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kortnireads's review against another edition
3.75
As soon as I read the premise of this book, I knew I needed to read it ASAP: A female serial killer psychological horror....with eye imagery??
I have always loved anything to do with eyes and eye imagery, and this book really delivered with that. I actually hated the way eating an eye was described (hated...in a positive way). And all the other weird eye imagery was great for me. One of my complaints with this book is how surface level/spelled out for the reader some of the commentary feels, but I will say the male gaze/perception of woman and in particular, Asian women, by white men, was very well done through the abstract eye imagery. I just wish a more sparing approach was used throughout the book in that regard.
I think I am landing somewhere between a 3.5 and 3.75 on this one, but I will round up to a 4, since a 3 just feels too low. This is one that reads incredibly quickly, has plenty of horror (both real and psychological), and feels like a fresh take on serial killer horror. I would recommend this one!
I have always loved anything to do with eyes and eye imagery, and this book really delivered with that. I actually hated the way eating an eye was described (hated...in a positive way). And all the other weird eye imagery was great for me. One of my complaints with this book is how surface level/spelled out for the reader some of the commentary feels, but I will say the male gaze/perception of woman and in particular, Asian women, by white men, was very well done through the abstract eye imagery. I just wish a more sparing approach was used throughout the book in that regard.
I think I am landing somewhere between a 3.5 and 3.75 on this one, but I will round up to a 4, since a 3 just feels too low. This is one that reads incredibly quickly, has plenty of horror (both real and psychological), and feels like a fresh take on serial killer horror. I would recommend this one!
laneyvonhall's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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
4.0
car_theauthor's review against another edition
dark
fast-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
4.25
thesustainablebookshelf's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
effinalice's review against another edition
slow-paced
4.0
Ji-won's life is ripping apart at the seams one blue-eyed eyeball at a time.
The title could not be more fitting for Monika Kim's debut novel "The Eyes Are the Best Part."
It is a character-driven horror novel about a young college woman's intense fixation on the consumption of blue eyes. For anyone who is squeamish, beware; there are vivid depictions of human eyeballs.
Although the pacing of the novel is slow, Kim does a wonderful job at building tension and grabbing the reader's attention. I personally could not stop reading once I got started.
Apart from the main plot, Kim explores themes of racism, misogyny and the fetishization of Asian women. She depicts these themes through the actions of some of the characters in the novel. These scenes will make you angry and at times make your skin crawl until Ji-won takes her revenge. Please note although there are some graphic scenes I did not find any of them to be gratuitous.
I really enjoyed The Eyes Are the Best Part and I can't wait to see what Monika Kim does next.
Content Warnings: Consumption of human eyeballs, fetishization of Asian women
Publication date June 25th
Thank you to Kensington books and Netgalley for an advanced reader's copy of this book.
The title could not be more fitting for Monika Kim's debut novel "The Eyes Are the Best Part."
It is a character-driven horror novel about a young college woman's intense fixation on the consumption of blue eyes. For anyone who is squeamish, beware; there are vivid depictions of human eyeballs.
Although the pacing of the novel is slow, Kim does a wonderful job at building tension and grabbing the reader's attention. I personally could not stop reading once I got started.
Apart from the main plot, Kim explores themes of racism, misogyny and the fetishization of Asian women. She depicts these themes through the actions of some of the characters in the novel. These scenes will make you angry and at times make your skin crawl until Ji-won takes her revenge. Please note although there are some graphic scenes I did not find any of them to be gratuitous.
I really enjoyed The Eyes Are the Best Part and I can't wait to see what Monika Kim does next.
Content Warnings: Consumption of human eyeballs, fetishization of Asian women
Publication date June 25th
Thank you to Kensington books and Netgalley for an advanced reader's copy of this book.
littleliv's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Weird fiction with unhinged, feminine rage will ALWAYS be my jam.
The Eyes Are the Best Part follows Ji-won, a college aged Korean American girl who has experienced significant life changes, including her parents separating, a new (gross) man in her mom's life and a falling out with her close friends.
When she begins to obsess and thirst over eyes, the same eyes as her mom's new boyfriend, we see her grip on reality weaken, we get glimpses of her past, and her increasingly fragile psyche.
I thought this was such a wonderfully written and thrilling novel. I was hooked and finished it in 2 sittings. Jaw was on the floor for pretty much the last 20% of the book. Monika Kim does an amazing job writing a female character that many can relate to. (burnt out gifted kids who are also eldest daughters, who think the weight of their family's future is on their shoulders say "heyyyy")
An amazing commentary on the Asian American women and how society, specifically men view and place stereotypes on them.
With amazing descriptive detail and a female character you maybe shouldn't be rooting for, (but you are), The Eyes Are the Best Part is a fantastic novel that will stick with you long past its shocking finale.
Thank you to NetGalley, and the publisher for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
The Eyes Are the Best Part follows Ji-won, a college aged Korean American girl who has experienced significant life changes, including her parents separating, a new (gross) man in her mom's life and a falling out with her close friends.
When she begins to obsess and thirst over eyes, the same eyes as her mom's new boyfriend, we see her grip on reality weaken, we get glimpses of her past, and her increasingly fragile psyche.
I thought this was such a wonderfully written and thrilling novel. I was hooked and finished it in 2 sittings. Jaw was on the floor for pretty much the last 20% of the book. Monika Kim does an amazing job writing a female character that many can relate to. (burnt out gifted kids who are also eldest daughters, who think the weight of their family's future is on their shoulders say "heyyyy")
An amazing commentary on the Asian American women and how society, specifically men view and place stereotypes on them.
With amazing descriptive detail and a female character you maybe shouldn't be rooting for, (but you are), The Eyes Are the Best Part is a fantastic novel that will stick with you long past its shocking finale.
Thank you to NetGalley, and the publisher for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
magyklyxdelish's review against another edition
dark
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
4.0
bookishkrys's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
5.0
romethegreenwood's review
4.0
Read about 70% of this in one sitting on a very fast train and I'm not sure if it was the book or train that made me start to feel a bit ill. If it was the book, congratulations for being the first book to ever do that to me. This was very fun and engrossing but the thing is. I think I am tired of hashtag Good For Her feminine rage etc etc. There's not really any more road we can tread here, I feel, and Clytemnestra already did it back before 0 AD. And this was very much trying to do that, which is sad, because I think it has so many strengths - getting to watch the protagonist descend into madness, to see her become less concerned with anyone finding out, is fascinating. I love when a book imitates the spiral a character is going down in its pacing. This was fun, but I do wish it went further.
amacordova's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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
3.5