Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

80 reviews

swetha062's review against another edition

adventurous funny tense 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

3.75

Satire about the publishing industry that somehow applies to every competitive field felt too close to home. The description on the loneliness June feels is very relatable and the questionable actions that everything eventually leads to lurks as a dark demon at the back of our heads as a response to the very said competition is also that relatable in today's world. If anything, I will question the books and authors I read moving forward. I enjoyed the gripping story this book had to offer. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Colonisation, Racism, Gaslighting, Death, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, and Bullying

rebndav's review against another edition

challenging dark informative mysterious reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, Racism, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Drug use and Colonisation

rubellaface's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.75

Talk about an unreliable narrator... 
This book is triggering, fascinating, and has messed me up for the foreseeable future. 

Highly recommend to anyone who has been vilified by white fragility or would like to be taken on a wild ride by an unreliable narrator. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Death, Toxic friendship, Racism, Violence, Rape, War, Panic attacks/disorders, Body shaming, Sexism, Mental illness, Cultural appropriation, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Alcohol, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Colonisation, Stalking, Sexual assault, and Hate crime

scmiller's review against another edition

challenging dark informative tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Racism, Death, Cultural appropriation, and Mental illness

Moderate: Violence, Colonisation, Toxic friendship, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Bullying, Grief, and Classism

Minor: Rape, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, War, Medical content, Death of parent, and Confinement

abi_laura'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

4.25

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, and Colonisation

1intothewoods1's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective 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

4.75

June really was delusional right to the very end. Her blaming of everyone else but herself had me baffled... but really that's reality for some people like June. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Racism

Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Cultural appropriation, Abortion, Colonisation, Islamophobia, and Suicide

sakisreads's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

• 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? Yes

5.0

✨ Reread ✨

I don’t do rereads very often, but when I do it’s because I think it’s worth it 👏🏼 

When Yellowface was chosen for my book club, I immediately ran home and picked it back up 😂

June Hayward is truly delusion epitomised. Her nonchalant nature made my blood absolutely boil. But last time, I think I didn’t appreciate how much of a nasty person Athena Liu could be too. When June’s story from university gets published, I gasped. I also was shocked at Geoff’s admissions to her leaking his stories.

I think this is what makes the story so gripping and uncomfortable; this ‘nobody is a saint’ concept where every single character does something fucked up 😳

The line ‘Geoff is one of the few people on earth who also understands the unique pain of trying to love Athena Liu. […] Like Icarus, hurtling straight at the sun, just to feel its warmth on his skin’ had me SHOOK 🙊

I absolutely am giving this 5 stars out of 5 again, thank you R. F. Kuang ✨

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Death, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, and Racism

vedpears'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

4.25

So glad I read this. Very quick read and very meta. I haven't come across many books that do a good job of wanting me to keep reading about a main character that I loathe but R F Kuang did it! 
This is the first book by this author that I read but the voice is so strong and the story told so well, it has me very interested in their other works too, now. 
The only reason it isn't a "5 star" for me is that I wish we got to know a little more about Athena & the times we are going through Twitter/ IG/ GR feeds seems a wee bit too much and neared the point that it detracted from the story being told. 
I did skim through a couple other reviews that said Athena was clearly a stand in for the author and that was why they rated it so poorly, it really seems to underline exactly what the book was saying about Athena Liu and her detractors. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Death, and Colonisation

Moderate: Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Minor: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Excrement, and Stalking

jakepasseri's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Sexism, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Racism, and Misogyny

Moderate: Violence, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Stalking, Hate crime, and Abandonment

Minor: Genocide, Sexual assault, Rape, Fatphobia, Sexual content, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Colonisation

fiona_apples's review against another edition

dark funny medium-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

3.25

The first 2/3 of the book had me hooked - but the ending fell flat for me. I think this book was a little too wrapped up in itself, in trying to tell the reader, "do you GET IT???" It would have been much more compelling if the focus was more on the characters and less on using the characters as a vessel for the point it was trying to make - which, at the end of the day, was not really a revolutionary point at all. We become aware of what the book is trying to say almost immediately and then that does not really grow throughout the book - it's just the same point being reinforced. It was entertaining overall, though.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Colonisation, Xenophobia, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief

Moderate: Sexual assault and Rape

Minor: Death of parent and Eating disorder