ARC Review: The Sacrifice by Rin Chupeco

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Sacrifice by Rin Chupeco
Published by Sourcebooks Fire on October 4, 2022
Genres: YA Horror
Pages: 332
Source: the publisher
Format: ARC
My Rating:
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Blurb:

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.

Pristine beaches, lush greenery, and perfect weather, the island of Kisapmata would be the vacation destination…if not for the curse. The Philippine locals speak of it in hushed voices and refuse to step foot on the island. They know the lives it has claimed. They won’t be next.

A Hollywood film crew won’t be dissuaded. Legend claims a Dreamer god sleeps, waiting to grant unimaginable powers in exchange for eight sacrifices. The producers are determined to document the evidence. And they convince Alon, a local teen, to be their guide.

Within minutes of their arrival, a giant sinkhole appears, revealing a giant balete tree with a mummified corpse entwined in its gnarled branches. And the crew start seeing strange visions. Alon knows they are falling victim to the island’s curse. If Alon can’t convince them to leave, there is no telling who will survive. Or how much the Dreamer god will destroy…

Creepy and suspenseful, The Sacrifice is perfect for readers looking for:
* Spooky, scary books for young adults
* Horror novels
* Ghost story books for teens
* East Asian folklore

My Review

So in the past I’ve tried two books by this author and DNFed them both. This one though, while the beginning was still a little slow, maybe needed more of a grabbing moment, I ended up really getting into this one. While the show they were filming was kind of described more as one of those paranormal documentaries where one guy or a team go searching for the mystery or paranormal element in a location, I almost felt a bit of the aspect of the tv show Lost in a way. Because honestly, as much as there was going on with this island, I can’t see the type of show they were talking about being a long season, and then a second season as they tried to say they wanted to get.

All the characters had issues and it showed how people that you think aren’t bad have done things that they are ashamed of, or feel bad about, sometimes more than anyone else would think. But oftentimes worse things have happened. There were instances where other people kind of glossed over what those people did because they were their friends, and that showed exactly how people are in certain fields, or probably anywhere in a way.

A few of the events were a little confusing when they popped up, even if the author did eventually weave an explanation into the story in a way that did work. I’m personally not a big fan of plants, and there was a movie a while back based on a book by Scott Smith, called The Ruins, that in a way this book had some details reminiscent of that. I would totally watch a movie/series about this book, but as I mentioned with the show that was part of the story, I feel one season would be enough.

Glad I gave this one a chance, and now I’ll keep my mind open to books by this author. Third time was the charm for me I guess!