Review by lucifer_lu - The Eyes Are the Best Part

lucifer_lu 's review for:

The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim

5.0

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This intense and visceral horror novel follows a young woman navigating university, relationships, identity, and rage in a world soaked in performative progressivism, sexism, and violence. It’s a raw, emotionally charged portrait of someone trying to hold on to herself amid hypocrisy and harm, especially from men who pride themselves on being “woke,” yet embody the very problems they claim to oppose.

The writing is phenomenal: sharp, visual, and deeply immersive. Monika Kim captures the physicality of rage and disgust in a way that made me react physically. As someone just starting university, I found the main character incredibly relatable, especially her anger at injustice and exhaustion with self-congratulatory men. Even though she’s not always likable, she’s painfully real, which made her even more compelling. The emotional intensity is matched by a brutal honesty that lingers long after you finish.

This isn’t a critique, but a note: the violence and graphic elements can be hard to stomach. Still, they serve the story’s emotional truth rather than shock for the sake of it.

A furious, unflinching, and brilliantly written novel that grabs you by the throat. Uncomfortable, raw, and true: it’s a book that gets under your skin and stays there.

Content Warnings