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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
I love this. This is a book for me!! It kinda reminds me of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series, which is one of my favorites. And the first few chapters reminded me of Dive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, which is also one of my favortie books ever. This book is funny, charismatic, and dark. It's filled with interesting characters and stories that are sad (not in a VERY depressing way) but very interesting to follow. I'm in love with the characters and I want to know more about them. I want more. And for a book that is fille with "villains", all of them, ALL of them, are so likable.
My only complain is that the ending was not satisfying. At all. I guess we have to think for ourselves and interpret it in our own way why that was the ending, why the people did what they did, and how would the situation continue. It felt so unfinished!!! I need at least 1 more chapter. I also want to know more about old fox and hanja. Ugh a sequel or a prequel would be nice.
Oh also the concept of "the plotters" feels too organized for me. Too tidy. The fact that there are people that just plan things. How do they know if their plan will work if we've never seen them on the field? But I know nothing about this world so I don't know how accurate this book is, but the author has a lot of knowledge about the world of killing people (some are very specific and it made me very very suspicious), so *shrugs*.
My only complain is that the ending was not satisfying. At all. I guess we have to think for ourselves and interpret it in our own way why that was the ending, why the people did what they did, and how would the situation continue. It felt so unfinished!!! I need at least 1 more chapter. I also want to know more about old fox and hanja. Ugh a sequel or a prequel would be nice.
Oh also the concept of "the plotters" feels too organized for me. Too tidy. The fact that there are people that just plan things. How do they know if their plan will work if we've never seen them on the field? But I know nothing about this world so I don't know how accurate this book is, but the author has a lot of knowledge about the world of killing people (some are very specific and it made me very very suspicious), so *shrugs*.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood
Moderate: Alcoholism, Murder, Abandonment
Minor: Car accident
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I originally didn't think I liked this novel very much. But upon further reflection I realize how beautiful it was. the small nuances in each person's story- although told from Resengs's perspective- give the novel a bit of life. My favorite parts were often the reflections and the stories of others and how he reacted and thought about those. The beginning of the book really got me and made me even shed a tear. It amazes me how that little story could have captured me so intensely. At the end, I had more of an appreciation for the book. I cried when Reseng smirked at the sky and passed on, somehow bringing an end to the many stories of all those he mentioned, as well as the end of his own.
Would make one hell of a TV script with Reseng, our protagonist torn between the old world of trained career assassins, the back-alley, anything for a buck world of the Meat Market and the slick, MBA having, Stanford educated Hanja and his corporate supermarket of death. The host of eclectic characters from the soft-hearted but bear-sized owner of the pet crematorium, the cross-eyed, knitting librarian, the non-stop talking convenience store owner and her wheelchair bound sister. The action is done well and the story moves but I guess I like a bit more flourish in my writing. The translation is serviceable but I have a Western appetite for wordy flourishes on the page and the need for some authorial pyrotechnics. It's a question of activist versus originalist translations explored a bit more here: https://youtu.be/rKmkhWh_vzY
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this is described as kill bill meets murakami, I haven't read any murakami yet but just because it's assassins doesn't make it like kill bill.
really enjoyed it, would recommend a read.
really enjoyed it, would recommend a read.
Despite the intriguing premise and worldbuilding potential, this novel was ultimately boring. Reseng, an assassin and our main character, frequently refers to himself as "nothing." I couldn't agree more. He was a big, fat nothing. Empty. Devoid of any unique characterization that helped me understand who he was as a person. He's a contract killer, skilled in the art of attack, yet he was the most passive, least interesting character in the whole story. He never knows what he wants, just goes through the motions without any tangible motivation or sense of conviction. He never really finds his purpose in the end either. Sure, the author kind of implies Reseng finally makes a damn choice during the resolution, but it's ultimately not believable or earned. There's no clear throughline for Reseng's character development, so the entire story just feels like a scattered collection of standard checkpoints in the hero's journey without a solid backbone to connect them all or juicy prose to flesh it all out. The book could probably make an entertaining action movie, but I wanted a cool novel about assassins and the plotters pulling the strings behind them, and I was sadly left unsatisfied.
Behind every assassination, there is an anonymous mastermind--a plotter--working in the shadows. Plotters quietly dictate the moves of the city's most dangerous criminals, but their existence is little more than legend. Just who are the plotters? And more important, what do they want?
The Plotters written by Un-su Kim tells the story of Reseng, an assassin in Korea, who was raised by Old Raccoon who teaches him to become an assassin. When Reseng doesn’t follow an assassination exactly the way his plotter told him too he finds himself in trouble and possibly on a hit list. When he meets up with three ladies, a convenience store clerk, her wheelchair bound sister, and a cross-eyed librarian things get really interesting.
This book was beautifully written. The descriptions felt poetic even the violent parts however, this really is not the type of book I would normally read so I had a hard time getting into it. It wasn’t until about halfway through when the ladies were introduced that I got into it. I did root for Reseng the entire time and felt for him even though he is an assassin. 3.5 out of 5 stars for me.
Thank you NetGalley and Doubleday Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
The Plotters written by Un-su Kim tells the story of Reseng, an assassin in Korea, who was raised by Old Raccoon who teaches him to become an assassin. When Reseng doesn’t follow an assassination exactly the way his plotter told him too he finds himself in trouble and possibly on a hit list. When he meets up with three ladies, a convenience store clerk, her wheelchair bound sister, and a cross-eyed librarian things get really interesting.
This book was beautifully written. The descriptions felt poetic even the violent parts however, this really is not the type of book I would normally read so I had a hard time getting into it. It wasn’t until about halfway through when the ladies were introduced that I got into it. I did root for Reseng the entire time and felt for him even though he is an assassin. 3.5 out of 5 stars for me.
Thank you NetGalley and Doubleday Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was not at all what I expected from the description, but not in a bad way. I was expecting a high action, flashy world of espionage and murder, and much more fantasy. Instead, I got a thoughtful and dark look at what might make life worth living, and what might make death worth dying. I’ve never been to Seoul so I don’t know how it differs in this book, but I think I’m some ways political machination is the same no matter what world you are in. People want power and control, and often times “the little people” are expendable. It can seem like we move about, doing what we’re told until we’re no longer useful. Note, to me this is a very pessimistic view of life, and one I don’t personally hold, but I can see what Reseng has that view, and applaud him from breaking free and choosing how to spend his last moments. Sure, it’s possible his actions changed nothing of any significance, but at least he did something. He didn’t lay down and die quietly.
For the record, I think running away would have been a perfectly valid choice as well. Take that money, fake your death, try to build a life that has meaning and connection. Maybe take Miso with you, and Lampshade and Desk (aka Gas and Chaegsang). Try to be happy. But that wasn’t what Reseng wanted in the end.
I wish we could have gotten to know Mito and her crew more, to learn more of her motivations and education, and follow their plot to take down the whole system. Or I wish we could have followed them to a new country and a new life. I wanted to know more about how Miso lives and what she thinks about all this, if she even knows. But this book lives so much in Reseng’s head that I understand that what he sees, we see, and when he ends, it ends.
For the record, I think running away would have been a perfectly valid choice as well. Take that money, fake your death, try to build a life that has meaning and connection. Maybe take Miso with you, and Lampshade and Desk (aka Gas and Chaegsang). Try to be happy. But that wasn’t what Reseng wanted in the end.
I wish we could have gotten to know Mito and her crew more, to learn more of her motivations and education, and follow their plot to take down the whole system. Or I wish we could have followed them to a new country and a new life. I wanted to know more about how Miso lives and what she thinks about all this, if she even knows. But this book lives so much in Reseng’s head that I understand that what he sees, we see, and when he ends, it ends.
For more of my book content check out instagram.com/bookalong
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A Entertaining and Gripping Read!
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I dont read books like this very often. Honestly I dont know if I have ever read one quite like this before. And I hardly ever read translated books but I felt this one was excellently done! With alluring prose this book flowed nicely and was a quick read for me. I enjoyed the story line and characters quite a bit. It could have almost been a bit longer so we get to see more of the characters. But overal enjoyed this one. Its being marketed as having Tarantino vibes which I wont dissagree with, it would make a great screen adaptation!
•
Thank You to the publisher for #gifting me this copy.
•
A Entertaining and Gripping Read!
•
I dont read books like this very often. Honestly I dont know if I have ever read one quite like this before. And I hardly ever read translated books but I felt this one was excellently done! With alluring prose this book flowed nicely and was a quick read for me. I enjoyed the story line and characters quite a bit. It could have almost been a bit longer so we get to see more of the characters. But overal enjoyed this one. Its being marketed as having Tarantino vibes which I wont dissagree with, it would make a great screen adaptation!
•
Thank You to the publisher for #gifting me this copy.
For more of my book content check out instagram.com/bookalong
•
A Entertaining and Gripping Read!
•
I dont read books like this very often. Honestly I dont know if I have ever read one quite like this before. And I hardly ever read translated books but I felt this one was excellently done! With alluring prose this book flowed nicely and was a quick read for me. I enjoyed the story line and characters quite a bit. It could have almost been a bit longer so we get to see more of the characters. But overal enjoyed this one. Its being marketed as having Tarantino vibes which I wont dissagree with, it would make a great screen adaptation!
•
A Entertaining and Gripping Read!
•
I dont read books like this very often. Honestly I dont know if I have ever read one quite like this before. And I hardly ever read translated books but I felt this one was excellently done! With alluring prose this book flowed nicely and was a quick read for me. I enjoyed the story line and characters quite a bit. It could have almost been a bit longer so we get to see more of the characters. But overal enjoyed this one. Its being marketed as having Tarantino vibes which I wont dissagree with, it would make a great screen adaptation!