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narusae'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: Torture
Moderate: Gore and Murder
intothestarrysea's review against another edition
But man, the misogyny. And I don’t just mean the evil patriarchy in the book. I mean in the way her sister is fridged and then almost never brought up again, as if she didn’t exist except as plot motivation. I mean in the way the MC has 0 female friends and there is not a single female character she has a positive relationship with. I mean in the way the MC wants to end the killing of girls but is 100% okay with slaughtering boys. I mean in the way this book doesn’t pass the Bechdel test. I mean in the way
It was a good idea, and in many ways, it actually felt like the hunger games. It just didn’t hit the mark for me.
Graphic: Torture, Gore, Alcohol, Murder, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Violence, Fatphobia, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Death, Cursing, Child abuse, and Alcoholism
Foot bindingalexisgarcia'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
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Violence, Death, Colonisation, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Classism, Cursing, Infidelity, Blood, Alcohol, Gore, Infertility, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Torture, War, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
readingwithkaitlyn'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Police brutality, Misogyny, Physical abuse, War, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Colonisation, Violence, Ableism, Blood, Classism, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Medical content, Mental illness, Sexism, Grief, Gore, and Gun violence
chezler24's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Additional Comments:
- I am obsessed with the cover art! (bonus points for the author's photo)
- "Welcome to your nightmare" is going to be a quote that lives rent-free in my head for the next month.
Graphic: War, Gore, Misogyny, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Grief, Death, Torture, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Sexism, and Classism
Minor: Rape
parchment_and_ivy'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Moderate: War and Sexual violence
onemamareads'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, War, Addiction, Alcohol, Classism, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, and Gore
plumpaperbacks'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
I don’t think I could write a proper review for this if I tried, but let me say this: it’s been 40 minutes since I finished the book, and I’ve done nothing except try to process what the hell just happened. Immediately after finishing the book, I had to set my phone down so I wouldn’t throw it. I bit my lip so I wouldn’t shriek. I spent several minutes just staring at the wall.
Every part of this book is absolutely brilliant—the characters, the relationships, the world-building, the plot. The world Zhao created is complex and fascinating, as are the characters. Zetian and Shimin are unhinged and I love them for it. Yizhi is a cinnamon roll on the way to becoming unhinged and I love him for it. The trio’s dynamic is my new favorite thing. It’s iconic. They’re iconic. I’ll be thinking of them for the rest of the day, definitely for the rest of the week, and probably even for the rest of the year.
I’m excited and also terrified out of my goddamn mind for the sequel. The author’s Goodreads review (which I found while looking unsuccessfully for a release date) just says, “Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it in the worst way possible.”
AND I??? EXCUSE ME??? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN????
Let the Iron Widow brainrot begin. :’)))
Representation
- Full cast of Chinese-inspired characters
- Bisexual polyamorous protagonist & love interests (protagonist is also disabled & uses a cane)
- FMM throuple
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Blood, Death, Violence, Gaslighting, Body shaming, Confinement, Emotional abuse, War, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual assault
Sexual assault is discussed, but there are no on-page depictions. As for everything else… just be careful. This is a seriously dark, brutal book.fuguefire'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
4.75
As a poly person myself, I was over the moon to finally get a poly relationship in a fantasy novel! I will say, I wish there was a little bit better communication in the relationship, but I feel like this can be forgiven because this seems to be an action-first book, and the romance aspect is not even really second in line of importance here.
All-in-all, I am so excited to read the next book in the series. I will be recommending this book to my friends, and can't wait to hear what they think.
Graphic: Gaslighting, Death, Sexual assault, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Sexism, War, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Ableism, Colonisation, Fatphobia, Classism, Rape, Abandonment, and Kidnapping
Minor: Gore, Physical abuse, Racism, Xenophobia, Rape, Slavery, and Injury/Injury detail
ireadqueerbooks'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Classism, Death of parent, Genocide, Ableism, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, War, Alcoholism, Body shaming, and Panic attacks/disorders