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challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love this author, love iron widow, love Zetian, hated about 400 pages of this book. Shimin is the only man left in this universe i don't hate and he was only on about 5 pages of the book, at the end, after being mutilated and tortured. Will probably read the sequel 🤷🏼
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Eating disorder, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Overall, I liked this. The beginning and end were the best organized, in my opinion. The middle really dragged. It’s not that I don’t like communist theory, not to mention communist theory inserted into fiction. I do! But tbh I’m here for the giant robot fights.
The political range in the first book is a lot more simplistic. I get the sense that, for this book, the author had to include a lot of detail for people to understand, but it just didn’t feel like organic conversation a lot of the time. And it just went on for so long, I was like, ok we get it already!! I think a lot of the detail of the middle of the book could have been cut and it would still make sense.
Even so, I am enchanted by the world building in both this book and its predecessor. I like how the characters are evil, petty, anxious, vengeful, … just very colorful and memorable. I look forward to the third book!
The political range in the first book is a lot more simplistic. I get the sense that, for this book, the author had to include a lot of detail for people to understand, but it just didn’t feel like organic conversation a lot of the time. And it just went on for so long, I was like, ok we get it already!! I think a lot of the detail of the middle of the book could have been cut and it would still make sense.
Even so, I am enchanted by the world building in both this book and its predecessor. I like how the characters are evil, petty, anxious, vengeful, … just very colorful and memorable. I look forward to the third book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Child death, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Classism
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Abortion, Pregnancy, Alcohol
dark
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2.5 for a "it was ok, but I didn't enjoy it much and don't think I'll continue the series".
This book was glacially slow compared to what I remember of Iron Widow. Zetian goes from kicking every ass presented to her to being basically a prisoner for nearly the entire book. The defrosted emperor immediately takes over and sidelines her, threatening her and keeping her powerless when he's not hate-flirting with her. Zetian is stuck constantly thinking, "I need to take him down, I need to get power of my own" and then...not doing that. It's not really her fault, it's the story's, but it's just not enjoyable to see her once again overpowered and outmaneuvered at every turn, failing most times whenever she DOES try and do something. I see the point being made, but...if you want me to stay entertained, you have to show me that the character is able to do SOMETHING. Otherwise it gets boring to see the main character sitting through endless meetings and speeches and ceremonies with them doing nothing. The book spends a lot of time on palace intrigue and describing political reform, and in the end I just felt it bogged the story down.
Zetian's relationship with Qin Zheng, I admit, was interesting. The emperor is an arrogant and somewhat broken tyrant, but he's hellbent on reforming the system that Zetian has already cracked open. He isn't without charm or humor, and he does seem invested in making the lives of the common people better. So he's kind of sympathetic, even though he keeps treating Zetian like a doll. It's something that maybe was supposed to be a point: the hypocrisy he embodies about lifting up and freeing others and empowering women, while he keeps Zetian all but imprisoned and isolated and feels entitled to modify her body whenever he wants. Zetian isn't immune to him, though, so eventually they get into this kind of love-hate dynamic that leaves you wondering "will they or won't they?" Their relationship is never healthy nor does it feel stable, though it COULD BE if they wanted.
In the end, though, I felt like the book kind of went off the rails for poorly-sketched reasons. As others have said, the last 20% of the book or so is like a different book altogether: Zetian and Qin Zheng head off to challenge the gods, and at that point the whole thing felt oddly loosey-goosey both in practical and plot terms.Despite the technological superiority of the people they're attacking, the two of them manage to basically smash into and destroy the gods' space station in what seems like an hour. Tops. They never meet any serious resistance, which seems incredibly odd. Plotwise...that whole section feels incredibly rushed. And after a detente between them, after using Qin Zheng to do her dirty work, Zetian just...tries to murder him. Because she "has" to. Because she doesn't trust him and is mad at him. This felt...unsatisfying to me. Yes, she's 18. Yes, she's always been driven by rage, and he's definitely made her mad and even their relationship was based on hatesex, but...she's just tried to murder her world's best protector and the person on whom her own political power rests. Aside from the danger to her...what's she going to do when the warships show up? It felt messy and drama-for-drama's-sake, and I didn't really buy it.
I admit, I did not reread Iron Widow and this book does not give you much of a refresher, and I do not recommend that. But I also felt the book just...focused on things I wasn't interested in.
This book was glacially slow compared to what I remember of Iron Widow. Zetian goes from kicking every ass presented to her to being basically a prisoner for nearly the entire book. The defrosted emperor immediately takes over and sidelines her, threatening her and keeping her powerless when he's not hate-flirting with her. Zetian is stuck constantly thinking, "I need to take him down, I need to get power of my own" and then...not doing that. It's not really her fault, it's the story's, but it's just not enjoyable to see her once again overpowered and outmaneuvered at every turn, failing most times whenever she DOES try and do something. I see the point being made, but...if you want me to stay entertained, you have to show me that the character is able to do SOMETHING. Otherwise it gets boring to see the main character sitting through endless meetings and speeches and ceremonies with them doing nothing. The book spends a lot of time on palace intrigue and describing political reform, and in the end I just felt it bogged the story down.
Zetian's relationship with Qin Zheng, I admit, was interesting. The emperor is an arrogant and somewhat broken tyrant, but he's hellbent on reforming the system that Zetian has already cracked open. He isn't without charm or humor, and he does seem invested in making the lives of the common people better. So he's kind of sympathetic, even though he keeps treating Zetian like a doll. It's something that maybe was supposed to be a point: the hypocrisy he embodies about lifting up and freeing others and empowering women, while he keeps Zetian all but imprisoned and isolated and feels entitled to modify her body whenever he wants. Zetian isn't immune to him, though, so eventually they get into this kind of love-hate dynamic that leaves you wondering "will they or won't they?" Their relationship is never healthy nor does it feel stable, though it COULD BE if they wanted.
In the end, though, I felt like the book kind of went off the rails for poorly-sketched reasons. As others have said, the last 20% of the book or so is like a different book altogether: Zetian and Qin Zheng head off to challenge the gods, and at that point the whole thing felt oddly loosey-goosey both in practical and plot terms.
I admit, I did not reread Iron Widow and this book does not give you much of a refresher, and I do not recommend that. But I also felt the book just...focused on things I wasn't interested in.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Gore, Sexual content
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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
Last year, I said Iron Widow was one of the best books I ever read. I love the sequel even better!
The characters and the circumstances in which they have to survive are incredibly messy and imperfect. They have to make difficult decisions that are sometimes right, sometimes wrong, and sometimes it’s hard to say. I felt the characters were realistic and nuanced in an incredibly engaging way. I wish all my friends would read this series so we could all talk about it often!
The narration was great! I think it was very smart to cast two different narrators, even if one of them didn’t narrate often.
Please keep in mind this book series is upper YA/New Adult, with content not meant for younger teens. In terms of content and trigger warnings, it would be easier to say what trigger and content warnings it doesn’t warrant. There is graphic violence and spicy content, falling short of explicit (depending on your definition).
I’m not sharing any further thoughts due to spoilers! I look forward to reading the third book in the series when it comes out!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Deportation
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Body shaming, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Transphobia, Vomit, Trafficking, Abortion, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia
the eating disorder I mentioned is actually a hunger strike
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm not sure exactly what I expected from Heavenly Tyrant, but I was definitely happy with what it was! Especially given our current situation, reading about the struggles of leading a country-wide revolution was inspiring and oddly still managed to be escapist. I can't wait for the next book!
Content Warnings
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
This book is heavy. There are frequent betrayals of trust, medical procedures done without consent, and lots of death and brutality associated with a violent revolution.
challenging
dark
emotional
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:
Yes
Oh yeah, this is what dreams are made of. I fucking adored this book! Iron Widow is already one of my favourite books ever, so this had A LOT to live up to and it just easily jumped over it. I do have to say that this is quite different from Iron Widow. That book is a fast-paced action adventure, with politics hiding under the surface. This book is political intrigue, with an action adventure hiding under the surface. It did definitely feel like a natural progression for this series, but it's just a change in vibes that you might want to be aware of.
The ending of book 1 truly shook things up for this world, and therefore the start of this book mainly focusses on Zetian, as well as the reader, getting used to this new normal plus setting up the new political system. I overall think the transition into these massive changes was just extremely well executed. As I mentioned before this book is A LOT of political intrigue. That personally is something I like in books so I had a blast. I feel like Xiran Jay Zhao clearly has such a strong grip on her world, and I loved seeing everything unfold, and seeing all the different moves the different characters made to get their shit done. It was just so incredibly well written, and it truly had me shocked at times as I too was fooled by some character's moves.
Zetian in this book is incredible though. We also spend quite a lot of time with Zetian just learning a lot of things she wasn't able to before because previously she was kept from education. I truly liked that she acknowledged she didn't know everything, and took the effort to learn because she saw it as something that could only help her forward. And it did! As Zetian learns more it's clear in the narrative that she just becomes stronger in this political game everyone is playing. It was great to see that developement throughout the book.
The plot was also just so good. I was captivated from beginning to end, and I just didn't want to put this book down. Despite not being as action packed, this definitely was still as much of a ride as book one was, just in a different way. It truly made me feel ALL the emotions, and the expansion we got on the world was also incredibly interesting. Overall this book went in so many different directions I didn't see coming but I still had a fantastic time with. The only complaint I have is that I need the next book like almost immediately because that ending was BRUTAL.
The ending of book 1 truly shook things up for this world, and therefore the start of this book mainly focusses on Zetian, as well as the reader, getting used to this new normal plus setting up the new political system. I overall think the transition into these massive changes was just extremely well executed. As I mentioned before this book is A LOT of political intrigue. That personally is something I like in books so I had a blast. I feel like Xiran Jay Zhao clearly has such a strong grip on her world, and I loved seeing everything unfold, and seeing all the different moves the different characters made to get their shit done. It was just so incredibly well written, and it truly had me shocked at times as I too was fooled by some character's moves.
Zetian in this book is incredible though. We also spend quite a lot of time with Zetian just learning a lot of things she wasn't able to before because previously she was kept from education. I truly liked that she acknowledged she didn't know everything, and took the effort to learn because she saw it as something that could only help her forward. And it did! As Zetian learns more it's clear in the narrative that she just becomes stronger in this political game everyone is playing. It was great to see that developement throughout the book.
The plot was also just so good. I was captivated from beginning to end, and I just didn't want to put this book down. Despite not being as action packed, this definitely was still as much of a ride as book one was, just in a different way. It truly made me feel ALL the emotions, and the expansion we got on the world was also incredibly interesting. Overall this book went in so many different directions I didn't see coming but I still had a fantastic time with. The only complaint I have is that I need the next book like almost immediately because that ending was BRUTAL.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicide
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-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:
Complicated
The majority of this book was like if George Orwell wrote queer feminist fantasy, and the last part was toxic romance and sex and fast-paced action. I honestly enjoyed this book, though I felt like it was missing a lot of things I loved from Iron Widow. The love interests are totally different (Shimin is simply not present (BRING SHIMIN BACK), while Yihzi is an asshole and has no chemistry with Zetian) and the feminine rage, while there, doesn't get to be quite as murderous and crazy. It was at least interesting commentary on politics and what a post-revolution government would look like, and while I'm still a bit confused by the ending, I look forward to reading the sequel. Definitely a good book, just didn't pack as much punch as the first.
Also, note: This book is much more adult than the first, I would not classify it as YA. Maybe NA.
Also, note: This book is much more adult than the first, I would not classify it as YA. Maybe NA.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Pregnancy
Minor: Addiction, Child death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Classism
SPOILERS AHEAD!! This book picks up after the events of the first, and focuses on the political instability after revolution. There are lots of mentions of death/executions/torture, as well as riots, economic instability, etc.. Zetian continues fighting for women's rights, which involves misogyny, talks of domestic abuse, and curing disabilities when they find a way to reverse footbinding. Another big plot point is pregnancy, with mentions of abortion and miscarriages, as Zetian is forced to fake a pregnancy and her eggs are stolen without her consent to impregnate someone else. Several sex scenes that are written as violent though consensual. Battle scenes, death, war, etc..
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’m really struggling with how to rate and review this. I think for how much I adored Iron Widow, this was kind of disappointing?? I liked it enough, but I am sitting here having just finished the book, and I have such an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. There were some parts of this I really loved, including the exploration of how we build ~what comes next~ and Zetian figuring out what uplifting women does and doesn’t look like. I absolutely hated the “romance” with Qin Zheng and all the coercion and manipulation he did to her. I do think Zhao did great job of writing the narrative in a way where we were experiencing Zetian try to convince herself she was choosing to do a multitude of things but in reality she was his prisoner and couldn’t escape. I also was under the impression that this was going to be a duology and was a bit shocked to get to the end and see a to be continued. I will certainly read the final installment, but for now I feel a bit disappointed!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, War
Moderate: Sexism, Toxic relationship, Grief, Medical trauma
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Heavenly Tyrant trades the blisteringly fast pace and humor of Iron Widow for a story with a wider political scope, that sometimes struggles under juggling the weight of its philosophical questions about how to best overthrow capitalism with the sci-fi plot twist at the end of the first book.
I see why this one kept getting delayed; even with the extra page count over Iron Widow it feels kind of compressed (especially with the tentative resolution of many plot points around the 75% mark as the book started laying the groundwork for the next one). I'm so glad that one of my major criticisms of the previous book has been addressed and Zetian now has female friends and allies, but the process of actually becoming friends feels squeezed for time over how much the book focuses on pros and cons of communism. Sexism is still a major theme of this book and I like the way it was handled, even if we have yet to have a true resolution here. It's not that the previous book wasn't political, but this one is extremely overt with its discussions of the class struggle and the mirroring of atrocities committed by real-world communist governments. I think that's why I'm struggling so much with reviewing it... there wasn't enough concrete resolution of a lot of the "revolution" plotline for me to know how I feel about this book, and I'm going to need the series to finish before I can form a solid opinion on it.
I have no idea how Zhao will wrap any of this up in one more book. Both the "smaller" plotline concerning Huaxia and the broader scope seem like they'll need way more space than just one book to resolve.
I see why this one kept getting delayed; even with the extra page count over Iron Widow it feels kind of compressed (especially with the tentative resolution of many plot points around the 75% mark as the book started laying the groundwork for the next one). I'm so glad that one of my major criticisms of the previous book has been addressed and Zetian now has female friends and allies, but the process of actually becoming friends feels squeezed for time over how much the book focuses on pros and cons of communism. Sexism is still a major theme of this book and I like the way it was handled, even if we have yet to have a true resolution here. It's not that the previous book wasn't political, but this one is extremely overt with its discussions of the class struggle and the mirroring of atrocities committed by real-world communist governments. I think that's why I'm struggling so much with reviewing it... there wasn't enough concrete resolution of a lot of the "revolution" plotline for me to know how I feel about this book, and I'm going to need the series to finish before I can form a solid opinion on it.
I have no idea how Zhao will wrap any of this up in one more book. Both the "smaller" plotline concerning Huaxia and the broader scope seem like they'll need way more space than just one book to resolve.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Murder, Classism
Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual content, Medical content, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, War
Minor: Homophobia, Miscarriage, Sexual assault