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adhdru'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
“You’ve been living a dream long enough!
Welcome to your nightmare.”
What this book is:
What this book isn’t:
With that out of the way, let’s us dive into... my review
“There will be no redemption. It is not me who is wrong. It's everyone else.”
"There's no such thing as karma," I say, enunciating every siyllable like I want to crush them with my teeth. "Or, if it dies exist, it sure does not give a shit about people like me. Some of us were born to be used and discarded. We can't afford to simply go along with the flow of life, because nothing in this world has been created, built, or set up in our favor."
"Humans...scourge of the universe..."
To Yizhi: “Don’t think I’ve overlooked that you came to my house and almost foiled my plan, despite knowing how important it is to me. If you tip off the army in even the slightest way, I will kill myself when they lock me up, and then I will haunt you.”
To Shimin: “Ripples of visible heat lift his long hair above his shoulders, exposing his neck, splashed with horrid scars. 'It’s all wrong.’
‘Can't you fix it?’
‘I don't know how.’
Anger roils through my stupor. This conversation is pointless.
Only one can live.
‘I can't fix anything,’ he goes on. ‘I only know how to destroy.’
‘Then die.’
I stomp forth and shove him over the edge.”
Screw jealousy
"Cheating is deception. He and I have talked about this. He's secure enough to know it's not a competition. That any feelings I have for you don't cancel the ones I have for him. He's okay with however close you and I get."
"No, don't worry. I don't consider my instincts logical. so I don't want to be defined by them."
Before the poly becomes canon he also explains why he doesn't mind Zetian (potentially) being with Shimin in such a wonderful way:
"Where does jealousy come from, if not an insecurity that I'll lose you because of him? But that's not how it works, no matter how many people believe it so. You're not something to be kept or taken, and love isn't some scarce resource to battle over. Love can be infinite, as much as your heart can open."
I'll wrap up this kilometric review with one of my favourite quotes cause it has some of my favourite things grey morality, defiance, a fuck you to gender roles and the hierarchy, and perhaps the most important of all: food.
“Perks of refusing to play by the rules: you don’t have to choose between the boy who’d torture a man to death with you and the boy who welcomes you back with pastries.”
Instagram: https://cutt.ly/druloveswords| Storygraph: https://cutt.ly/mystorygraph | Goodreads: https://cutt.ly/mygoodreads
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and War
Moderate: Body shaming, Colonisation, Dysphoria, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
sodafer'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Ableism, War, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, and Misogyny
Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Slavery, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Fatphobia, Sexual content, and Rape
foreverinastory'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
Rep: Chinese polyamorous female MC with bound feet & uses a wheelchair, bisexual Chinese male love interest, alcoholic bisexual Chinese male love interest, supporting cast of all Chinese characters. While the world heavily relies on the gender binary, there are discussions that gender and sex are not binary.
CWs: Acephobia/Acemisia, alcohol/alcoholism--forced development of alcoholism, internalized biphobia/bimisia, blood, body horror (bound feet), body shaming/fatphobia, colonisation, confinement to chrysalis vehicles and prison cells, death/death of parents, emotional abuse, fire/fire injury, forced enlistment of women as concubines, gaslighting, mental illness (PTSD/panic attacks), misogyny, murder, racial slurs, attempted rape/mentions of past rape/sexual violence, sexism, sexual content, suicidal thoughts, torture, war, violence.
Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, War, and Violence