nixiethepixie 's review for:

Strange Beasts of China by Yan Ge

3.5

mysterious reflective 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: Complicated

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Glad to have finally finished reading this after a third attempt. I really enjoy the premise of this story - of beasts existing within society, only slight differences making them distinguishable from humans. The way they emerge in true forms at the full moon. Beasts are human, human are beasts. The story weaves together with short studies of the different beasts which makes for nice bite-sized segments, but ultimately a fairly seperate/disjointed through line. In some ways we are left wanting more of both the beasts, and also our narrator. Some of the metaphors or allusions I feel like may be somewhat lost in translation, or more context specific, but I was happy to spend time in this curious little world, and the constant questioning of beasts and how they exist within the world and within us.