Well this was a weird read.

Very short, very vague, very odd.

This felt like a really fragmented and gloomy read.

There were touches of magic realism but nothing really ‘felt magical’, in fact the only emotion I felt while reading this was hopelessness and boredom - not an ideal combination.

There were glimpses of an enjoyable read here and there, I enjoyed the many themes that were touched on (slums, tearing down markets, family dynamics etc.) but nothing seemed to really hit home for me and it was all just very fragmented. The only section which has really lingered for me was the brief discussion on debt and how no one is born without it - it was thought provoking commentary simply and plainly written, and it is what I had hope this book would have had more of.

I think ultimately this just isn’t the right book for me. Prose was sparse, which isn’t to my taste typically. Narrative is deliberately vague and confusing, which I very rarely enjoy. The social commentary was there but so politely touched upon it didn’t seem to have any teeth… Overall this is not a bad book at all, it’s simply not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-ARC

Thanks to Kensington Books, Erewhon Books, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
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One Hundred Shadows is an interesting urban fantasy/ literary fiction following two protagonists who are awaiting the demolition of their small community in place of larger corporations taking over.
There is no happy ending here but rather two nihilistic characters and their social commentary on their respective situations.
The main theme of the book is the discussion around your shadow. Overall, the discussion of the shadow was a social commentary on the lives of those who live in the darker parts of society. I found the parallels between mental health and the shadow pretty interesting. As times get bleaker the shadow gains more agency which can be a commentary towards one’s mental health. The imagery of bleakness and the shadow was very well done by the author.
I found the narrators unreliable since it was difficult to understand their thought process at certain instances, it was also difficult to understand since there were no quotation marks. Some parts were fragmented and overall a bit strange ( for example the discussion of a whorl). There was a part in the story where I was unsure who was speaking to the audience as the narrator switched in the middle of the chapter. I also would have appreciated more understanding on some of the Korean words, possibly a footnote from the translator or something along those lines to help understand some of the lingo used within the text.
Overall an interesting read and made me consider reading more Korean literature. #bookstagram #books #bookstagrammer #bookshelf #booksofinstagram #netgalley #review #booksofinstagram #bibliophile #instabook #love #bookshelf #readersofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #bookaholic #libros #reader #bookphotography #b #booklove #art #author #libri #literature #instabooks #booklovers📚