically all the personal information you do NOT want a stalker to have.
After he finds this out, he flies into a horrible rage, that, even while he knows he's hurting her and possibly killing her, he feels out-of-his-body and unable to stop his violent and cruel action. The bloody and nearly deadly attack culminates with him taking her large knitting shears, and carving a sick, bloody, scarred smile onto her face. Little does he know, fleeing Tokyo is truly only the beginning of HIS nightmare... because only monsters can recognize other monsters, and when he left her that night, he had changed her from a beautiful young woman to a hideous monster, one who sent children running in the other direction.
Miki was initially determined to put all of herself into a relationship with Adam, making "true love" between them work. Yet, after he gets back to the States, finally has a child with his wife, starting the family they always wanted, enjoying his job and lifestyle - Miki is still in Japan, with goals and dreams of her own. Well, no. A goal and a dream. Singular. Goals and dreams and happy futures are for beautiful, happy, loved people - not mutilated, unloved monsters like herself.
If you think the attack on Miki by Adam is back, just wait until you see what she has in store for Adam, when the time finally arrives... if the initial scenes truly make you sick, I wouldn't advise continuing. I just remember thinking "wow, that was some seriously disturbing, sickening shit. I understand wanting revenge, but I didn't expect THAT..." - only to realize - hey! - it wasn't over yet. Not by a long shot.
It seems that Athan specializes in extreme revenge horror, and in my opinion, that's the most terrifying - as well as the most interesting - kind of extreme horror. I definitely recommend this for lovers of extreme horror, but only if you feel you can handle pretty much anything thrown at you. These books don't come with multiple warning labels for people who are "slightly sensitive" to certain triggers.
One last thing I want to address: for the people who complained in their reviews about her choice of victims before reaching Adam, i.e., "I don't understand why she had to prey on children. I can't read books about children being harmed in such a horrible way. It didn't even make sense to the plotline. Now, if she were murdering a trail of cheating husbands along the way, I could understand the reasoning behind that."
Really? Why? Miki is not the innocent wife that thought she knew her husband - only to be betrayed by him on a business trip where he had a one night stand with a young woman around 15 years his junior. Miki was the willing mistress, the shameful secret. The homewrecker, if you will. So why would she kill cheating men when that's the type of man she wanted to marry before the attack?
Besides, she explains why she kills children. She's a very petite woman, and she even can't manage to fight most grown women into submission - not to the point where she can then play torturous and deadly games with them. So how in the world would she be able to discreetly do this to male victims? If this were a true story, then yes, I'd be outraged, but it's not. I'm always outraged when people harm children. I just feel that when you're going into a book like this, you are renouncing your right to be offended by anything. You have the right to put the book down and stop reading, but you can't say you weren't warned. That's all.
I'm glad I had Jon Athan to guide me into this lovely, twisted genre. LOL. That being said, I don't plan on reading these books regularly. I think it could be damaging for my psyche at the moment to continue reading this type of thing. However, it's definitely something I wouldn't mind returning to every Halloween season!
October 7, 2025
Am I Beautiful 🥲
We all know that Athan is one of my ultimate fav authors of this genre. I was so happy that he sent me an Audible code for my fav from him ‘Am I Beautiful’ it was defo time for a re-read 🤎
Adam & Dallas are in Tokyo on a business trip. After celebrating with some of their clients, they notice they’re being ogled by the young Japanese ladies. They’re told that a lot of the Japanese women are infatuated with foreigners & become obsessed wanting to marry them & have mixed babies. Obviously Dallas doesn’t take this a warning but as flattery, he is fond of the way young Japanese ladies look too but Adam has a wife at home & isn’t looking for fun, it’s strictly business only!
But after a little persuasion he decides to talk to a beautiful lady called Miki, it won’t hurt just to chat will it? Well that chat obviously lead to spending the night with her, which in turn lead to her becoming instantly obsessed & stalking him wherever he went until eventually he snaps, beating her, cutting up her face & leaving her for dead 🫣
He fleas back to California hoping to put it all behind him & carry on life with his wife. Of course that was never going to happen was it?!! What comes next is utter brutality….she’s leaving signs, letting him know she’s coming for him 😱
Ouft 🤯 This was even better the second time of reading! Miki was absolutely ruthless 😮💨 my teeth were clenched, toes curled & anxiety through the roof (not uncommon with an Athan read). It’s most definitely still one of my favs!!
Also the narration for this was perfect with the Japanese elements & portraying of Miki. It was brutally brilliant!! Now available on Audible alongside your usual platforms for reading including KU but definitely check your triggers before this one! It’s rough!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks again for the code! You’ll forever be my auto-buy Author 👏🏼🤎
We all know that Athan is one of my ultimate fav authors of this genre. I was so happy that he sent me an Audible code for my fav from him ‘Am I Beautiful’ it was defo time for a re-read 🤎
Adam & Dallas are in Tokyo on a business trip. After celebrating with some of their clients, they notice they’re being ogled by the young Japanese ladies. They’re told that a lot of the Japanese women are infatuated with foreigners & become obsessed wanting to marry them & have mixed babies. Obviously Dallas doesn’t take this a warning but as flattery, he is fond of the way young Japanese ladies look too but Adam has a wife at home & isn’t looking for fun, it’s strictly business only!
But after a little persuasion he decides to talk to a beautiful lady called Miki, it won’t hurt just to chat will it? Well that chat obviously lead to spending the night with her, which in turn lead to her becoming instantly obsessed & stalking him wherever he went until eventually he snaps, beating her, cutting up her face & leaving her for dead 🫣
He fleas back to California hoping to put it all behind him & carry on life with his wife. Of course that was never going to happen was it?!! What comes next is utter brutality….she’s leaving signs, letting him know she’s coming for him 😱
Ouft 🤯 This was even better the second time of reading! Miki was absolutely ruthless 😮💨 my teeth were clenched, toes curled & anxiety through the roof (not uncommon with an Athan read). It’s most definitely still one of my favs!!
Also the narration for this was perfect with the Japanese elements & portraying of Miki. It was brutally brilliant!! Now available on Audible alongside your usual platforms for reading including KU but definitely check your triggers before this one! It’s rough!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks again for the code! You’ll forever be my auto-buy Author 👏🏼🤎
April 24, 2025
It's disgusting and super disturbing!
I loved it! This is gnarly and right up my alley! I highly recommend this if you want truly messed up read.
This is my second book from this author, and he does not disappoint 👏
I loved it! This is gnarly and right up my alley! I highly recommend this if you want truly messed up read.
This is my second book from this author, and he does not disappoint 👏
June 23, 2025
Four words: Fatal Attraction on steroids. This is one of my favorite Jon Athan novels that I've read so far, and one of the most extreme. Children are hurt so that may be a trigger for some.
August 7, 2024
An interesting take on the story of kuchisake-onna. Not a bad story. The gore descriptions were detailed. And while gore and darker themes don't usually bother me too much, there were a couple of scenes at the end that were just a bit too extreme for me. It was mainly the violence against children that was the grossest bits; though granted that is an aspect of the original tale.
Also, the use of the current pandemic as part of the plot broke my immersion, made me groan (& roll my eyes) and felt a bit uncreative - it made sense sure, but it just felt like a bandaid solution instead of coming up with something else in terms of plot.
The beginning had me on edge but by the second part/middle of the book things had slowed down and felt a bit tedious to slog through.
Would I read this book again? Probably not.
Did it accomplish the mission of making me horrified and grossed out? Yeah...
Would I read more of this author's works? That depends. There are a few that have caught my eye so we'll see.
Also, the use of the current pandemic as part of the plot broke my immersion, made me groan (& roll my eyes) and felt a bit uncreative - it made sense sure, but it just felt like a bandaid solution instead of coming up with something else in terms of plot.
The beginning had me on edge but by the second part/middle of the book things had slowed down and felt a bit tedious to slog through.
Would I read this book again? Probably not.
Did it accomplish the mission of making me horrified and grossed out? Yeah...
Would I read more of this author's works? That depends. There are a few that have caught my eye so we'll see.
November 4, 2023
Alcohol, bad best friends, secret hook ups - recipe for disaster~~
This book is based on a Japanese urban legend about a woman with scarred face who goes around asking kids if she was beautiful and kills them regardless of their answer. This book molded the idea beautifully.
I liked the pacing of the book, would be a good choice if you're in mood for something quick but satisfying. The gore in this book is also quite detailed, so proceed with caution there. I skim read those parts and even then I could feel skin prickling with disgust.
I also liked how the author did not foreshadow the legend owing to the backstory, rather he held Miki Someya upright as the sadistic killer who had no remorse, no guilt. She was ruthless and that's the heart of the story.
Boy I feel bad for Amber and Riley. That baby reminds me of the kids in Gaza which also makes me wonder if Netaneyahu is modern day Miki Someya who's asking everyone "Do we look victim enough after killing others?" Thoughts running wild, but never leaving Gaza.
Anyways, an okay read.
This book is based on a Japanese urban legend about a woman with scarred face who goes around asking kids if she was beautiful and kills them regardless of their answer. This book molded the idea beautifully.
I liked the pacing of the book, would be a good choice if you're in mood for something quick but satisfying. The gore in this book is also quite detailed, so proceed with caution there. I skim read those parts and even then I could feel skin prickling with disgust.
I also liked how the author did not foreshadow the legend owing to the backstory, rather he held Miki Someya upright as the sadistic killer who had no remorse, no guilt. She was ruthless and that's the heart of the story.
Boy I feel bad for Amber and Riley. That baby reminds me of the kids in Gaza which also makes me wonder if Netaneyahu is modern day Miki Someya who's asking everyone "Do we look victim enough after killing others?" Thoughts running wild, but never leaving Gaza.
Anyways, an okay read.
January 29, 2025
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Not 5 stars for only two reasons: 1. The last chapter tarnished Miki’s character for me. 2. All the lengthy transliterations of Japanese sentences that were then translated. It’s like the author just wanted to point out that they knew Japanese… but I don’t lol, so I had to skim over sentences at a time until the translation came.
Other than that, a very satisfying revenge story. Miki gets mixed signals from Adam and when she’s left with the truth, she can’t cope. Adam tries to get his point across with physical pain… now Miki wants Adam to feel the same pain. I think the pain he feels is worse.
Not 5 stars for only two reasons: 1. The last chapter tarnished Miki’s character for me. 2. All the lengthy transliterations of Japanese sentences that were then translated. It’s like the author just wanted to point out that they knew Japanese… but I don’t lol, so I had to skim over sentences at a time until the translation came.
Other than that, a very satisfying revenge story. Miki gets mixed signals from Adam and when she’s left with the truth, she can’t cope. Adam tries to get his point across with physical pain… now Miki wants Adam to feel the same pain. I think the pain he feels is worse.
March 14, 2022
Woof-this one was really something. Picked it up on kindle unlimited on a whim after hearing about it here and there on bookstagram, and was needing something to break up repetitive thriller reads. And while this one definitely did that and it takes a lot for me to be triggered by horror, the last 15-20% of the book really seemed like the author was attempting to make up for the somewhat lack of "extreme horror" throughout and, in my opinion, took a few things too far unnecessarily.
Like I mentioned, I am no newbie to more extreme horror, but some of the ending scenes left an overall horrible taste in my mouth and I'm unable to rate it higher than a 3-star read. Also, I fully appreciate the want to incorporate Japanese culture into this book, but the repetitiveness of reading the traditional Japanese followed by the English translation of dialogue bogged things down a bit at points.
If you enjoy extremely graphic revenge stories that explore just about every trigger out there (e.g., cheating, murder of children, severe disfigurement) and can get past that, then this one is for you. A very quick and even more disturbing read.
Like I mentioned, I am no newbie to more extreme horror, but some of the ending scenes left an overall horrible taste in my mouth and I'm unable to rate it higher than a 3-star read. Also, I fully appreciate the want to incorporate Japanese culture into this book, but the repetitiveness of reading the traditional Japanese followed by the English translation of dialogue bogged things down a bit at points.
If you enjoy extremely graphic revenge stories that explore just about every trigger out there (e.g., cheating, murder of children, severe disfigurement) and can get past that, then this one is for you. A very quick and even more disturbing read.
February 27, 2022
This was my first read from author Jon Athan, and it did not disappoint. You can call me an Athan fan now for sure. This was definitely a gruesome read- the bloodier the better for me- but the extreme horror didn’t quite kick in for me until the end of the book (the reason I’m giving it 4 instead of 5 stars). A family man who made a bad decision, a Japanese woman turned stalker, a sharp set of shears, the golden question “am I beautiful?” - the four ingredients that make this book so great (for fans of extreme horror of course). My goodness… that chapter near the end with the main character’s family really did it for me. I caught myself with my hand over my mouth in shock once I finished that chapter. Bravo, Athan! You succeeded in shocking me! This book definitely deserves the warning label that it comes with. There are lots of trigger warnings contained in this one- especially child murder. Maybe don’t read this one if you have a child of your own at home? Unless splatterpunk extreme horror novels are your thing (like mine).
December 28, 2022
I enjoyed this book. Its splatterpunk gore. Jon Athan's writing skills have improved, particularly since I read A Family of Violence just before this, and that was cringe.
I loved the murder and violence scenes. As stated, the actual writing left alot to be desired, so by Part 2 I began to slim read the sections with Adam and his wife.
I found the ending VERY SATISFYING. This book pushes all the boundaries, especially with the ending, which I enjoyed immensely. 4 star for gore and ending, knocked down to 3 stars because of rambling, poor writing skills
I loved the murder and violence scenes. As stated, the actual writing left alot to be desired, so by Part 2 I began to slim read the sections with Adam and his wife.
I found the ending VERY SATISFYING. This book pushes all the boundaries, especially with the ending, which I enjoyed immensely. 4 star for gore and ending, knocked down to 3 stars because of rambling, poor writing skills
January 11, 2023
Wow this was amazing I really loved it!
It was dark, brutal and interesting I couldn’t put it down.
After a one night stand Miki became obsessed with Adam and starts stalking him but then something unexpected happens that changes everything.
Like I said for so many books by Jon Athan this was brilliant, it was so unique with some great twists, an incredible storyline and writing.
Highly recommend this or any book by the author, Jon Athan is my comfort author his stories never disappoint!
It was dark, brutal and interesting I couldn’t put it down.
After a one night stand Miki became obsessed with Adam and starts stalking him but then something unexpected happens that changes everything.
Like I said for so many books by Jon Athan this was brilliant, it was so unique with some great twists, an incredible storyline and writing.
Highly recommend this or any book by the author, Jon Athan is my comfort author his stories never disappoint!
June 19, 2025
wild crazy ride with some innocent lil happenings 🥲🥲 the ending was so good tho. “Am I beautiful. What about now??” 👀
July 15, 2025
one hell of a revenge story! don’t get me wrong, this whole book was nastayyy but that last bit? BRUTAL. GROSS. ICKY.
& i still give it 4 stars so 🤪
& i still give it 4 stars so 🤪
November 7, 2022
“Adam Miller la osservava dall’altra parte del bar affollato, con gli occhi che bruciavano di desiderio. Non sentiva né vedeva nessun altro. Era la ragazza più bella su cui avesse mai posato lo sguardo.”
È quasi per gioco e per sfida che Adam Miller, americano in viaggio d’affari in Giappone, conosce Miki Someya, ragazza affascinante a cui non sa resistere. I due passano la notte insieme, ma questo porta a conseguenze devastanti per entrambi: Miki s’invaghisce di lui in modo ossessivo, e Adam, preoccupato soprattutto per il suo matrimonio, non può fare a meno di ricorrere a un gesto estremo per allontanare la giovane dalla sua vita. Questo, però, ha delle ripercussioni importanti, perché quando Miki decide di vendicarsi, Adam si ritrova coinvolto in un turbine di violenza e terrore che lo soffocherà giorno dopo giorno.
“Adam le aveva portato via tutto. Ma le aveva appena dato uno scopo.”
Brutalissima e intensa storia che affonda le sue radici in un’antica leggenda giapponese, ma che affronta anche delle tematiche moderne, delicate e profonde quali lo stigma, il pregiudizio, l’handicap e la facilità con cui la società spesso giudica e accusa senza conoscere. L’autore descrive due personaggi molto diversi tra loro: Adam, uomo sposato, devoto al lavoro e alla famiglia, ma che si lascia governare dall’impulsività e dalle emozioni, non riuscendo a gestire la pressione; e Miki, ragazza ingenua che vuole soltanto amare ed essere ricambiata, ma che soccombe al suo lato emotivo e passa dall’essere candida a “spietata” (da questo punto di vista, l’evoluzione del personaggio di Miki è più netta rispetto a quella di Adam).
Il libro è davvero scorrevole, tanto che si legge abbastanza in fretta, anche se il testo è molto violento, e per questo di certo non adatto a tutti (alcune scene sono disturbanti e mi hanno turbata parecchio, non posso negarlo, specie perché riguardano dei bambini, in alcuni casi ce n’è troppa – non necessaria – e piuttosto dettagliata).
Se devo fare un appunto al testo, mi ha lasciato un po’ perplessa il modo in cui l’autore ha trattato lo “stalking” di Miki nei confronti di Adam: è tutto troppo veloce e all’inizio poco motivato; se due persone passano una notte insieme, non è tanto grave e strano rivedere il partner il giorno dopo. Qui invece Adam va letteralmente fuori di testa e inizia a parlare di stalking un po’ troppo presto. Pur capendo comunque il disegno voluto dall’autore, devo confessare che avrei trattato in modo diverso questa cosa.
Data la violenza molto cruda e dettagliata, consiglio il libro a un pubblico consapevole e non troppo sensibile.
È quasi per gioco e per sfida che Adam Miller, americano in viaggio d’affari in Giappone, conosce Miki Someya, ragazza affascinante a cui non sa resistere. I due passano la notte insieme, ma questo porta a conseguenze devastanti per entrambi: Miki s’invaghisce di lui in modo ossessivo, e Adam, preoccupato soprattutto per il suo matrimonio, non può fare a meno di ricorrere a un gesto estremo per allontanare la giovane dalla sua vita. Questo, però, ha delle ripercussioni importanti, perché quando Miki decide di vendicarsi, Adam si ritrova coinvolto in un turbine di violenza e terrore che lo soffocherà giorno dopo giorno.
“Adam le aveva portato via tutto. Ma le aveva appena dato uno scopo.”
Brutalissima e intensa storia che affonda le sue radici in un’antica leggenda giapponese, ma che affronta anche delle tematiche moderne, delicate e profonde quali lo stigma, il pregiudizio, l’handicap e la facilità con cui la società spesso giudica e accusa senza conoscere. L’autore descrive due personaggi molto diversi tra loro: Adam, uomo sposato, devoto al lavoro e alla famiglia, ma che si lascia governare dall’impulsività e dalle emozioni, non riuscendo a gestire la pressione; e Miki, ragazza ingenua che vuole soltanto amare ed essere ricambiata, ma che soccombe al suo lato emotivo e passa dall’essere candida a “spietata” (da questo punto di vista, l’evoluzione del personaggio di Miki è più netta rispetto a quella di Adam).
Il libro è davvero scorrevole, tanto che si legge abbastanza in fretta, anche se il testo è molto violento, e per questo di certo non adatto a tutti (alcune scene sono disturbanti e mi hanno turbata parecchio, non posso negarlo, specie perché riguardano dei bambini, in alcuni casi ce n’è troppa – non necessaria – e piuttosto dettagliata).
Se devo fare un appunto al testo, mi ha lasciato un po’ perplessa il modo in cui l’autore ha trattato lo “stalking” di Miki nei confronti di Adam: è tutto troppo veloce e all’inizio poco motivato; se due persone passano una notte insieme, non è tanto grave e strano rivedere il partner il giorno dopo. Qui invece Adam va letteralmente fuori di testa e inizia a parlare di stalking un po’ troppo presto. Pur capendo comunque il disegno voluto dall’autore, devo confessare che avrei trattato in modo diverso questa cosa.
Data la violenza molto cruda e dettagliata, consiglio il libro a un pubblico consapevole e non troppo sensibile.
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