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Hunting Monsters #1
Hunting Monsters
“Happy birthday, child. Careful not to shoot any grundwirgen.”
Ever since she was a small girl, she has learned to be careful on the hunt, to recognize the signs that separate regular animals from human-cursed grundwirgen. To harm a grundwirgen is a crime punishable by death by the King's decree - a fatal mistake that her Auntie Rosa and mother have carefully prepared her to avoid.
On her fifteenth birthday, when her mother is arrested and made to stand trial for grundwirgen murder, everything she thought she knew about her family and her past comes crashing down.
Auntie Rosa has always warned her about monsters. Now, she must find and confront them to save her mother, no matter the cost.
Ever since she was a small girl, she has learned to be careful on the hunt, to recognize the signs that separate regular animals from human-cursed grundwirgen. To harm a grundwirgen is a crime punishable by death by the King's decree - a fatal mistake that her Auntie Rosa and mother have carefully prepared her to avoid.
On her fifteenth birthday, when her mother is arrested and made to stand trial for grundwirgen murder, everything she thought she knew about her family and her past comes crashing down.
Auntie Rosa has always warned her about monsters. Now, she must find and confront them to save her mother, no matter the cost.
50 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 7, 2014
1 person is currently reading
2695 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
July 29, 2020
READ THIS IF YOU ENJOY: sapphic feminist mashups of Beauty and the Beast + Red Riding Hood with East Asian characters!
You know when you're just minding your own business and all of a sudden something serendipitously awesome happens? That's me with Hunting Monsters.
I'm currently reading Burning Roses—a novella set in the same universe as Hunting Monsters and Fighting Demons—and stumbled upon this short story while googling "grundwirgen" (the word is entirely S.L. Huang's brainchild and refers to former humans who have been magically transformed into animals—whether by hex or other means).
Boy, was I in for a treat.
I loved how the author pulled from classic fairytales and Frankenstein'd a story about Red Riding Hood rescuing Beauty (an Asian girl sold by her father) from an emotionally abusive Beast. The two women end up falling in love and raising Beauty's kid decades later, and Hunting Monsters follows this kid as she tries to save her moms from being executed for the crimes that set them free.
For such a pint-sized story, this was pretty epic.
You know when you're just minding your own business and all of a sudden something serendipitously awesome happens? That's me with Hunting Monsters.
I'm currently reading Burning Roses—a novella set in the same universe as Hunting Monsters and Fighting Demons—and stumbled upon this short story while googling "grundwirgen" (the word is entirely S.L. Huang's brainchild and refers to former humans who have been magically transformed into animals—whether by hex or other means).
Boy, was I in for a treat.
I loved how the author pulled from classic fairytales and Frankenstein'd a story about Red Riding Hood rescuing Beauty (an Asian girl sold by her father) from an emotionally abusive Beast. The two women end up falling in love and raising Beauty's kid decades later, and Hunting Monsters follows this kid as she tries to save her moms from being executed for the crimes that set them free.
For such a pint-sized story, this was pretty epic.
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September 22, 2015There is going to be a sequel to Hunting Monsters coming out in the summer! We are so happy about it, can't wait to share with the world. More about it
ETA Sep 14 2015:
Fighting Demons is the sequel to Hunting Monsters. Cover and pre-order!
Fighting Demons is out now
ETA Sep 14 2015:
Fighting Demons is the sequel to Hunting Monsters. Cover and pre-order!
Fighting Demons is out now
December 30, 2014
Disclaimer: I was sent a copy of this book for free from The Book Smugglers, the publishing duo behind this title.
I don’t usually do short stories and I’ve frequently find myself saying that every time I read a short story I actually like. But it’s true, I don’t. In this case, Huang’s story immediately hooked me and by the time it was over, I was wishing for more. The pacing was perfect for its length and never felt rushed like some novellas may feel. What I really loved was reading a story that featured diverse characters that felt natural to the setting and plot. I’ll probably be interested in checking out the author’s other work in the future.
I don’t usually do short stories and I’ve frequently find myself saying that every time I read a short story I actually like. But it’s true, I don’t. In this case, Huang’s story immediately hooked me and by the time it was over, I was wishing for more. The pacing was perfect for its length and never felt rushed like some novellas may feel. What I really loved was reading a story that featured diverse characters that felt natural to the setting and plot. I’ll probably be interested in checking out the author’s other work in the future.
February 3, 2016
Beautiful cover
Interesting short tale about a girl , with suggestions to many others fairy tales
Interesting short tale about a girl , with suggestions to many others fairy tales
August 28, 2023
I think I may have found a new favorite author (:
Want to read
January 8, 2015Liz, you can read it here.
Do it.
Do it.
October 14, 2014
Hunting Monsters is a the first short story to be put out by Book Smugglers Publishing, which will be putting out six fairy tale inspired short stories over the next couple months. The stories can be read for free on the Book Smugglers Blog, or purchased as an ebook with some bonus content.
Drawing its inspiration from Beauty and the Beast and Red Riding Hood, Hunting Monsters tells the story of Xiao Hong, a teenage girl who was pretty much raised with a rifle in her hand. The most important rule? Don't kill the grundwirgen, or creatures that may seem to be animals, but possess human intelligence. If you do, the consequences are the same as murder.
There's a lot that works really well about Hunting Monsters. It's not so much a retelling of a particular fairy tale as it is a story that draws it's inspiration from multiple stories. This can be tricky, as the reader may feel let down by not getting the fairy tale retelling they were looking forward to, but Huang handles balancing act well. We're given more than enough fairy tale elements, but by not doing a straight retelling, the author is allowed more flexibility. I really ended up falling in love with the characters here, especially the gruff by loving Aunt Rosa. If the story has one fault, it's the fact that the most exciting elements happen off screen and we're merely told about them by another character. It would have been nice to seen them played out.
If you're a fairy tale nut like I am, you're bound to enjoy Hunting Monsters. I'd recommend checking it out.
Drawing its inspiration from Beauty and the Beast and Red Riding Hood, Hunting Monsters tells the story of Xiao Hong, a teenage girl who was pretty much raised with a rifle in her hand. The most important rule? Don't kill the grundwirgen, or creatures that may seem to be animals, but possess human intelligence. If you do, the consequences are the same as murder.
There's a lot that works really well about Hunting Monsters. It's not so much a retelling of a particular fairy tale as it is a story that draws it's inspiration from multiple stories. This can be tricky, as the reader may feel let down by not getting the fairy tale retelling they were looking forward to, but Huang handles balancing act well. We're given more than enough fairy tale elements, but by not doing a straight retelling, the author is allowed more flexibility. I really ended up falling in love with the characters here, especially the gruff by loving Aunt Rosa. If the story has one fault, it's the fact that the most exciting elements happen off screen and we're merely told about them by another character. It would have been nice to seen them played out.
If you're a fairy tale nut like I am, you're bound to enjoy Hunting Monsters. I'd recommend checking it out.
July 29, 2016
“Tell me again,” she’d say to me, night after night, her voice starting to creak with age even though her spine was as straight, her eyes as bright as ever. “Tell me again, how you know one.”
“Aw, Auntie,” I would groan as I got older, snuggling down by the fire. “I’m never going to see a grundwirgen. They’re too rare. What are the chances—”
“The chances you’ll be tried for murder? Child, have some sense. You must know. There are no excuses.”
“I think if one starts up a conversation I might suspect.”
A great fairy tale retelling with strong, complicated women as the main focus.
Available for free here:
http://thebooksmugglers.com/2014/10/h...
“Aw, Auntie,” I would groan as I got older, snuggling down by the fire. “I’m never going to see a grundwirgen. They’re too rare. What are the chances—”
“The chances you’ll be tried for murder? Child, have some sense. You must know. There are no excuses.”
“I think if one starts up a conversation I might suspect.”
A great fairy tale retelling with strong, complicated women as the main focus.
Available for free here:
http://thebooksmugglers.com/2014/10/h...
August 22, 2015
This was a great short story with interesting twists, world building, development and characters.
I think the best way to desvribe it is a new way of looking and beauty and the beast. The similarities are striking and the twist is wonderful which makes it really original!
I think the best way to desvribe it is a new way of looking and beauty and the beast. The similarities are striking and the twist is wonderful which makes it really original!
November 29, 2018
A touching, perfectly paced story that combines elements of popular fables such as Beauty and the Beast and Red Riding Hood. It subverts some tropes, explores a powerful mother-daughter relationship, and an unexpected love story. Excellent novelette.
October 13, 2014
Really enjoyable story combining Beauty and the Beast, Snow White, and Little Red Riding Hood. The ending felt flat to me, but the ride getting there was top notch.
February 18, 2024
My mother taught me to shoot, but it was Auntie Rosa who bought me my first rifle. It was long and sleek and shiny, varnished wood and brass and just my size. I fell in love at first sight.
I do love my retellings and this was a pretty good one! Don't get me wrong, it's pretty clear that a baby author wrote it, there are imperfections and the story could use some more editing, but the ideas are good and I was bawling by the end.
How could I sell this to you?
This is a story following a non-traditional family of three women hunters and ace riflewomen. Beauty (from Beauty and the Beast) who is Asian bisexual and in love with Red Riding Hood. And their teenage daughter who is our MC. What the story really focuses on is the issue of talking animals and the people who had been cursed to be animals. In the land of the story, those animals have the same status as people and are called grundwirgen, killing them is considered a murder. Hunter has to be careful then and learn the signs to recognise them.
I really liked this and I'm looking forward to reading Fighting Demons soon!
January 10, 2015
Lepa pricica, skoro ko neka bajka jedino sto nema bas neku pouku. Iskreno receno imam vise osecaj da je ovo samo uvod u vecu pricu.
Svet zvuci dosta interesantan sta sa vesticama i ljudima kaznjenih da se pretvaraju u cudovista za zlocine.
Vredi procitati.
Svet zvuci dosta interesantan sta sa vesticama i ljudima kaznjenih da se pretvaraju u cudovista za zlocine.
Vredi procitati.
December 28, 2021
I cried real tears at this.
October 11, 2014
This is the first short story published by The Book Smugglers, and it's a great one.
It's hard to talk about this intriguing tale without giving away vital details, so I'll just mention that in a world where human-cursed animals called grundwirgen roam, it is a crime to hunt them. So when her mother is arrested for killing one, she discovers some secrets that her mother and Auntie Rosa have been keeping.
Secrets that will tear them apart...
This was an interesting and dark retelling of Red Riding Hood that also weaves in elements of Beauty and the Beast.
It might be short, but it packs quite an emotional punch. It's so well written I was hooked and read it in one sitting
You can read it here: http://thebooksmugglers.com/2014/10/h...
It's hard to talk about this intriguing tale without giving away vital details, so I'll just mention that in a world where human-cursed animals called grundwirgen roam, it is a crime to hunt them. So when her mother is arrested for killing one, she discovers some secrets that her mother and Auntie Rosa have been keeping.
Secrets that will tear them apart...
This was an interesting and dark retelling of Red Riding Hood that also weaves in elements of Beauty and the Beast.
It might be short, but it packs quite an emotional punch. It's so well written I was hooked and read it in one sitting
You can read it here: http://thebooksmugglers.com/2014/10/h...
October 8, 2014
A LGQT subversive dark retelling, incorporating elements of Beauty and the Beast and Red Riding Hood. This explores the theme of secrets... why we keep things from the ones we love and at what cost? This was a very quick read; I finished it in less than 30 minutes and can be read in its entirety on the Book Smugglers blog. My rating: 8/10 Excellent.
January 9, 2015
Short story with hints of Beauty and the Beast and Red Riding Hood.
Lovely story, though I wish it was a little longer. There were some things left hanging in the air, like the fact that Xiao Hong's father was/is a king. Maybe it's a prequel of a future novel?
The link: http://thebooksmugglers.com/2014/10/h...
Lovely story, though I wish it was a little longer. There were some things left hanging in the air, like the fact that Xiao Hong's father was/is a king. Maybe it's a prequel of a future novel?
The link: http://thebooksmugglers.com/2014/10/h...
Want to read
April 1, 201822 January 2015: $0.00 FREE on Kindle
8 January 2015: $0.99 on Kindle
8 January 2015: $0.99 on Kindle
July 26, 2015
This was exceptionally good! Although the ending left me cold, I adored everything about this story from the diverse characters to the wonderful way Huang tackles the themes of various fairy tales in this lovely retelling. Moving Huang's novel to the top of my list!
looks-interesting-maybe-read
January 8, 2015Available free here: http://thebooksmugglers.com/2014/10/h.... Also $.99 for Kindle.
October 6, 2021
A most excellent short story, and even better than the full length novella Burning Roses of which this is technically a prequel of. I would almost say that this spoils a bit of the plot points in the novella, so I like the concept of reading this (and the complimentary Fighting Demons) after reading the novella, even though the shorts were published first.
Regardless of what order you read them in, the first person POV of this story engages the reader much more and really adds to the fairy tale mashup world that Huang has created.
Regardless of what order you read them in, the first person POV of this story engages the reader much more and really adds to the fairy tale mashup world that Huang has created.
May 9, 2018
Beautiful cover. I wish I could own a copy of it.
I liked the story well-enough. (Although, I have to admit I'm still not big on fairy tale retellings / inspired stories. So it's not my fave.) The ending was a bit abrupt.
I'm glad to see there is a sequel to this story. There are lots of interesting things still to explore in this world.
I liked the story well-enough. (Although, I have to admit I'm still not big on fairy tale retellings / inspired stories. So it's not my fave.) The ending was a bit abrupt.
I'm glad to see there is a sequel to this story. There are lots of interesting things still to explore in this world.
February 26, 2019
An interesting short story told in a fairy tale style that is kind of a mash up of Little Red Riding Hood and Beauty and the Beast but manages to pack a lot of original elements in as well [including a cute F/F couple!] despite the short number of pages. Definitely would recommend it to people who like fairy tale retellings and the cover is absolutely gorgeous as well.
July 7, 2021
Hunting Monsters (Săn quái): Từ nhỏ, cô đã được bác Rosa và mẹ dạy cách phân biệt thú săn thông thường với grundwirgen - những kẻ bị nguyền rủa phải mang lốt súc vật. Làm hại một grundwirgen đồng nghĩa với việc nhận án tử từ nhà vua.
Vào ngày cô tròn 15 tuổi, khi mẹ cô bị bắt vì tội sát hại một grundwirgen, mọi điều cô biết về gia đình và quá khứ của mình đều đổ bể. Bác Rosa luôn cảnh báo cô về những con quái vật. Giờ cô phải tìm ra và đối đầu với chúng để cứu mẹ mình, bằng bất kể giá nào.
*Đề cử cho những ai có hứng thú với: truyện cổ tích cải biên, LGBT, bí ẩn.
Một điểm mình thích ở 'Hunting Monsters' là mình đã không nhận ra ngay nó là fairy tale retelling của những truyện cổ tích nào. Đặc biệt, nó cải biên Người đẹp và quái thú theo một hướng khá thú vị. Mình cũng tìm đọc phần tiếp theo là 'Fighting Demons' nhưng phần này không cuốn hút bằng. Có thể mình sẽ đọc cả 'Burning Roses' nữa.
Vào ngày cô tròn 15 tuổi, khi mẹ cô bị bắt vì tội sát hại một grundwirgen, mọi điều cô biết về gia đình và quá khứ của mình đều đổ bể. Bác Rosa luôn cảnh báo cô về những con quái vật. Giờ cô phải tìm ra và đối đầu với chúng để cứu mẹ mình, bằng bất kể giá nào.
*Đề cử cho những ai có hứng thú với: truyện cổ tích cải biên, LGBT, bí ẩn.
Một điểm mình thích ở 'Hunting Monsters' là mình đã không nhận ra ngay nó là fairy tale retelling của những truyện cổ tích nào. Đặc biệt, nó cải biên Người đẹp và quái thú theo một hướng khá thú vị. Mình cũng tìm đọc phần tiếp theo là 'Fighting Demons' nhưng phần này không cuốn hút bằng. Có thể mình sẽ đọc cả 'Burning Roses' nữa.
October 13, 2015
Title: Hunting Monsters
Author: S. L. Huang
Series: No series yet but I hear the author is working on a sequel, to which I say yay!
Genre: Fairy tale retelling, ebook.
Format: This was a very cool ebook format, with the story "Hunting Monsters" followed by an essay where the author talks about her inspirations for the piece and an interview with the publishers. I enjoyed the story hugely and I got a lot out of the other parts as well.
Setting: A fairy tale world, where the killing of enchanted animals ("grundwirgen") is punishable by death.
Reason for Reading: I chose this book because it had been getting really good reviews. Once I saw that the library didn't have it (it's an ebook!) I found that I could purchase the ebook for $.99 and I thought it was worth a shot. Note: you can read the short story for free here but that does not include the essay or interview, both of which I thought were great and added a lot of context to the story. There's a link to purchase the ebook at the bottom.
Relevance to the Project: This is book #17 for my 50 book project.
Finished In: Hours.
Pages: 50
Copyright Date: 2014
Cover: A woman with dark hair holds a rifle. She wears a white fur coat and a red scarf.
First line: "My mother taught me to shoot, but it was Auntie Rosa who bought me my first rifle."
Favorite quote: "The roar when she pulls the trigger is devastating, the thunder and flame of Heaven and Hell, and my mother’s blade-thin silhouette is backlit by the setting sun and she looks like a god. And I love her."
Themes and Triggers: Monsters, hunting, abuse, arranged marriage, imprisonment.
Best part: Getting to the end and letting out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding.
Worst part: Getting to the end.
Imaginary Theme Song: Hey, There, Little Red Riding Hood by Sam Sham and the Pharoahs
Grade: A-. So, so good, so fresh and original - I just wish it was longer.
Recommended for: Anyone who considers themself a fan of fairy tales should hurry up and download it already.
Related Reads: Ash by Malinda Lo. Briar Rose by Jane Yolen. Black Thorn, White Rose and its many sequels edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling.
Author: S. L. Huang
Series: No series yet but I hear the author is working on a sequel, to which I say yay!
Genre: Fairy tale retelling, ebook.
Format: This was a very cool ebook format, with the story "Hunting Monsters" followed by an essay where the author talks about her inspirations for the piece and an interview with the publishers. I enjoyed the story hugely and I got a lot out of the other parts as well.
Setting: A fairy tale world, where the killing of enchanted animals ("grundwirgen") is punishable by death.
Reason for Reading: I chose this book because it had been getting really good reviews. Once I saw that the library didn't have it (it's an ebook!) I found that I could purchase the ebook for $.99 and I thought it was worth a shot. Note: you can read the short story for free here but that does not include the essay or interview, both of which I thought were great and added a lot of context to the story. There's a link to purchase the ebook at the bottom.
Relevance to the Project: This is book #17 for my 50 book project.
Finished In: Hours.
Pages: 50
Copyright Date: 2014
Cover: A woman with dark hair holds a rifle. She wears a white fur coat and a red scarf.
First line: "My mother taught me to shoot, but it was Auntie Rosa who bought me my first rifle."
Favorite quote: "The roar when she pulls the trigger is devastating, the thunder and flame of Heaven and Hell, and my mother’s blade-thin silhouette is backlit by the setting sun and she looks like a god. And I love her."
Themes and Triggers: Monsters, hunting, abuse, arranged marriage, imprisonment.
Best part: Getting to the end and letting out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding.
Worst part: Getting to the end.
Imaginary Theme Song: Hey, There, Little Red Riding Hood by Sam Sham and the Pharoahs
Grade: A-. So, so good, so fresh and original - I just wish it was longer.
Recommended for: Anyone who considers themself a fan of fairy tales should hurry up and download it already.
Related Reads: Ash by Malinda Lo. Briar Rose by Jane Yolen. Black Thorn, White Rose and its many sequels edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling.
February 16, 2023
A review for HUNTING MONSTERS, FIGHTING DEMONS, and BURNING ROSES by S.L. Huang. This is an interesting series: not three full length books, or even multiple full length books with a novella here and there. Instead, Hunting Monsters and Fighting Demons are short stories, only 40 pages (in my version online), whereas Burning Rose is about twice the length, a novella rather than a short story. The series starts out strong: Hunting Monsters follows a young girl who, since her birth, has been warned not to ever shoot a grundwirgen, an animal with the ability to think and talk like a human. (Of course, this—as discussed in the later books—is a very vague descriptor; some grundwirgen are born grundwirgen, others are humans cursed to become animals, others are cruel creatures, etc. It is, as Huang puts it, a very "western" term, without the specificity but with the overarching sense of discrimination and horror applied to every single magical creature.)
Hunting Monsters, while short, packs a good punch. We do not connect so deeply to every character—really, the only character I found particularly interesting was Rosa, our main character's mother, who takes care of her after the main character's birth mother / Rosa's lover is jailed for killing a grundwirgen. This, we learn, is a very base descriptor: in truth, the story is far more complex than that. S.L Huang uses Hunting Monsters to set up the bitter arc that continues throughout all three of the novels. With careful, loving care, she crafts Rosa's character as a tortured mother; and her daughter, our main character Xiao Hong, slowly spirals into bitterness as more and more of Rosa's past is revealed. In truth, I found her often too irritating, taking everything at face-level, and if I had simply read Hunting Monsters, I would have continued to do so—but the point, I later learn, the theme arching over all three books, is to question why and how our loyalties to our families work. Can we forgive them for anything? Must we? How can we love someone when they have done terrible things? Especially considering the main character is Asian—and as an Asian woman myself, this theme was rather hard-hitting—this question is crucial: despite what Asian cultures regularly tell us, we can hate our parents; sometimes we must. But we can still love them, even as we condemn them. And so, while I thought Xiao Hong could have been crafted with more care—with personality traits other than "I hate my mother"—her arc serves to perfectly set up Burning Roses, the main and best book of this series. After all, this is Rosa's story, and learning about Rosa's daughter is the best way to learn about Rosa herself.
Then comes Fighting Demons, the weakest of all three stories in S.L Huang's grundwirgen universe. As Xiao Hong and her mother Mei travel east, arriving in a country based on China, they stumble upon a boy named Meng Jiao, who is determined to save his mother, a snake demon, from captivity. As this war continues and Mei joins the fight, Xiao Hong and Meng Jiao stumble through their conflicted loyalties—or lack thereof—towards their mothers. They are on opposite sides of the same battle: Xiao Hong is determined to hate Rosa, neglecting the mother who raised her with loving care; and Meng Jiao loves his mother without abandon, despite knowing nothing about her. They converse maybe twice throughout the course of the book; perhaps this is why I found this book so weak. Slowly, Xiao Hong and Meng Jio find a careful balance between blind love and hatred, realizing they can love their parents while still recognizing their weaknesses. As S.L Huang described it, this story is crucial to the arc of the story: because Xiao Hong ends Hunting Monsters festering with hatred and horror for Rosa, she cannot truly dedicate herself to finding her until she comes to terms with what happened. Again—I found her too one-sided, too blind. But this is the point; both she and Meng Jiao are children, young adults, struggling with their love for their mothers. They must learn to close the gap between their love and hate before they can close the gap between them and their mothers. Of course, because the story is so short, we don't really have time to connect to Meng Jiao, and because Rosa doesn't feature in this story, the one strong, fleshed-out character I loved in Hunting Monsters couldn't save me from the others. But despite the weaknesses I found in these characters, Burning Roses tied everything up neatly for me.
Because Burning Roses solidifies the truth: that this is Rosa's story, not Xiao Hong's, but then, because Rosa is a mother, it is inevitably about her daughter, too. Burning Roses, longer than Hunting Monsters and Fighting Demons, carries more weight. We follow Rosa through her past and her present, up to a hopeful reunion with her lover and daughter. Rosa is fraught with horror and self-hatred—and not, obviously, for no good reason. The story is a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks, and a continuation of Beauty and the Beast (from the earlier stories), but this is a tortured, horrifying version of it. Rosa is given a space as her own character, but this story is about family: can she allow people to love even the worst parts of her? When taken in juxtaposition with Xiao Hong's story—how can you love the worst parts of someone?—the story is sharper, starker, more meaningful. It is cutting and harsh, and S.L Huang does not shy away from the pains of how parents hurt their children, nor how parents hurt themselves in trying to protect their children. Rosa, now fleshed out and stronger, must learn to allow people to love her; and given how we learned Xiao Hong just learned to love Rosa again, it means so much more. It is a story about coming together, loving throughout pain, forgiveness. The strength of this story is not the characters, but the themes, and how the characters come together. It is a story to immigrant daughters and people in toxic relationships with their parents, a story for those who love unconditionally and those who find it hard to love at all. The story only strengthens throughout the three books, and though each can be enjoyed individually, S.L Huang's strength is in how each of the books fit together. I highly, highly recommend.
Hunting Monsters, while short, packs a good punch. We do not connect so deeply to every character—really, the only character I found particularly interesting was Rosa, our main character's mother, who takes care of her after the main character's birth mother / Rosa's lover is jailed for killing a grundwirgen. This, we learn, is a very base descriptor: in truth, the story is far more complex than that. S.L Huang uses Hunting Monsters to set up the bitter arc that continues throughout all three of the novels. With careful, loving care, she crafts Rosa's character as a tortured mother; and her daughter, our main character Xiao Hong, slowly spirals into bitterness as more and more of Rosa's past is revealed. In truth, I found her often too irritating, taking everything at face-level, and if I had simply read Hunting Monsters, I would have continued to do so—but the point, I later learn, the theme arching over all three books, is to question why and how our loyalties to our families work. Can we forgive them for anything? Must we? How can we love someone when they have done terrible things? Especially considering the main character is Asian—and as an Asian woman myself, this theme was rather hard-hitting—this question is crucial: despite what Asian cultures regularly tell us, we can hate our parents; sometimes we must. But we can still love them, even as we condemn them. And so, while I thought Xiao Hong could have been crafted with more care—with personality traits other than "I hate my mother"—her arc serves to perfectly set up Burning Roses, the main and best book of this series. After all, this is Rosa's story, and learning about Rosa's daughter is the best way to learn about Rosa herself.
Then comes Fighting Demons, the weakest of all three stories in S.L Huang's grundwirgen universe. As Xiao Hong and her mother Mei travel east, arriving in a country based on China, they stumble upon a boy named Meng Jiao, who is determined to save his mother, a snake demon, from captivity. As this war continues and Mei joins the fight, Xiao Hong and Meng Jiao stumble through their conflicted loyalties—or lack thereof—towards their mothers. They are on opposite sides of the same battle: Xiao Hong is determined to hate Rosa, neglecting the mother who raised her with loving care; and Meng Jiao loves his mother without abandon, despite knowing nothing about her. They converse maybe twice throughout the course of the book; perhaps this is why I found this book so weak. Slowly, Xiao Hong and Meng Jio find a careful balance between blind love and hatred, realizing they can love their parents while still recognizing their weaknesses. As S.L Huang described it, this story is crucial to the arc of the story: because Xiao Hong ends Hunting Monsters festering with hatred and horror for Rosa, she cannot truly dedicate herself to finding her until she comes to terms with what happened. Again—I found her too one-sided, too blind. But this is the point; both she and Meng Jiao are children, young adults, struggling with their love for their mothers. They must learn to close the gap between their love and hate before they can close the gap between them and their mothers. Of course, because the story is so short, we don't really have time to connect to Meng Jiao, and because Rosa doesn't feature in this story, the one strong, fleshed-out character I loved in Hunting Monsters couldn't save me from the others. But despite the weaknesses I found in these characters, Burning Roses tied everything up neatly for me.
Because Burning Roses solidifies the truth: that this is Rosa's story, not Xiao Hong's, but then, because Rosa is a mother, it is inevitably about her daughter, too. Burning Roses, longer than Hunting Monsters and Fighting Demons, carries more weight. We follow Rosa through her past and her present, up to a hopeful reunion with her lover and daughter. Rosa is fraught with horror and self-hatred—and not, obviously, for no good reason. The story is a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks, and a continuation of Beauty and the Beast (from the earlier stories), but this is a tortured, horrifying version of it. Rosa is given a space as her own character, but this story is about family: can she allow people to love even the worst parts of her? When taken in juxtaposition with Xiao Hong's story—how can you love the worst parts of someone?—the story is sharper, starker, more meaningful. It is cutting and harsh, and S.L Huang does not shy away from the pains of how parents hurt their children, nor how parents hurt themselves in trying to protect their children. Rosa, now fleshed out and stronger, must learn to allow people to love her; and given how we learned Xiao Hong just learned to love Rosa again, it means so much more. It is a story about coming together, loving throughout pain, forgiveness. The strength of this story is not the characters, but the themes, and how the characters come together. It is a story to immigrant daughters and people in toxic relationships with their parents, a story for those who love unconditionally and those who find it hard to love at all. The story only strengthens throughout the three books, and though each can be enjoyed individually, S.L Huang's strength is in how each of the books fit together. I highly, highly recommend.
August 20, 2016
Hunting Monsters was a great blend of Beauty and the Beast and Little Red Riding Hood. I wasn't paying very much attention when I started reading, so I nearly missed the fact that it was a retelling. In retrospect, I got it, though.
Despite being a short story, the world is built up just enough to give the reader an understanding of the politics of the setting. It's admirable for being only 50 pages long. I wish there had been more, though.
Especially in regard to the grundwirgens, and the story behind the law that recognizes them as being human if they show any capacity for thought beyond that of a normal animal. I thought that it was a wonderful idea. It plays around with the idea of talking animals in fairy tales, and how the first thing they usually ask is to be spared death.
Oh. Auntie was awesome, too.
There I go again, getting more caught up in the world than the characters... :T
Despite being a short story, the world is built up just enough to give the reader an understanding of the politics of the setting. It's admirable for being only 50 pages long. I wish there had been more, though.
Especially in regard to the grundwirgens, and the story behind the law that recognizes them as being human if they show any capacity for thought beyond that of a normal animal. I thought that it was a wonderful idea. It plays around with the idea of talking animals in fairy tales, and how the first thing they usually ask is to be spared death.
Oh. Auntie was awesome, too.
There I go again, getting more caught up in the world than the characters... :T
December 28, 2016
I've never been very intrigued by short stories, but if they're written as well as Hunting Monsters, I've been missing out because this was fantastic. Compelling and original, every word served a purpose, moving the story forward at a perfect pace. At only 50 pages, it never felt rushed, which made it easy to sink into the story.
I happened upon this by the off chance and decided to give it a go - glad I did! My favourite read for #12DaysofDiversity and I'll definitely be reading the sequel. A retelling of Red Riding Hood, far from the original story you know. I didn't know what fairytale it was inspired by until after I read it, and maybe that's because I simply got swept up in it, or the fact that it stands on its own so well.
I happened upon this by the off chance and decided to give it a go - glad I did! My favourite read for #12DaysofDiversity and I'll definitely be reading the sequel. A retelling of Red Riding Hood, far from the original story you know. I didn't know what fairytale it was inspired by until after I read it, and maybe that's because I simply got swept up in it, or the fact that it stands on its own so well.
November 18, 2014
''But the strongest chains that trapped her were in her own mind.”
Mini review, more like my thoughts in five sentences.
It was very well-written and easy to get into. I feel like I got a quite good grip of the world and the characters in only 50 pages. Recommended if you like fairytales and don't mind some rushed plot twists.
I might pick up the rest of the shorts from The book smugglers' website, since they seem to feature more diverse characters (do you have any idea of how happy I was the main character wasn't American like every single protagonist out there?) Plus I have a thing for fairytales.
Mini review, more like my thoughts in five sentences.
It was very well-written and easy to get into. I feel like I got a quite good grip of the world and the characters in only 50 pages. Recommended if you like fairytales and don't mind some rushed plot twists.
I might pick up the rest of the shorts from The book smugglers' website, since they seem to feature more diverse characters (do you have any idea of how happy I was the main character wasn't American like every single protagonist out there?) Plus I have a thing for fairytales.
December 19, 2016
This is a great little re-telling of "Little Red Riding Hood." The idea of Red Riding Hood as a hunter isn't necessarily a new one, but this story takes this idea and runs with it far beyond the generic hunter premise. The characters have interesting backstories and are developed as well as they can be in the short span of the story.
Also, if you're looking for more diverse fairy tale re-tellings, this is one for you. The protagonist was essentially raised by two mothers and all the characters in the story are Chinese.
Also, if you're looking for more diverse fairy tale re-tellings, this is one for you. The protagonist was essentially raised by two mothers and all the characters in the story are Chinese.
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