My thanks to Sunyi Dean for an advance reader’s copy of her newest novel, “The Girl With A Thousand Faces”, all opinions are my own. An amazing blend of Urban and Historical Fantasy with Gothic elements. I could not have asked for a better treat than having multiple older female characters including our 53 years old ghost talker protagonist, Mercy Chan, then a triad leader in her late 50s, inspired by a real life lady gangster and a transgender woman in her 60s that is both a spy and a teacher. (There is another mysterious woman that you will have to learn about for yourself.) And ZERO Romance, thank you so very much. This standalone novel is like nothing else I’ve read before in terms of richly layered, profound character development. Every single moment and every single act had an impact later and every single choice that the character makes is dictated by their past or will greatly influence their future. There is nothing I appreciate more than a solid background story, but here not only did I get that, but I also got to see how generational trauma is perpetuated and amplified especially in times of war. The story is taking place in Hong Kong, the Kowloon Walled City and a haunted island both before, during and after the WWII and the Japanese invasion. War is the theme and motif that encapsulate all these events and is the force that drives them to such devastation. As a first time reader, the first few chapter might seem a bit slower, but patience is rewarded with many revelations, tons of emotional impactful scenes and developments. So if you love a character and thematically focused novel, where you get to bask in beautiful prose and be emotionally devastated, then please, take your time and savor this standalone.

lush, entrancing, hypnotic. the writing felt like an old black & white film reel in the best way. incredibly unique and full of spiders.

3.75 stars my first ever buddy read! thank you so much to @daniellereads for inviting me, i had a lovely time (if you ever want to do another buddy read, i’m down! promise that next time i’ll understand buddy read etiquette better and not finish the book early lmao) i’ve joked multiple times about this book (and had many more jokes lined up), but ultimately it’s a book about loneliness and finding someone who wants you as you are. just with a batshit premise (taken completely seriously) and one of the… stranger main characters i’ve ever seen. the entire “very strange premise taken completely seriously and ultimately being sweet” vibe reminds me a lot of Chuck Tingle, which is great! i like Chuck Tingle! it would’ve been awesome if the characters were a bit more fleshed out. there are flashback scenes, but they don’t really overpower the fact that every character but Kinsey feels a little bit like a cardboard cutout of a person. another thing that would’ve been nice: a map of the research station + indicators of which chapters are flashbacks (i was reading physically, Danielle was reading via audiobook. apparently in the audiobook, there were no indicators for where modern narrative ended and flashbacks began? my condolences Danielle, that Did Not Sound Fun). all in all, enjoyed this! but i’m distinctly glad i was reading this with someone else, cause wow this premise.