Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim

4 reviews

thewellreadmrs's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Such an enjoyable and unexpected “horror” book. I loved this horror as it was realistic. My only criticism would be the small detail the author added in the end that gave it a “if this wasn’t there would the whole thing have still happened” trick which I normally hate, but the last sentence of the book saved any doubts I had.
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r_o_s_e's review against another edition

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dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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frozenheartv's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

4.25 stars
🌕🌕🌕🌕🌘

Thanks NetGalley, Kensington Books publisher, and the authors for a great advance copy of the book in exchange for my honest review!

🧠 My thoughts
Wow, this book hooked me from the start to the end. This was one of the rare books that touched on the racial fetishism topic, especially the fetishization of Asian women. While reading, I couldn't help nodding along because what happened in the book I have seen in real life as well. After finishing reading, it took me a few days to really understand everything, especially the ending. The gore parts played a crucial role in the deep meaning layer of the story and it wasn't excessive.

On the other hand, since this is the author's debut, the writing wasn't that smooth. The writing style was a bit choppy to read at some points

👍 What I like
- Successfully portray the racial fetishization of Asian women
- Powerful story

👎 What I don't like
- Choppy and not smooth writing
- Rather weak storyline
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macaronoui's review against another edition

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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
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