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melancauley's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Cannibalism
jiscoo's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Vomit, Gore, Cannibalism, and Violence
mariball's review
- 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
5.0
The End of the Voyage, Maria Gratia Plena, Your Utopia, and To Meet Her are my personal favorites, but no story falls short here, each so engaging I wish there was more.
Graphic: Body horror and Cannibalism
lizetteratura's review
- 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
3.5
“On a scale from one to ten, your utopia is...”
Graphic: Cannibalism, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Death
Moderate: Body horror, Homophobia, and Transphobia
Minor: Drug use and Dementia
30something_reads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
1. The End of the Voyage - Had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I don't know if a short story has ever grabbed my attention quite like this one. Even though I did predict the outcome, I still loved the horrifying and thrilling journey to get there.
2. A Very Ordinary Marriage - Another absolutely weird and compelling story. While not as graphic as the previous story, there was a subtle horror simmering beneath the tale that I really enjoyed.
3. Seed - Strange and creepy and it gave me a similar feel as Annihilation.
Moderate: Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic, Mental illness, Murder, Blood, Cannibalism, Chronic illness, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Death, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Child death, Body horror, Terminal illness, Transphobia, and Violence
nathiddles_106's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Gore, Cannibalism, Body horror, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Death
Minor: Dementia, Hate crime, and Drug use
rosie_valadez's review
4.0
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Cannibalism, and Death
Moderate: Body horror, Homophobia, and Transphobia
Minor: Hate crime, Dementia, and Drug use
jayisreading's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Death, Cannibalism, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Stalking and Drug use
aesalex's review
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I would give this book extra stars if I could. Chung’s second horror anthology translated into English, it lived up to and even exceeded her first. Some of the stories made me laugh, some gave me chills, and a few made me cry.
I read this book on a two hour train ride, and I’m sure the poor office worker next to me watched me have every human emotional possible.
Without spoiling, the standouts from this anthology were To Meet Her, A Song For Sleep, and The End of the Voyage. With a honorary mention to A Very Ordinary Marriage. These four gave the most emotional reaction to me, though all of the short stories were beautifully written.
I would highly recommend this and Bora Chung’s other work to horror lovers.
Moderate: Cannibalism
savvylit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Let me start by saying that if you are a fan of Bora Chung's first collection, Cursed Bunny, you may be surprised by Your Utopia. While Cursed Bunny is firmly in the bizarre stories camp, Your Utopia is pure science fiction. Written in protest during the COVID-19 pandemic, these stories are very existential, often featuring anti-capitalist themes. This collection had so much that I loved: sentient cars & elevators, immortal office workers, tree-human hybrids, cannibalism... Every mini-world that Chung created was memorable and unsettling.
Thank you @netgalley and @algonquinbooks for the advance reader copy of Your Utopia in exchange for my honest review! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Graphic: Cannibalism, Violence, and Pandemic/Epidemic