Reviews

Hunting Monsters by S.L. Huang

stuckinafictionaluniverse's review

3.0

''But the strongest chains that trapped her were in her own mind.”

Mini review, more like my thoughts in five sentences.
It was very well-written and easy to get into. I feel like I got a quite good grip of the world and the characters in only 50 pages. Recommended if you like fairytales and don't mind some rushed plot twists.

I might pick up the rest of the shorts from The book smugglers' website, since they seem to feature more diverse characters (do you have any idea of how happy I was the main character wasn't American like every single protagonist out there?) Plus I have a thing for fairytales.

ripavengers's review

4.0

a wonderful little short story with a feminist, queer, and asian twist on ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ as we unravel this world through the main character’s eyes and her perception of her mother (batb) and her auntie/mother’s partner (lrrh)

izzy42's review

adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

bibliothecaris's review

dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

crtsjffrsn's review

4.0

To say this is a beautifully-written and intriguing tale is true, but it hardly does this story justice. As a reader, I was taken on an adventure and an emotional journey that one might not think is possible in a story of this length. Short fiction is often a challenge - to fully develop characters and create a rich world in just a few pages is not easy. But with this story, S.L. Huang proves it's more than possible while also providing a thrilling fantasy story that will leave you thinking about it long after you finish the last page.

This is one I was definitely sad to see miss the Hugo ballot...

thelittle_seokmin's review

medium-paced

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

3.0

brighthappyness's review

4.0

This short story was only around ~5000 words but it felt like an entire novel was just told. Beautiful and stunning writing, though there was a few descriptors I took issue with...

plumeriade's review

3.0

3.5; great, but very short so i feel like it doesn't quite merit a 4.

willowmae's review

challenging mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

ifthebook's review

4.0

This is a great little re-telling of "Little Red Riding Hood." The idea of Red Riding Hood as a hunter isn't necessarily a new one, but this story takes this idea and runs with it far beyond the generic hunter premise. The characters have interesting backstories and are developed as well as they can be in the short span of the story.

Also, if you're looking for more diverse fairy tale re-tellings, this is one for you. The protagonist was essentially raised by two mothers and all the characters in the story are Chinese.