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nstyner's review against another edition
challenging
dark
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
3.0
“In Korean, the word for ‘fortune’ is paljua.”
The Eyes Are The Best Part by Monika Kim follows Ji-Won as she navigates relationships, family, and………her appetite.
I enjoyed reading this book. It is DEFINITELY within the body horror genre so be prepared diving in. You may want to check trigger warnings beforehand. I enjoyed the descriptiveness of certain scenes in the story (LOL) and this is the first book to actually make me have a physical reaction.
In addition to the shock value of the story, I really liked how the topics around fetishism, self-proclaimed allyship, family dynamics, and “I’m a good guy” are explored and the effects these things can have on women, especially women of color.
My favorite thing about this book is that Ji-Won isn’t as “innocent” as one may think. Her character is VERY complex in how I understood 100% where she was coming from and have very well felt the same in some situations BUT she also did some messed up things herself……BUUUUUT I still understood what her actions were rooted in LOL. I was going through a constant back-and-forth with her character.
If you want a fast-paced, horror/body horror story with a complex character and interesting societal topics, then this book is for you! If you’ve ever had a white man say “I’ve never been with a [insert minority identity] before” OR “I heard [insert minority identity] enjoy XYZ” OR “I’m not like those other guys you’ve dated”, then you will find camaraderie within Ji-Won’s story.
Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC!!
The Eyes Are The Best Part by Monika Kim follows Ji-Won as she navigates relationships, family, and………her appetite.
I enjoyed reading this book. It is DEFINITELY within the body horror genre so be prepared diving in. You may want to check trigger warnings beforehand. I enjoyed the descriptiveness of certain scenes in the story (LOL) and this is the first book to actually make me have a physical reaction.
In addition to the shock value of the story, I really liked how the topics around fetishism, self-proclaimed allyship, family dynamics, and “I’m a good guy” are explored and the effects these things can have on women, especially women of color.
My favorite thing about this book is that Ji-Won isn’t as “innocent” as one may think. Her character is VERY complex in how I understood 100% where she was coming from and have very well felt the same in some situations BUT she also did some messed up things herself……BUUUUUT I still understood what her actions were rooted in LOL. I was going through a constant back-and-forth with her character.
If you want a fast-paced, horror/body horror story with a complex character and interesting societal topics, then this book is for you! If you’ve ever had a white man say “I’ve never been with a [insert minority identity] before” OR “I heard [insert minority identity] enjoy XYZ” OR “I’m not like those other guys you’ve dated”, then you will find camaraderie within Ji-Won’s story.
Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
lochnessvhs's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Add another incredible character to the Unhinged Women Literary Universe!
Ji-won is a first-year college student living at home with her parents and younger sister. When her father suddenly leaves the family, they are all set on a path none of them expected. Ji-won's mother meets George, a disgusting white man with an insidious Asian fetish and Ji-won does everything she can to hold what remains of her family together. Unfortunately the hardest person to keep in check is herself.
I loved every second of this book. The path to destruction Ji-won walks feels at once sudden and gradual. Her obsession with blue eyeballs rockets her into actions she would never have thought possible, but somehow I was rooting for her the entire way.
I support women's wrongs, especially Ji-won's wrongs!
Thanks to NetGalley and Kengsington Books for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Ji-won is a first-year college student living at home with her parents and younger sister. When her father suddenly leaves the family, they are all set on a path none of them expected. Ji-won's mother meets George, a disgusting white man with an insidious Asian fetish and Ji-won does everything she can to hold what remains of her family together. Unfortunately the hardest person to keep in check is herself.
I loved every second of this book. The path to destruction Ji-won walks feels at once sudden and gradual. Her obsession with blue eyeballs rockets her into actions she would never have thought possible, but somehow I was rooting for her the entire way.
I support women's wrongs, especially Ji-won's wrongs!
Thanks to NetGalley and Kengsington Books for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cultural appropriation, Murder, Toxic friendship, Cannibalism, Death, Gore, and Racism
whatsbridiereading's review
dark
tense
fast-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
5.0
Both the plot and the horror aspect of this book kept me hooked from the start. This is one of my favourite ‘female rage’ books- the kind where the MC has a reason for her rage, and where even when she’s doing despicable things you feel for her. I can’t wait to see what Monika Kim does next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Racism, Body horror, Xenophobia, Blood, and Gore
paperbackghosts's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-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: Body horror
r_o_s_e's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Misogyny, Body horror, Cannibalism, Gore, Mental illness, Murder, and Racism
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Cultural appropriation, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Drug use, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Medical content, Vomit, and Stalking
catandherbooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Blood, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
cavernism's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
When college student Ji-Won's father leaves, it sends shockwaves through her and her family's life. As she navigates infuriating new relationships with white men, she starts having unsettling dreams and cravings for eyes that start bleeding into reality. It's hard to say what's more unsettling - the body horror, or the rage-inducing behavior of the entitled, fetishizing, and manipulative two white men in Ji-Won's life. The relationships between Ji-Won and her mother and sister were well realized, and the tension keeps ratcheting up throughout. The chapters are short and tense, making this a compelling read. There were times when the rage at whiteness and male entitlement became more soapbox statements than naturally interwoven into the story, and I wish the author had trusted the reader to make the connections and realizations for themself. Similarly, the men were so over the top villainous that it detracted from the message. It felt like a first novel - but one with enough going for it that I'm excited to see what the author does next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Mental illness, Stalking, Toxic friendship, and Gaslighting
thatweirdbookgirlie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
4.5
This was a book that I just could not put down. I am not sure how the author made me feel sympathetic towards Ji-won. I can't say that the random people she killed deserved it. But George definitely did. We watch the descent of Ji-won as her mental health spirals out of control, after her father leaves and her mother starts dating a new man. Along with that we see the familial drama between mother and two daughters, who seemed close but all become at ends with each other. We also see asian fetishism which is not a topic that is broached nearly enough despite being very prevalent.
This one can get a bit graphic with the body horror akatearing out and eating of human eyes. The writing is also a bit choppy, which I feel like worked well for the story. But this writing style may not be everyone's preference.
Such a strong debut and I can't wait to see what else this author does!
Thanks to Netgalley and Erewhon Books for the copy in exchange for an honest review!
This one can get a bit graphic with the body horror aka
Such a strong debut and I can't wait to see what else this author does!
Thanks to Netgalley and Erewhon Books for the copy in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Murder, Racism, and Body horror
fanni_ambr_'s review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
👁 ARC REVIEW 👁
10/10 concept, the execution is ify tho. It's good enough, but you can tell that this is a debut novel.
There were more hard-hitting themes than I expected. The mother is such a deeply sad character. She sometimes felt more like folklore than a human for some reason. I struggled to see her as a real person. Her decisions and reactions are very much believable but there's just something cartoonish about her.
I related to Ji-wons academic failures more than I care to admit. Also, this might just be my opinion, because I didn't pick up on the author confirming or denying it, but her relationship with Alexis has undertones of a crush. Maybe in a next book we'll see (I assume by the ending that a book 2 is planned).
Ji-won's other uni friend however... The wayyyyyy Geoffrey irked me from his very first appearance is incredible.. Later the book makes it clear that his pretentiousness and surface level feminism are intentional, and he's meant to be a loser like that, but still.
George was also incredibly infuriating but I kinda skipped over some of his bullshittery because I figured that he's probably gonna die. And that brings peace into the reading experience ngl. Most of my annotations about him were simple like "JAIL" and "HELL NAH".
On the topic of disappointing men, it's ironic that the root of all troubles is the father and yet we never see him.
Ji-won's unreliable narration takes us on trips sometimes, made me question what's real and what isn't a few times. I enjoy lucid dreams in fiction, they have lots of potential.
The events that did happen were.. a choice. The rest of the book is so woven through with serious subjects that I can't not take the serial killing part also seriously. There's no way in hell that this girl got away with all that. The first kill is later in the book than I thought it would be, and sometimes Ji-won's violence is quite out of the blue. But that's all fine, the unrealistic thing is that on every scene there is her DNA, she pays no attention to hiding what she's done, and all bodies are found near to where she's been last seen. I get the part that the police is looking for a man and she probably won't be charged because they underestimate her. But even the book acknowledges that she could very easily be caught based on all the evidence she left behind.
In the end I think it's supposed to be a girlboss moment the way she ties everything together and pulls it off, but dude it was mere luck. If you wanna read her as a girlboss that's fine, but I just don't buy it.
It was still better than A Certain Hunger, this one has a lot more value and important themes, would recommend this one over that.
10/10 concept, the execution is ify tho. It's good enough, but you can tell that this is a debut novel.
There were more hard-hitting themes than I expected. The mother is such a deeply sad character. She sometimes felt more like folklore than a human for some reason. I struggled to see her as a real person. Her decisions and reactions are very much believable but there's just something cartoonish about her.
I related to Ji-wons academic failures more than I care to admit. Also, this might just be my opinion, because I didn't pick up on the author confirming or denying it, but her relationship with Alexis has undertones of a crush. Maybe in a next book we'll see (I assume by the ending that a book 2 is planned).
Ji-won's other uni friend however... The wayyyyyy Geoffrey irked me from his very first appearance is incredible.. Later the book makes it clear that his pretentiousness and surface level feminism are intentional, and he's meant to be a loser like that, but still.
George was also incredibly infuriating but I kinda skipped over some of his bullshittery because I figured that he's probably gonna die. And that brings peace into the reading experience ngl. Most of my annotations about him were simple like "JAIL" and "HELL NAH".
On the topic of disappointing men, it's ironic that the root of all troubles is the father and yet we never see him.
Ji-won's unreliable narration takes us on trips sometimes, made me question what's real and what isn't a few times. I enjoy lucid dreams in fiction, they have lots of potential.
The events that did happen were.. a choice. The rest of the book is so woven through with serious subjects that I can't not take the serial killing part also seriously. There's no way in hell that this girl got away with all that. The first kill is later in the book than I thought it would be, and sometimes Ji-won's violence is quite out of the blue. But that's all fine, the unrealistic thing is that on every scene there is her DNA, she pays no attention to hiding what she's done, and all bodies are found near to where she's been last seen. I get the part that the police is looking for a man and she probably won't be charged because they underestimate her. But even the book acknowledges that she could very easily be caught based on all the evidence she left behind.
In the end I think it's supposed to be a girlboss moment the way she ties everything together and pulls it off, but dude it was mere luck. If you wanna read her as a girlboss that's fine, but I just don't buy it.
It was still better than A Certain Hunger, this one has a lot more value and important themes, would recommend this one over that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism and Body horror
Moderate: Racism, Misogyny, and Stalking
lauren_reads_outside's review against another edition
challenging
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
5.0
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
This book was hard to read, not because it wasn't good but because the characters and the imagery were so clear it was difficult to get through without flinching. In high school we dissected sheep's eyes and I've never wished more that I didn't know what it feels like to hold and cut into an eyeball as I did while reading this book.
I do wish the queer coded scenes with Ji-won and Alexis went a little bit further as they just sort of end up as an aside to the main story. The main story though really tells of a woman who simply has reached the edge and snapped and honestly who can blame her.
This book was hard to read, not because it wasn't good but because the characters and the imagery were so clear it was difficult to get through without flinching. In high school we dissected sheep's eyes and I've never wished more that I didn't know what it feels like to hold and cut into an eyeball as I did while reading this book.
I do wish the queer coded scenes with Ji-won and Alexis went a little bit further as they just sort of end up as an aside to the main story. The main story though really tells of a woman who simply has reached the edge and snapped and honestly who can blame her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, Blood, Misogyny, Infidelity, Racism, Body horror, Cannibalism, and Gore
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Stalking, and Racial slurs
Minor: Pedophilia and Pregnancy