Beautiful Brutal Bodies, Linda Cheng
Beautiful Brutal Bodies, Linda Cheng
List: $25.00 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.50

Beautiful Brutal Bodies

Author: Linda Cheng

Narrator: Katharine Chin

Unabridged: 8 hr 57 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/04/2025


Synopsis

“An addictive, all-consuming tale that’s both gorgeous and monstrous.” ―CG Drews, New York Times Bestselling author of Don’t Let The Forest In

"Beautiful Brutal Bodies is a phantasmagoric funhouse mirror of a book . . . this story kept me turning the pages until the bloody end." ―Julie C. Dao, author of Forest of a Thousand Lanterns

Full of skin-crawling folk horror and sapphic romance, this feral fairytale and standalone follow-up to GORGEOUS GRUESOME FACES follows a reclusive songstress and her bodyguard who must unravel the occult mysteries of their past to escape from a cursed island.

Tian is a singer-songwriter with a massive online following, known for her hypnotic vocals and ethereal looks. But behind the glamorous façade is a disturbing reality: raised in an isolated mansion, Tian is a prisoner in her own life.

Liya is Tian’s childhood friend and her only close companion, tasked with protecting Tian at all costs. But hidden beneath Liya’s beautiful human exterior is a beastly secret: her teeth are far too sharp, and her appetite much too ferocious.

When several fans mysteriously suffer fatal injuries while watching her livestream, Tian, along with Liya, are sent to a spiritual healing retreat on a remote island in the South China Seas. They are joined by Tian's musical collaborator Shenyu, a troubled idol whose recent brush with the law and string of bad boyfriends has him seeking his own new start. But the trio soon discovers that the island is no peaceful getaway. There is constant surveillance, bizzare rituals, and something terrifying lurking in the forest. Something not quite human.

In order to escape with her loved ones, Tian must uncover her connection to the island’s blood-drenched legend -- and the truth behind Liya’s monstrous identity -- before the island claims them all as its final sacrifice.

About The Author

Linda Cheng was born in Taiwan and spent her childhood moving between cultures and continents. She received her BFA from the Savannah College of Art and Design, and worked as an art director across South Carolina and Georgia where she developed a deep love for sweet tea, grits, and Southern Gothic stories. She currently resides in Vancouver, Canada with her family.lychengwrites.com


Reviews

Goodreads review by kiki’s delivery witch ౨ৎ on May 15, 2025

2.5 ⭐️ You had me at “skin-crawling folk horror” and “sapphic romance.” I was ready to clutch my pearls on a cursed island with Tian, Liya, and Shenyu. I mean, a reclusive songstress with hypnotic siren-y vocals? A bodyguard with a beastly secret? A troubled idol with a string of bad boyfriends? Sign......more

Goodreads review by Mikey on September 11, 2025

Ok Linda Cheng, I see you! I was riding at a solid 3 star until 80% through because this was a pretty typical YA book most of the way and while I did read Gorgeous Gruesome Faces earlier this year at this point I don't remember a lot of the plot of that one. I kept reading and being like "Right, rig......more

Goodreads review by Sherry on November 05, 2025

I saw the title and cover for Beautiful Brutal Bodies and was drawn into this fairy tale that walks on the dark side. I’m not sure what I was expected, but I was curious enough to read until the story finally woke me up the last quarter of the book. The character, Tian, had me curious, with her being......more

Goodreads review by Eileen on December 22, 2025

Okay, I knew this was supposed to be a sequel to the first book, but as soon as I started reading it, I forgot that it was a sequel because there didn't seem to be any apparent connection, other than the fact that there is something paranormal/supernatural happening, and the protagonists are "beauti......more

Goodreads review by Katie on May 30, 2025

In this sequel to Gorgeous Gruesome Faces, Tian is an online singing sensation that is trapped living in an estate with her guardian and her daughter, Liya, under the guise of a mysterious disease that would kill her if she left the grounds. After a mysterious disaster, she is allowed to leave to a......more