Daijah
i don't think that i could ever rate a rachel harrison book less than 3 stars because i just adore her writing and how she fleshes out her characters. i always love her female friendships/relationships which is the same here. i do think this story was a bit underbaked. the pacing was off and the story wrapped up super abruptly including the vampire elements, the horror of the story. i also think this is the least i connected to one of her characters in a novel of hers, not because she it a bit older than the rest, but because i was dealing with the issues she is when i was 15 and seeing her deal with them later on just wasn't relatable for me. i'm sure it will truly resonate with someone who is and i do think it was handled well, but i just didn't have that connection i normally do from a rachel harrison book. but as i said i adore her writing, her humor, her ability to convey emotions and inner turmoil, and her female relationships and that is no different here.
this is by no means a perfect book. i do think some of the representation and language in here is questionable from a psychological standpoint but this book dives into the female experience including the frustration, the longing, and the masks we wear. it explores the performance of femininity, the constant craving for more, and the urge to break free from the limits of what's expected. the way these topics were handled and explored was done extremely well and i just adored it. just like how the main character in the book savors her food, i had to savor this book to truly get the full experience. this isn't a book you fly through, it's one you really sit with and digest.
this book had a really interesting premise but it just didn’t live up to what it could’ve been. the writing was okay, but the plot didn’t grab me, and the "spooky" horror ghost elements were honestly barely there. the mystery was the definition of boring. i lost interest after the 50% mark. the big twist was revealed midway, and after that, it felt like nothing was happening. that lack of twists and plot in the later half made me annoyed. the characters weren’t memorable either. they were just two-dimensional and dull. by the halfway point i was completely bored and just wanted it to be over. the second half didn’t do anything to make me think it was worth more than a 2-star rating.
read for the swoon sisters' bookclub: first quarter 2024 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9K5I...)
honestly i didn't like anything in this book besides the radio show element. the mc was absolutely unsufferable plus her and almost all the plot points in this story felt juvenile and immature like for high school, not the university. it was so meh.
read for summerween 2024: vlog coming soon
the eyes are the best part by monika kim is a brilliantly inventive and subversive feminist psychological horror novel that delves deep into the making of a female serial killer from a korean-american perspective. this book is not just about the grisly and thrilling elements of ji-won’s transformation, but it also profoundly explores the daily struggles and horrors faced by women of color, making it a truly compelling read.
one of the most captivating aspects of this novel is its exploration of the unique challenges that women of color encounter every day. the true horror of the story lies in the societal pressures, microaggressions, and blatant discrimination that ji-won faces, which are hauntingly relatable and powerfully depicted. monika kim masterfully intertwines these themes with the story of an unhinged woman seeking revenge, creating a narrative that is as thought-provoking as it is thrilling.
at its core, this novel is about a young woman discovering the harsh realities of how the world treats her. ji-won feels overlooked and ignored by everyone, from her family to society at large. this sense of invisibility and the accompanying rage are palpable throughout the book, and i found myself deeply relating to her struggles. as a college student navigating a tumultuous life, i saw reflections of my own experiences in ji-won’s journey, despite the extremity of her actions.
the depiction of ji-won’s unraveling is both mesmerizing and chilling. her dreams, filled with horrifyingly vivid imagery of bloody rooms and succulent blue eyes, add an eerie and surreal layer to the story. the character of george, her mother's obnoxious new boyfriend, serves as a perfect catalyst for ji-won’s descent into madness, making her actions, though extreme, understandable in the context of her suffering and rage.
this book is a must-read for fans of unhinged women and revenge stories. monika kim’s writing is gripping, and her ability to weave together themes of familial disintegration, societal neglect, and personal vengeance is nothing short of genius. the eyes are the best part will undoubtedly be added to my list of go-to recommendations for unhinged women revenge stories. it is a powerful, evocative, and unforgettable read that will leave you craving more.
this book is very mixed for me. i appreciate a lot of what it was trying to say but i was soooooo bored. like at first this concept was cool and i adore the concept. but it got extremely repetitive. i know it was to make a point but that doesn't lessen the fact, it bored me. i also felt like while we spent so much time with the main character, we still never really got to know her. i feel like i could read the most boring, repetitive book in the world, but as long as it has a character i find interesting in it, i'll love it. but this lacked that. the main character was never really flushed out. i will say i did really enjoy the ending of the book a lot but besides that and the concept, this was really a slog to get through.