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adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This collection of science fiction, paranormal and folk lore stories are written in a way that is compelling and magical. The tales of Haru warmed my heart and nearly brought me tears, but I am such a sucker for precious animal stories.
This book is written by a Chinese Singaporean man about a retelling of the Little India riot. Apart from the really lackluster writing at the beginning, he begins the book by literally utilizing all the stereotypes of migrant workers and Indian women. He wrote Hashwini to be an irrationally angry Indian woman when her safety was threatened and he wrote the migrant worker that committed the offense to be drunk and hypersexualized. I DNF this book on page 12 because I was severely uncomfortable and unimpressed by Sebastian's writing. To me, this was lazy and uninspiring writing that uses all these stereotypes to further a plot. Should I have given this book a second chance? Maybe. Maybe I am just tired of Chinese Singaporean authors only writing about minorities that are typecasted or the model. Maybe I just want more dimensional writing.
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
While I do enjoy the fast-moving plot and the plot in general, the novel was very on the nose. Everything is mostly literal - the writer does not engage in abstract concepts which would have furthered the complexity of the plot. The world-building is very telling instead of showing - so it became difficult to imagine what it would have looked like despite it being sounding very futuristic and different from our present realities. Overall, I do enjoy the book and finished it in a day.
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wong does character study like no other. Despite it being meticulously slow in plot development, Wong has managed to write each character in-depth and in a way that makes these characters so.. dimensional. This was thoughtfully written, with each word punctuating the sentences intentionally to create a tale of tension, betrayal, and family woes. My rating is arbitrary, I fully recommend picking this book up if you're into mystery and Singapore politics.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Rape, Self harm
Minor: Bullying
It's been awhile since I have had nightmares from reading a book, and this book was it! My imagination was all over the place as I tried to frantically read through what was going to happen to Lena. I gave it a 4 star because I felt like the ending was too rushed. I wanted to learn more about the aftermath of the experimentation - how it affected the family. It felt very.. telling, not showing. I wish the author would go into more details in part two because from part two onwards, the pacing felt so haphazard. But perhaps, it was intended to mimic the turmoil and anxiety that Lena was facing. Either way, I thoroughly enjoyed the book.
