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lozzathelesbo 's review for:
Yellowface
by R.F. Kuang
4/10
I didn’t enjoy this book, but I did learn from it.
The premise of this book is extremely interesting but the execution is anything but. It feels like I’m reading non-fiction.
I take no pleasure in being let inside this narcissistic, self indulgent, quite frankly deranged woman’s head. The constant spiralling anxiety this woman experiences is like self-inflicted torture porn and nothing short of psychotic.
I get we’re supposed to feel uncomfortable but there aren’t many other emotions being conveyed, and with the same cycles of things happening you start to feel a little unhinged yourself.
Perhaps it’s all going over my head, I understand what the author is trying to highlight, but when it’s comes down to it I didn’t actually -enjoy- reading this book. I only carried on to see if it did in fact get any better. And it didn’t.
Halfway through the book I was still hopeful, and then somehow I got to the end and… that was it? The entire reading process evoked little emotion from me and left me extremely underwhelmed.
The characters aren’t likeable? Okay. Then I guess it’s for the plot? No, well hm… I guess it’s to showcase the themes of hate and violence and industry problems? EXCELLENT. Oh that’s it? The book does nothing else? Cool •_•
So this book fails me personally really just because I didn’t enjoy it. It wasn’t fun to read, which is PRECISELY the point of the book, but I don’t think the book was entertaining. Period. There were some hot takes, yes, some uncomfortable truths, yes, but at the end of the day- ironically- nothing you can’t already find on a well constructed Twitter thread.
This book is so focused on themes and what feels like a word-for-word retelling of the authors own personal experiences, it lacks MAJORLY in plot and story-telling. It feels like she’s written the book purely because she wants to complain, and ultimately she does, and accomplishes nothing else.
The reveal of ‘Athena’s Ghost’ was quiet underwhelming as well. I’d already forgotten who the woman was by the time she was revealed. And was Juniper’s (I had to pause to remember her name there) consequence the fact she was pushed down the stairs?? This woman steals from a dead woman she hated, lies to said woman’s mother about it, accosts a woman on the street and also is just GENERALLY THE WORST PERSON EVER. But don’t worry guys she gets pushed down the stairs.
The line at the start that mentions Juniper’s heart quickening when Athena leaned closer to her was very interesting to me as I love WLW. But anyone can see later on that was put in there as a plot thickener and subsequent queer bait.
OVERALL, this book was a bit meh, I’d hoped for more punch and mystery and thrill. I didn’t have a real sense of stakes, like she was a failure then suddenly she was great and respected and then a failure again, it was all quite quick and dull.
Also…
"Fifty thousand? A hundred thousand? What's the cost of justice, Juniper Song?"
REEKS of The Riddler in the recent Batman film.
——————————————————
Pages 1 - 155. I was interested by the line that was describing June as nervous and bashful around Athena, i was like ?? Secret crush?? Upon reflection and since it’s mentioned by Juniper herself, that seems to have been thrown in there as a form of queer bait hint at a ‘girl crush’.
Honestly I’m only reading at this point to actually see if it gets any better. It’s all a bit ironic since she talks about her trolls online and now I’m off to Goodreads to rate this as mid.
I’m just hoping there is a twist or a shocking reveal coming up because this is starting to feel like a waste of time. I’ve made it halfway through the book somehow, and I’ve felt like nothing has happened.
Page 176. Okay this has gotten interesting. I’ve been waiting for the story to pick up on what was mentioned earlier about some ‘incident’ in Athena and June’s relationship, and it seems like we’ve arrived there.
Nope never mind it was extremely underwhelming.
176- end. Literally not a single thought has passed in my head.
I didn’t enjoy this book, but I did learn from it.
The premise of this book is extremely interesting but the execution is anything but. It feels like I’m reading non-fiction.
I take no pleasure in being let inside this narcissistic, self indulgent, quite frankly deranged woman’s head. The constant spiralling anxiety this woman experiences is like self-inflicted torture porn and nothing short of psychotic.
I get we’re supposed to feel uncomfortable but there aren’t many other emotions being conveyed, and with the same cycles of things happening you start to feel a little unhinged yourself.
Perhaps it’s all going over my head, I understand what the author is trying to highlight, but when it’s comes down to it I didn’t actually -enjoy- reading this book. I only carried on to see if it did in fact get any better. And it didn’t.
Halfway through the book I was still hopeful, and then somehow I got to the end and… that was it? The entire reading process evoked little emotion from me and left me extremely underwhelmed.
The characters aren’t likeable? Okay. Then I guess it’s for the plot? No, well hm… I guess it’s to showcase the themes of hate and violence and industry problems? EXCELLENT. Oh that’s it? The book does nothing else? Cool •_•
So this book fails me personally really just because I didn’t enjoy it. It wasn’t fun to read, which is PRECISELY the point of the book, but I don’t think the book was entertaining. Period. There were some hot takes, yes, some uncomfortable truths, yes, but at the end of the day- ironically- nothing you can’t already find on a well constructed Twitter thread.
This book is so focused on themes and what feels like a word-for-word retelling of the authors own personal experiences, it lacks MAJORLY in plot and story-telling. It feels like she’s written the book purely because she wants to complain, and ultimately she does, and accomplishes nothing else.
The reveal of ‘Athena’s Ghost’ was quiet underwhelming as well. I’d already forgotten who the woman was by the time she was revealed. And was Juniper’s (I had to pause to remember her name there) consequence the fact she was pushed down the stairs?? This woman steals from a dead woman she hated, lies to said woman’s mother about it, accosts a woman on the street and also is just GENERALLY THE WORST PERSON EVER. But don’t worry guys she gets pushed down the stairs.
The line at the start that mentions Juniper’s heart quickening when Athena leaned closer to her was very interesting to me as I love WLW. But anyone can see later on that was put in there as a plot thickener and subsequent queer bait.
OVERALL, this book was a bit meh, I’d hoped for more punch and mystery and thrill. I didn’t have a real sense of stakes, like she was a failure then suddenly she was great and respected and then a failure again, it was all quite quick and dull.
Also…
"Fifty thousand? A hundred thousand? What's the cost of justice, Juniper Song?"
REEKS of The Riddler in the recent Batman film.
——————————————————
Pages 1 - 155. I was interested by the line that was describing June as nervous and bashful around Athena, i was like ?? Secret crush?? Upon reflection and since it’s mentioned by Juniper herself, that seems to have been thrown in there as a form of queer bait hint at a ‘girl crush’.
Honestly I’m only reading at this point to actually see if it gets any better. It’s all a bit ironic since she talks about her trolls online and now I’m off to Goodreads to rate this as mid.
I’m just hoping there is a twist or a shocking reveal coming up because this is starting to feel like a waste of time. I’ve made it halfway through the book somehow, and I’ve felt like nothing has happened.
Page 176. Okay this has gotten interesting. I’ve been waiting for the story to pick up on what was mentioned earlier about some ‘incident’ in Athena and June’s relationship, and it seems like we’ve arrived there.
Nope never mind it was extremely underwhelming.
176- end. Literally not a single thought has passed in my head.