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adventurous
dark
tense
fast-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 thought this was a strong follow up to Iron Widow.
I definitely buy that Zheng's ideas about empowering workers and the redistribution of wealth were deliberately forgotten by historians (see also Martin Luther King Jr.'s ideas about class and how little people know about them).
But the concept of a worker focused revolution being started from the top down seems weird to me (and the text itself calls out the contradiction). While Zheng may want the workers empowered, there's certainly no suggestion that he wants to flatten society completely. He very much wants to be in charge of everything and everyone and I do have the sense he actually means it and it isn't just a way of controlling people who are the most likely to be able to challenge his power (although I don't doubt there's some of that, too).
The idea that people want to improve their own circumstances relative to people with more power but want to maintain their power over those with less power rings very true, as does the blindspots in seeing that's what's happening.
I appreciate that Zetian struggles with these things herself and has to remember that freedom to make choices means freedom to make choices that are not the choices that she would make.
I do question how quickly the revolution would take off, especially if it's imposed from the top down. I think people would be hesitant to act (much as they were in the first public punishments) for fear that they were being set up somehow. It's sort of like Trump promising he'll pay the legal bills of people who are violent against protesters at his rallies. Sure, buddy. Even if people believed Zheng meant what he said, I think a large number of people would feel like with changes that large he won't be allowed to stay in power or that those who had their private property taken from them will have long memories and will take their revenge at the first opportunity to punish those who moved against them. I feel like most people would probably take a wait and see approach.
It also suggests a lot people just need permission to become violent and taken vengeance and I'm not sure I buy that, either. Some people do, sure, but I think that's a small minority.
I was sorry we didn't get to see more of Di Renji. He seemed really interesting and a bit Holmesian and I would have liked to have spent more time with him, though it was pretty clear Zetian was going to end up killing him at some point.
I was also troubled by her lack of qualms about men having to be castrated to join her in battle. Yes, a big part of it has to do with gender identity but that seems to be the part she's focused on almost to the exclusion of the fact that they're being asked to undergo a form of mutilation not unlike the feet binding or amputation of a limb. And since they're both prisoners it isn't exactly a free choice. There are lifelong health consequences, which surely must have been understood. Granted, none of them are expected to live particularly long.
I like the underground queer culture, though as with everything else, I feel like there's a large risk in becoming more open and there doesn't seem to be much recognition on Zheng or Zetian that they may have made a lot of people targets that would be swiftly punished if they both died fighting the gods. I have no doubt that if that had happened all their changes would be swiftly rolled back, the people who backed them harshly punished and history rewritten.
I'm very much looking forward to the next one.
I definitely buy that Zheng's ideas about empowering workers and the redistribution of wealth were deliberately forgotten by historians (see also Martin Luther King Jr.'s ideas about class and how little people know about them).
But the concept of a worker focused revolution being started from the top down seems weird to me (and the text itself calls out the contradiction). While Zheng may want the workers empowered, there's certainly no suggestion that he wants to flatten society completely. He very much wants to be in charge of everything and everyone and I do have the sense he actually means it and it isn't just a way of controlling people who are the most likely to be able to challenge his power (although I don't doubt there's some of that, too).
The idea that people want to improve their own circumstances relative to people with more power but want to maintain their power over those with less power rings very true, as does the blindspots in seeing that's what's happening.
I appreciate that Zetian struggles with these things herself and has to remember that freedom to make choices means freedom to make choices that are not the choices that she would make.
It also suggests a lot people just need permission to become violent and taken vengeance and I'm not sure I buy that, either. Some people do, sure, but I think that's a small minority.
I was sorry we didn't get to see more of Di Renji. He seemed really interesting and a bit Holmesian and I would have liked to have spent more time with him, though it was pretty clear Zetian was going to end up killing him at some point.
I was also troubled by her lack of qualms about men having to be castrated to join her in battle. Yes, a big part of it has to do with gender identity but that seems to be the part she's focused on almost to the exclusion of the fact that they're being asked to undergo a form of mutilation not unlike the feet binding or amputation of a limb. And since they're both prisoners it isn't exactly a free choice. There are lifelong health consequences, which surely must have been understood. Granted, none of them are expected to live particularly long.
I like the underground queer culture, though as with everything else, I feel like there's a large risk in becoming more open and there doesn't seem to be much recognition on Zheng or Zetian that they may have made a lot of people targets that would be swiftly punished if they both died fighting the gods. I have no doubt that if that had happened all their changes would be swiftly rolled back, the people who backed them harshly punished and history rewritten.
I'm very much looking forward to the next one.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, War
Minor: Genocide, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My expectations were high going into Heavenly Tyrant and even then they have been exceeded. Just like Iron Widow, the book grabs you by the throat from the first page and refuses to let go. Time and the outside world cease to exist when reading this book. And yet, we have a slower pacing that allows the reader to sink more into the world and fleshes that world out. The prose has only gotten better and vivid imagery burns into the brain. The characters are complex; one minute you hate them, one minute you love them. All minutes are wonderfully conflicting. Genuinely I am quite shocked at how much Heavenly Tyrant has improved upon Iron Widow and I will spend every waking moment waiting for this third book. I feel like the last 72 hours have been a glorious fever dream and I’m struggling with coming up for air. Incredible book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Gore, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, War
Minor: Eating disorder, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Suicide, Pregnancy
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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: Ableism, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
fast-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
I’m not gonna lie; as I started seeing Zhao warn us that this book was intrigue-heavy and different from IW, I was really afraid this installment would lose me. There were definitely parts I felt like I had to push through, and I didn’t love some of the char dev (?), but overall this book really delivered on its promise of action and emotions and chaos following the events of Iron Widow. Enough plot points feel fulfilled that I’m not completely dreading the wait for the next (hopefully last! sorry) book, but there’s also plenty to cover in that book despite the huge events here. Yay for a middle book that doesn’t feel like a waiting room!
it was pretty heavy on the political intrigue in a way I usually hate, but Zhao’s writing style thankfully made it fly by. That was the thing that really made this book shine— Zhao knows how to hook you and ramp up tension in a narrative, even as dull exposition has to occur here and there. Some chapters felt a bit like “I have to explain how revolutions work for the next part to check out” but overall things flowed well
My main complaints would be the exhausting hate/love romance and Zetian’s general lack of initiative this time around.
Re: the former - one of my favorite things about the triangle in Iron Widow is that it was built on mutual trust and care by people who knew very intimately what pain looked like and didn’t look to bring that into their romance; it made the hot parts hotter and the sweet parts sweeter knowing that regardless of the outside forces, or the viciousness they had for other people, the triangle were saving what little peace they had for each other. None of that refreshing dynamic is really present in Heavenly Tyrant, and the “I hate him but my pussy go rawr” effect was very stale in a way I didn’t expect from this universe… personal preference I guess but by the end I was just wondering when she’d kill the freak & get her groove back. She wasn’t even dicked down until like 200 pages in so she was just dickmatized off vibes alone in a very boring romantasy way. Also Forced proximity / fake relationship isn’t my favorite and it shows lol
my other qualm: Zetian spent nearly this entire book crushing herself into shapes she would’ve hated only months ago; the lack of time between events didn’t adequately explain what felt like a drastic plunge in her ability to scheme and push back. She lets everyone and their mother guilt or shame or change her in ways I swear were already addressed last book. I’d understand if years had passed and she was worn down by her lack of control over the country/ political machinations, but for her to pipe down on day two of the new order and really only step her pussy up again months later felt at odds with her arc towards being so indomitable in the last book. Some of her laying low to scheme was warranted, like the learning to read and the building her alliance, but it felt like she spun her wheels for a disproportionate amount of the story. The parts where she pillowtalked for basic human rights from Emperor Dickhead were especially gross when you consider her previous antics. Like omg girl wake up????? You’re on a dream date and he’s actively withholding your right to come & go 😭 Grief and being overwhelmed didn’t feel like the full reasoning for her personality shift considering how little time was spent on her sitting with those feelings- it kinda felt like she was outmaneuvered and just let it linger for months until randomly remembering who she was. Very unsatisfying but it was nice to see it finally turn around towards the end
All in all, I cannot wait for the next one, and hope that it really is the last bc as much as I deeply respect this author I ain’t got no more waits left in me 😭
it was pretty heavy on the political intrigue in a way I usually hate, but Zhao’s writing style thankfully made it fly by. That was the thing that really made this book shine— Zhao knows how to hook you and ramp up tension in a narrative, even as dull exposition has to occur here and there. Some chapters felt a bit like “I have to explain how revolutions work for the next part to check out” but overall things flowed well
My main complaints would be the exhausting hate/love romance and Zetian’s general lack of initiative this time around.
Re: the former - one of my favorite things about the triangle in Iron Widow is that it was built on mutual trust and care by people who knew very intimately what pain looked like and didn’t look to bring that into their romance; it made the hot parts hotter and the sweet parts sweeter knowing that regardless of the outside forces, or the viciousness they had for other people, the triangle were saving what little peace they had for each other. None of that refreshing dynamic is really present in Heavenly Tyrant, and the “I hate him but my pussy go rawr” effect was very stale in a way I didn’t expect from this universe… personal preference I guess but by the end I was just wondering when she’d kill the freak & get her groove back. She wasn’t even dicked down until like 200 pages in so she was just dickmatized off vibes alone in a very boring romantasy way. Also Forced proximity / fake relationship isn’t my favorite and it shows lol
my other qualm: Zetian spent nearly this entire book crushing herself into shapes she would’ve hated only months ago; the lack of time between events didn’t adequately explain what felt like a drastic plunge in her ability to scheme and push back. She lets everyone and their mother guilt or shame or change her in ways I swear were already addressed last book. I’d understand if years had passed and she was worn down by her lack of control over the country/ political machinations, but for her to pipe down on day two of the new order and really only step her pussy up again months later felt at odds with her arc towards being so indomitable in the last book. Some of her laying low to scheme was warranted, like the learning to read and the building her alliance, but it felt like she spun her wheels for a disproportionate amount of the story. The parts where she pillowtalked for basic human rights from Emperor Dickhead were especially gross when you consider her previous antics. Like omg girl wake up????? You’re on a dream date and he’s actively withholding your right to come & go 😭 Grief and being overwhelmed didn’t feel like the full reasoning for her personality shift considering how little time was spent on her sitting with those feelings- it kinda felt like she was outmaneuvered and just let it linger for months until randomly remembering who she was. Very unsatisfying but it was nice to see it finally turn around towards the end
All in all, I cannot wait for the next one, and hope that it really is the last bc as much as I deeply respect this author I ain’t got no more waits left in me 😭
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Toxic relationship
Moderate: Violence, Grief, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, War
Minor: Miscarriage
adventurous
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: Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Classism
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gore, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Grief, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Colonisation
Minor: Miscarriage, Pregnancy
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
Graphic: Death, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Classism
Moderate: Body horror, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Dysphoria
Minor: Addiction, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury
adventurous
dark
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: Ableism, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Alcohol
Minor: Addiction, Child death, Chronic illness, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Infertility, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Trafficking, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
Firstly, this book was a totally different reading experience from Iron Widow. I reread Iron Widow before reading Heavenly Tyrant and tonally they’re very different. This was less satisfying and much more stressful, but also much more intricate. I really enjoyed the layers upon layers of commentary on capitalism and how it fosters states of oppression. There were also countless gorgeous passages of setting description in this book that made me gasp.
Zetian and Qin Zheng’s relationship is fascinating. I love to see two people who are so similar that they absolutely despise each other, and the twisted twisted ways in which that manifests.
The way Yizhi’s character was handled in this book was really interesting. Eventually I’ll be able to express my thoughts in an intelligent way. I also loved his sister Taiping and her communist girlfriend Wan’er.
I also really liked how this book addressed some of the nuances of feminism that the first book didn’t (much to the criticism of readers).Seeing Zetian build a strong female community around her was really affirming to read, and I appreciated the discussion being brought up around how we should not be trying to attain for women what men have, but rather questioning whether anyone should have those things in the first place.
I also really enjoyed the worldbuilding! SO cleverly done and so intricate. And how meta it all felt. (I’ve hit my coherency limit of the day.)
Zetian’s horror around pregnancy/the exploitation of her ova was very poignant and felt very real to me. Props to Zhao.
Shimin was used quite sparingly in this book and I thought that was very effective. I’m hoping there’ll be further installations in this series as the epilogue ends with a “To Be Continued…” and that we’ll find out what happened to him. The tender moments with him in Zetian’s memory and the “Mei-Niang” at the end made me BAWL.
Overall this was stressful and confusing and I could not stop thinking about it. 5/5 stars.
Zetian and Qin Zheng’s relationship is fascinating. I love to see two people who are so similar that they absolutely despise each other, and the twisted twisted ways in which that manifests.
I also really liked how this book addressed some of the nuances of feminism that the first book didn’t (much to the criticism of readers).
I also really enjoyed the worldbuilding! SO cleverly done and so intricate. And how meta it all felt. (I’ve hit my coherency limit of the day.)
Overall this was stressful and confusing and I could not stop thinking about it. 5/5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Blood, War
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Pregnancy, Colonisation, Classism
Minor: Medical content
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
Review to come!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Pregnancy, Colonisation
Minor: Sexual content
adventurous
challenging
dark
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:
Complicated
I received an ALC through Libro.fm for this title.
I have been waiting since April 2022 with baited breath for this book, and was of course worried my expectations would be let down after so much anticipation. They were not. This was really damn good.
I think if it had been the same as iron widow, I would have been disappointed. But Heavenly Tyrant has very different tone and pacing. I loved it. It feels like growth. So you took your rage and smashed your oppressors, now what? How are you going to use power for good? It honestly mirrors my own journey of becoming aware of oppression, getting angry, and learning so much more of how the world works. Building a better world takes more thought and effort than angry me would have expected.
The relationships are INTENSE. I love how Zhao builds characters. The interpersonal dynamics had me always on the edge of my seat.
I also have to commend them on howthey ballooned out the world building. Often times when you start zoomed in and expand the camera, I find it frustrating. This I found believable and engaging. Zooming out to space and having these two crazy intense people approach it with the same ferocity they've had for the whole book (which the space people find baffling) really sealed it for me.
Goodness gracious I can't wait for the next one.
A note on the audio book: there are two narrators, giving each POV character their own voice. The main character narrator does a good job voicing various dialect changes in a way I enjoyed.
I have been waiting since April 2022 with baited breath for this book, and was of course worried my expectations would be let down after so much anticipation. They were not. This was really damn good.
I think if it had been the same as iron widow, I would have been disappointed. But Heavenly Tyrant has very different tone and pacing. I loved it. It feels like growth. So you took your rage and smashed your oppressors, now what? How are you going to use power for good? It honestly mirrors my own journey of becoming aware of oppression, getting angry, and learning so much more of how the world works. Building a better world takes more thought and effort than angry me would have expected.
The relationships are INTENSE. I love how Zhao builds characters. The interpersonal dynamics had me always on the edge of my seat.
I also have to commend them on how
Goodness gracious I can't wait for the next one.
A note on the audio book: there are two narrators, giving each POV character their own voice. The main character narrator does a good job voicing various dialect changes in a way I enjoyed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, War
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Blood, Grief, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism