Reviews with content warning for Blood - Yellowface

Thank you to netgalley for a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A very compelling story, it was hard to put down. The main character gives psychopath vibes. Juniper was a very unlikable character but hearing the story from her point of view was challenging. There was lots of talk about race and racism.
I really liked the inside look at the publishing world, very interesting. I would definitely recommend this story.

Content Warnings

bookishfaye's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Thank you so much Harper Collins for providing me with an E-Arc for review!!

R. F. Kuang’s brain is really and truly everything. She really is my favourite author and weaves so much intricate commentary into everything she creates and she continues to change the way I read & consume books & media, and her books continue to absolutely rattle and shake up the genres with which they are published.

The fact that Kuang considers Yellowface a silly little gremlin pandemic book is SO WILD to me because in my opinion it packs a punch to the same degree as The Poppy War and Babel do, just in this case it’s more modern. The way this book breaks down ignorance, racism, white womanhood, false allyship, tokenization, fetishization, corrupt publishing, cancel culture, and more was so incredibly profound and it also reads as such a biting and witty satire and it’s absolutely brilliant!

Being inside the head of the protagonist June was one of the most viscerally aggravating reading experiences I’ve maybe ever had, but it also was so unbelievably entertaining and actually physically jaw dropping and gag worthy following along June and her absolute delusions and Caucasity & I was so enthralled by every aspect of this book. The way it also has some genre-bending psychological thriller and near paranormal horror elements thrown in there as well was such an unexpected surprise and I really and truly would read R. F. Kuang’s grocery list.

TW: Racism, tokenization, fetishization, SA/Rape (not a graphic depiction of the act, but the after effects and thoughts and trauma), death, violence, blood

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clairew97's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional informative tense fast-paced

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

4.25

Well if there was one way to get me out of a reading slump it was picking up this book. Rebecca has done it again. I read the entire thing in one sitting, I could not put it down.

The main character is as insufferable and delusional as you would expect. Her justifications for her actions were wild to me, but I also believe that there are people out there who think like June does.

The exploration of racism within the publishing industry and the insight into the industry was incredibly interesting. Also, the exploration into the online world as a writer was an interesting take. The ending took me completely by surprise and I was hooked.

A completely satirical look into the publishing world and life as an author, I don’t think anyone else could have handled the premise of this book quite as well. A complete 180 from Babel, so if you’re looking for that type of book again this is definitely not it. I can’t wait to see where R F Kuang goes next.

Content Warnings

lorzosaur's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious 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

3.5

I read this as an ARC on #NetGalley so I’m sure a few bits will get tweaked but I doubt the overall plot will change.

This started sooooo well. The premise was really cool and I was excited to see where it would go. I think the start was rushed, the middle was slow, and the ending was really weird.

This book gave an interesting insight to the world of publishing, I learnt about the CLC and reminded me why I hate Twitter so much.

The main character is not likeable at all. Felt sorry for her once or twice but these were ‘pre’ The Last Front.

It gets probably a 3.5-3.75 as I did like it and I couldn’t stop reading as I wanted to see what bad thing would happen to June next and I wasn’t disappointed.

Wished the ending was different. I wanted her to publish the ‘truth’ and then everything come crumbling down, rather than Candice tricking her into thinking she was going mad and seeing ghosts and confessing.

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