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adventurous
mysterious
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, War, Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Torture, Xenophobia, Vomit, Trafficking, Grief, Murder, Abandonment
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Abortion, Pregnancy, Alcohol
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Wow, this really thought it was doing something.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, War
Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Classism
Minor: Mass/school shootings
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-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 am… having complicated feelings about this book.
I absolutely loved Iron Widow, and I think following a book like that with a second book for a trilogy is going to be a tall order no matter what. I will admit that I didn’t do a reread of IW before starting Heavenly Tyrant and probably did myself a disservice, since I spent a lot of time near the beginning being very confused about what was going on, and trying to figure out who everyone was.
Overarching thematic spoilers ahead.
I loved being back in the world of Huaxia, and getting back in Zetian’s head was as exciting as I could have expected. I was also surprised by how much growth she exhibited throughout the novel; IW is very much an “I support women’s rights and women’s wrongs” vibe, but HT showed Zetian developing not only as a person but also as a leader. I really loved watching her figure out what having a legacy meant to her, and wrestling with those complicated ethics that come along with violence, revolution, class warfare, and women’s equality.
I would say one of my favourite elements of this book was Zetian’s arc in realizing how small her vision was in terms of women piloting chrysalises; in actuality, the majority of women and girls in Huaxia would not benefit materially from these changes in military policy. Her recognizing that she needed to make moves to improve conditions for all women, even those who would make different choices from her, felt so rewarding and well-earned, especially through watching her struggle through her lessons with Wan’er and learn so much about history and politics.
I also loved Xiran Jay Zhao’s absolutely scathing take on the Enlightened Leftist Man. Qin Zheng was a total treat of a character; impeccably written and a fascinatingly sympathetic monster. There were moments where you feel yourself rooting for him— he’s a revolutionary! He’s a hero! He’s got great ideas about economics and social programs! He wants equality for women! He is allegedly very attractive! And yet… despite all of that, he is still a horrible fucking human.
I could see so many parallels between him and soooo many “radical” “activist” “feminist” men in our modern day that it was truly chilling at times. Because then when you look at him past the policies, past the power and the skills and bravado, he is literally just Some Guy who is actually a giant hypocrite. He thinks he’s a good person because he ~respects women~ and wouldn’t ever take advantage of Zetian or force himself on her sexually.And yet he is totally okay with violating her bodily autonomy in about 50 other ways! I could talk about Qin Zheng for days and I will always respect the fuck out of XJZ for pulling off this character in such a nuanced way.
On the other hand… there was a lot of this book that I didn’t particularly enjoy or understand where it was taking us. The last 10-15% of the novel had me going ummm… how are we going to come back from this??? It felt like the scope of the story got way out of hand and I’m honestly perplexed at how things could possibly be wrapped up in only one more book! These stakes are absurd!
There were some good twists and there were a few moments where I actually gasped out loud, but other elements felt quite obvious (like, I saw this coming since the last book obvious), so those reveals felt like they took way too long. In general, the pacing of the story felt a bit off and so it felt both way too long but also left me wanting more at the end.
All in all, definitely worth reading if you liked Iron Widow, because it’s a wild ride and packs in excellent character work alongside political commentary (perhaps a little too on the nose for our current state of affairs😅), cool action scenes, and a whole lot of double (and triple??) crossing. I’m still very much looking forward to the next book despite having some issues with this one!
I absolutely loved Iron Widow, and I think following a book like that with a second book for a trilogy is going to be a tall order no matter what. I will admit that I didn’t do a reread of IW before starting Heavenly Tyrant and probably did myself a disservice, since I spent a lot of time near the beginning being very confused about what was going on, and trying to figure out who everyone was.
Overarching thematic spoilers ahead.
I loved being back in the world of Huaxia, and getting back in Zetian’s head was as exciting as I could have expected. I was also surprised by how much growth she exhibited throughout the novel; IW is very much an “I support women’s rights and women’s wrongs” vibe, but HT showed Zetian developing not only as a person but also as a leader. I really loved watching her figure out what having a legacy meant to her, and wrestling with those complicated ethics that come along with violence, revolution, class warfare, and women’s equality.
I would say one of my favourite elements of this book was Zetian’s arc in realizing how small her vision was in terms of women piloting chrysalises; in actuality, the majority of women and girls in Huaxia would not benefit materially from these changes in military policy. Her recognizing that she needed to make moves to improve conditions for all women, even those who would make different choices from her, felt so rewarding and well-earned, especially through watching her struggle through her lessons with Wan’er and learn so much about history and politics.
I also loved Xiran Jay Zhao’s absolutely scathing take on the Enlightened Leftist Man. Qin Zheng was a total treat of a character; impeccably written and a fascinatingly sympathetic monster. There were moments where you feel yourself rooting for him— he’s a revolutionary! He’s a hero! He’s got great ideas about economics and social programs! He wants equality for women! He is allegedly very attractive! And yet… despite all of that, he is still a horrible fucking human.
I could see so many parallels between him and soooo many “radical” “activist” “feminist” men in our modern day that it was truly chilling at times. Because then when you look at him past the policies, past the power and the skills and bravado, he is literally just Some Guy who is actually a giant hypocrite. He thinks he’s a good person because he ~respects women~ and wouldn’t ever take advantage of Zetian or force himself on her sexually.
On the other hand… there was a lot of this book that I didn’t particularly enjoy or understand where it was taking us. The last 10-15% of the novel had me going ummm… how are we going to come back from this??? It felt like the scope of the story got way out of hand and I’m honestly perplexed at how things could possibly be wrapped up in only one more book! These stakes are absurd!
There were some good twists and there were a few moments where I actually gasped out loud, but other elements felt quite obvious (like, I saw this coming since the last book obvious), so those reveals felt like they took way too long. In general, the pacing of the story felt a bit off and so it felt both way too long but also left me wanting more at the end.
All in all, definitely worth reading if you liked Iron Widow, because it’s a wild ride and packs in excellent character work alongside political commentary (perhaps a little too on the nose for our current state of affairs😅), cool action scenes, and a whole lot of double (and triple??) crossing. I’m still very much looking forward to the next book despite having some issues with this one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Miscarriage, Medical content, Pregnancy
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Alcohol
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“Don’t you get it? You are to me what the gods were to you. I can’t breathe freely as long as you live!” - Zetian, Heavenly Tyrants
This book.
This book, y’all.
I laughed, I cried, I screamed, and I’m pretty sure the ending made me loose my mind.
I don’t even know how to write a review of this book without spoiling it, so this review will probably be somewhat different than most of my others.
We were warned that this book is very different from Iron Widow, and that is correct. Iron Widow is very much a girl power fantasy, and it is glorious in its fire. This book takes time to look at the details of what liberation, equality, and strength looks like, both on a small scale, personal level and on a broader, societal level.
Zetian continues to be everything I love in a heroine. She is broken, confused, and struggles, but bold enough to face her own established ideas and with a strength and fire to propel her forward. I loved watching her struggle with her ethics throughout the story as she wrestles with what it means to have equality as a woman and how to maintain her own autonomy within a relationship and a society that is constantly trying to take it from her.
Qin Zheng. I hate him. He’s very well written, but I still hate him. He’s the perfect example of a leftist man who doesn’t understand how those politics apply to his relationship with his wife (or women in general). He’s smart and charismatic and yet has gaping blind spots, primarily in his careless treatment of Zetian’s autonomy. If I see him, it’s on sight.
Yizhi is the most complex character in this book, and that made me like him even more, although I spent solidly 90% of the book wanting to strangle him. His politican side comes out in this book, both for good and evil, and it leads to a lot of horrid decisions but also some very smart ones.
Shimin, my poor baby. I refuse to believe that you’re gone.
My favorite part of this book is that the relationships focus so much on Zetian making good friends. So many heroines don’t have women around them, and this book changes that for Zetian, bringing some of my favorite side characters- Wan’er and Taiping particularly.
This book.
This book, y’all.
I laughed, I cried, I screamed, and I’m pretty sure the ending made me loose my mind.
I don’t even know how to write a review of this book without spoiling it, so this review will probably be somewhat different than most of my others.
We were warned that this book is very different from Iron Widow, and that is correct. Iron Widow is very much a girl power fantasy, and it is glorious in its fire. This book takes time to look at the details of what liberation, equality, and strength looks like, both on a small scale, personal level and on a broader, societal level.
Zetian continues to be everything I love in a heroine. She is broken, confused, and struggles, but bold enough to face her own established ideas and with a strength and fire to propel her forward. I loved watching her struggle with her ethics throughout the story as she wrestles with what it means to have equality as a woman and how to maintain her own autonomy within a relationship and a society that is constantly trying to take it from her.
Qin Zheng. I hate him. He’s very well written, but I still hate him. He’s the perfect example of a leftist man who doesn’t understand how those politics apply to his relationship with his wife (or women in general). He’s smart and charismatic and yet has gaping blind spots, primarily in his careless treatment of Zetian’s autonomy. If I see him, it’s on sight.
Yizhi is the most complex character in this book, and that made me like him even more, although I spent solidly 90% of the book wanting to strangle him. His politican side comes out in this book, both for good and evil, and it leads to a lot of horrid decisions but also some very smart ones.
Shimin, my poor baby. I refuse to believe that you’re gone.
My favorite part of this book is that the relationships focus so much on Zetian making good friends. So many heroines don’t have women around them, and this book changes that for Zetian, bringing some of my favorite side characters- Wan’er and Taiping particularly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, War
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have never read a book all in one sitting like this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Genocide, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Dysphoria, Classism
Minor: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child death, Miscarriage, Rape, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, War
Moderate: Pregnancy
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
yizhi high heels, i adore you
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War
Moderate: Death, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Miscarriage, Sexual content, Torture, Death of parent, Pregnancy
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!
Content Warnings
Minor: Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Violence, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Colonisation, War, Classism
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It pains me how much I did not enjoy this book. I wanted to like it so bad. Iron Widow is one of my favourite books. Yet, this book tested my patience. I did not have a lot of time to read but even then it took me way too long to get through it. While I was in the middle of reading it felt fine, yet I kept getting distracted anyway. This just got worse and worse as I went on. I started with good hopes, willing to give it a try after hearing about mixed reviews before. But my enjoyment slipped away the longer I read. In the end, it wasn’t enough to capture my interest.
I would love to give this book a higher rating, yet I had way too many issues with it to justify that. I really really hope that this is a case of second book syndrome and that the next book will be better.
I made some notes while reading so I will list them here, as they summarise my thoughts quite well:
- There are basically no interesting characters with interesting character moments. I do not care for most of them. The few character moments we are given did very little for me.
- The politics are explained over and over like it’s being explained to a young teenager. There is no elegance in approaching politics as the main theme. The uninspired political discussion were no fun and just kept on going.
- There would’ve been more interesting parts to write about. Yet it repeats the same boring stuff over and over.
- Iron widow should’ve been longer, heavenly tyrant should’ve been shorter.
- It makes no sense that it is young adult book. The brutality, and how explicitly it is described, comes close to adult. The sex scenes in my opinion already go further than what should be in a young adult novel. Perhaps the author would feel more free to explore the complexities of the political themes when it was an adult book instead of this superficial inelegant mess.
- Not a fan of Qin Zheng. He just annoyed me and I did not care about him or the whole toxic relationship between him and Zetian.
- I don’t think I like how their toxic relationship is portrayed. I do not think young readers will catch on to how toxic and unhealthy it really is. I see a lot of potential for them romanticising it (it has happened so many times before…)
What I enjoyed:
- Wan’er and taiping
So yes, it’s fair to say I’m very disappointed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence
Moderate: Sexual content, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault