Genevieve
I went into this book completely blind since it was my book club’s March pick, and honestly, I’m still not sure if that helped or hurt my experience.
For the most part, I enjoyed the story. We follow Cora Zeng and her two friends as they try to navigate life in America during COVID, a time when Asian communities were being blamed and targeted. The book really highlights the ignorance, racism, and outright cruelty people can face just for existing. Sadly, history shows that different minority groups go through phases where they’re unfairly targeted, and this story doesn’t shy away from that reality.
I can see why this falls into the horror genre, but it just wasn’t creepy enough for me. I was expecting something a little more intense or unsettling. The horror elements didn’t quite hit the way I wanted, which is why this wasn’t a full 5 star read for me.
That said, the book does an excellent job showing the emotional toll of racism and how exhausting it can be to constantly deal with ignorance and hatred. Some of the situations felt painfully real, and that aspect of the story was probably the most impactful.
My favorite part of the book was the author’s note. It added a lot of context and made the message behind the story even more meaningful.
This was a good read for me, maybe not the horror experience I wanted, but still a story that highlights real issues and conversations that are important to have.
I went into this book completely blind since it was my book club’s March pick, and honestly, I’m still not sure if that helped or hurt my experience.
For the most part, I enjoyed the story. We follow Cora Zeng and her two friends as they try to navigate life in America during COVID, a time when Asian communities were being blamed and targeted. The book really highlights the ignorance, racism, and outright cruelty people can face just for existing. Sadly, history shows that different minority groups go through phases where they’re unfairly targeted, and this story doesn’t shy away from that reality.
I can see why this falls into the horror genre, but it just wasn’t creepy enough for me. I was expecting something a little more intense or unsettling. The horror elements didn’t quite hit the way I wanted, which is why this wasn’t a full 5 star read for me.
That said, the book does an excellent job showing the emotional toll of racism and how exhausting it can be to constantly deal with ignorance and hatred. Some of the situations felt painfully real, and that aspect of the story was probably the most impactful.
My favorite part of the book was the author’s note. It added a lot of context and made the message behind the story even more meaningful.
This was a good read for me, maybe not the horror experience I wanted, but still a story that highlights real issues and conversations that are important to have.