The Sacrifice by Rin Chupeco

Review

When a Hollywood crew decides to film a ghost-hunting show on the cursed island of Kisapmata in the Philippines, they enlist the help of Alon, the only local willing to talk to them. But Alon only agreed to try and warn them off from the island. The Diwata, whom the Americans named Dreamer god, does not take kindly to disrespectful trespassers. But Reuben Hemslock believes unlocking the island’s secrets will make everyone forget about his so-called scandals. When ton the first day of filming a sinkhole reveals a balete tree growing around a corpse, Hemslock is thrilled. But with a storm rolling in and various claims of hallucinations from the crew, Alon knows it’s only a matter of time before they too fall victim to the curse.

This was such a great read for the fall/spooky season! I love how this novel focus on all of the creepy factors of the island: the makahiya leaves that come to life, the balete tree beings only Alon seems to notice, visions and screams of the dead, etc. So much of the atmosphere is built upon the weird occurrences on the island rather than death and injury. Of course there is still quite a bit of that, both in Kisapmata’s past and in the crew’s future, but the story builds up to it first. I’m always looking for the atmosphere and a good developing trajectory in my horror novels.

The plot is incredibly fast-paced with some really great twists at the end. If someone isn’t having a new vision, being stalked by a tree monster, or finding some chilling clues within the cave system, then they’re uncovering more of the island’s past and stories of its victims. The island has a long sordid history, including fights between the local peoples and Spanish conquistadors, a murderous cult, and a disappearing plane. The crew members all have different motives to be there and even Alon has secrets they are unwilling to share. Hemslock in particular was both terrifying and fascinating to watch. He continually devolves alongside the situation on the island until he loses all grasp on reality. As the entitled , egotistical man that he is, Hemslock is one of the scariest parts of the book, believing he is owed the affection of others as well as the secrets and power of the local peoples without consequence to himself.

But not everything in this book is bloody and depressing. Alon remains mysterious throughout the novel, but they have a good heart. I would’ve loved to have learned more about them, but I can see how that would’ve ruined some of the mystery and the open ending. Askal was one of my favorite characters! Any book becomes instantly better with a loyal dog companion. Alon and Chase’s relationship was also a great source of both sweet and angsty moments.