Review: Kosa by John Durgin

Kosa

by John Durgin

Release Date: May 17, 2024

2024 DarkLitPress

Ebook ARC; 333 Pages

ISBN: 978-1998851409

ASIN: B0CN52XZMT

Audiobook: B0D4NKW6K7

Genre: Fiction / Horror

Source: Review copy from author

3.5 / 5 Stars

Summary

In a secluded mansion hidden away from the outside world, young Kosa lives under the strict and overpowering rule of her enigmatic mother. For Kosa, the rules set by Mother are the guiding principles of her life, shaping her beliefs and actions. However, as Kosa grows older, she begins to question the reality she has been presented with. Doubts eat away at her, fueled by a deep-rooted curiosity and a burgeoning sense of independence.

But Kosa possesses a mysterious and powerful ability that Mother desperately needs to sustain her own existence. Mother, a figure shrouded in shadows and secrets, will stop at nothing to ensure that Kosa’s power remains potent and under her control. 

 

My Thoughts

Kosa was actually a pretty solid book full of twists and turns. While I enjoyed this twisted tale based on Rapuzel (although it also felt a lot of like Hanzel and Gretel), and was surprised at some of the events that occurred, I did feel the overall story lacked in both character and plot development relying mostly on attempted shock value to propel the story forward. And while the pacing was good, some of the dialogue actually pulled me out of the story and even had me rolling my eyes, at times.

 

I actually did enjoy the multiple characters as it gave the story a different perspective every time someone new was involved. Kosa's situation was the most interesting to me and I would have liked to have connected with her a bit more, to really understand her situation and her fears. I felt the author wrote her a bit superficially which made it hard to really empathize with her situation even though you got glimpses of how difficult her life must have been. Equally, Marta, the mother, was fascinating, and I think a bit more background would have made her character that much more sinister rather than just relying on her magic being the thing that was sinister. Only enough information was given to make me even more curious about her life and why she chose to do the things she did, but was never fully developed or fully explained satisfactorily. I think that foreboding element just wasn't there for me because of this lack of development. I wanted to sit on the edge of my seat in anticipation, but I didn't.;

While I actually didn't mind the pacing, there were parts that were a bit repetitive. However, while I do think parts could have been structured a bit better to enhance anticipation and fear, the author does write a compelling story nonetheless and I had trouble putting it down.  And although I enjoyed the cats as part of this story, I would have liked an explanation for them and their behaviour and how they came to be there. So, while the story was compelling, there were a few plot holes, things that weren't explained or hinted at, but were still quite interesting even if you knew they were there to add to the creepiness or eeriness of the setting.

Verdict

Kosa was a fun read overall and I think I am more inclined to read twisted horror fairy tales than romance ones as I find them more interesting. I don't feel that horror necessarily has to have horrific things in it to be scary as hell, and this book would be great for someone who is looking to try the genre, but doesn't want anything too gory. This author is proof that you can write about something horrific without giving too many graphic details, but still maintain the horror element for a creepy story.