I've never read a series quite like this one. If you'd like to understand more about gender identity, and societal flaws regarding gender equality, I highly recommend this. And while these are heavy topics, they were illustrated with a lot of empathy and written in a way that made sense within the context of the story. They never felt out-of-place or pushy for the sake of being preachy. It's so rare to see these issues taken seriously and appreciate the amount of thought that went into this story and the characters it represents.
However, despite it being an insightful read, I did have an issue with the excessive exposition throughout the entire series. For most of the story's conflicts, there are paragraphs and dozens of back-to-back comment threads just to illustrate the social climate of netizens and k-pop fans. At first this narrative style made a lot of sense, but towards the end I couldn't bring myself to read them through. It was disappointing because the subjects were still thought-provoking but were made to be a bit exhausting and redundant.
The plot itself was quite slow and focused more on character progression and reaching revelations more than anything else - though there were some plot twists, tragedy, and actiony sci-fi elements sprinkled in throughout that I really enjoyed, especially towards the end of it. As for the ending, I will give a mild warning that it was a bit unconventional (just like the entire story) and might not be everyone's cup of tea, though I think it was still satisfying enough.
Overall, this was an empowering read for those with an open mind and a love for strong female leads! Recommended.
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