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Graphic: Body horror, Toxic relationship, Violence, War
Moderate: Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Colonisation, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Biphobia, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Deportation, Pandemic/Epidemic
Qin Zheng is an incredibly complicated villain, and I still hesitate to call him a villain. He's an absolutist with strong moral convictions and absolutely identically matched to Zetian in his hunger for power. Their constant push and pull for the upper hand is a constant theme, and they're so damn intense that it was hard to put down the book.
I am disappointed to see that some people expected this series to center romance in its storytelling, or think that Wu Zetian needs to work towards redemption. Idk man, open the schools. Teach literary analysis. Learn subtext.
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Sexual content, Pregnancy, War
Minor: Miscarriage, Sexual assault
Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Rape, Trafficking
Minor: Ableism, Child death, Homophobia, Alcohol
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Sexual content, Violence, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Body horror, Confinement, Gore, Gun violence, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Gaslighting
Minor: Torture, Blood, Suicide attempt
I enjoyed Zetian's relationship with a few of the female characters in this novel, but feel like the feminine rage that I loved in IW was tempered in this one, aside from her sparring with Qin Zheng.
I thought her grief over both Shiming and destruction of the Palace of Sages was pervasive, which felt genuine.
Graphic: Medical content, Pregnancy, War
Moderate: Ableism, Body horror, Misogyny
Minor: Child abuse, Death of parent, Gaslighting
Graphic: Ableism, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Child death, Homophobia, Suicide
Minor: Child abuse, Miscarriage, Blood
Most of this book is just speeches and telling, not showing, what happens with Qin Zheng now that he is back as emperor of Huxia- after the events of the last book when Zetian frees him. He’s terrible. He’s a tyrant. It’s a warning about what happens when men do terrible things in the name of the "greater good." There’s some sexual content that is coercive and felt like it could have been handled better as subject matter.
The only truly interesting stuff in this SFF novel happens in the last 100 pages. The rest feels like poorly written leftist monologues pasted over a weak semblance of a plot that completely undermines the spirit of what the main characters worked toward in the first book. I say this as someone who is fairly liberal, but there’s a difference between portraying these beliefs meaningfully and cramming half-page Tumblr-style rants into the mouths of side characters.
Zetian spends the whole book suffering. Again. Great. We don’t get to see her do much of what she excels at—she’s literally forced to play a role for propaganda.
I’m honestly shocked this made it through an editor’s hands and got approved, especially with the run-on monologues, poor pacing, extra characters, and more.
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence
Moderate: Ableism, Pregnancy
Minor: Homophobia, Suicide
Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Classism
Moderate: Incest, Police brutality
I enjoyed the action and relationship building, but then the last 100 pages were confusing and a bit problematic.
Also, I thought we’d be saving Shimin but well, no he’s gone. He was only there to build up Zeitian’s character but it no longer felt emotionally charged because the whole Heavenly Court was confusing and weird and I was angry at Yizhi the whole time so I wasn’t rooting for the three to reunite and then it didn’t matter anyway!! Cause Shimin is dead and gone and Yizhi is a fucking dick so the relationship is dead!
I’m conflicted when it comes to Qin Zheng. Because he was stuck in a fake quarantine we didn’t see him do much aside from threaten Zeitian and be an Emperor. Then when they have sex (which is more graphic for YA) it didn’t feel like she was actually giving consent it felt like coercion so he could get what he wants. His entire character felt a bit wasted, but now he’s the villain I suppose after Zeitian stabbed him??
I don’t know I’ll still read book 3 when it releases but so far this wasn’t the strongest end to a story and the cliffhanger was okay. I do think if I didn’t re-read iron widow beforehand I would be rating it higher.
Graphic: Ableism, Genocide, Misogyny, Sexism, Murder, War
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Pregnancy
Minor: Confinement, Torture, Police brutality, Grief, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
The story of Heavenly Tyrant follows immediately after the end of Iron Widow, as the characters deal with the consequences of their actions.
The book spends more time describing the characters' activities and their conversations than the first one. This was a good choice as so much happens in such a short time in Iron Widow that you are left reeling and rather overwhelmed, even after a second read-through. Spending more time with the characters in moments of less action also allowed for more nuance when expressing their ideals and different points of view.
Xiran Jay Zhao is able to explore complex themes in a nuanced and multifaceted way and I can't wait to read more of their work.
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Miscarriage, Torture, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Pregnancy