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anispaperbacks's review
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I'm not sure if it was the fact that I was in a bit of a slight reading slump, the book itself, or a mix, but I struggled to stay interested, especially in the 2nd last eigth of the book (sorry that's SO specific). I was really quite intruiged for a lot of the book, and even forgot the gorey, thriller-y part that I knew awaited me. I just wanted to know what happened with Mina!! How Sunny was dealing with it!! How are Sunny and Candie going to get on now!!
While it did slightly feel all over the place, it's not something I can really hold against it to be honest. Even if not intended, I think that it was a good peek into how it feels for Sunny, the flashbacks included. She would be confused, she would be disoriented, she would be thinking about the past, about what happened, both out of grief and the fact that it was still very relevant to what was happening!
I would, however, have liked for the characters to be a little less flat. Some characters just felt a little lacking.
Some of the lines in this book were written so lovely. Beautiful yet horrid descriptions. Similarly, I was really fond of chapters 27, 28, and 29. They elicited strange and fantastical ghibli like imagery. Reading them, I could only picture them in ghibli style animation. The strange locations, the horrid clawing and rolling *something* that filled the air. You don't really know entirely what is going on, it's not logical, it's strange, it's a little bit awful to witness, but it's fantastic.
While it did slightly feel all over the place, it's not something I can really hold against it to be honest. Even if not intended, I think that it was a good peek into how it feels for Sunny, the flashbacks included. She would be confused, she would be disoriented, she would be thinking about the past, about what happened, both out of grief and the fact that it was still very relevant to what was happening!
I would, however, have liked for the characters to be a little less flat. Some characters just felt a little lacking.
Some of the lines in this book were written so lovely. Beautiful yet horrid descriptions. Similarly, I was really fond of chapters 27, 28, and 29. They elicited strange and fantastical ghibli like imagery. Reading them, I could only picture them in ghibli style animation. The strange locations, the horrid clawing and rolling *something* that filled the air. You don't really know entirely what is going on, it's not logical, it's strange, it's a little bit awful to witness, but it's fantastic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Suicide, Self harm, Grief, and Torture
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, and Stalking
Minor: Body shaming, Vomit, Bullying, and Panic attacks/disorders
bookishmillennial's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
This was such a fascinating book, and nothing I was expecting.
This book follows Sunny Lee, whose bright career was cut short after her bandmate and fellow cast member of a beloved Kpop-inspired tv show, Minnie, died by suicide. Sunny follows her other former bandmate Candie on her YouTube page (where she had amassed a following well before their group stardom), and sees that Candie is auditioning for a 5-week Kpop workshop in her hometown in Atlanta, Georgia. This is bizarre because Sunny's mom literally moved them back to Atlanta to get away from the scandal, and out of all the places for a Kpop workshop, the one that Candie decides to pursue is in Atlanta. Wild. Curious. Not suspicious at all. (lol I am being facetious)
Anyway, because Sunny desperately wants answers and closure from Candie about Minnie's behavior and death, she applies for the same workshop in hopes of reuniting. However, Sunny had no idea what she was signing up for because once the workshop begins, nefarious things begin happening to the other competitors with little to no explanation. Sunny does not believe these are accidents, and refuses to accept anything but the truth, so she seeks it out. Candie continues to be elusive, and there are some strong sapphic undertones in this rivalry and ex-friendship.
I did not realize this was horror (I saw the cover and thought "high school thriller" so that's on me), but I was delightfully surprised. The backstory of one of the character's powers was a fun reveal, and then the backstory behind the Maiden was even more fascinating. I did think the last 10% of the book moved *so* fast, like I got whiplash. However, I appreciate a fast-paced, chaotic, messy final act, so I am not complaining, just noting it. The flashbacks were executed really well, because it had the same effect that This Is Us (weird comparison, I know, but it's the only piece of media I can compare it to that weaved in flashbacks perfectly) had in sharing specific backstory as to why Sunny made the choices she was making. Overall, this was a wild ride, and I had a lot of fun. I would read from Linda Cheng again!
Thank you to my friend @waggybookworm who gifted me an annotated and tabbed copy <3
This was such a fascinating book, and nothing I was expecting.
This book follows Sunny Lee, whose bright career was cut short after her bandmate and fellow cast member of a beloved Kpop-inspired tv show, Minnie, died by suicide. Sunny follows her other former bandmate Candie on her YouTube page (where she had amassed a following well before their group stardom), and sees that Candie is auditioning for a 5-week Kpop workshop in her hometown in Atlanta, Georgia. This is bizarre because Sunny's mom literally moved them back to Atlanta to get away from the scandal, and out of all the places for a Kpop workshop, the one that Candie decides to pursue is in Atlanta. Wild. Curious. Not suspicious at all. (lol I am being facetious)
Anyway, because Sunny desperately wants answers and closure from Candie about Minnie's behavior and death, she applies for the same workshop in hopes of reuniting. However, Sunny had no idea what she was signing up for because once the workshop begins, nefarious things begin happening to the other competitors with little to no explanation. Sunny does not believe these are accidents, and refuses to accept anything but the truth, so she seeks it out. Candie continues to be elusive, and there are some strong sapphic undertones in this rivalry and ex-friendship.
I did not realize this was horror (I saw the cover and thought "high school thriller" so that's on me), but I was delightfully surprised. The backstory of one of the character's powers was a fun reveal, and then the backstory behind the Maiden was even more fascinating. I did think the last 10% of the book moved *so* fast, like I got whiplash. However, I appreciate a fast-paced, chaotic, messy final act, so I am not complaining, just noting it. The flashbacks were executed really well, because it had the same effect that This Is Us (weird comparison, I know, but it's the only piece of media I can compare it to that weaved in flashbacks perfectly) had in sharing specific backstory as to why Sunny made the choices she was making. Overall, this was a wild ride, and I had a lot of fun. I would read from Linda Cheng again!
Thank you to my friend @waggybookworm who gifted me an annotated and tabbed copy <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Body shaming, Murder, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Body horror, Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, Dysphoria, Self harm, Gore, Death, Suicide, Infidelity, and Bullying
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I thought this was just a thriller, but it turns out it takes a turn more into the horror genre. Which isn't a bad thing! But by the end of the book, things get...interesting. I'll read horror, but most of the time I'm not a huge fan of it. And this one gets a bit graphic in parts as the horror amps up by the end of the book.
However, I did appreciate the critiques on the K-Pop/entertainment industry and the expectations that are thrown on teen girls in particular. Sunny struggles with the expectations, especially coming from her mom. It's definitely something that negatively affects her mental health as well. Using the horror genre to explore those sorts of topics definitely works in this case.
If you like darker horror/thriller books, this might definitely be for you! It does wrap up at the end, but there's space left for a sequel (which I guess is happening eventually). We'll see if I read the next one!
However, I did appreciate the critiques on the K-Pop/entertainment industry and the expectations that are thrown on teen girls in particular. Sunny struggles with the expectations, especially coming from her mom. It's definitely something that negatively affects her mental health as well. Using the horror genre to explore those sorts of topics definitely works in this case.
If you like darker horror/thriller books, this might definitely be for you! It does wrap up at the end, but there's space left for a sequel (which I guess is happening eventually). We'll see if I read the next one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Body horror, and Death
Moderate: Torture, Grief, and Suicide
Minor: Cursing, Body shaming, and Bullying
amy_salieri's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Mental illness, Death, Grief, Blood, Torture, Suicide, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body shaming and Bullying
booksmoviesandstories's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Bullying, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, Body shaming, Gaslighting, and Gore
devynreadsnovels's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Bullying, Infidelity, Child death, Body horror, Violence, Gore, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Death, Grief, and Blood
Moderate: Dysphoria, Torture, and Abandonment
caseythereader's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
3.75
Thanks to Macmillan for the free copy of this book.
- GORGEOUS GRUESOME FACES is a YA thriller that combines K-pop glitter with Chinese mythology.
- I love a book that explores some of the traumas of fame, especially for young people, and that is woven into the larger supernatural mystery of this book.
- I didn't realize this book was the first in a series until I got to the end, and I'm excited to see where Cheng takes this next.
- GORGEOUS GRUESOME FACES is a YA thriller that combines K-pop glitter with Chinese mythology.
- I love a book that explores some of the traumas of fame, especially for young people, and that is woven into the larger supernatural mystery of this book.
- I didn't realize this book was the first in a series until I got to the end, and I'm excited to see where Cheng takes this next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Gore, Murder, Bullying, Death, Stalking, and Suicide
hahafool's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Suicide, Violence, and Self harm
Minor: Bullying and Cursing
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