An Engrossing Sapphic Paranormal Thriller
Gorgeous Gruesome Faces is a sapphic, paranormal YA thriller largely featuring the K-pop industry and being a teen idol. The book follows two timelines in alternating chapters: the past, which looks at the rise (and fall) of the trio's television show and music group, and the present, which is set during a K-pop competition.
My biggest issue with this book was that I felt like it was trying to do too much and the plot felt all over the place. There are too many things shoved into one, 300-page novel that could be novels on their own, such as the rise and fall (and the attempted rise again) of a K-pop group, a paranormal/fantasy murder mystery, a thriller that deals with the K-pop industry, a teenage coming of age as a celebrity, etc. Instead, all of those different aspects were shoved into one novel, making parts of the overall narrative feel convoluted and overcrowded.
Also, the characters occasionally felt a bit one-dimensional. With the exception of Candie, who was the most layered and complex character in the entire novel, everyone else kinda fell a bit flat. It seemed like there were one or two traits that each character (including the protagonist) had and that was it. While this wasn't the case the entire novel, I definitely noticed it from time to time, and wished there was more development, especially for the side and secondary characters.
However, all that being said, I did enjoy reading this novel. The thriller aspect of it was well done and I was engrossed in the story from start to finish. I was very much on the edge of my seat and read it in two days. It wasn't as gory as I thought it would be, which is a plus for me because I can't handle too much of that. Finally, sapphic romances always get extra points in my book, especially since they're underrepresented in the thriller genre.
My biggest issue with this book was that I felt like it was trying to do too much and the plot felt all over the place. There are too many things shoved into one, 300-page novel that could be novels on their own, such as the rise and fall (and the attempted rise again) of a K-pop group, a paranormal/fantasy murder mystery, a thriller that deals with the K-pop industry, a teenage coming of age as a celebrity, etc. Instead, all of those different aspects were shoved into one novel, making parts of the overall narrative feel convoluted and overcrowded.
Also, the characters occasionally felt a bit one-dimensional. With the exception of Candie, who was the most layered and complex character in the entire novel, everyone else kinda fell a bit flat. It seemed like there were one or two traits that each character (including the protagonist) had and that was it. While this wasn't the case the entire novel, I definitely noticed it from time to time, and wished there was more development, especially for the side and secondary characters.
However, all that being said, I did enjoy reading this novel. The thriller aspect of it was well done and I was engrossed in the story from start to finish. I was very much on the edge of my seat and read it in two days. It wasn't as gory as I thought it would be, which is a plus for me because I can't handle too much of that. Finally, sapphic romances always get extra points in my book, especially since they're underrepresented in the thriller genre.