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madelinereadsbooks's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
When her father leaves her mother for another woman, Ji-won’s life is left in shambles. Her mother is inconsolable, until she meets the awful George. Ji-won fixates on his blue eyes as her life falls apart around her.
Ji-won was a wonderfully complicated main character, whom I couldn’t help but side with, even as she began spiralling. Kim did an incredible job of ensuring the reader felt for Ji-won throughout the entire novel. Additionally, the way she touches on race issues, particularly demonstrating how damaging the fetishisation of Asian women is, ensured the novel worked below the surface level. I especially loved the ending - it was perfect.
4/5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Cannibalism, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Body horror, Sexual harassment, Murder, Stalking, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Kidnapping, Misogyny, Abandonment, and Self harm
Minor: Toxic friendship, Car accident, Cancer, and Vomit
aedoran08's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Blood, and Body horror
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Death, Sexism, Misogyny, Racism, Abandonment, and Stalking
Minor: Pedophilia, Alcoholism, Grief, and Drug abuse
macaronoui's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
We follow the protagonist, 18 year old Ji-won Lim, her sister Ji-hyun, her mom “umma” (Korean for mom).
After her dad (appa) suddenly leaves the family, things start falling apart.
Ji-won starts losing grip on reality and the difference between waking and dreaming when her mom starts to date George.
She befriends “nice guy” Geoffrey and Alexis. Just note to all people in general, when a person says they are “nice” they are not. If a person is nice they will show it through their actions.
Alexis is delightful and I kept hoping there would be some romance between her and Ji-won.
The overt racism she experiences as well as well intended micro aggressions, Kim writes really well. I’m getting angry just reading it.
The chapters are super short, which constantly makes you think “well just another one” and poof you’ve finished already. I don’t really read horror that much, but this was absolutely fantastic. It has a gripping story, morally grey characters and great pacing. Will definitely be reading more of her work.
I could see this working as a limited series.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC
After her dad (appa) suddenly leaves the family, things start falling apart.
Ji-won starts losing grip on reality and the difference between waking and dreaming when her mom starts to date George.
She befriends “nice guy” Geoffrey and Alexis. Just note to all people in general, when a person says they are “nice” they are not. If a person is nice they will show it through their actions.
Alexis is delightful and I kept hoping there would be some romance between her and Ji-won.
The overt racism she experiences as well as well intended micro aggressions, Kim writes really well. I’m getting angry just reading it.
The chapters are super short, which constantly makes you think “well just another one” and poof you’ve finished already. I don’t really read horror that much, but this was absolutely fantastic. It has a gripping story, morally grey characters and great pacing. Will definitely be reading more of her work.
I could see this working as a limited series.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Infidelity, Murder, Racism, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Racial slurs, Abandonment, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Death, and Blood
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