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

Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim

361 reviews

halfcooked's review against another edition

5.0

dark 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

👏support👏women's👏wrongs👏

Almost everyone in this book is unlikeable, but I didn't mind. The beginning is a little slow, but once the decent into madness starts it doesn't stop. As a squeamish vegetarian, I wasn't super bothered by the pretty descriptive language used to immerse the reader in the main character's culinary experiences throughout the book. The way the author weaves the social commentary on the fetishization of Asian women in America with gore and horror was just, chefs kiss

Content Warnings

racheltheripper's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

"Correct him whenever you can. Confuse him. Make him feel foolish."

This may be the first book that ever made me actually puke, but it was part of the experience. Phenomenal read. I don't think I'll get this one off my mind for a while.

Content Warnings

vixenreader's review against another edition

4.75

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

With one of the most complicated narrators I have read in a while, alongside some of the most infuriating male characters I have encountered in a long time, the bizarre, unhinged horror of this book is carried by its shattering heartbreak that the three female characters endure.

Content Warnings

guacemily's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

readwithmery's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Le cuesta arrancar un poco sobretodo al principio. Más o menos hasta el primer cuarto del libro sitúa el ambiente y la escena con idas y venidas entre el presente y el pasado.
Cuesta un poco entrar en los personajes pero poco al llegar casi a la mitad, empieza a tomar más de ritmo, lo cual se agradece.

El libro explora más bien el cómo un personaje se convierte en lo que se convierte más que los actos que acomete, así que por ese lado es interesante y también otra forma diferente y fresca de desarrollar un thriller.

En un punto pasa algo y parece que eso vaya a desencadenar una resolución que hubiera resultado algo floja y “justificaría” los actos de la protagonista, pero afortunadamente no recurre a ese recurso para nada.

El libro contiene escenas muy explícitas difíciles para estómagos sensibles.

Un buen debut, habrá que seguirle la pista a la autora.

Content Warnings

cait_readsandspins's review against another edition

4.5

dark funny fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

affectionatelyrs's review against another edition

3.25

adventurous dark reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

you can tell this was kim’s debut novel. unfortunately, there was a lot of rule bending when it didn’t seem that the fundamentals were understood beforehand - particularly with overuse of rhetorical questions instead of “show don’t tell”, lots of purple prose that somewhat took me out of the story and flat antagonists that i felt could’ve been utilized more effectively.

the social commentary was easily digestible and profound, but the ways in which the author got the message across felt like she was the one saying it instead of jiwon, the protagonist. while we’re on the topic of jiwon, i found her quite unlikeable but ultimately she’s made to seem normal in comparison to her male counterparts (which are at times cartoonishly evil. there’s no redeeming qualities to any of them which seems like an amateur narrative choice).

i wasn’t the biggest fan of this but i can sense the author has a clear voice and aim with her works already. with another release or two, i feel like monika kim could be at the forefront of the list of top contemporary horror writers, but she needs time to grow as a creative. lots of missed potential here and a clear lack of faith in the audience to understand the metaphors and symbolism - hence the extreme overuse of rhetorical statements.

Content Warnings

taelyr's review against another edition

4.5

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Rounded up from 4.5 stars

I had 2 main thoughts that kept rattling in my head during this entire book. 1. these white men are horrible and 2. is this actually happening?

This book was so fast paced that I flew through it. Our fmc really is really struggling through the book in every way; school, family, friends, and love life. We watch as she struggles, becomes more unhinged, and literally loses it. This was so fun, I loved it!

Content Warnings