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plumeriade's review against another edition
2.0
i love angry girls. i wanted to love Reiko. but unfortunately she just ends up feeling fake and melodramatic because there's no real direction to her violent anger. i'm not saying she needs some deep, sympathetic origin story because she doesn't. but Reiko is explosively angry and wants revenge for... what? there's no reason. so don't try to act like there is one. and then at the end it just ups and poofs away and she's smiling at everyone. mmmkay.
other thoughts:
- of course the other life she experiences is some horror legend love story lmao
- of course the cousin is a jpop wannabe kawaii caricature
- a male character says he had a bit of a thing with another guy and Reiko immediately compares it to shounen-ai, and he says his girlfriend didn't mind because it was just like her BL manga
- of course she's bisexual but the only same-sex stuff is all in the past, during which she fulfilled the psycho lesbian stereotype, and the only relationships/sex during the course of the book are hetero.
other thoughts:
- of course the other life she experiences is some horror legend love story lmao
- of course the cousin is a jpop wannabe kawaii caricature
- a male character says he had a bit of a thing with another guy and Reiko immediately compares it to shounen-ai, and he says his girlfriend didn't mind because it was just like her BL manga
- of course she's bisexual but the only same-sex stuff is all in the past, during which she fulfilled the psycho lesbian stereotype, and the only relationships/sex during the course of the book are hetero.
buuboobaby's review against another edition
DNF @ 45%
Though I loved the setting, the heroine's repeated insistence on having her "revenge" quickly became tiring. I didn't feel that enough of her backstory was revealed quickly enough to justify her unrelenting rage at the world and everyone in her life.
Though I loved the setting, the heroine's repeated insistence on having her "revenge" quickly became tiring. I didn't feel that enough of her backstory was revealed quickly enough to justify her unrelenting rage at the world and everyone in her life.
eehoskins's review
3.0
I enjoyed this book overall. As I first started reading I thought it was going to be a new favorite, but it fizzled for me a bit as I read on. Ultimately, I felt as though the reasons for Reiko's rage and desire for revenge weren't fleshed out enough for me. Still a good read, but a victim of my goal to be more selfish with my stars.
rainymorningreads's review against another edition
3.0
**I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
This book is dark and strange and while I had a few issues with it, it is one of those 3 star books that is unique enough to recommend to those who are interested in the premise. The story follows Reiko, an angry, depressed Japanese-American teenager who moves to Japan for the summer to ‘work out her emotions.’ Reiko is an extremely dark character, she’s been hardened by some of her more traumatizing experiences and is quick to react with anger to any situation. We learn about her past as her narrative continues, but we learn that most of this trauma comes from being scorned by Chloe, a past girlfriend, and her estranged relationship with her brother. In Japan, Reiko travels to the historical village of Kuramagi with her cousin Akiko and her budding J-pop band to attend a festival. Hellbent on revenge, Reiko wants to ruin Akiko’s time in Kurumagi and it is also insinuated that she will commit suicide. As she creates her plan she simultaneously finds herself slipping back in time to 19th century Japan in the life of Miyu. She finds the Miyu is just as keen on revenge as Reiko and both of these stories unfold over the course of the book.
Reiko is an intriguing character. From the beginning of the book I could tell she is not your normal love-scorned teenager. She is much darker than that and most of her imaginary scenarios involved bloody, destructive revenge. Her thoughts were so dark and disturbing that I think she may have had other issues before all of the emotional trauma with Chloe and her family. While I found it hard to relate to her, I was intrigued by her character and wanted to learn more about her thoughts and desires, as disturbing as they were. For a while, I couldn’t even tell if the entire storyline with Miyu was even real or if it was just Reiko’s imagination.
Some aspects of this book were incredibly unique and refreshing to read. I enjoyed the insight into the Japanese landscape and culture in both present day and 19th century Japan. Smith’s writing was colorful and imaginative and at times I felt like I was right there with Reiko in the strange village of Kuramagi. Reiko is also a bisexual character and I really like how directly and candidly it was explored in the book.
I also like the way the time travel was handled, it was subtle and more of a ‘slipping back and forth’ between time so we got to experience dual story lines. The mechanism of time travel is only vaguely explained so the entire book had a certain mystical, mysterious quality to it. Miyu’s character is also extremely interesting. She lives in 19th century Japan during the shogunate rule in militarized Japan. Miyu is treated poorly by her family and the entire village, but we do not learn why she is so hated until the very end. Her story absolutely had me guessing and it was both thrilling and disconcerting to read.
While the story was intriguing, the climax and ending was too abrupt for me. I had so many questions throughout the book and suddenly everything was answered and the story ended. The book was delightfully bloody, vengeful and disturbing so I had a problem with all of the loose ends being tied up so neatly. I also have a hard time with the idea that Reiko is just going to go back to living normal life. I wish there was more of an explanation after the climax and this unfortunately seriously hindered my overall enjoyment of the book. While it was unique, I don’t think this will be one of my most memorable reads.
Overall, this book was an interesting read and I encourage you to try it out if the premise intrigues you. While I did give it three stars, I do think this book will really appeal to some readers.
This book is dark and strange and while I had a few issues with it, it is one of those 3 star books that is unique enough to recommend to those who are interested in the premise. The story follows Reiko, an angry, depressed Japanese-American teenager who moves to Japan for the summer to ‘work out her emotions.’ Reiko is an extremely dark character, she’s been hardened by some of her more traumatizing experiences and is quick to react with anger to any situation. We learn about her past as her narrative continues, but we learn that most of this trauma comes from being scorned by Chloe, a past girlfriend, and her estranged relationship with her brother. In Japan, Reiko travels to the historical village of Kuramagi with her cousin Akiko and her budding J-pop band to attend a festival. Hellbent on revenge, Reiko wants to ruin Akiko’s time in Kurumagi and it is also insinuated that she will commit suicide. As she creates her plan she simultaneously finds herself slipping back in time to 19th century Japan in the life of Miyu. She finds the Miyu is just as keen on revenge as Reiko and both of these stories unfold over the course of the book.
Reiko is an intriguing character. From the beginning of the book I could tell she is not your normal love-scorned teenager. She is much darker than that and most of her imaginary scenarios involved bloody, destructive revenge. Her thoughts were so dark and disturbing that I think she may have had other issues before all of the emotional trauma with Chloe and her family. While I found it hard to relate to her, I was intrigued by her character and wanted to learn more about her thoughts and desires, as disturbing as they were. For a while, I couldn’t even tell if the entire storyline with Miyu was even real or if it was just Reiko’s imagination.
Some aspects of this book were incredibly unique and refreshing to read. I enjoyed the insight into the Japanese landscape and culture in both present day and 19th century Japan. Smith’s writing was colorful and imaginative and at times I felt like I was right there with Reiko in the strange village of Kuramagi. Reiko is also a bisexual character and I really like how directly and candidly it was explored in the book.
I also like the way the time travel was handled, it was subtle and more of a ‘slipping back and forth’ between time so we got to experience dual story lines. The mechanism of time travel is only vaguely explained so the entire book had a certain mystical, mysterious quality to it. Miyu’s character is also extremely interesting. She lives in 19th century Japan during the shogunate rule in militarized Japan. Miyu is treated poorly by her family and the entire village, but we do not learn why she is so hated until the very end. Her story absolutely had me guessing and it was both thrilling and disconcerting to read.
While the story was intriguing, the climax and ending was too abrupt for me. I had so many questions throughout the book and suddenly everything was answered and the story ended. The book was delightfully bloody, vengeful and disturbing so I had a problem with all of the loose ends being tied up so neatly. I also have a hard time with the idea that Reiko is just going to go back to living normal life. I wish there was more of an explanation after the climax and this unfortunately seriously hindered my overall enjoyment of the book. While it was unique, I don’t think this will be one of my most memorable reads.
Overall, this book was an interesting read and I encourage you to try it out if the premise intrigues you. While I did give it three stars, I do think this book will really appeal to some readers.
bookbrig's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
Really compelling, fast story with a bisexual Japanese American protagonist (yay for bisexual protagonists in YA!). I think it's a great read-alike for Carrie, mixing darkness and anger with vulnerability and fear. I might recommend it to teens who like books that deal with bullying, even though that's not precisely a focus of the story, and I'd also recommend it to fans of the game Life is Strange (and not just because of the Chloe characters, I promise). I can't speak as much to the authenticity or accuracy of the Japanese aspects of the story, but the author's note about her historical research seemed promising.
Netgalley and Roaring Book Press provided an ARC for my review.
Netgalley and Roaring Book Press provided an ARC for my review.
yccngz's review
I wanted to love this but I really couldn't get over the writing so I gave up around halfway. The voice was just too heavy for me and really repetitive and annoying.
Not for me
Not for me
gracew's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Fuck this book.
nerdinthelibrary's review
4.0
content warnings: violence, death, gore, self-harm, suicidal ideation, overdose mention, sexism, lesbophobic comments
representation: japanese-american bisexual main character, japanese mlm polyamorous side character, black lesbian side character, every other character is japanese
This book was so much better than I expected!! For such a short stand-alone it packs such a punch and, despite how well it wrapped up, part of me wants another book.
Reiko as a lead character is fantastic, if not just for how refreshing she is. She's a vengeful, angry woman who isn't all talk and no action. She wants people to hurt, but the ways in which she displays this is so real and raw that I couldn't help but feel empathetic for her, even when she's at her worst. It's also really refreshing to have a protagonist like this who isn't white, as they all seem to be.
The side characters were a bit more hit-and-miss for me. Miyu, as you discover more about her, is an amazing character, but every other character from her time period feel average at best. Kenji and Sierra were both fun characters who I think we didn't get to see enough of, but everyone else in Reiko's world felt really fake. Their decisions didn't feel human and it made it impossible to really care when Reiko was only with them. There were also some characters, mostly Reiko's family, who I wish we could have gotten a bit more from.
Most of the characters lacking an amount of depth was more than made up for by the great plot. The plot in the past was easily the more exciting of the two, but the melodramatic nature of the plot in present day made it so it wasn't a chore to return to the present. The plot moved very fast, as it has to for such a short book, but it never felt rushed. This also meant that there were no unnecessary scenes of filler; every scene included in the book was necessary.
I flew through this book - finishing it in a couple hours - and would highly recommend picking it up.
representation: japanese-american bisexual main character, japanese mlm polyamorous side character, black lesbian side character, every other character is japanese
This book was so much better than I expected!! For such a short stand-alone it packs such a punch and, despite how well it wrapped up, part of me wants another book.
Reiko as a lead character is fantastic, if not just for how refreshing she is. She's a vengeful, angry woman who isn't all talk and no action. She wants people to hurt, but the ways in which she displays this is so real and raw that I couldn't help but feel empathetic for her, even when she's at her worst. It's also really refreshing to have a protagonist like this who isn't white, as they all seem to be.
The side characters were a bit more hit-and-miss for me. Miyu, as you discover more about her, is an amazing character, but every other character from her time period feel average at best. Kenji and Sierra were both fun characters who I think we didn't get to see enough of, but everyone else in Reiko's world felt really fake. Their decisions didn't feel human and it made it impossible to really care when Reiko was only with them. There were also some characters, mostly Reiko's family, who I wish we could have gotten a bit more from.
Most of the characters lacking an amount of depth was more than made up for by the great plot. The plot in the past was easily the more exciting of the two, but the melodramatic nature of the plot in present day made it so it wasn't a chore to return to the present. The plot moved very fast, as it has to for such a short book, but it never felt rushed. This also meant that there were no unnecessary scenes of filler; every scene included in the book was necessary.
I flew through this book - finishing it in a couple hours - and would highly recommend picking it up.
angelcwrites's review
4.0
It took me over a month to read this novel, and I think I needed that time to really process it. A DARKLY BEATING HEART is a story that will rip you open, leave you raw and wounded, heartscars split open. It isn't an easy story to read, isn't careful with how its emotional threads might burn, but it's cleansing at the same time, and beautifully cathartic. I'll be thinking about this book for a long time.