Reviews with content warning for Blood - Yellowface

Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

44 reviews

kristinj1's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-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

4.25

So, here's the thing about this book. I think it's a really interesting story I just could not stand the main character by about 10 pages in, and that never really changed. I think I also wanted the reveal at the end, because there were reveals throughout the book, to be a little more unexpected or surprising, maybe? I guess there was so much that could have been totally unexpected, and we actually did start to dive into the world of the supernatural, that the reveal at the end was a very normal thing. Or maybe that was the point? That the main character spun herself up into believing in a ghost, and it turned out just to be a human? I don't know, I always have a really hard time thinking that this main character, June hayward, was just so idiotic about her racism. She never investigated her own thoughts, and her reactions to people were sickening. So all in all, I did not dislike this story, I just maybe wanted something else? This could be having to evaluate my own privilege and prejudices, for sure. I understand that my reaction is fed by that part of me. I just couldn't believe that we got to see her in her dialogue and that there was never really any education that happened for her. I think that's actually what it is, she clearly needs to dig out and unpack her own issues, but she was never really confronted with having to do that.

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jennaviolet's review

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dark tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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xgabrielle_hx's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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

3.0

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abicaro17's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective tense slow-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

0.5

God this book was unbearable. I will say first off, that Kuang has a beautiful writing style and the base of this book is really interesting. That being said, the execution of said base is god awful.

Juniper Song Heyward is a jealous, manipulative, vindictive, racist, bitch. She spends the entire book a plagiarist who attempts to convince the reader she's a victim somehow. June continuously uses racist language and defends her actions by blaming Athena for being more talented and likable. Every word that came out of her mouth made her less likable.

The plot is unbearably slow. You spend like 80% of the book reading tweets. Why? Who knows. I considered DNFing so many times it's a miracle I finished at all. I would recommend this to someone only if I hated them. Brb while I go cleanse my aura of this nightmare.

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dsalazar's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense 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

4.25

I expected this book to be really good and all my expectations were met. Kuang’s story telling and writing style were compelling and brilliant. For most of the story, I couldn’t put the book down, especially at the start.

This reminded me of The Curse on Hulu with Nathan Fielder, Ben Sadfie, and Emma Stone, where everyone (including the audience) is in on the joke except the main characters. I especially liked that the whole plot revolved around the writing/publishing industry and how vicious it can make a writer. It felt like I was reading a fictional story but also questioning which parts came from Kuang’s lived experiences. This added depth and intrigue as I learned more about a failed v. successful novelist’s journey.

Aside from the language and pacing, diving into Junie’s psyche felt like watching that recent Golden Globes host flop horrendously. It’s as if I simultaneously hated her, needed to understand her more, wanted to stop reading cause of the overwhelming cringe, and pitied her.

Plot-wise, it was enough of a glimpse into Junie’s life, family, and background to move the story along but not so deep that I would get bored or lost in the details. There was just enough to bring me into the story and Junie’s head, which made this a fairly easy read. I do think the ending was a bit predictable but only insofar as (I think) Kuang intended. Any readers will enjoy this even more if they are super online and have used Twitter. Iykyk

Anyway, I loved it and everyone should read it!!

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