Scan barcode
darumachan's review
dark
emotional
tense
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment and Eating disorder
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Suicide attempt and Terminal illness
askirmishofwit's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
tense
slow-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
3.0
I appreciated what this one did and the fact that, for something so weird, it was also very funny. It's just not for the faint of heart re: body horror and is a pretty depressing read given you're in the head of a starving (physically and emotionally) young woman/vampire as she fights against hunger that she's been told is her human and demon sides fighting to take over from each other. Ultimately, all of it reads like a pretty well-crafted extended metaphor of a character dealing with self-loathing, emotional abuse/manipulation by a parent, sexual harassment, ennui and dissatisfaction, body dysphoria and disordered eating, but wrap it all up in a book seemingly about vampirism that doesn't shy away from some body horror and, frankly, too explicit of a description of a dead duck. But it's just very ~literary fiction~ about the whole thing, IYKWIM.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Eating disorder, Death, Murder, Animal death, Sexual harassment, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Dysphoria, and Racism
saucy_bookdragon's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-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
"I get confused sometimes about what are my own thoughts and what are thoughts that other people have had and posted on social media."
This was a really interesting world building study into how a vampire would behave in a contemporary setting. I'd love to find more fantasy like this where it's written like a contemporary novel! Bloodlust was treated both as a literal hunger and sexual desire which made me feral. The overall food discussions are also really good, lots of delicious descriptions but also discussion around eating disorders (massive TW for that). All following a protagonist who's trying to survive post-college life and unpack her complex relationship with her vampiric mom, I liked how messy but understandable she was.
This was a really interesting world building study into how a vampire would behave in a contemporary setting. I'd love to find more fantasy like this where it's written like a contemporary novel! Bloodlust was treated both as a literal hunger and sexual desire which made me feral. The overall food discussions are also really good, lots of delicious descriptions but also discussion around eating disorders (massive TW for that). All following a protagonist who's trying to survive post-college life and unpack her complex relationship with her vampiric mom, I liked how messy but understandable she was.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault
libellumartinae's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-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
3.5
Before going any further with my review I'd like to say that when I started this book, I made a mistake as I don't think that it was appropriate for the period, albeit it was quite comical that I started a book about adulthood after starting my first week of work. Still, this book proved quite too much content heavy for me and I also had my very - high - expectations completely disappointed.
I think it's extremely innovative and interesting the way the author has portrayed vampirism as a metaphor of growing up sheltered and suddenly having to grow up, alongside the whole complex of choosing on which side to land on as the child of immigrated parents; it's definitely a charming idea but I feel like it should have deepened, as so many - important - themes were only brushed superficially. I did enjoy her portrayal of mother-daughter's relationship, but I definitely felt like her whole relationships should have been better deepened (and f*ck you, Ben).
An interesting recount of - suddenly - growing up, that still stayed a bit too dull and unshaped for me!
I think it's extremely innovative and interesting the way the author has portrayed vampirism as a metaphor of growing up sheltered and suddenly having to grow up, alongside the whole complex of choosing on which side to land on as the child of immigrated parents; it's definitely a charming idea but I feel like it should have deepened, as so many - important - themes were only brushed superficially. I did enjoy her portrayal of mother-daughter's relationship, but I definitely felt like her whole relationships should have been better deepened (and f*ck you, Ben).
An interesting recount of - suddenly - growing up, that still stayed a bit too dull and unshaped for me!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Violence, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Sexual content, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse
kittydouglas's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Sexual harassment
sarahrbriggs's review against another edition
3.75
deeply appreciate the subtext and symbolism, but wish it was longer! on second thought, the fact that the novel leaves you hungry & a bit unsatisfied adds to the story’s overall appeal. it forces the reader to feel the same hunger the MC has felt her whole life.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cannibalism and Blood
Minor: Sexual harassment and Cancer
gvstyris's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
There always seems to be something that suffers or dies as a result of any form of food consumption.
Man, I'm really bummed. There are so many reasons I wanted to love this book. On a superficial level, the title and original cover design are epic, and subtly characterise our protagonist as empowered and mildly menacing. I also absolutely lived for the audiobook narration (full credit to Katie Leung, who voices Caitlyn in Arcane <3) and the premise itself. As well as juxtaposing vampirism with Lydia's mixed-Anglo-Japanese-Malaysian identity, Kohda uses Lydia's vampirical inability to eat as an analogy for an eating disorder. A really cool idea, and I'm so so sad that it didn't work for me.
For one thing, the characters were relatively flat...which, given that this novel is lacking in plot/world-building, was a fatal flaw. Lydia herself gave me unbearable second-hand embarrassment at times, particularly because of her poor social skills and uncomfortable interactions with Ben. I understand this was a deliberate choice to demonstrate Lydia's forced social isolation, but I ultimately struggled to root for her in a way that hindered my enjoyment of the novel. I feel similarly, if not worse, about Ben, who lacks development and consequentially comes across as a white man with a fetish for East Asian women...
I would've loved to see many parts of this novel explored in more depth, especially the relationship between Lydia's parents. I also made the critical mistake of reading this alongside The Bell Jar -- the two novels have similar atmospheres, and it was impossible to not compare them.
Ultimately, Kohda's visceral food imagery was the highlight for me. As someone who's very much not a foodie, I related to aspects of Lydia's relationship with food and loved seeing how her mother's beliefs and self-hatred influenced her own. It's clear that Kohda has a lot of care for her subject matter, which will definitely stick with me, so I'm glad I gave it a read regardless.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Blood
Moderate: Eating disorder, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
lin3han's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Eating disorder
Minor: Sexual harassment and Sexual assault
danaaliyalevinson's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
4.75
This book was short and sweet. A misanthropic ‘Buffy’ and ‘what I eat in a day’ video obsessed vampire artist grapples with art and connection in present day London. If you’re a fan of Otessa Moshfegh and Ocean Vuong… imagine a vampire novel written by the two of them.
At the end of the day, this book was about breaking generational trauma, and female desire and its challenge to the gender hierarchy. And I don’t exclusively mean sexual desire, I mean ambition as well.
The prose was absolutely beautiful. The characters were rich and fascinating. Sometimes I felt the grand themes got away from the book a little. But overall, I really really enjoyed this one.
At the end of the day, this book was about breaking generational trauma, and female desire and its challenge to the gender hierarchy. And I don’t exclusively mean sexual desire, I mean ambition as well.
The prose was absolutely beautiful. The characters were rich and fascinating. Sometimes I felt the grand themes got away from the book a little. But overall, I really really enjoyed this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Racism, Murder, Dementia, Sexism, Blood, Death, Grief, Gore, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
vee_the_tree's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Blood, Body shaming, and Death
Minor: Terminal illness, Dementia, Eating disorder, Animal death, Grief, Cancer, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Suicidal thoughts