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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The opening of this book was absolutely wild with terrifying body horror elements but as the story continued that initial shock wore off and left horror behind for interpersonal drama.
I think the only thing holding me back from rating this higher is the multiple perspectives. There were a few characters I enjoyed - Yuji, Jua, and Dream Cat were my overall favorites - but there were sooooo many different POV shifts to other characters, a few of which I'd wish we'd spent less time focusing on to get back to the more interesting POVs.
Though I wasn't the biggest fan of that element, the writing was wonderful and once I started reading I couldn't put the book down. I'll definitely be looking out for more from this author!
I think the only thing holding me back from rating this higher is the multiple perspectives. There were a few characters I enjoyed - Yuji, Jua, and Dream Cat were my overall favorites - but there were sooooo many different POV shifts to other characters, a few of which I'd wish we'd spent less time focusing on to get back to the more interesting POVs.
Though I wasn't the biggest fan of that element, the writing was wonderful and once I started reading I couldn't put the book down. I'll definitely be looking out for more from this author!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Murder
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
they who looked so much alike that it was almost scary, they who hugged each other so closely that there was no space for another.
this was more literary than horror, imo, and definitely the kind of read where you need to go through your annotations again afterwards before you can totally figure it out. a mysterious figure at new seoul park hands out free samples of pink jelly, claiming that whoever shares it will stay together forever, only for the entire theme park devolving into a grotesque jellied massacre of pairs of loved-ones once the sun had set. we're taken through the events before and after the massacre through varying point of views, learn of the gritty lives under the cheery theme park mascots, one man's obsession with money, and the murderous conflict between two users of a devil-worshipping forum who insist that they are the one that has been entrusted with the real words of their deity. albeit in a disjointed, and sometimes incohesive manner, we explore the consuming nature of love, and, most of all, the inherent horror of allowing oneself to be blended and mixed with another person, along with its inevitably when you wish to belong to something -- whether that be a parent to a child, or a girlfriend to a boyfriend, or a follower to their deity. however, the last few chapters makes us question whether it is better to be totally separate from the ones we love in order to avoid such a blending, and whether life is worth living without it. i think the overall theme of this work was very interesting, especially with the aspect of horror added to the bonds of love between people, but honestly it felt like so much was going on that i didnt really know what to focus on all the time
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A horror that reads quite like literary fiction. Sinister, surreal and silly in equal measure and yet honestly quite touching at times. Told from multiple points of view that slowly begin to weave together in a really intriguing way. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the way it was told and would definitely read another book by this author in the future. If you enjoy weird books and are not too squeamish, I would absolutely recommend this one.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Jelly, hot sweaty summer on theme park? Sign me up! I've been waiting to get my hold on this copy, and it doesn't disappoint. While I don't think the story is anything special & out of ordinary, and the writing–typical to that of Korean literature–may falls flat, I find the directness in the writing helps me move & pace through the story quickly. The distantness keeps me engaged, ironically. I still would like to know some more about the ending, tbh. About who is this so called god and how does all these things possibly happen, some sort of explanation? But I made peace with that being left for us to wonder. This was an enjoyable reading experience.
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes