The Bully

Coming in with only 156 pages this was a very short read. I felt like the story was weird but interesting. I defiantly needed to continue reading to know what was happening and going to happen. This book takes you on a ride that makes you dizzy.

A quick read about the boss you never want to have and just can't get away from.  Love Asian-based horror, demons, and shamans, and family traditions.  This was a fun read, definitely recommended.

A strange little tale that is not what I would call a thriller nor a horror.  What it would do is make a good little black and white anime where the visuals would tell the tell.  I think there is a moral tale to tell but is it his or his handsy boss?

Thank you NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for me to review. The Bully is a short read based in Korea. This is a descriptive book, I could put myself in the story- smells & surroundings are beautifully written. The author skipped many years so it was hard to connect with the characters. I honestly have no idea what the point of this story was so I’m not sure what the takeaway was supposed to be. Trigger warning for suicide and mental abuse.

A very strange read to begin with. Our protagonist wants to make it big in the corporate world, bags a new job, but his life takes some vicious turns. His 'boss' is a devil, throws sexual advances towards him, and after his refusal, has burdened him with more work. To top it all, she even haunts him at nights.

Whatever the author was trying to achieve, the book fell flat for me. The plot has some loose ends, the writing could have been crisp, and it could have been a better read. Quite disappointed.

So I read this book fairly recently and I was sorely disappointed by the lack of development and the way the story didn't hit the mark it should have.  Its a short read which may be why the characters are so poorly developed but this story really needed more time to unfold and figure out what it was because I found myself confused for a large portion. 
Both main characters are far too ambiguous and strange which can be great in some stories but this time it did not work in the author's favor.

A very strange book, pulls you in, chews up you up and spits you out. Very quick to read,  mixture of working for a nightmare boss and some shaman action thrown in for good measure.  You never really fully understand what is going on but I liked it. It could have been a bit longer and the ending could have been expanded upon.

The book fell flat for me. I didn't like any characters in it, and the story seemed muddled. I realize there was some hints of horror elements, but overall not for me.

He left a childhood in a poor village for the big city and a dream job.   The office building is tall, shiny and impressive.  His boss is a beautiful woman....tall, shiny and impressive.  She constantly has him on edge.  He's wonderful...he's stupid....she wants knows he'll do well here....he's a lost cause....he's so strong....he smells bad.   She's the bully of bullies and maybe even worse.   
If a guy says "my boss is the devil" you think he's  joking.  What if it's not a joke?
Great lore-based story set in Korea.   Thank you #netgalley for the opportunity to read and review #TheBully

Ermmmmm I'm not really sure what I have just read. I wasn't a horror or a thriller the only good thing I found about it was how short and quick it was. Left me scratching my head tbh

So beautifully written I stayed up half the night to finish it. If you have some great stories like this one, you can publish it on Novel Star, just submit your story to hardy@novelstar.top or joye@novelstar.top

The Bully is a short book, following a young Korean man's struggle in a workplace. He's come from a small village to a big city to make money to support his family. 

The only problem? His boss is evil. She treats him horrendously, and we begin to wonder if she's even of this earth. 

The Bully is weird. At its heart, it's a book about a nice man being taken advantage of time after time. It's infuriating. Alongside the nastiness, there is also an element of the supernatural, which for me, is slightly underdone. 

I liked the story, and it is really well written, but I personally feel it is a little too short. I read it in one sitting, which is both a testament to Kwon's abilities, while also being evidence of its size. 

I just feel that if the book was longer, Kwon could have given more. I would have liked further chapters on the supernatural things that happened. 

I'd definitely recommend this, and I hope the author writes more! 

Thanks to K.J. Kwon, NetGalley, and KJ Books for this advanced copy.

This book is too brief to do the plot justice.  While an interesting premise, it was hard to get to know the characters or to become engaged in the context.  It’s an interesting idea and one which perhaps could be built upon further.

One of the things that made the bully refreshing was that it was a #metoo workplace story, only where the man was being harassed and the woman was the boss on a power trip. Sometimes having a story like this with the most common gender roles in reverse can make some of the dynamics that get played out more obvious. Also, it serves as a reminder that ANY GENDER can be the victim or perpetrator of harassment. 

But then the component of a ghost possibly being a part of the harassment made it more fun. And seeking the help of a shaman really made this feel more like a supernatural thriller.

It was also a plus that being a novella I was able to read it in one setting.