Although I expected Gorgeous Gruesome Faces to be a thriller exploring K-pop and beauty standards, this turned out to be a horror story that explores friendship and family. Sunny was part of an up-and-coming pop group until the death of her friend and bandmate Mina. Alternating between past and present, the mystery of what happened to Mina gradually unfolds as Sunny attempts to make a comeback to become a pop star again, and tries to reconnect with her other former bandmate.
While the book does often touch upon issues and controversies within the K-pop industry that I'd seen in news headlines, it doesn't explore them in depth. If you like horror, the horror elements were very creepy. What I ended up loving was the way that folklore comes into play! I was not expecting things to unfold the way they did but I was pleasantly surprised! I'm really curious to see what Linda Cheng has planned for the sequel.
While the book does often touch upon issues and controversies within the K-pop industry that I'd seen in news headlines, it doesn't explore them in depth. If you like horror, the horror elements were very creepy. What I ended up loving was the way that folklore comes into play! I was not expecting things to unfold the way they did but I was pleasantly surprised! I'm really curious to see what Linda Cheng has planned for the sequel.