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bibliomania_express's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Dysphoria, War, and Injury/Injury detail
verysillygoose's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Child death, Misogyny, Sexual content, Vomit, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Animal death
chimichannika's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Violence, Murder, and War
Moderate: Sexism and Vomit
jessiereads98's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The most compelling part of this story was the character of Ouyang and his relationships. That being said, I would still cut Ouyang’s story from the book entirely. I see how he works as a mirror to Zhu’s character, but him and his story aren’t necessary. This book is too long with too many POVs that are wholly unnecessary and while technically they come into contact occasionally, they really aren’t that relevant to each other. No POV adds anything to the others. The jumps between POVs are also extremely jarring at times. Overall, I found it difficult to care about any character due to a lack of consistent characterization and constant jumps.
There’s no real payoff from the magic here. This is heavy on the military and light on the fantasy to the point where for me it drops to more magical realism than true fantasy. This was really disappointing since it had potential. However, almost every time
I can recognize the writing in this book on its own is objectively, technically very well done. However, it still reads very dry and drags for about 300-350 pages. The ending was good, but it wasn’t worth the rest of the book. This ended up feeling like an excessively elaborate and unnecessary set up for whatever is going to happen in the sequel.
Graphic: Ableism, Homophobia, Misogyny, Transphobia, Violence, and War
Moderate: Child death, Death, Sexism, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Animal death, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Excrement, Vomit, Alcohol, and Colonisation
madiiilm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Going more in-depth, I thought Zhu and Ouyang in particular are very well-developed and interesting characters. I really enjoyed reading about them and the connection they have due to their gender non-conformity. Despite this common experience, their individual histories have led them to see the world very differently. For Zhu, her choice to present as a man is what freed her and allowed for not only her survival,
Despite how interesting I found these characters and their stories, I did find the middle portion of this book hard to get through. There was a lot of dialogue and politics without any action in between to keep me engaged. In fact, there were two battles that happened completely off-page, which I found very frustrating. I wanted to know what happened to the characters in battle. What part did they play? How did they grow and change during them? We don't really know. For a book that takes place in wartime with commanding officers as lead characters, there is very little emphasis on the battles that can change the tides of war. I also didn't love all the head hopping. It is definitely not the most egregious example, but I wish we stuck with just Zhu and Ouyang since they are the character that encapsulate the story and theme. The other POVs just dragged on for me. Despite my critiques, I did enjoy this book and look forward to reading the sequel.
Graphic: Violence and War
Moderate: Slavery and Death of parent
Minor: Child death and Vomit
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Xenophobia, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Excrement, Vomit, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
augustar14's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It's difficult for a book this long not to feel slow paced. There was plenty of action that got me through, but it still overall felt a little slow.
I also struggle with the main character and her actions/choices at times. I understand her motivations and that her situation is complex, difficult, and influenced by significantly different cultural beliefs. And, at the same time, it is painful to see her grow into the person she becomes. The parallels with the eunuch general are fascinating, and I do plan to at least try to read to sequel to see where that thread goes. His story and decisions are painful to follow, though, too. Overall, it is a difficult read, one that offers little reward for the suffering and pain it puts the reader through. It is not a happily ever after story.
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Homophobia, Infertility, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Medical content and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Excrement and Vomit
megb64's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Vomit, Murder, and War
Moderate: Gore, Sexism, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Death of parent
anjasshelf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Alcohol, Dysphoria, and Classism
Minor: Grief
itsredandread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Vomit, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia and Alcohol