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lizzylakes's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Death of parent
mokkekitty's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Death of parent
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Toxic relationship
Minor: Bullying
piperclover's review against another edition
I definitely don't think that this is bad in any way and I'm actually really really intrigued by some aspects of it it's just not what I thought it was going to be and I'm not really enjoying where it's going. I think this could be a fantastic horror thriller about a woman who murders bad men in the same vein as They Never Learn by Layne Fargo because of the creature she is and what her biology demands.
The opening chapter of this book made me think that it was going to be a ya version of They Never Learn but that opening scene of her hunting and stalking this bad man to kill is the only time in the first 52% we see that happen so I was set up for something that never came.
This has great themes about morality. Miyoung is always having a morality crisis about what she does and is trying to justify how she hunts to make herself a better person than she thinks she is. She isolates herself and is incredibly stand official room to people to avoid becoming reliant on anyone because she's afraid of being abandoned the way her mother was abandoned.
Jihoon does a similar thing and he does it fairly well but he does it by being so charming and gregarious that people think he has all of these friends so nobody gets close to him. This creates a really interesting dynamic where they do the same thing and therefore make logical sense to be together or at least be friends because they understand what being abandoned by a parent feels like and being lonely but because they go about their isolation in such vastly different ways, they butt heads about everything.
All of these points are intriguing but I'm just not vibing with the plot much.
The opening chapter of this book made me think that it was going to be a ya version of They Never Learn but that opening scene of her hunting and stalking this bad man to kill is the only time in the first 52% we see that happen so I was set up for something that never came.
This has great themes about morality.
Jihoon does a similar thing and he does it fairly well but he does it by being so charming and gregarious that people think he has all of these friends so nobody gets close to him. This creates a really interesting dynamic where they do the same thing and therefore make logical sense to be together or at least be friends because they understand what being abandoned by a parent feels like and being lonely but because they go about their isolation in such vastly different ways, they butt heads about everything.
All of these points are intriguing but I'm just not vibing with the plot much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
sophieamreacher's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.75
Fantastic book. I loved the characters, the angst, the heartbreak, the relationships. I also loved the setting of Seoul with all the cultural references to the food, the customs, and the tv dramas. I love reading about other country’s mythology’s (especially fox spirits) so I adored learning about Korea and it’s mythology through this amazing book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Violence, Vomit, and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexism, Blood, Medical content, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Animal death
kassidyreads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Violence, Medical content, and Abandonment
Minor: Animal death
hello_lovely13's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Violence, and Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse and Grief
andatherrin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Kidnapping
Minor: Animal cruelty, Police brutality, and Sexual harassment
movedtogoodreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Abandonment
miss__manga__'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A slow start. Reads like a kdrama. Ending made me cry and was done so beautifully! One of my favourite reads of this year so far!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Alcohol
_forestofpages's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The cons are basically that the pacing was weird at times. It felt like it started off fast paced then halted, then sped up again. Also that some of the action was hard to understand because it wasn't written as well as the reat of the book. I felt like the author is best at writing dialogue, emotion and tender moments, but not great with action. Now onto everything I loved:
Going into this expecting a young adult romance with mythical elements was the best way for me, because I ended up surprised and delighted by the nuance and emotional storytelling. This was more than a slow burn romance, this was about identity, legacy, family, parental relationships, friendship and grief. I cried or had to hold back tears more than once because I related to the characters so deeply. I loved the main two characters the most, but everyone felt nuanced and fleshed out.
If you are looking for a heavy plot-focused story, or a very detailed world, this is light on those elements. But it's so deep in character and emotion. Especially if you had a complex relationship with your parents.
The Korean mythology and the sections that were dedicated to talking just about gumiho and various past gumiho, was amazing and felt like natural breaks. Those short tales also helped to explain the extreme suffering aat the hands of humand, and complexity of gumiho's feelings towards them. Which helped to explain certain motherly figures.
All in all. I loved this more than I thought I would and will be getting the second, and last book in this duology.
Going into this expecting a young adult romance with mythical elements was the best way for me, because I ended up surprised and delighted by the nuance and emotional storytelling. This was more than a slow burn romance, this was about identity, legacy, family, parental relationships, friendship and grief. I cried or had to hold back tears more than once because I related to the characters so deeply. I loved the main two characters the most, but everyone felt nuanced and fleshed out.
If you are looking for a heavy plot-focused story, or a very detailed world, this is light on those elements. But it's so deep in character and emotion. Especially if you had a complex relationship with your parents.
The Korean mythology and the sections that were dedicated to talking just about gumiho and various past gumiho, was amazing and felt like natural breaks. Those short tales also helped to explain the extreme suffering aat the hands of humand, and complexity of gumiho's feelings towards them. Which helped to explain certain motherly figures.
All in all. I loved this more than I thought I would and will be getting the second, and last book in this duology.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Physical abuse, and Violence
Minor: Alcohol