Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Nov 2023
320 pages
Genre: Thrillers
Publication Information
A cutthroat K-pop competition brings a disgraced former idol face to face with the demons of her past in this twisty psychological thriller, perfect for fans of She Is a Haunting.
You'll love them to death...
THEN:
Sunny Lee is on the top of the world. She's one third of Sweet Cadence, the hottest up-and-coming teen pop group, alongside her new BFFs, Candie and Mina. The three are inseparable as they ride their way to the top of the charts, even as Candie and Sunny fight to resist the growing spark between them. But when a shocking scandal breaks, the group is suddenly torn apart. Then the unthinkable – Mina dies tragically right before Sunny and Candie's eyes. And Sunny suspects the dark and otherworldly secrets she and Candie were keeping may have had something to do with it...
NOW:
For the past two years, Sunny has spent her days longing for her former life and her nights wondering just what caused Mina's death. So when she discovers that Candie is attending a new K-pop workshop right in her hometown, Sunny has no choice but to follow her there. Candie might be chasing stardom again, but Sunny is only after one thing: answers.
At the workshop, the lines between nightmare and reality start to blur as Sunny is haunted by ghostly visions and her competitors' bodies turn up bizarrely maimed and mutilated. To survive the twisted carnage, Sunny will have to expose the ugly truth behind the workshop's spotlights and the sinister forces swirling around Candie. Stitched with cutting commentary on the ugly side of stardom and impossible beauty standards, Linda Cheng's mind-bending thriller will have readers screaming and swooning for more.
"The narrative is haunting and magnetic, and an example of masterfully executed psychological horror that readers will find difficult to put down. True to its title, the gore is disturbing. Immensely and terrifyingly satisfying from beginning to end." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"[T]hrilling...Alternating chapters titled 'Then' and 'Now' weave flashbacks from the height of Sweet Cadence's fame with harrowing behind-the-scenes looks into the world of K-pop and fascinating, eerily rendered supernatural horror elements." —Publishers Weekly
"This is the kind of horror that will haunt you—a searing portrayal of the damage of impossible beauty standards, the crushing pressure of perfection, and the cruelty of online culture. Mesmerizing, heartbreaking, and absolutely terrifying." —Marie Lu, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Legend
"A perfect blend of folk horror and dazzling showbiz that will grip you from page one. Cheng unravels how the exquisite sweetness—and toxicity—of female friendships is both dangerous and key to survival." —Trang Thanh Tran, New York Times-bestselling author of She Is a Haunting
"Gorgeous Gruesome Faces is a seductive and darkly glittering exploration of the price of fame and friendship, set against the spectacle of a deadly K-pop competition." —Julie C. Dao, author of Forest of a Thousand Lanterns
This information about Gorgeous Gruesome Faces was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Linda Cheng was born in Taiwan and spent her childhood moving between cultures and continents. She received her BFA from the Savannah College of Art and Design, and worked as an art director across South Carolina and Georgia where she developed a deep love for sweet tea, grits, and Southern Gothic stories. She currently resides in Vancouver, Canada, where she spends her off days exploring the British Columbia Coast and introducing her daughter to the wonderful world of obscure 90's anime.
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