When the occult is involved, is anything really as it seems? In Beautiful Brutal Bodies by Linda Cheng, we meet Tian a singer-songwriter whose haunting vocals and stunning looks have made this reclusive singer an online success. Her closest companion, Liya, is a childhood friend and protector. In spite of this seemingly normal friendship, something more sinister lies beneath the surface. Tian hears it at night, and sees the hunger in Liya's eyes in random glimpses that never last. After a terrible tragedy occurs involving several fans of Tian, she finds herself being sent to a remote island for a retreat with Liya to accompany her. Tian is relieved to find that her musical collaborator Shenyu will also be going. This supposed vacation takes a turn for the worse when the three realize that something bigger is going on, and it might just be up to them to fix it.

This folk style horror story is bloody, gore filled, and an absolute delight to read. Thank you so much to Netgalley, Roaring Book Press, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, and the author Linda Cheng, for providing an advanced review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily. The details of the setting were haunting, building on our natural fear of the dark and the forest. Tian, Liya, and Shenyu each brought a different aspect of humanity to the story which was nicely broken up with bits of humor throughout. The most surprising aspect was the beautiful sapphic romance sub plot. I loved the small intimate moments and the fairy tale style flashbacks. I would highly recommend this story anyone who enjoys the darker side of fiction. This story is not for the faint of heart. Trigger warnings for body horror, gore, murder, and cannibalism.
Total Star Rating 4.25/5 stars.
Setting 4/5
Plot 4/5
Characters 5/5
Emotional Impact/Vibe 4/5
Overall Enjoyment 4/5

I loved the suspense of this book! Just when I thought I had it figured out, this author made my jaw drop! If you are looking for something that will grab and keep your attention then this is the book for you!

Beautiful Brutal Bodies was definitely creepy and I did love the horror aspect, but I didn't connect with the characters all that much.

Tian and Liya have been companions since Tian's mother died in a terrible car crash and she was taken in by Liya's mother, Auntie Chu. The girls have grown up together on a remote estate for the most part kept away from the outside world due to Tian's medical condition. While Tian has started to push back on the confines of the estate that feels more and more like a prison, Liya has fallen more and more into line with Auntie Chu's staunch stance on Tian's need for protection. When a Tian's live stream/ online concert leads to the deaths of some of her fans. Events are set in motion that finally free Tian from her prison....while possibly leading her into another.

I really enjoyed this book. The back and forth on the timeline helped me to get further drawn into the relationship between the two main characters. While the circumstances that brought them together were terrible the bod they formed and the lengths, they were willing to go to for each other was beautiful. I also liked how this book while not a sequel to the author's previous work, tied the main characters of both together and expanded on the world that she has already began building. I'm interested to see if this is the last book from this world or if the author finds that there are more stories to tell.

In this sequel to Gorgeous Gruesome Faces, Tian is an online singing sensation that is trapped living in an estate with her guardian and her daughter, Liya, under the guise of a mysterious disease that would kill her if she left the grounds. After a mysterious disaster, she is allowed to leave to a retreat with Liya guarding her where she meets her online collaborator, Shenyu, and nothing is what they expected.

Expanding on the lore of GGF, this story is even more stressful, suspenseful, and surprising. While things go south a little more quickly, and you can see the connections it’s making, there are new elements and the cult elements evolve even further to rewrite the story of Chang’e into a horror story. There was so much more happening, and the wrap up to GGF was shocking, to say the least. I was floored by how emotional the book made me and how much I loved it. Hopefully y’all will give it a chance so you can too. Thank you Linda and Macmillan for the advanced copy so I could give this review.

Beautiful Brutal Bodies was one of my first ventures into a supernatural book as an adult, I felt it was well written and very descriptive. I could picture the whole book as I was reading. The story drew me in because I wanted to find out the cause of all the bad things happening, I didn’t read the previous book by Linda Cheng in this series, Gorgeous Gruesome Faces, but that’s not required to understand this story, which I appreciate! As I was reading, I was starting to question if this was the right choice for me, I’m just getting back into reading and I usually go for the mystery/horror/crime genres, but I enjoyed the twists and turns this story took! The time the characters were on the island was creepy/spooky and I couldn’t get enough!

I do wish we could have seen a little more character development for Liya. We get to see flashbacks to get a little history, but it seems she literally just lives for Tian. It makes a little more sense the more you read, but she is still her own person. That’s the only criticism I have.

I loved Shenyu and all his comments. I wish he could have been around more frequently in the story!

I would rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. I feel that 5 stars is reserved for blowing me out of the water, but I did enjoy this book. Give it a read if you are into folk horror and creepy occult stories!

This was a great read and I will very much recommend to all because it kept me wanting to turn the pages and never want it to end

The folk horror elements themselves were unsettling and good. But the actual characters of this story fell flat. They had no growth. No change. One of them was genuinely just too perfect. I was really excited for a sapphic folk horror but this just fell flat.

This was my first read by Linda Cheng, and while I was immediately intrigued by the concept and fairytale-inspired elements, I ultimately finished the book feeling a bit underwhelmed.

The premise is unique and full of potential, but I struggled to fully engage with the story after the first few chapters. The atmosphere was compelling, and I appreciated the ambition behind the worldbuilding, but I found it difficult to connect with any of the characters. Their development felt somewhat distant and abstract.

The pacing also felt uneven—slow in some parts, with not enough payoff to keep me fully engaged. I truly wanted to enjoy this more, and even gave it a few restarts thinking I might be missing something or just not in the right headspace. But in the end, it never quite came together for me.

2.5 ⭐️

You had me at “skin-crawling folk horror” and “sapphic romance.” I was ready to clutch my pearls on a cursed island with Tian, Liya, and Shenyu. I mean, a reclusive songstress with hypnotic siren-y vocals? A bodyguard with a beastly secret? A troubled idol with a string of bad boyfriends? Sign me up for this feral fairytale! But, alas, I was promised a gothic banquet and served a half-baked charcuterie board with some questionable cheese.

Let's start with vibes. Linda Cheng’s got a knack for creepy atmospheres, and I give her mega props for that. The remote island in the South China Seas, with its constant bizarre rituals, creepy smiling staff, and something not quite human lurking in the forest? It’s giving Midsommar meets The Wicker Man. But then the story itself stumbles like me trying to walk in platform boots after one too many margaritas.

Tian, our leading lady. An ethereal, beloved songstress with a massive online following and a tragic backstory. You’re so perfect, so chosen, so SPECHULLL that I’m side-eyeing you harder than I did my high school prom queen. She’s got this Mary Sue energy that makes everyone orbit her like she’s the sun in a glittery solar system. Fans LITERALLY die watching her livestream (yikes, iconic but underdeveloped plot point), and she’s whisked away to this spiritual retreat to, what, heal her soul? Unravel occult mysteries? Girl, you’re too flawless to be this clueless. I wanted to root for you, but your perfection left me rolling my eyes instead of clutching my heart.

Then there’s Liya, Tian’s childhood friend and bodyguard, who’s supposed to be this fierce protector with a monstrous secret. Her “beastly” vibe—sharp teeth, ferocious appetite—honestly had me picturing No Face from Spirited Away, but, like, if No Face was hot and brooding. I was ready to stan this sapphic icon, but Liya’s character arc is flatter than my attempts at baking sourdough during lockdown. She’s just… there to protect Tian because of some vague ancestor magic. No depth, no growth, just a loyal attack dog. I kept waiting for her have a personality beyond “must save Tian.” Sigh. Wasted potential, my love.

And Shenyu? Oh, honey, you’re the quirky gay best friend I wanted to adopt. His snarky one-liners are the glitter in this gloomy tale, and I cackled every time he opened his mouth. But that’s all he does—tosses out zingers like confetti and fades into the background. He’s got this messy backstory with bad boyfriends and a brush with the law, but does the book explore it? Nope. He’s just Tian’s sassy sidekick. I wanted more. Give me Shenyu’s angsty island diary entries or a subplot where he flirts with a creepy kitsune. Anything!

The biggest crime? Everyone feels like a satellite in Tian’s universe. Liya and Shenyu don’t get to shine; they just revolve around her, propping up her chosen-one narrative. The island’s blood-drenched legend and Liya’s monstrous identity sound juicy on paper, but they’re rushed and underdeveloped, like Cheng had a Pinterest board of cool ideas but forgot to flesh them out. The sapphic romance between Tian and Liya? It’s there, and I’m a sucker for queer love, but it’s so surface-level I didn’t even get my usual butterflies. I wanted yearning and tension, but I got… vibes.

On the plus side, the folk horror elements are genuinely unsettling. The island’s creepy aesthetic is a mood. Cheng’s prose is lush, almost too lush, like she’s trying to bedazzle every sentence. I respect the hustle, but sometimes I just wanted the story to move faster instead of lingering on Tian’s ethereal cheekbones or something.

Anyway, this book is like that one friend who’s drop-dead gorgeous and full of potential but keeps flaking on plans. I wanted to love it. I really did! But the underdeveloped characters and Tian’s Mary Sue glow-up left me wanting more meat on these brutal bones. 2.5 stars, because I’m generous and that island gave me chills. Pick it up if you’re in the mood for spooky sapphic vibes, but don’t expect to fall head over heels. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to rewatch Spirited Away and imagine Liya as No Face with better hair.

I really liked the first half, but then it lost me a little bit. I felt like it took too long to connect the prologue to the actual story, and the relationships were a bit underdeveloped. I did like this more than the first book in the series.

Linda Cheng’s Beautiful Brutal Bodies is a moody, atmospheric blend of sapphic romance and folk horror that gradually builds into something both chilling and emotionally resonant. While the story didn’t immediately pull me in, the slow-burn pacing eventually paid off with a compelling storyline and eerie, immersive world-building.

What really worked for me was how Cheng tied things together at the end. The resolution brought a sense of closure without neatly wrapping everything up, leaving just enough mystery to linger in your mind.

Overall, Beautiful Brutal Bodies is a unique and haunting read that grew on me as the story unfolded. While it took some time to fully engage with the characters and world, the payoff was worth it. The emotional depth, layered mystery, and eerie atmosphere made for a memorable experience that stuck with me after I turned the last page.

Normally I love a queer horror, and I loved this author's other book Gorgeous Gruesome faces, so I thought I'd really like this one. Unfortunately I really didn't connect with Tian, and Liya was just too awful a "friend" for me to be rooting for any romance between them. Which is mostly Liya's fault, but I wouldn't have forgiven her

I have a like/dislike relationship with this book. The plot was really fun, but I didn’t love the way in which it was written.

It’s written like a fairytale, but it’s a really twisted, dark fairytale. If you’ve ever read the original fairytales that inspired various Disney movies, you’ll have an idea of what I’m talking about. While I liked this style, it took me away from the story a bit. Rather than enjoying the plot at times, I found myself focusing on the twisted fairytale style more. I have a feeling this will be a positive for some, but for me, it unfortunately took away from my experience.

Something that I absolutely loved about this book was how real the characters feel. We have a girl who feels like she really would be famous in this day and age. She felt exactly like a teenager that I have encountered in life, which made the story come to life. I felt like the characters weren’t characters, but rather real, adding to the horror of the book.

Oh, and the romance: exactly what I needed.

Thank you very much to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and NetGalley for an ARC of the book. All opinions are my own and not influenced by the manner in which I received it.

📖 Bookish Thoughts:
I expected blood, horror, and a little sapphic tension—but this book surprised me in the best way. Yeah, it’s gory and intense (seriously, mind your triggers), but I wasn’t prepared for how emotional it got. The ending had me full-on sobbing. I was worried there for a second.
Also… Shenyu. My king. He carried this book with his one-liners and antics—especially when he was trolling Liya. I was living for their dynamic. And Tian and Liya were so adorable. The flashbacks and dual timeline actually worked (which is rare for me), and their childhood scenes were so sweet. They just needed one honest conversation... wild how communication works 😭

🖤What You Can Expect:
• Graphic horror & body horror
• Sapphic romance
• Childhood friends
• Cult island
• Creepy rituals

🗓️ Release Date: November 4, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for the advanced reader copy. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC.

This book was described as a feral fairy tale and what a perfect description that is for this book. It's beautiful and enchanting, but also brutal and raw. 

I loved the three main characters in this so much. They had great banter, both the friendly kind and the flirty kind. 

The mystery that was set up in the b ginning of the book was extremely intriguing and I'm satisfied with where the story went to answer my question. 

The book is a very fast read. The epilogue is very cute. 

I'd recommend this book to people who are looking for an atmospheric YA book with culty vibes.

Thank you Netgalley and Roaring Brook Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“Beautiful Brutal Bodies” is a haunting and unforgettable YA folk horror novel that weaves supernatural terror, sapphic romance, and East Asian mythology into a rich, blood-soaked tapestry. With visceral storytelling and lyrical writing, Linda Cheng delivers a chilling follow-up to “Gorgeous Gruesome Faces”—one that stands on its own but is enriched by connections to her previous work.

The story centers on Tian, a famous but reclusive singer-songwriter whose hypnotic livestreams spark a bizarre and deadly phenomenon: some viewers begin to spontaneously combust. What follows is a descent into occult horror and self-discovery as Tian is sent to a “healing retreat” on a remote island alongside her childhood friend and bodyguard, Liya, and their charismatic companion, Shenyu. But the island is no sanctuary—it pulses with eerie rituals, heavy surveillance, cult-like control, and the looming threat of human sacrifice. As Tian’s past unfurls through unsettling flashbacks to her childhood in a controlling, fairy tale-like castle, the threads of mythology and reality begin to blur.

Cheng masterfully balances her genre-bending elements: part supernatural thriller, part gothic romance, and part fairytale nightmare. The story draws inspiration from the legend of the Celestial Maiden’s daughter, giving the book a folkloric depth that is at once familiar and twisted into something wholly original. A second narrative, told in a mythic, story-within-a-story style, parallels the main plot, adding a dreamlike dimension that enhances the central mystery.

The heart of the book lies in its complex, evolving relationships. Tian is a compelling protagonist—vulnerable yet determined to reclaim her agency. Liya, harboring monstrous secrets beneath her human shell, embodies the “beast” trope with refreshing emotional depth. Their romance is a slow burn laced with tension and tenderness, as childhood friendship blossoms into something more amidst terror and transformation. Shenyu, with his golden-retriever charm and troubled past, adds levity and loyalty to the trio’s dynamic.

While the narrative structure—frequently shifting between past and present—can sometimes be disorienting, it ultimately serves to deepen your understanding of Tian's psychological imprisonment and the generational trauma she must overcome. Those sensitive to body horror should be aware: Cheng doesn’t shy away from visceral detail. The grotesque body transformations and eerie imagery are both fascinating and disturbing, evoking true folk horror vibes.

As the climax nears, familiar characters from “Gorgeous Gruesome Faces” make cameo appearances, tying the novels together without requiring prior knowledge. The ending, while brutal, lands with a sense of catharsis—highlighting love, liberation, and moving forward from trauma.

Overall, “Beautiful Brutal Bodies” is a feral fairytale of self-liberation, love, and mythic monstrosity. Linda Cheng has crafted a vivid, skin-crawling tale that is equal parts horrifying and heartening. Fans of sapphic horror, East Asian folklore, and gothic thrillers will devour this one whole.

Beautiful Brutal Bodies
By: Linda Cheng
Expected by: 11//04//2025
YA, Mystery & Thriller, Sci-fi & Fantasy.

Beautiful brutal bodies was not what I expected to read for several positive reasons. The author Linda Cheng chooses a very interesting way for writing this book.

This folk horror takes you on a ride with Tian as the main character, she frees herself and those around her following a series of events after arriving on a cursed island.

While the story sucks you in right from the start, the only thing that would have made this a 5 star read for me, would have been if the back and forth from past, present was less. This transition made it a bit hard to follow at times.

If you enjoy a good thriller, this book is definitely one for your TBR. I absolutely look forward to what ever else Linda Cheng has in store for us!

Thank you NetGalley & MacMillan Children’s publishing group for allowing me to review this ARC, these are my own opinions, and honest review.

This was not what I expected, in a wonderful way. What started out as a story about a sad girl who loses her mother , is sent to live with family friends , faces difficulties so goes to find herself turns into a heartfelt retelling of the maidens daughter. It had an Asian folk lore, fairytale vibe that I loved. The main character Tian , her best friend, among other things Liya and Tian’s number two Shenyu have the kind of relationships that will keep readers engaged. The plot was interesting, had just the right amount of twists and little extras that made it not your average retelling. Will definitely be reading more by this author.
I was able to read this as an eARC from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and thank you to the publisher Macmillian Children’s Publishing, Roaring Book Press

Feral fantasy at its best mysteriously and suspenseful leaves you guessing while things get crazy ! Romance and thriller all in one what an awesome read !