Reviews tagging 'Death'

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

1366 reviews

alisonannk's review against another edition

dark emotional informative mysterious sad medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Grief, Stalking, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, and Classism

Minor: Genocide, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, and War

leiaheenan's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

An incredible book that had a complete and utter lacklustre last 35-ish pages. I was HOOKED from the start up until that point,

why was there a seemingly random turn to ghost stories that are never talked about again for a whole chapter? I just found the intense focus on ghosts towards the end was not at all my sort of thing. Also having Candice be behind everything… was just so meh.

Anyway, I found that it balanced the funny, lighthearted feeling and the incredible dark sections relatively well, and I do applause the author for achieving that as it’s quite challenging. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Racism, Sexual assault, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Death of parent

sadie_hawkins's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

One of the best books I read this year. It was funny, kinda dark, twisted and captivating. I found more than what I hoped for, which happens rarely these days. I genuinely loved reading this book and I'm sad that it's over. I don't think I'll read a book of this quality again, anytime soon. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

abrielleemory's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I listened to this book on Spotify, so I’m sorry if the spellings of the names are incorrect. 

I saw in another review that someone described June as a character unlike anyone she’d ever read before. And, I agree with that analysis wholeheartedly. June expresses what I believe is the emotion of a lot of white people I know. We can’t express our irritation or dislike for anyone of color without being deemed a raging racist, while some POC threaten white women with physical or verbal violence online or in-person. I think this book does a great job highlighting and describing reverse racism, a term that I really just started to think about in the last few years. 

Athena was insufferable. I was so surprised she died so early on, but the more I learned the more I loathed her. Do I think what June did was right? Of course not, what she did was straight up theft. But, do I see how jealousy wove this narrative in June’s head that she was in the right? Yes. 

My only dislike in the book is the whole thing with Candace at the end. It made June look psychologically crazy so suddenly, rather than a potential slow trickle into madness like what happened with the Athena’s ghost stuff. 

This was a really interesting book, but I’m so glad I listened to it on Spotify. The reader does an impeccable job of capturing how I would imagine June in my head. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Death of parent

brighetti's review against another edition

challenging reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.75

I really enjoyed this book. I found it challenging at times to push through the main character's choices and actions, but I think that's the whole point really. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, and Cultural appropriation

hi_its_micah's review

challenging emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• 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, Racism, Cultural appropriation, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, and Gaslighting

Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual violence

aliteraryescape's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Bullying

Minor: Sexual assault

infusionofviolets's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Xenophobia, and Cultural appropriation

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Toxic friendship, and War

Minor: Bullying, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

kiarra_s's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective tense 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

4.0

How far will a yt woman go to claim a body of work that doesn’t belong to her? The limit does not exist! 🥴

I’m still shocked at how hard the main character doubled down on her lies/ played victim to the entire audience. Kudos to the author for delivering a satirical novel that highlights racism, tokenism, and cultural appropriation! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and War

Minor: Death of parent

not_funto's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

The main character in this book was infuriating. She was capable of feeling guilt but constantly chose the route of cognitive dissonance to spare herself the trouble of being a decent person.

The book also examines themes I find interesting; the inherent narcissism of commercialised art, the dynamics of “righteousness” online, the cancelled-to-right wing grift, who has the right to tell a story, the retroactive alteration of stories to fit the narrative we want to believe.

Towards the end, June starts to feel almost comically villainous and I want to say it wasn’t realistic but honestly it might be. If you’ve dug yourself a hole that deep, who knows what you might be willing to do at that point.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Racism and Xenophobia