2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion

This thread is to discuss The Beautiful Dead: A Tale of K-Pop, Ghosts, and Nine-Tailed Fox Women by Jun Prince.

Pages: 346 pages

Length: 1 month (August)

Participants: SarahKat, Carri

Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!

Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.

Just started reading this one!

I am nearing the end of the book. Here are my thoughts so far:

The language is really difficult and distracts a lot from the story. The translation is pretty bad.

(view spoiler)[How does Yubin's "special ability" work? I was thinking it was just an empathy thing. But sometimes it seems supernatural? If she is so closely connected with people around her, why doesn't she pick up on all the terrible things Tae-eun is going through? (hide spoiler)]

On page 72, (view spoiler)[it says that SIITY is made up of the members' initials. Inyoung has been removed from the roster. That leaves Somi, Tae-eun, Yubin, and... Rena?? That doesn't make sense. (hide spoiler)]

Page 127 - 134, (view spoiler)[this is quite the teenage girl rant! She hates everyone, thinks everyone hates her, blah blah blah. Wasn't this the empath? This was weird. (hide spoiler)]

You updated! 😛

I'm not very far in but yeah the translation isn't great. Early on it said something about someone's "smug" when I think they meant "fug."

Also, unless I'm just confused, we've seen 2 eating competitions. Is this a big thing in Korea or just with this book?

Carri Carey wrote: "I am nearing the end of the book. Here are my thoughts so far:

The language is really difficult and distracts a lot from the story. The translation is pretty bad.

[spoilers removed]

On page 72, ..."

(view spoiler)[Yubin is probably my least favorite character because she's so bland. The only interesting thing about her is she has a stronger connection to the supernatural I guess?

Yeah I don't understand how 4 girls can live together and be in a band together and be almost apathetic to one another. You're either going to form a close bond or a seething hatred. But that's what it seems like. Almost like spending time with each other is only for the cameras.

Maybe Rena's real name is Irena. I don't know. Or maybe they changed it for English-speakers but they should have picked an I name. (hide spoiler)]

Finished. Review

Oh Irena makes sense! I didn’t think of that.

Overall, I was less and less interested in the story the more and more supernatural things were thrown in. It just got ridiculous. But I think it would be a fantastic graphic novel! Ridiculous and supernatural would be perfect there