Corpse Walker: The Night Parade by Ralynn Kimie
My rating:
3 of
5 stars
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of
Corpse Walker: The Night Parade in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Gist
I went into
Corpse Walker: The Night Parade with cautious optimism. The synopsis was intriguing—dark folklore, mysterious parades of the dead, and a lyrical writing style that immediately drew me in. Ralynn Kimie has crafted something thoughtful and unsettling, with the potential to be deeply moving for the right reader. Unfortunately, I now realize this book was never going to be a good match for me, and that has nothing to do with the author’s talent or vision.
The Details
The story takes place during World War II, a setting I’ve always struggled with. I keep thinking I can push through that discomfort for the sake of a good story, but I never can. As soon as I realized the historical backdrop would shape most of the book, I started backing away. No matter how compelling the writing was, I couldn’t make myself pick it up again with any real enthusiasm.
This happens every time I try to read a WWII novel. I freeze up. The heaviness overwhelms me, and I start finding excuses to do anything but read. I’ll scroll my phone, clean my apartment, reread something comforting—anything to avoid going back to that world. It isn’t about this book specifically. It’s about my limits as a reader, which I’m slowly learning to respect.
Still, Kimie deserves credit for her craft. Her prose carries weight without losing lyricism. The way she blends folklore with historical tragedy feels unique. The night parade imagery—ghostly, dreamlike, and unsettling—lingers even now. For the right reader, this book could feel powerful and memorable.
The Verdict
But I wasn’t the right reader. I couldn’t connect to the characters, not because they lacked depth, but because I had already emotionally checked out. That made the book feel longer and slower than it probably is. I never felt fully grounded in the story, which left me feeling frustrated and disconnected.
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