This may be an artefact of translation, but I just couldn't get past the didactic exposition behind He-in's character. I must give the book a star rating but I honestly don't know how to rate it – heavy-handed exposition is a total dealbreaker for me. I will not be posting this review on Goodreads because I only post books that I finish.

Very, Very underwhelmed by this story. I kept waiting for something to happen. It never did.

The writing was so vivid in spots and I enjoyed the author's perspective on a few different things however the story itself just wasn't there.

Curious if I'm missing something because it was translated from Korean?

"The terror of those childhood days was carved into his adult bones and flesh and veins as deeply as ever. He waited in silence, disappointed at how fear was still such a reflex for him."

The Owl Cries was a book that really defied genre description. I considered it one genre at first but then changed my mind several times as the story progressed, and even now I am not sure how to classify it, though I have gone with "thriller". The story initially intrigued me, but my attention wavered a little towards the end. I guess I found the ending a bit less climatic than I'd expected from the slow build up. But it was certainly an atmospheric read and the forest itself really came to life as a character in its own right. Overall, I am glad I read this book and I would pick up more works by this author in the future even if this one was a middle-of-the-road read for me overall. If you like genre-bending works with a mysterious vibe, The Owl Cries by Pyun Hye-young is worth checking out. I am giving it 3.5 stars.

LOVED THE BOOK and damn i knew that Jin was real sus!!! Once i started reading it was hard to put it down!!