Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - The Eyes Are the Best Part

Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim

10 reviews

radtj's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

3.75

This book was very captivating, from the main characters to the evolving plot following them. I really enjoyed how the author slowly develops Ji-won’s character over the course of the book, and shows how she’s changing as a person! Great story.

But I feel like the ending came together almost too perfectly. While it was satisfying, it also felt like there were small plot gaps, like Geoffrey having the knife with Ji-won’s fingerprints all over it. Overall still a great read though!

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metanav's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense 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

3.5

interesting enough book on feminine rage, specifically exacerbated by her experiences as an asian american woman suffering from very real things that i've experienced as a feminine asian american person myself. at times felt a little too on the nose, but that could've been purposeful, with the focus to be more on ji-won's spiral. overall i liked ji-won more than i didn't, but i didn't love her either.

multiple aspects of the story (ex: failed/sabotaged high school friendships) served a specific purpose but it didn't fully carry it out and as a result felt out of place. unless i'm misremembering as i did read this part at like 1am,

even the event itself felt almost OOC to me? her hiding her friend's ring to try to sabotage the friendship just over jealousy of not getting into the school? it would've been one thing if their friendship was set up to be tumultuous to begin with, but the fact that it was established to be completely cordial up until that point made everything feel off kilter.

even w/ some brushed over history and the events throughout the story, the buildup of everything ji-won was going through felt very sudden and abrupt despite attempts to build it up. the

cancer reveal

was a definitely an eye roll, and the end of the book overall left me dissatisfied.

wish there was more on ji-won and alexis's relationship though! and umma's character definitely plucked at my heartstrings, even though she is completely different from my own mother, just remembering her own personal struggles as a poor refugee definitely made me emotional over her both her parents' struggles.

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clovetra's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.0

oh jiwon…. i had such high hopes for you. were my expectations unrealistic? yeah probably. did i wish i loved this more? yeah.

did i still have a decent time? yeah!

this book is tagged as adult but reads sooooo much like a YA. which that’s fine! but then tag it that way so my expectations are changed. i was expecting something a bit more insane like maeve fly & instead i got she is a haunting. iykyk

the biggest issue of this book is the first half of this book. it wasn’t great. the first half almost acts like a set-up for all the plot in the second half, but instead it feels repetitive and lacking depth. like ok i get we need some time to give a shit about the characters, but when spending the first half developing characters and they still feel boring…. it’s not good. i only really enjoyed jiwon in the second half of the book. almost everyone else felt like a trope or very formulaic, and had one discernible trait. and the minute almost every character was introduced i could predict where the plot was going to take them.

this book also made several missteps in my opinion.

first, giving jiwon a brain tumour was stupid. it felt like a hail mary. sure it made sense seeing as she was hallucinating, but it felt like it was almost completely random with no foreshadowing and rhyme or reason to it other than to get jiwon to still be in the hospital & get off scott free from george’s attempted murder. also, her relationship with alexis not going anywhere annoyed me. like seriously what was the point of having a subplot about their will-they-won’t they? the story doesn’t end in a way that has any pay off for this plot point, and instead it felt like it was wasted time that could’ve gone to fleshing out the horror elements earlier, or to explore more of jiwon’s family.

i will say though, i really liked the horror elements (once the book actually got to them). the descriptions of the eyes was sublime to read, and god at some points i almost felt a tad nauseous. i really think that point was well done.

i had such high hopes for this. i was really looking forward to this, and this was easily one of my most looked forward to reads of 2025. instead, i got served a big slice of disappointment pie :(

Content Warnings

cloverandmoss's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.5

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mobkima's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad 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

4.75

4.75 STARS

This was such a brilliantly executed horror book. It was a fast paced decent into madness, and I couldn't keep my eyes away from it. A lot of the themes, especially about mother-daughter relationships, hit very close to home for me. I could understand Ji-Won's seething anger towards the world around her, even if by the end of the book, she was unrecognizable due to her descent to madness.

The plot twist at the end was crazy. By that final page, my jaw was left wide open. If you are a fan of shocking body horror and the types of stories where you watch someone's descent into madness, you will absolutely love this book.

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clarke's review

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dark funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Hell hath no fury like the daughter of a woman scorned.

The Eyes Are the Best Part follows Ji-won, the eldest daughter trapped in the forlorn reality of her Appa's infidelity and subsequent abandonment. With Umma inconsolable, her younger sister, Ji-hyun, looks to her for help. After months of waiting despondently by the door, in hopes Appa will return to her, Umma turns to regularly eating fish eyes in her desperation - “Fish eyes are good luck. If I eat one, maybe it will bring your father back”. Eventually, tired of this new routine, Ji-won appeases her and eats a fish eye too. She becomes more and more enticed, compounded by horrifying yet alluring dreams of moreish blue eyes. Umma quickly falls for George, a white man with a fetish for Asian women and girls, blinded by finally being wanted again and a naive belief that "white men [are] the best...have you ever heard of a white man treating his girlfriend or wife badly? Because I haven’t!”. Their relationship gets more serious, as does Ji-won's hunger and rage, with a pile of bodies to show for it.

This book was fantastic. I'm always a fan of female rage, and this book really delivers on that. There's a slow but steady build as Ji-won mental state descends. It's easy to see why; every man in this book is the worst, showcasing a range of misogyny, racism, and entitlement. You may think them caricatures but I assure you I have met each and every one of them. A Mansplaining "feminist" who appears to be a great friend but girlfriend zones you and is a dick about it when you don't feel the same; multiple men with Asian fetishes, including Asian girls; a father who walks out on his wife and children for his mistress, etc. *Spoilers ahead:* I loved the descent into murder, with her obsession overcoming her, though I was willing her to kill George from the off. It was immersive, incredibly descriptive of every disgusting detail. There was just enough gore without risking it becoming repetitive,

I was disappointed when it turned out Ji-won had a brain tumour. It felt like a lazy excuse for her desire to kill men and eat their eyeballs. Though I am glad that she continued to get her revenge. I thought the fish eyes would be some kind of monkeys paw type magic, giving you your desires with undesirable consequences: it gave Umma a "good" white man, who was cheating on her, using her, and noncey with her kids; it gave Ji-won multiple people who cared for her when she was so alone, but not selflessly, and it gave her an outlet for her taste for revenge and eyeballs. Maybe it had some influence, but I hoped that would've been explored more.

The familial relationships were relatable: she had a good relationship with her sister, and I've read countless tales of parents dating someone awful but ignoring their kid in favour of their own rose-tinted happiness. I wish Umma grew a backbone or could see George for who he is, but it was a realistic portrayal of someone in her situation. Appa's absence was glaring and I'm glad he won't be let off the hook. The friendships were again relatively realistic, and Ji-won is desperate not to be left again that she sabotages her relationships, which is probably most evident with her school friends.

This book is brimming with anger; an anger that is very familiar and is pervasive in our lives and in society, building and building until we boil over. I loved to see Ji-won's development, not just into a killer, but in every aspect of their lives. The two sisters symbolise a new generation of girls who won't tolerate intolerance; girls who will fight back. They’re tired and they’re not going to stand for it anymore, in stark contrast to Umma and the history she represents. You could really root for them, especially Ji-won, even without her dreams and the voice urging her towards violence, you could absolutely understand her indulgence (and yes, I was also urging her on). I love a tale of vengeance, especially combined with female rage, chanting 'as she should!' in support, because god it's about time we had stories were we fight back. Not today, men. Today, we have a knife.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc. I do not wish to discuss the colour of my eyes.

Content Warnings

dexlud's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Okay so where do I start with The Eyes Are The Best Part. Monika Kim really is an excellent storyteller and her writing style was so intriguing and made me feel so suspenseful it actually felt like there was a pit in the bottom of my stomach. I adored this book more than words can say but it also just made me feel so many things all at once it's honestly wild. Also, DO NOT look at the triggers if you don't want to be spoiled.

Content Warnings

jaedia's review against another edition

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dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Content Warnings

rrrose's review against another edition

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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

4.5

Content Warnings

madelinereadsbooks's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

When her father leaves her mother for another woman, Ji-won’s life is left in shambles. Her mother is inconsolable, until she meets the awful George. Ji-won fixates on his blue eyes as her life falls apart around her.

Ji-won was a wonderfully complicated main character, whom I couldn’t help but side with, even as she began spiralling. Kim did an incredible job of ensuring the reader felt for Ji-won throughout the entire novel. Additionally, the way she touches on race issues, particularly demonstrating how damaging the fetishisation of Asian women is, ensured the novel worked below the surface level. I especially loved the ending - it was perfect.

4/5 stars

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