Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
My first 5-star read of 2026!!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Wow, okay. Japanese Gothic. Is this going to be for everyone? No, most likely not. Was it for me though? Hell yes!
I am blown away by how unique, beautiful and creative this story is. It’s tragic. It’s challenging and captivating. It hurt my head a little and my heart a lot.

I finished this novel close to a month ago, and have been sitting with it in my mind ever since. As it turns out, this is going to be one of those cases for me that I love a book so much, I really don’t know how to review it.
There’s only so many ways one can say, this is amazing.
Kylie Lee Baker is so versatile in her writing, and this is a clear example of her tremendous talent. I think maybe for Readers who have only read Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng from her, they might be surprised by this one.

For Readers who have read her earlier works, such as The Keeper of the Night, or The Scarlet Alchemist duologies, both of which I recommend, this may be less of a surprise.
Those Horror Fantasy duologies both leaned heavily into more historical settings. In The Keeper of the Night duology, we also had the incorporation of Japanese folklore and mythology explored through a Horror lens.
In Japanese Gothic, it feels like KLB is blending both her earlier works with Bat Eater, and I mean this style-wise, as we have two main characters, Lee, living in our modern world in 2026, and Sen, living in historic Japan in 1877.

After Lee flees New York under distressing circumstances, he goes to stay in his father’s new home in Japan. A house with a haunting aura and history.
It’s in this location that Lee’s and Sen’s worlds end up colliding. So there’s this beautiful blend of the modern with the historical. It’s a story of two times, two worlds, but how are they connected, and why?

This book is such a journey, such a ride. I was so curious about how KLB was going to work these two perspectives and I loved how it was done. The way we learn about the characters through their experiences with one another, it unfolded in such a natural way.
I definitely crept up on me. I didn’t know how invested I was until the events began to escalate and become higher stakes. I loved the mystery of it as well. There’s no info dumping as to what is going on here, or why, it just evolves.
The revelations at the end, the truth of what’s going on with these characters and the connection, it was jaw-dropping and incredible. I was in awe of what KLB did here.

I could see this one going either way with Readers. It takes its time. It’s truly a slow burn, but I loved the Horror imagery and dark content KLB included, while also making it heartfelt and thought-provoking.
I think for the Readers it hits with, it’s really going to hit, and I fall into that camp. For me, this is Kylie Lee Baker’s best work yet, and I’ve really enjoyed everything I’ve read from her. I just feel like the complexity the story, the themes explored and it’s construction, is all next level.
I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who feels like the premise sounds intriguing. I think if you go in knowing it’s going to unfold in a slow, meticulous way, you’ll have a better shot connecting with it. Be willing to take the time.

Thank you to the publisher, Hanover Square Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I know it’s early, but I can say with confidence that this will be on my Best Books of 2026 list!











































