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c_dmckinney's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Addiction, Murder, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Biphobia, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Alcohol, Death of parent, Child death, Violence, Xenophobia, Confinement, Colonisation, Body shaming, Gore, Ableism, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Classism, Abandonment, Child abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Genocide, Gun violence, Misogyny, War, Death, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Torture
erstreetman's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Body shaming, Xenophobia, and War
turrean's review
- 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
Listening to the audiobook added an extra depth to the story, since the names were pronounced correctly. I did find that some of the most violent scenes were really hard to get through.
Graphic: Body shaming, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Alcoholism, Addiction, Blood, Body horror, Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Emotional abuse, Classism, Violence, War, Xenophobia, Sexism, Trafficking, and Death
emmieli_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: War
Moderate: Xenophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Murder, and Torture
Minor: Grief, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Sexual violence
micah_mac's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Sexism, Torture, Misogyny, and Child abuse
Moderate: Xenophobia, Death, Suicidal thoughts, War, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Addiction, Alcohol, and Colonisation
Minor: Confinement
valpyre's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
i will give this book its roses for being good enough that i was able to pick at it over time without wanting to tear my hair out or DNF. the writing itself was far from the worst i've ever read, but i still found it a little awkward and cheesy in parts ("welcome to your nightmare"). the prose was quite blunt and left little to mull over.
i was mostly interested in the first couple of chapters while zetian is still at home -- the exposition laid out at the beginning was compelling to me, especially regarding the chrysalises and the media/live streaming aspect that capitalized on their existence.
i respect that the author was extremely transparent about the sources they drew on for inspiration (historical figures and other media), and while i wasn't familiar with many of them, the book still read as transformative fiction than original to me. many parts of the story felt underbaked -- i felt that there was so much more to be said about pilot training, about concubines (a position zetian was never truly in due to her Specialness), about the different types of qi, and more. i found that many developments were talked about and not shown (e.g. we got one random ice dancing scene, li shimin teaches zetian martial arts off screen). i definitely felt this acutely regarding the love interests -- zetian suddenly always returned yizhi's feelings, and i never felt the "tension" between her and li shimin. it's not that they weren't compelling, but just weren't developed enough.
i think many of the top rated reviews of this book articulate the issues with its presentation of misogyny and feminism -- eventually, it just felt like the book wasn't telling me anything new. i totally understood the lens of zetian overcoming the constant propagandized knowledge of women being "lesser" than men, but at the same time she was special for knowing it was bullshit the entire time, which made it frustrating as a reader who knew the same. zetian's big sister was just another fridged character -- i honestly forgot about her until she was mentioned closer to the end of the book.
the major "plot twists" weren't all that surprising to me, and i mostly just wanted to know more about them exactly, as opposed to uncovering them. zetian's point of view was frustratingly slow in figuring some of this stuff out, especially at the end, which i found rushed (particularly in the epilogue).
i put the sequel on my TBR because i am interested in the worldbuilding reveal from the end, and want to see if that'll come to anything in the next one.
one line that i liked: "They may think they do, but no matter how they scold or threaten or beat me, they can't really control what goes on in my head."
Graphic: Alcohol, Torture, Sexism, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Xenophobia, Violence, and War
deckleeditproof's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Violence, War, Alcoholism, and Misogyny
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Xenophobia
Minor: Classism and Genocide
amandadevoursbooks's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The only reason it wasn't a 5 star is the end felt rushed to me, but it's great!
Graphic: Xenophobia, Confinement, Mental illness, Murder, Racism, Sexism, Chronic illness, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and War
angelfireeast24's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Grief, Gaslighting, War, Xenophobia, Ableism, Body shaming, Sexism, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Violence, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Torture
Moderate: Alcohol, Medical trauma, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Cursing, Child abuse, and Body horror
nicoleisalwaysreading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Torture, Sexism, Murder, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Alcoholism, Violence, War, Alcohol, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Xenophobia