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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Mental illness, Trafficking, Gaslighting, Alcohol
dark
mysterious
tense
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
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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:
Yes
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Took me a good 15 chapters to get into it! I first tried reading this for a bookclub when it came out, but I was more confused than having a good time. The beginning is quite different to the rest of the book. The protagonist is mainly driven by anger, which I find a weak motivator.
The ending felt very sudden.
The ending felt very sudden.
Cawpile review 2025:
Characters 3
Atmosphere/setting 3
Writing/art style 2
Plot 4
Intrigue 4
Logic/credibility 3
Enjoyment 7
3.25 stars
I enjoyed the ideas behind this book. There were moments of greatness.
Characters 3
Atmosphere/setting 3
Writing/art style 2
Plot 4
Intrigue 4
Logic/credibility 3
Enjoyment 7
3.25 stars
I enjoyed the ideas behind this book. There were moments of greatness.
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A lot for interesting idea but could have really beneficiated off more development and time accorded to build the relationship between the characters. It would have also help the world building be more "showing" than "telling".
adventurous
fast-paced
adventurous
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It is very possible to turn your brain off and enjoy the ride, but that was nearly inane for me by the 50% mark. The worldbuilding is confusing, there’s a lot of info dumping and dialogue that doesn’t seem to fit in world.
But my biggest gripe is how poorly the characters are developed. Internal thoughts are repetitive and despite the insistence that Zutian is supposed to be a different type of heroine, it absolutely reeks of “not like other girls”.
When there’s finally some movement in the plot, it’s summarized in three sentences how three people who have been beaten, captured, and abused at various points somehow magicallycapture a military leader and kill him after forcing him to reveal highly classified secrets—the discovery of which comes out of absolutely nowhere.
I don’t mind love triangles, and honestly, I was excited to hear that this was leans more poly, but neither that nor Zetian’s connections to either Yizhi or Shimin make sense after the author spends 200 pages telling me how much she hates everyone. I don’t know what this character stands for. She’s not even morally gray. I really did enjoy and get sucked into the first half, but after that when it was clear the characters weren’t going to be developed beyond the surface of stock characterizations, it was a slog.
Bummer. It was a cool premise.
But my biggest gripe is how poorly the characters are developed. Internal thoughts are repetitive and despite the insistence that Zutian is supposed to be a different type of heroine, it absolutely reeks of “not like other girls”.
When there’s finally some movement in the plot, it’s summarized in three sentences how three people who have been beaten, captured, and abused at various points somehow magically
I don’t mind love triangles, and honestly, I was excited to hear that this was leans more poly, but neither that nor Zetian’s connections to either Yizhi or Shimin make sense after the author spends 200 pages telling me how much she hates everyone. I don’t know what this character stands for. She’s not even morally gray. I really did enjoy and get sucked into the first half, but after that when it was clear the characters weren’t going to be developed beyond the surface of stock characterizations, it was a slog.
Bummer. It was a cool premise.