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loringue's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Torture
kendal_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual content, Torture, and Classism
Minor: Rape
pnorrell's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
I cannot wait to read more from Xiran Jay Zhao, and I'm looking forward to the release of the upcoming sequel, Heavenly Tyrant!
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Sexual assault
Minor: Child abuse and Physical abuse
gaynidoking's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and War
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body shaming, Confinement, Fatphobia, and Racism
cnaccarato's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
hln's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.25
- I liked the relationship, I feel like it was well portrayed.
- I don’t think this should be classified as YA, I think it’s too violent for that.
- The setting was interesting, I liked how it was inspired by Chinese history.
- The fantasy part was cool, but it was not explained how exactly it worked, how it came to be that humans started fighting in robots etc. Also, it was not well explained what exactly the “hunduns” were.
- It was definitely a bold choice to make the main character achieve her goals with violence. While it is refreshing to have a badass female protagonist that is cruel and who does everything to get what she wants, I don’t think it was the right choice for a YA book.
- The end, which was supposed to be the epic finale, was kind of boring to me. Everything happened very quickly, it felt of unnatural. And it was just very confusing, which is why I did not really feel for the characters.
- The ending was interesting though, and made me want to read the second part.
All in all, this was an interesting read.
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Torture, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Sexual harassment
sterlingsnail's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
valjeanval's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book is extremely cinematic in a way that if it was an anime or graphic novel where I could actually see the Chrysalises and watch the battle scenes, I'd probably be pretty into it. The ruthless female anti-hero is a trope that I'm glad is gaining more traction. In the romance aspects of the book,
So plot and character-wise, it's pretty good. The world-building is all right too. I think it's just the language including occasional modern phrases that feel so anachronistic to the setting that grated on me. The ending also was pretty abrupt and included so much new information that felt rushed to me. So I don't know. I think it's a good book that just wasn't really for me. It is a shame that it was disqualified in the Hugo debacle this year because as literature aimed at a young adult audience, I think it is making some very important moves and deserved that recognition.
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and War
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
al_ana5522's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Grief, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
lauremi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
it tries way too hard to make everything about feminism, but then there are lines in the book such as “he stumbled like a girl.” it tries to make a statement about an uncontrollable abuse of power, but instead of restoring equality, the book ends with the protagonist also abusing this same power. this whole book is fueled by the emotions of rage and grief, which is understandable given the topic, but it provides no depth to the plot or the characters.
this book felt like it was originally written as a bad fan fiction. there were so many cringy lines and subplots that made me want to stop reading entirely, but with how far into the book i was, i felt the need to finish it (spoiler alert- the ending wasn’t worth it). everything felt very rushed and sloppy, and overall, i wish i never picked this book up in the first place.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Torture