October, 2026: Lee Turner doesn’t remember how or why he killed his college roommate. The details are blurred and bloody. All he knows is he has to flee New York and go to the one place that might offer refuge—his father’s new home in Japan, a house hidden by sword ferns and wild ginger. But something is terribly wrong with the house: no animals will come near it, the bedroom window isn’t always a window, and a woman with a sword appears in the yard when night falls.

October, 1877: Sen is a young samurai in exile, hiding from the imperial soldiers in a house behind the sword ferns. A monster came home from war wearing her father’s face, but Sen would do anything to please him, even turn her sword on her own mother. She knows the soldiers will soon slaughter her whole family when she sees a terrible omen: a young foreign man who appears outside her window.

One of these people is a ghost, and one of these stories is a lie.

Something is hiding beneath the house of sword ferns, and Lee and Sen will soon wish they never unburied it.

I received a complimentary audiobook of this title courtesy of the publisher. All thoughts are my own.

I read and really loved Kylie Lee Baker’s “Bat Eater” last year. It was haunting and sad and scary and all kinds of goodness, so I was super excited to get my hands on this one. While I’m in the minority, I didn’t like this one as much as I enjoyed her first book. Now don’t get me wrong. This book isn’t bad. It just didn’t have the same effect on me as her.

The story follows two timelines. In 2026, Lee Turner has fled New York and is hiding out at his father’s house in Japan. He’s pretty sure he killed his college roommate, but he can’t remember the details. Everything is blurred and bloody. He just knows he had to get out. He also can’t remember where he hid the body. So now he’s living in Japan, growing more paranoid by the day, waiting for the police to come knocking.

But something is very wrong with his father’s house. No animals will come near it. The bedroom window isn’t always a window. And when night falls, a woman with a sword appears in the yard.

In 1877, we meet Sen, a young samurai in exile. She’s hiding from imperial soldiers who are hunting her family. It doesn’t help that she’s pretty sure a monster came home from war wearing her beloved father’s face, but still, Sen would do anything to please him. Even turn her sword on her own mother. And then she sees something impossible. A young foreign man appears outside her window.

While I wasn’t as invested in the story overall, there’s no mistaking that Kylie Lee Baker knows how to craft the hell out of a story. Both characters are very well drawn and deeply human. Sen is complicated and tragic. Lee is paranoid and drowning in guilt and confusion.

While I enjoyed Sen’s character, I think Lee’s story grabbed me more. He’s dealing with a lot of trauma. His mom went missing while the family was in Cambodia and he’s pretty sure she’s dead, though they’ve never gotten confirmation. Couple that with the fact that he’s convinced he murdered his college roommate, and you’ve got a character who’s barely holding it together. Watching him unravel while also trying to figure out what’s happening with the house was compelling.

The writing is very tight. Baker doesn’t waste words. And the way she weaves together mythology, ghost stories, and the past and present is masterful. The two timelines mirror each other in interesting ways. The connections between Lee and Sen unfold slowly, and when they finally click into place, it’s satisfying.

The horror elements are also very well done. The atmosphere is thick, and the blend of Japanese folklore with modern psychological horror works really well. Baker clearly did her research, and it shows.

That said, I just didn’t connect with this one the way I did with “Bat Eater”. And what’s really frustrating is I can’t entirely put my finger on why. Maybe it’s because I was so blown away by her debut that my expectations were impossibly high, or maybe this particular story just didn’t resonate with me personally. Either way, I still think it’s a good book. It’s just not my favorite from her.

I listened to an advance copy of the audiobook and the narration by Natalie Naudus is perfect. She really nails each scene and each character. She handles both timelines beautifully and gives each character a distinct voice. If you’re an audiobook person, this is a solid way to experience the story.

If you love dual timeline horror, stories that blend mythology with modern settings, or books that play with mythology and ghost stories, this is definitely worth a read. Baker is a talented writer, and even though this one didn’t grab me the way her first book did, I’ll absolutely be reading whatever she writes next.

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