Reviews tagging 'War'

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

185 reviews

wet_towlette's review against another edition

medium-paced

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

4.0

I have never read a story that has such a hypocritical and annoying main character that I enjoyed reading this much. Like this girl was crazy and as much as I wasn't rooting for her it's hard not be impressed by the shit she's pulling off. Also, that was the perfect ending for a character like this

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Death, and Cultural appropriation

Moderate: Bullying, Violence, Death of parent, Classism, Grief, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, War, and Sexual assault

underscoresyd's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Cultural appropriation, Death, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Stalking, Rape, and Sexual assault

Minor: War and Suicidal thoughts

samuelachillese's review against another edition

3.5

This is well written and cutting satire of both how the publishing industry treats Asian writers and of racist white authors. It certainly had a train wreck effect that kept me reading. However, being in June's head is grating (intentionally), and I'm not a huge fan of writers writing about writing, so it wasn't my favorite read. Well done, just not for me necessarily. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Violence, Racism, and Death

Moderate: Rape and Sexual violence

Minor: War

littlemissmuffet's review

dark reflective medium-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

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Xenophobia, and Toxic friendship

Minor: War, Bullying, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual assault

winterwoodbooks's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Violence, War, Rape, Sexual assault, Addiction, Murder, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Body shaming, Biphobia, Bullying, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, and Sexism

ninahuynh's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.5

Ok. How do I start?! I have so many feelings about June and how the book ended. I found it funny with the

ghost elements (with Candice, the hallucinations and social media accounts

. Is it trying to comment on how out of touch she is with reality? All I know is Juniper Song Hayward needs help ASAP, especially before she taps into another novel.

Overall, I like the book. There were just some parts where the writing was a biz clunky for me and I had to re-read the sentence several times to understand it.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Bullying, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, Death, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Death of parent, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Cultural appropriation, Grief, Medical content, Racism, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, and War

ausnein's review

challenging dark funny fast-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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Cultural appropriation, and Racism

Moderate: Sexual assault and War

Minor: Death of parent and Suicide

theasi's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation and Racism

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Classism, and Bullying

Minor: Death, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, War, Body horror, Rape, and Stalking

maureenlessreen's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Absolutely gripping and captivating. An unexpected pro was learning more about the behind-the-scenes of publishing! Excellent critique and discussion of cancel culture and race politics without it feeling overly dated. I felt like it didn’t quite stick the landing but the journey was mesmerizing. It’s remarkable how much I hated and loved the POV character.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Stalking, Xenophobia, War, Murder, and Mental illness

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Sexual violence

laurak483's review

dark emotional reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

This is the only book I have EVER read where I truly despised the main character and was waiting for her downfall the entire novel, but completely gripped from beginning to end. I think a lot of readers, to enjoy a book, have to like/relate to main characters or see at least a part of themselves in them to enjoy it and that will be where this book loses a lot of people. 

This book was described by the author as her angry letter to the publishing industry and that is a perfect description. The main character manages to point out most of the major flaws within the industry yet reversing who is actually suffering most of the time. She is the type of person who is always the victim in a situation and feels entitled to a lifestyle without earning it. However, in this day and age there are a growing and vocal number of people who walk around with this mindset (e.g. reverse racism existing) and I think this is a book that society genuinely needs right now. I have met so many people like Juniper Hayward, and most of them epitomize what is wrong with the world and where our society is lacking in my humble opinion. I think the anger or frustration people felt that rated this book on the lower end should be redirected to the part of humanity this book is really trying to shine a spotlight on, in and outside of the publishing industry. At the end of the day, I believe if a book makes you think and really feel something, then it is a book that was worth writing and the author did their job. This book definitely made me feel things and while not an author, I was able to relate R.F. Kuang's struggles in her industry to struggles faced in all other facets of society by marginalized communities. The prose and pacing were also spot on. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, and War

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Suicide