The Cut by Richard Armitage

The story begins in the quiet village of Baron Mallet, where a group of so-called friends, Annabel Maddock, Ben Knot, David Patel, Chris and Lynette Davis, Catherine Maddock, and Mark Cherry, spent their youth together. But behind the facade of friendship lay cruelty. Mark was the constant target of their bullying, and no one ever stood up for him.

Then tragedy struck. Annabel was found dead at the abandoned mill. The investigation dragged on for nearly a year, but the truth was never fully uncovered. David Patel was convicted. Annie’s blood on his clothes sealed his fate. Yet the murder weapon was never found.

Thirty years later, “The Mill Killer” is finally released on parole. At the same time, a Hollywood director arrives in Baron Mallet to film The Cut, a movie meant to dig into the town’s buried secrets. But this isn’t just another horror flick. Instead of cheap scares, the film reimagines the tropes of the eighties slasher, turning them into something far more unsettling and layered. And someone behind the production seems to know exactly what happened all those years ago.

The past refuses to stay buried. Ben, who once dated Annabel, now finds his career, his family, and his secrets under threat as the cameras roll. Revenge, guilt, and the scars of bullying intertwine in a story that blurs the line between fiction and reality.

The Cut is not a neat revenge tale, it’s messier. At times the pacing drags, but the novel lingers because it reminds us of a chilling truth: bullies don’t change. They thrive on arrogance and power, not conscience. The only way to stop them is to stand up, say no, and refuse to let them define you.

Emma On Fire by James Patterson & Emily Raymond

I started Emma on Fire with completely the wrong impression of what I was about to read. While I’ve never read any of James Patterson’s YA collaborations before, I was curious and somehow, despite my mixed feelings, I finished it.

Emma Blake, seventeen, is the model student at Ridgemont Academy, straight-A grades and community leadership. But behind the privilege lies deep tragedy. Her mother died when she was young, and the grief she once shared with her sister, Claire, became even heavier after Claire’s sudden death, an apparent suicide after years of therapy and instability.

With a distant father who prefers to throw money at problems rather than talk, Emma’s grief becomes tangled with anger, blame, and the need to be acknowledged. Then comes a shocking twist, she pledges to self-immolate in protest of the state of the world. Her recorded confession goes viral, drawing national attention and unsettling everyone around her.

Emma’s voice in the novel is intense, though at times repetitive, and her motivations remain partially in shadow, an unresolved thread that left me questioning what truly drove her. This isn’t the straightforward YA drama I expected. It’s darker, heavier, and raises difficult questions about grief, protest, and how far someone will go to be heard.

Korban by Crystal Anabella

Sekumpulan content creator, berjaya melepasi sesi temuduga untuk mengikuti program Lucky 7, yang syarat pertamanya ialah tak takut hantu. Dengan tawaran gaji lumayan untuk seminggu, ala-ala survival show ini memang sesuai untuk mereka yang berhati kental. Tambahan pula, mereka terdesak mahu mendapatkan hadiah utama.

Program ini dikatakan dianjurkan oleh seorang influencer popular dari Indonesia, Mr. Roberto, pengasas konten video extreme stunt. Ini membuatkan ramai yang awalnya menganggap program ini scam, mula rasa tertarik. Namun, sebelum tiba di Resort Qulantis, beberapa ahli kumpulan Lucky 7 sudah berdepan kejadian pelik yang tak masuk akal.

Resort yang dikelilingi hutan tebal, rupa-rupanya berpuaka akibat sumpahan. Mengikut peraturan, semua gajet peserta akan disita dan diganti dengan peralatan tanpa wayar dari pihak produksi. Mereka diwajibkan menghasilkan video seram berdurasi 10 minit setiap hari selama seminggu, dan siapa yang gagal akan menerima hukuman. Kedengaran mudah, tapi hakikatnya penuh rintangan.

Sepanjang berada di sana, peserta diganggu entiti yang menakutkan namun gangguan itu tak dapat dirakam kamera. Keadaan bertukar tragis apabila beberapa nyawa peserta diragut, membuatkan mereka sedar bahawa program ini bukan sekadar hiburan. Cubaan untuk melarikan diri juga berdepan halangan demi halangan.

Fakta menarik tentang Korban ialah pada asalnya berjudul FYP dan pernah memenangi saguhati Sayembara FIXI 2024. Dengan tagline untuk pembaca matang, aku rasa Korban memang kena dengan vibes yang FIXI mahukan. Yang aku suka, walaupun ada elemen seram, gore, dan mistik, penulis selitkan juga momen kelakar yang menjadi selingan di tengah ketegangan.

Premisnya mungkin kedengaran klise, tapi setiap bab ada punch line dan tak kaku, tak meleret, itu buat aku sentiasa nak tahu apa yang berlaku seterusnya. Kudos!