Review of 'The Sacrifice'

An island oasis turns deadly when a terrifying legend threatens to kill off visitors one by one in this haunting novel from the highly acclaimed author of The Girl from the Well and the Bone Witch trilogy.

Review

The Sacrifice delves into East Asian folklore to bring to life a chilling new supernatural horror that follows a film crew on a cursed island.

Storytelling

Chupeco is terrific at building up the atmosphere of The Sacrifice. Right from the beginning, the first line grabs you:

“Nobody tells Hollywood about the screaming.”

From there, we are introduced to Alon, cautiously watching them from his boat, keeping a wary and respectable distance from the island. That beginning establishes the unease and tells the reader that there is more to the island than simple myths and legends. Something menacing lives on the island, the reader can sense it through Alon.

Alon has a strange connection to the island; they listen to it, and the island hears back. He is the only one wise enough to be there, who respects the island and is wary of it despite the connection and bond.

And when a sinkhole appears, with a corpse wrapped up in its trunk, strange sightings begin to haunt the crew.

Chupeco leans into raising the tension and building up the mythos that governs the island. They suck the reader in with the subtle detail and Alon’s narrative. Alon’s narrative adds to the haunting atmosphere because it is thoughtful and cautious.

The eeriness of The Sacrifice relies heavily on Alon’s narrative. Because they are the person who is the tour guide, the unsettling atmosphere relies heavily on them and their perspective. What they see, what they encounter, and how the island manifests the cursed and haunting elements give into building up that eerieness.

Cinematic

What was also great about the novel was the feel of it. While it follows a group from Hollywood set on filming, it feels like a film.

The Sacrifice is a novel that plays in your head as you read it. The detailing of the scene structure’s atmosphere really adds to the reader’s hello enjoyment. It’s effortless to visualize everything that’s happening in the story. With the rising tension and the rising and the increasing pacing, you get lost in the story and the hauntings and suck the reader in a wonderful way.

Final Thoughts

The Sacrifice is a good novel, especially if you want to read something spooky for the spooky season. This is the novel for you. The way the characters lose their sanity and the curse starts to come alive and attacks the island’s inhabitants gets you hooked. You know something off here; you just can’t figure it out. You’re invested in the legend of the Sleeping God and the curse of the island.

That being said, the ending was a little bit rushed. It could easily have been another 50 to 100 pages without being detrimental to the story. Alright, but overall, The Sacrifice was such an engaging and fast-paced read. I thoroughly loved it and enjoyed it.

• Writing Quality : 9/10
• Character Development : 9/10
• "Couldn't Put It Down"-ness : 10/10
• Intellectual Depth: 8/10
• Originality: 9/10
• Overall Rating: 4 out of 5.

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About the Author

Cynthia Bujnicki graduated from Emerson College with a BA in Writing, Literature and Publishing. She has always loved to read since she was a child. A contributing writer for YA Fantasy Addicts, she is also the Editor-in-Chief for Cyn's Workshop. She lives in sunny South Florida with her husband, son and daughter and their two cats.