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adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
To say this series is strange would be an understatement. Sci-fi metal monsters interwoven with Chinese mythology, full of political discussion and a LOT of violence. It’s an interesting read, but it was pretty disturbing at times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, War
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy
adventurous
challenging
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
5 stars for the text, 4 for the audio
If you're unaware of #PegAmendment & you're listening, or reading a first or second edition hardcover, check out Xiran's review or socials.
"Every oppressor, through their denial of humanity, sows the seed of their own destruction."
Did this book do anything that I anticipated? Not really. Did it address the issues from the end of book 1? Yes. Was I left satisfied? Mostly? (I found out about halfway thru that its a trilogy, not a duology like I thought.)
"It’s incredible, how someone could be gone from this world, literally whisked away from the mortal earth, yet leave so many pieces behind."
Adressing the giant antlers in the room: this is an extremely toxic relationship - like an intervention should be called, but he'd kill anyone that intervened, & they'd just work it out with hate sex on the bodies. I saw at least 2 reviews about the lack of disability rep in this book - which is the opposite of the truth. Zetian spends at least half the book in a wheelchair & still has chronic pain. SpoilerShe also did not choose to fix her feet - the choice was taken from her. Stressing the lack of autonomy that women, especially disabled women, have, & the real world view that everyone has regarding disabilities are something to be fixed.
"If being on our knees was natural to us, why would they have to put so much effort into holding us down?"
Representation: Bi MCs, sapphic side character relationship off-page, disabled MC, all Asian MCs, nonbinary side character
"I mourn the people we could have been if a different world had shaped us."
If you're unaware of #PegAmendment & you're listening, or reading a first or second edition hardcover, check out Xiran's review or socials.
"Every oppressor, through their denial of humanity, sows the seed of their own destruction."
Did this book do anything that I anticipated? Not really. Did it address the issues from the end of book 1? Yes. Was I left satisfied? Mostly? (I found out about halfway thru that its a trilogy, not a duology like I thought.)
"It’s incredible, how someone could be gone from this world, literally whisked away from the mortal earth, yet leave so many pieces behind."
Adressing the giant antlers in the room: this is an extremely toxic relationship - like an intervention should be called, but he'd kill anyone that intervened, & they'd just work it out with hate sex on the bodies. I saw at least 2 reviews about the lack of disability rep in this book - which is the opposite of the truth. Zetian spends at least half the book in a wheelchair & still has chronic pain. Spoiler
"If being on our knees was natural to us, why would they have to put so much effort into holding us down?"
Representation: Bi MCs, sapphic side character relationship off-page, disabled MC, all Asian MCs, nonbinary side character
"I mourn the people we could have been if a different world had shaped us."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, War
Moderate: Pregnancy
adventurous
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:
No
5 ⭐ CW: (provided by the author) violence, abuse, body horror, mass murder, toxic relationship dynamics, discussions of reproductive coercion, allusions to childhood sexual abuse, references to miscarriage, domestic violence, sexual assault, and suicide
"They tell me you are vulgar, dangerous, bloodthirsty, self-absorbed, manipulative, and all-around, affront to sensibility. What do you have to say for yourself, Wu Zetian?
Yes, that's pretty much who I am. Still want to marry me, Your Majesty?"
Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao is book two in the Iron Widow series. I have been waiting so long for this book, and it did not disappoint! There is so much female rage in this, just like in book one, but this time it's much more politically focused. This was a very long book, but it kept my attention the whole time. Possible spoilers for book one ahead.
We pick up with Zetian after the events of book one, and she finds herself to have inadvertently started a revolution by waking Emperor Qin Zheng. Now Zetian has to live with the choices she has made and the people she has killed to get here. We find that despite her justifiable rage against the establishment, Zetian is quite naive about what happens after you topple a government and what it actually takes to have power and rule a country. We see her very unhealthy relationship with Qin Zheng, and the heartbreak and betrayal she endures from someone she loves.
Absolutely so much happened in this book, it's impossible to summarize it all. We get way more on the political side of things in this book as we see Zetian learning more about how government works and learns about the laborist movement. I have such complicated feelings about Qin Zheng, because one the one hand, he and Zetian's relationship is extremely toxic and he's definitely a dick, but on the other hand, he has some fairly progressive political ideas. Don't get me wrong, Zetian is also extremely toxic to Zheng as well. We learn so much more about the Hunduns and about the gods in the Heavenly Court. Some wild stuff happens at the end that leaves us on a cliffhanger about Shimin.
I'm so mad we had to wait so long for this book, and now I have to wait again for book three! 😭 I just want these characters to be happy. I loved this book, this series is definitely a favorite. Many tabs were used in the reading of this book.
"They tell me you are vulgar, dangerous, bloodthirsty, self-absorbed, manipulative, and all-around, affront to sensibility. What do you have to say for yourself, Wu Zetian?
Yes, that's pretty much who I am. Still want to marry me, Your Majesty?"
Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao is book two in the Iron Widow series. I have been waiting so long for this book, and it did not disappoint! There is so much female rage in this, just like in book one, but this time it's much more politically focused. This was a very long book, but it kept my attention the whole time. Possible spoilers for book one ahead.
We pick up with Zetian after the events of book one, and she finds herself to have inadvertently started a revolution by waking Emperor Qin Zheng. Now Zetian has to live with the choices she has made and the people she has killed to get here. We find that despite her justifiable rage against the establishment, Zetian is quite naive about what happens after you topple a government and what it actually takes to have power and rule a country. We see her very unhealthy relationship with Qin Zheng, and the heartbreak and betrayal she endures from someone she loves.
Absolutely so much happened in this book, it's impossible to summarize it all. We get way more on the political side of things in this book as we see Zetian learning more about how government works and learns about the laborist movement. I have such complicated feelings about Qin Zheng, because one the one hand, he and Zetian's relationship is extremely toxic and he's definitely a dick, but on the other hand, he has some fairly progressive political ideas. Don't get me wrong, Zetian is also extremely toxic to Zheng as well. We learn so much more about the Hunduns and about the gods in the Heavenly Court. Some wild stuff happens at the end that leaves us on a cliffhanger about Shimin.
I'm so mad we had to wait so long for this book, and now I have to wait again for book three! 😭 I just want these characters to be happy. I loved this book, this series is definitely a favorite. Many tabs were used in the reading of this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Suicide
dark
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Medical content, Sexual harassment, Classism
Minor: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Medical content, Colonisation
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.
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
emotional
reflective
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:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Classism
adventurous
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Although this was one of the books I was highly anticipating the pacing ruined this one for me. I was bored during about 200 pages and I really wanted to like this. I don’t mind the worldbuilding and I understand why the story focused on politics but omg that could have been a lot shorter. The last 100 pages got me interested again but I'm also annoyed with where the story and characters are going so I will try to keep my expectations low for the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexual content, Grief, Medical trauma, War
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism