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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
While the basic concept was intriguing, the pacing of the text itself just felt too off. It routinely felt like I was missing details because of how fast things were moving within the text, making what was occurring in the story feel so abrupt & developing way too quickly.
I haven’t finished reading a book since May of this year. I’ve started a few, but I just couldn’t continue with them. So a couple of weeks ago, I decided to officially stop all of them and pick up a short book. I have a shelf on Goodreads for books I’m interested in which are 150 pages or less. The Beauty is very short. Goodreads gives it 99 pages, but I doubt it. I read just about everything on my phone, and the edition I have has another short story at the back, so I can’t say for sure how many pages it is. The point is, it was short, which is why I was able to finish it.
That sounds mean. The story was intriguing and I wanted to see what happened, so I kept going. But, due to my own inability to read, I would stop for several days at a time. I’m hoping that in the new year I will be more dedicated to reading. Since it’s so short, I don’t want to say much about the plot. I will say that the story opens with a group of boys and men living on their own. All the women have died from some sort of disease that does not affect men. I personally wasn’t clear if it was a fungus that started in the women’s bodies, or was something that came from without and entered them. Either way, they are gone. But something comes to the men which will seemingly replace the women, or offer something new.
The book is fascinating, sexual, and gross. It might be something I would visit again, but it’s definitely something I will be thinking about for a while. I thought about rating it four stars, but there are so many things that I’m unclear on. That can happen with a story so short. But the premise doesn’t really allow for something to be developed further. So here we are.
The Beauty was published in 2014, and more recently there has been a lot of talk surrounding trans rights, issues, laws, restrictions, etc. I am non-binary, and while I’m not sure if I would call myself trans, I am firmly on the side of trans rights. The reason I mention this is that this story is saying a lot about societal expectations of one’s gender identity. It goes further into changing biology of people within the story. I can’t help but read what’s happening through today’s lens. I don’t know what I would have thought if I read it in 2014. But it just feels like it’s screaming something about trans people here. I just don’t know what it is.
Because the book is so thought-provoking, I would recommend it, but I wouldn’t expect any clear understanding. It’s kind of just there, showing you something interesting. I enjoyed it.
tinyleafbooks.wordpress.com
That sounds mean. The story was intriguing and I wanted to see what happened, so I kept going. But, due to my own inability to read, I would stop for several days at a time. I’m hoping that in the new year I will be more dedicated to reading. Since it’s so short, I don’t want to say much about the plot. I will say that the story opens with a group of boys and men living on their own. All the women have died from some sort of disease that does not affect men. I personally wasn’t clear if it was a fungus that started in the women’s bodies, or was something that came from without and entered them. Either way, they are gone. But something comes to the men which will seemingly replace the women, or offer something new.
The book is fascinating, sexual, and gross. It might be something I would visit again, but it’s definitely something I will be thinking about for a while. I thought about rating it four stars, but there are so many things that I’m unclear on. That can happen with a story so short. But the premise doesn’t really allow for something to be developed further. So here we are.
The Beauty was published in 2014, and more recently there has been a lot of talk surrounding trans rights, issues, laws, restrictions, etc. I am non-binary, and while I’m not sure if I would call myself trans, I am firmly on the side of trans rights. The reason I mention this is that this story is saying a lot about societal expectations of one’s gender identity. It goes further into changing biology of people within the story. I can’t help but read what’s happening through today’s lens. I don’t know what I would have thought if I read it in 2014. But it just feels like it’s screaming something about trans people here. I just don’t know what it is.
Because the book is so thought-provoking, I would recommend it, but I wouldn’t expect any clear understanding. It’s kind of just there, showing you something interesting. I enjoyed it.
tinyleafbooks.wordpress.com
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This...is a weird one for me. I think the writing was good, despite it being a bit too flowery for its own good (also no teen-20 something guy would EVER talk like Nate) and despite it being a novella I think it feels like a complete story. I think my biggest problem is I don't know what the ultimate message of said story is. Reversing gender roles to show the burden women experience? How dangerous generational divides can be? Ignorance truly isn't bliss? I honestly don't know.
That being said, I can't say I disliked this. Despite not knowing the message, the story was intriguing and kept me invested. I'm glad Whiteley didn't try to over explain what the Beauty were or over complicate the story, and while I didn't care for any of the characters they still served their purpose well. Overall, this was a quick yet solid horror novella in my humble, biased opinion. It may not be scary spoopy horror, but it was unsettling and let its horror moments shine, so that's a plus. If you want to give it a shot, I recommend it. It's not winning any awards or anything, but it was a nice, solid read.
That being said, I can't say I disliked this. Despite not knowing the message, the story was intriguing and kept me invested. I'm glad Whiteley didn't try to over explain what the Beauty were or over complicate the story, and while I didn't care for any of the characters they still served their purpose well. Overall, this was a quick yet solid horror novella in my humble, biased opinion. It may not be scary spoopy horror, but it was unsettling and let its horror moments shine, so that's a plus. If you want to give it a shot, I recommend it. It's not winning any awards or anything, but it was a nice, solid read.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
What an odd story that defies all scientific possibilities. Dystopian, disturbing plants gaining consciousness, and a story of love and connection. It was so odd, but I have to admit, I got a little sucked in.
dark
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
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot