Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang

27 reviews

probablynisa's review against another edition

dark

• 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

3.0

Started off strong then got really weird, like could’ve been maybe a little more poignant if the point wasn’t SO in your face. I’m also not the biggest Sci-Fi fan so that is more than likely what’s influencing me but it felt so unrealistic at the end that I feel like it took away from the point by trying to make it so clear . 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Infertility, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Cannibalism, and Dysphoria

ukponge's review

challenging dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying and Sexual assault

Minor: Racism

othersociologist's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Bullying and War

chris_reads's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

The most insidiously disturbing book I've read to date. Good writing and themes of class, consumerism, immigration, sexual exploitation and beauty standards for women. Characters were sympathetic but passive and not very likeable. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Rape, Medical trauma, Stalking, and Classism

Moderate: Drug use, Eating disorder, Sexism, Sexual assault, Medical content, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Dysphoria

Minor: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Racism, Vomit, Car accident, and Murder

emilyceratops's review

adventurous challenging dark medium-paced

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

3.0

I wanted to like this book more than I did. Ending felt a bit cliche, characters felt a bit flat. At times it felt like it was being sad for sadness' sake, and grotesque for the sake of being grotesque.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Chronic illness, Car accident, and Death of parent

mermaidsherbet's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

Minor: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infertility, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, and Classism

nini23's review against another edition

2.5

• Pacing is off, sequencing between scenes disjointed.
• Medical details do not make sense.
• Premise is interesting but let down by writing.
• Protagonist's decision to keep going back once she realized what was going on also doesn't make sense.
• I had the nagging feeling that the description of pianist/recital piano playing is not quite right although obviously Ms Huang knows the names of the classical music pieces. This confusion cleared once I read this debut writer's background as a violinist - aha that explains the odd off-key (pun intended) writing about piano playing. 
• Appropriation of an important custom of Tibetans.
• This is a more general complaint but why is the setting always New York City? This is the sixth book I've read this year set there and I generally try to stay away from US/Britain. Do all writers live in NYC?
• Also a more diffuse point but second generation Asian AMERICAN immigrant experience is only one of many possible Asian identity experiences but again, why is this dominating the market? I should have realized with the blurb done by Constance Wu of that movie where Asian AMERICANS misrepresented Singaporeans so terribly it was farcical.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, and Racism

Moderate: Medical content and Death of parent

Minor: Animal cruelty