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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
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
dark
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
One of my favourite books and one that I reread because it blows my mind EVERY single time. Eurgh it’s so great, that’s all I can say about it. Wu is truly an icon ✌
Not a lot of depth to it, but it’s YA, so… I don’t know, am I being too lenient on the book because of its genre? A number of things, like the romance, fall flat to me, but it’s not intended for my demographic to begin with…
This wasn’t for me. That said, I think it’s good for YA to have books with angry female characters that aren’t “reformed” into “letting go and finding peace”, so I’ll give it that.
This wasn’t for me. That said, I think it’s good for YA to have books with angry female characters that aren’t “reformed” into “letting go and finding peace”, so I’ll give it that.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Author was fond of time skips, and there was a lot going on. This book itself would be better as a duology or something. Unsatisfying ending: the takeover of huaxia felt unrealistic, and the twist in the epilogue leaves you hanging. Not sure if there's a sequel in the works
Otherwise, the world is very creative
Otherwise, the world is very creative
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Violence
Moderate: Torture
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really wanted to love this book, but the feeling I got from it was that it wanted to be too edgy just for the sake of it. The main character felt very obnoxious from the start with little redeeming qualities or evolution throughout the book.
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I absolutely loved the way that Chinese history and myth was used to build this fictional sci fi world. It didn't shy away from the brutal parts of Chinese history such as feet binding and self sacrifice. I adore that we have a fmc who is fuelled by revenge and cannot be controlled via her family. So often characters are labelled morally grey but don't do anything on the morally wrong side to earn it. Not Wu Zetian. Finally an fmc who is fully allowed to give in to bloodlust. And the love story is polyamorous, which is so much more interesting then regular enemies to lovers. I almost dropped a quarter star because I'm not so keen on action scenes (despite picking up a book about giant mech suits) and because there weren't that many descriptions of the Chrysalises so I struggled with visualising them and their various forms. A bit more lore on the evolutions of their forms wouldn't have gone amiss. However, the ending brought it straight back up. I fuck so hard with Wu Zetian's decisions towards the end and the lore drop was exactly what I was expecting but genuinely perfect for propelling the story towards a sequel.
Giant robots. Throwing off the yoke of the oppressors. Setting boundaries. Love. Chaos. Destruction. Did I mention giant robots?
There was some parts that were excessive to get the point across but I enjoyed it enough that I’m looking forward to reading the next one.
There was some parts that were excessive to get the point across but I enjoyed it enough that I’m looking forward to reading the next one.
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
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
So so good
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Misogyny, Torture, Violence, Murder, War
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Blood, Alcohol, Classism
Minor: Biphobia, Pandemic/Epidemic