diff --git a/src/parser3.h b/src/parser3.h
index 93657e1..7b4e9e9 100644
--- a/src/parser3.h
+++ b/src/parser3.h
@@ -343,16 +343,12 @@ inline Status n_string2(Parser3 *self) {
   if (self->len() == 0) {
     return S_REJECT;
   }
-  // Try subtract and unsigned compare to save a branch?
-  if (uint8_t(*self->buf) < 0x20) {
+  if (tables.invalidStringByte[uint8_t(*self->buf)]) {
     return S_REJECT;
   }
   if (*self->buf != '"') {
     self->callbacks->on_string_data(self->data, self->buf, 1);
   }
-  if (tables.invalidUtf8[uint8_t(*self->buf)]) {
-    return S_REJECT;
-  }
   if (int8_t(*self->buf) > 0) {
     // one byte utf-8 encoding
     switch (*self->buf) {
@@ -445,7 +441,7 @@ inline Status t_utf8_continuation_byte(Parser3 *self) {
   if (self->len() == 0) {
     return S_REJECT;
   }
-  if (tables.invalidUtf8[uint8_t(*self->buf)]) {
+  if (tables.invalidStringByte[uint8_t(*self->buf)]) {
     return S_REJECT;
   }
   if ((*self->buf & 0b11000000) == 0b10000000) {
@@ -463,7 +459,7 @@ inline Status t_utf8_last_continuation_byte(Parser3 *self) {
   if (self->len() == 0) {
     return S_REJECT;
   }
-  if (tables.invalidUtf8[uint8_t(*self->buf)]) {
+  if (tables.invalidStringByte[uint8_t(*self->buf)]) {
     return S_REJECT;
   }
   if ((*self->buf & 0b11000000) == 0b10000000) {
diff --git a/src/tables.h b/src/tables.h
index a7abd36..b00d5f6 100644
--- a/src/tables.h
+++ b/src/tables.h
@@ -7,12 +7,25 @@ constexpr inline struct Tables {
     whitespace['\r'] = true;
     whitespace['\t'] = true;
 
-    invalidUtf8[0xc0] = true;
-    invalidUtf8[0xc1] = true;
-    for (int i = 0xf5; i <= 0xff; ++i) {
-      invalidUtf8[i] = true;
+    for (int i = 0; i < 0x20; ++i) {
+      invalidStringByte[i] = true;
     }
+    invalidStringByte[0xc0] = true;
+    invalidStringByte[0xc1] = true;
+    for (int i = 0xf5; i <= 0xff; ++i) {
+      invalidStringByte[i] = true;
+    }
+
+    unescape['n'] = '\n';
+    unescape['r'] = '\r';
+    unescape['t'] = '\t';
+    unescape['"'] = '"';
+    unescape['b'] = '\b';
+    unescape['f'] = '\f';
+    unescape['\\'] = '\\';
+    unescape['/'] = '/';
   }
   alignas(16) bool whitespace[256]{};
-  alignas(16) bool invalidUtf8[256]{};
+  alignas(16) bool invalidStringByte[256]{};
+  alignas(16) char unescape[256]{};
 } tables;