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5.0 out of 5 stars Good solid read! Well worth the money.
Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2018
Having been a Story Analyst at Warner Brothers for years, I am not an easy reader to please, which is why I usually find myself reading mostly non-fiction books these days; however, I was attracted to the appealing setting of this story, and I was curious to see how the writer, Jeremy Bates, was going to make use of the famed Suicide Forest in Japan as the story's spine-tingling backdrop. I am happy to report that Mr. Bates made the most of the creepy atmosphere, and he did extremely well when it comes to activating all five senses while reading this well crafted effort.That said, there were times when I found myself becoming irritated with the lead, Ethan Childs, who, developmentally, comes off a little bit too much like a child. Still, the very qualities that make him irritating are also some of the very qualities that will serve him well as the story advances. Bates does a nice job of creating characters that are actually fully dimensional and convincing, and which leads to some satisfying sexual tensions, realistic interpersonal conflicts, and even leaves one hoping for the best concerning the various members of the group here.One of the biggest problems with horror stories like this (and without giving any of the mystery away) is that too many writers either paint themselves into a corner via the use of flimsy red herrings or they provide a conclusion which is disappointing to say the least. I am happy to say that Mr. Bates actually avoids those traps. One of the keys to see if a mystery holds up is to read the story backwards to make sure that everything fits neatly into place, and Mr. Bates did quite well. In other words, the ending does not disappoint.Hats off to you, Mr. Bates, and to the rest of your potential readers: what are you waiting for? Buy the book and enjoy.
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suicide forest jeremy bates well written edge of your seat page turner highly recommend stephen king twists and turns great read really enjoyed john scott good read looking forward hard to put wait to read forward to reading mount fuji aokigahara jukai real place character development
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𐕣 Kayla 𐕣
4.0 out of 5 stars I dont know how i feel honestly.
Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2023
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I legit finished this book in 2 days. It gets you hooked cause you really want to get to the scary suspense but it never comes. Majority of the book is them walking around aimlessly in the forest. I dont know it just feels like the book could have been so much better. Felt very let down lol
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Jose Orquiz
4.0 out of 5 stars Suicide Forest
Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2023
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This book was very well written. Held my interest and hard to put down. Enjoyable characters, Tomo was my favorite. The creepy factor was definitely there but not what I expected at all. The survival horror aspect was awesome but not what I was expecting. This was a quick read. 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star read for me!
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elena dougherty
5.0 out of 5 stars Really good book
Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2023
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I just discovered this author and thought I would give it a go.. I love my thrillers and horror. I couldn't put it down . Just finished it last night. Just ordered book 2 from scariest places set . Coming Monday can't wait. Guess my Stephen King collection will have company. Lol.
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William Nelson
4.0 out of 5 stars I enjoyed it
Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2023
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I won’t wax poetic here. If you like other authors King, Koontz, Barker, etc I really don’t see why you wouldn’t like this. I enjoyed it enough to get the next one (Catacombs…unrelated to this story).
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Walter H
3.0 out of 5 stars Full review----contains SPOILERS
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2015
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This review contains SPOILERS.

I just finished reading this book, and while it started off as a seemingly supernatural story, it turned into a completely different story by the end of the book. It starts off in Japan, where the protaganist, Ethan, is going to climb Mount Fuji with a co-worker (Neil), friend (Honda), friend (Tomo), girlfriend (Mel), and Mel's friend (John Scott). It's important to Ethan to climb Mount Fuji because he hadn't really put any time aside before to do the more touristy things while in Japan. However, it's about to rain and once they arrive at the trail to go up to Mount Fuji, they realize their expedition will have to be delayed. They meet two tourists, Nina and Ben, and learn that Nina and Ben are planning to go to Aokigahara, which is better known as the Suicide Forest. Once Nina and Ben go to the Suicide Forest, they plan to camp overnight, then hike up Mount Fuji. Once Ethan's group learns of Nina and Ben's plan, they take a vote to decide who wants to go with them and who wants to go do something else. Once Honda learns of the plan to go to the Suicide Forest, he is very adamant against going. He decides to stay behind while the others join Nina and Ben. When they reach the forest, they find a clear path and decide to follow it.

I was very intrigued at this point. I felt that the characters were interesting and I could picture each one. I also felt that the author did a great job of describing the forest and how creepy it was. As the story progressed, I learned that the characters were interested in suicide in their own ways, whether it be from a traumatic event in their past (Ethan, Mel, and Nina) or just curious about the macabre (John Scott, Neil, Ben, and Tomo), which made me very curious about how their backgrounds were going to play into the story. As they traveled deeper into the forest, they came to a tree that had two arrows on it, pointing in opposite directions. At this point, they decide to split up and meet back up in two hours. This was when I became worried about the story itself. I hate when characters do stupid things, and this was probably one of the stupidest things you could possibly do in a forest you've never been in with people you don't know that well. The way the author described the forest made it sound like the forest floor was covered with roots from trees that couldn't grow properly in the lava rock. The lava rock itself was extremely uneven, so they had to watch out for craters, which could be so big that one could fall in and die. I kept thinking, why the heck would they be walking around an area like that where there is very limited light due to the canopy of trees? Also, after they split up and went off the main trail, they began to follow ribbons that were tied to trees to see where they went. I really could not believe how stupid these characters were. I understand the morbid curiosity, but I was shaking my head at the sheer stupidity. It's like these characters had absolutely no common sense, which took me out of the story. I wasn't sure at that point if I wanted to spend any more time with these people, because I certainly wouldn't have spent time with them in real life. All I could think was, if those ribbons become untied then they are totally screwed. It's incredibly easy to become lost in the woods, and these people were basically ensuring that they would become lost.

What kept me reading is I really liked most of the characters, and I wanted to know how it would turn out. I love supernatural stories, and was really interested in the forest because it is a real place. As the story progresses, some of the characters get hurt very badly, some die, and you are left wondering what is going on.

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER

The ending of the book is not what I expected at all. Basically, there isn't anything supernatural going on. The Japanese were rumored to have practiced ubasute, which is when an elderly parent or relative (children were supposedly taken up there too) was taken up to the forest and left to die. This practice occurred when the other family members did not have enough food for the relative(s). A brother and sister were taken up to the forest to die, and the sister died while the brother made it out of there alive. He returned home, thinking his parents made a mistake, only to find that it wasn’t a mistake and they weren’t happy to see him at all. He went back to the forest to live and began stealing food from local villages. He also began abducting women and raping them in order to have children. Once the women were of no use to him, he would hang them in the forest, which was a perfect cover for his crimes. His feral children were raised in the woods. Together, they would abduct women the man wanted and kill any men who were with them.

The book did end on a happy note of sorts, but I was disappointed that this wasn’t a supernatural story. It wasn’t bad by any means, but I felt like I was misled. However, I have no idea how they would’ve marketed this as anything other than a supernatural story without completely giving the ending away. It was definitely a surprise, so I can see why they marketed it as a supernatural story.
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brih
5.0 out of 5 stars LOVE THIS BOOK
Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2023
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This book came in basically new! I highly recommend buying a new one, just because it is so nice to have something for yourself. It was perfect condition wise, and the book itself is super super good. It is a little slower at the start but just give it time. I highly recommend.
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Carrie
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting
Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2023
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Different but good. I found my self scared quite a bit while reading it, and had to call my dog over for cuddles. I do recommend it to someone looking for something to give them the chills.
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Lee
4.0 out of 5 stars That ending........what?
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2018
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First, I really liked his book. The book is based on the actual Suicide Forest at the base of Mount Fuji in Japan. If you know anything about the area, legends, and that the place considered the best place for suicide. So the background and descriptions in this book place the reader inside the forest.

If you wanna deeper sense of “being there”, read about Aokigahara Jukai or the Sea of Trees. It makes the read so much better when there are actual references that you can see yourself there in the moment. A book based on actual places and accurate descriptions is always a huge plus.

Now, on to my review. I loved the characters - John, Neil, Mel, Ben, Ethan (told from his voice), Tomo, and Nina. Mel, Ethan and Neil are all ESL teachers in Japan and have decided to climb Mt. Fuji. However plans get changed and Ben and Nina who they meet at the base inform them the mountain is closed due to rain. So, someone brings up the Suicide Forest and they all agree, hesitatingly of course. Tomo, who is friends with Ethan and Mel, talk about the ghosts, called Yūrei, who is said to call hikers, and suicidal people deeper into the forest to kill them, or make them commit suicide.

In both the book and reality, it is a HUGE NO-NO to stray off the path. The government has signs posted for those who are thinking about suicide. However they all go off the trails. Soon after it begins to darken, they begin to hear and see things. They’re spooking themselves talking about the people who died there, their spirits that may still be around, and wondering if they will see any dead bodies.

Once the are deep inside the forest, they realize they have to make camp. Not a smart choice as this is the time that it hits the fan. Some die, and was it the Yūrei or by their own accord? The survivors keep moving to try and reach safety, but more become ill or injured. The rest go to find help, and are attacked by beings in the forest that look exactly like the descriptions of Yūrei.

They find safety, but for how long? There are twists and turns, times I thought I knew what was happening, but........the reason for 4 stars is how the book ended. I mean REALLY???? It was a good idea don’t get me wrong, I can see that happening, but was caught up in the real backstory so I was surprised it ended the way it did.

Also, the author does a wonderful job of not forgetting the real people there who had committed suicide. The compassion is there and it makes one wonder.....why? Why commit suicide?

Overall I would recommend this book. I’m about to start another of his series.

***this review is mine. I was not paid for this nor given anything in return for my review. It is my review and only mine.***
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Top reviews from other countries

Allan
5.0 out of 5 stars Could not put down
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 19, 2023
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I maybe read one other horror/suspence book before, but this one felt different, almost real. Some cheesy lines but overall I really enjoyed it, I even forgot it was not real (in the beginning).
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Stephen Clynes
4.0 out of 5 stars Suicide Forest is an adult book that fully explores the issue of suicide.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 13, 2018
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If you go out into the woods today. You’re sure of a big surprise. But this is no picnic time for teddy bears. A group of 7 people enter Aokigahara Jukai, which is near Mt. Fuji in Japan. The Japanese call it the “Sea of Trees” but others refer to it as the Suicide Forest. They are taken there by a guy called Honda who said “According to our myths, it was once the site of ubasute. Families would abandon their young or elderly there during periods of famine, so there would be less mouths to feed. Because of this, many Japanese think the forest is now haunted by yurei, or souls of the dead.”

I liked how Jeremy has done his research, for Suicide Forest is a real location. He also includes the local culture and words, for example a bento box and ramen shops. Jeremy really got the atmosphere of the Suicide Forest, giving it a creepy yet very real feel to it. I really enjoy walking my dog through woods but this is not a walk in the park for these 7 people who abandon the regular tourist trail.

Suicide Forest is written in the first person of Ethan Childs, who is an English teacher. I liked the little bits thrown into the story about teaching English to the Japanese and the funny things they can say. English is a great living language and I loved the bit were Ethan had words with Tomo - “Have lunch,” I corrected him vacantly. I didn’t usually do this outside the classroom, but “take lunch” always irked me, one of those expressions the Japanese favored that just sounded wrong.

I found Suicide Forest to be a GOOD read that plays on the urban legend horror theme. I liked how it was a first person narrative so that the reader feels they are at the center of the action. Suicide Forest is an adult book that fully explores the issue of suicide but is not preachy or religious. The quality of Jeremy’s writing is good and he has a very wide vocabulary, forcing me to click many a word on my Kindle, to be sure of it’s meaning.

Suicide Forest kept me entertained but I did NOT enjoy it as much as The Taste of Fear, another of Jeremy’s books. Because of the background, the choice of a real location and the urban legends attached, Suicide Forest for me was a GOOD 4 star read.
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Turbo
4.0 out of 5 stars first read of work from this author
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 16, 2023
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First time reading anything from this author and enjoyed the story, well developed characters and interesting throughout, I look forward to reading more of this series.
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Emily Jane
4.0 out of 5 stars Suicide forest or a hunting ground
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 9, 2022
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This is the first book I've read by this Author and it won't be the last! This was fast paced, I loved the characters, John Scott especially ❤️ - I didn't expect the twists and turns 👌
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Rebecka O'Malley
3.0 out of 5 stars An Interesting Horror Novel Set in Japan
Reviewed in Australia on May 12, 2019
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"... many Japanese think the forest is now haunted by yūrei, or the souls of the dead."

Ethan, his girlfriend Mel, some friends and acquaintances, decide to spend the night in Aokigahara after their Mt. Fuji climb is postponed due to bad weather. Things start off alright, but soon one of the group is dead, they are lost, and something is hunting them.

Before going into my review, I need to say that obviously, if suicide is a topic that makes you uncomfortable, you may not want to read this book. I will also add a warning for rape here . It is not graphically portrayed, but is mentioned, and is a plot point.

So, I was quite excited to read this book. I was a Japanese major at university, and so it is always exciting to read books set in Japan. And of course, this book was set in a real, supposedly haunted location, which is another topic I find absolutely fascinating.

I found myself very engaged with this book. The characters were all different from one another, and I was keen to discover more about their pasts and what led them to Japan. The character we spent the most time with, given that the book was written from his first person perspective, was Ethan. I empathised with him, though he did make some stupid decisions, even before everything went wrong.

The pacing worked well I believe. It started off a little slow, but this allowed me to get to know some of the characters better, and feel the atmosphere of a camping trip in a creepy place. We would also have glimpses of the past as Ethan thought back. For the most part, these flashes were unobtrusive and helped develop Ethan further, but sometimes they felt out of place and irrelevant.

The setting was done well. As I said, the suicide forest is a real location, so it already garners a certain amount of legitimacy. It was written to be a claustrophobic, and some how unnatural forest, as if the history of it seeped into the roots of the trees to shape them, and I loved that.

I did have some problems with the book. Firstly, there was an unnecessary deer injury/death (animal deaths are one of few things that bother me in fiction, yet I see it a lot, given that one of my favourite genres is horror).

The reveal toward the end of the book, though unique, was a bit of a let down. It definitely wasn't what I was expecting, which in itself isn't a bad thing, but it felt strange and unsatisfying.

The ending also felt rushed. We discover what is happening, get to the major conflict, and it goes by very quickly. The epilogue, slightly out of place, also felt rushed, as if the author wanted the story to end. Things are tied up a little too neatly, while also being open ended, which is an unsatisfying juxtaposition.

All in all, I enjoyed Suicide Forest. While there were problems with it, it was a fun and easy read that put an interesting spin on a well established sub-genre of horror, set in a real world location. I would recommend this book to horror enthusiasts, unless suicide and rape are subjects you cannot stomach.
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