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Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
Yellowface is bold, sharp, and addictive. It is also uncomfortable, predictable, the characters are annoying, but maybe that’s the point. Kuang doesn’t hold your hand. She forces you to sit with messy truth slaps. I’m not in the publishing industry, but we all get it - the toxicity in the community in social media, the flawed and unreliable people around you and yes including yourself, the cycle of getting revenge, etc. They’re all #realtalk.
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The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom
Gentle, comforting, and unexpectedly powerful. What I loved most was how deeply it honored invisible lives. The kind that don’t get headlines, the kind that we don’t expect are related to us but apparently closely connected. The prose was simple, but it hit hard. It reminded me that every act matters, every connection ripples outward, and no one is ever truly alone. Taking half a star because the chapters felt wrapped-up too quickly. Closure was there, but it still felt lacking, idk. I need more.
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Strange Pictures by Uketsu
Now this, I get. After finishing Strange Pictures, I finally understand the hype around Uketsu. This one just worked better for me. It is indeed darker and way more unsettling. The tension is quieter than most horror, but the unease never lets up. I appreciate how it trusted the reader to stay uncomfortable without overexplaining. 💁🏻♀️ What I loved most is that it still feels grounded in real-life fears. There’s obsession, loss, and the super blurry line between what we see and what we believe. It’s sad, tbh, and just ambiguous enough to keep you thinking after you turn the last page.
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A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid
Beautifully written, hands down. What I loved most is how the Reid didn’t shy away from real things: abuse, erasure, silencing, the way institutions protect powerful men while branding women as unstable. Effy’s journey felt raw and real. Her trauma was woven into every chapter, and the way the story blurs reality with folklore made it even more unsettling. I was a bit confused at first tbh, blending the magic with reality. The symbolism in this book is layered and smart. Drowning, decay, storms, even the Fairy King, they’re all literal and emotional, and haunting. I also appreciate how literature and architecture though two fields that seem worlds apart, are…
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White Nights by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
I’ve always been drawn to sad and lonely characters, not for the drama (okay, konti), but for the quiet truth in them. I came into White Nights expecting that kind of depth. And while I deeply appreciate the message, I found myself a little bit disappointed in how that message was carried. Even the briefest connection can change us, yes. The story is emotionally sincere, yes. The dreamer’s loneliness is raw, yes. But everything often spirals into self-indulgence rather than growth. Or maybe that’s the point? His hope feels more like desperation, and while that may be intentional, I didn’t feel like I was watching a person unravel. I felt…
