Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Natural Beauty

Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang

80 reviews

caitlynischeckedout's review

3.0

First I’d like to say: if you like weird horror, gross body horror, and powerful narratives on the beauty industry and society- I’d give this one a shot.

2.5 enjoyment level, but rounded up as I did appreciate the commentary on issues at hand and I think the messaging is important

When I picked it up I didn’t realize it was going to be so focused on gross, creepy body horror, and that’s just not quite my forte so I didn’t enjoy it as much as I think others will. I had a hard time wanting to read this because of that and other content included and it took me a rather long time to get through despite it being around 250 pages long.

The story was written in this poetic prose which was enjoyable to read, and the way it leads you into the horror I think is well done. It’s a subtle journey and drops hints here and there, and when you find out the true horrors behind the scenes it is powerful and horrific. The horror though is very real life horror and commentary on things that are truly happening, so I would read the trigger warnings beforehand so you know what you’re getting into. There is also sexual assault included at several different points which I was not quite prepared for. I’m also not sure I felt the scenes were handled as well as they could’ve been- a lot of things just seemed to happen for shock value to me.

Overall I do think the messaging included is important and worthy of notice, just wasn’t quite what I thought I was getting into.

Content Warnings

clairebau's review

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dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Oh, wow. I knew I'd like this book because it's so conceptually fascinating, but I liked it more than I thought I would, despite it being in first person.

I'll start with my issues: the pacing was off. The ending felt rushed. I was disappointed by this.

This book reminded me why I love reading women written by women. The characters are rich and well-defined yet described simplistically in a quick, punchy writing style that I just adore. I'm not generally into mysteries, but I had a ton of fun piecing together details to try to solve the plot of this horror/thriller combo. Gorgeously, gorgeously done. Exposition was provided in a perfect steady drip that captivated me. The characters are awesome. The gore is written so effectively; the horror is intrinsic, and never did I have to be told how scared or unnerved to feel. God, I love weird books. As someone who struggles with her relationship to beauty as a "hobbyist" and willing participant but still identifies as a more radical-leaning feminist, this was the book for me. Everyone quotes this, but I'll drop it here too:

"Beauty has always been one of the ways women have been able to access power, and I can't fault any of them for wanting more of it."

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