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miss__manga__'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Saw the end coming to a degree, but not the ultimatum.
Contains some iconic and hilarious lines. Looking forward to the sequel. Li Shimin supremacy!
Do not understand the tattoos of one of the love interests.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Child death, Confinement, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Colonisation, and War
Minor: Addiction, Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
jjjreads'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, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Biphobia, Bullying, Gun violence, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Medical content, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Cursing, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, and Rape
astressedmarshmallow's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Xenophobia, Vomit, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Murder, Alcohol, and War
Moderate: Rape, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
gairebaire's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Vomit and War
desiderium_incarnate's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
This story and it's main characters are so angry and rightfully so! It's exhausting being female in a society, that devalues exactly that. Your existence alone is a burden sometimes. It's good to have it addresses here while simultaneously not devaluing men on the basis of their gender alone. The book is also pretty brutal and cold, which in turn made me a little annoyed to read it, but I know that just stems from me being a very emotional person and here, it was mostly based on thoughts and strategy and that's just not really my vibe. It's definitely a good book tho! Angry and full of strategy as it is. That probably makes it even better for certain other people ^^
One of the main points I liked it better was the very lovely display of polyamory, which I find lacking in a lot of literature, and honestly, this here was the best love triangle! I can't wait for the next book and also I want to see more healthy polyam ships in books, it's amazing! :)
"Look on the bright side, I tell myself. After this, I can die. Finally. Being alive has been painful, exhausting, and disappointing."
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
alyssancoon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Gaslighting, and War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Torture, and Vomit
mpbookreviews's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Torture, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Vomit, and War
estelagois'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: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Vomit and Pregnancy
kathleencoughlin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Murder, and War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Confinement, and Homophobia
Minor: Domestic abuse, Vomit, and Death of parent
pastelkerstin's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Here are two facts about my experience reading this book:
1) I fundamentally disagree with the moral framework for justice that the main characters use (revenge as the response to injustice).
2) I found this book gripping despite that.
Some people hold the view that to like a book with flawed characters means that you agree with everything they do, but I think that's a ridiculous way to view fiction.
Yes, I think Zetian's methods are unethical. But no, that doesn't mean that this book ruins the perception of real-world feminism. Zetian is flawed, hypocritical at times, and cruel. But it's also very clear that she became this way because of the deeply oppressive misogynist society she lives in. She's the monster the world forced her to be if she wants to survive. She's not your perfect feminist icon, who is a good example for children, because she is a fictional character in a very specific world with very specific circumstances, some of them based on actual historical (and on-going) women's rights issues, and some of them entirely fictional. Let female characters be fucked up sometimes!
That's all I have to say on that. Additional thoughts: I wish this book slowed down more often to give you a bit more breathing room between so many tough scenes. I also think those "breaks" could have been used to flesh out the relationships more. I was definitely rooting for these three, but a lot of their falling for each other seems to happen in the in-betweens that we don't get to see. Nevertheless, I think having more canon polyamorous relationships in traditionally published books is really important. The polya rep is one of the main reasons I read this book. I think polya triads where everyone is dating each other allow for very interesting character dynamics.
Another thing I struggled a bit with was not letting the combination of traditional and at times conservative elements and futuristic sci-fi tech break my suspension of disbelief. Some parts of this world seem so very old and then others are so futuristic. I know this is deliberate. It's what makes this world-building pretty unique. But it can feel a bit disorienting at times.
All right, that's all. I'm very interested to see where the sequel will go.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Child death and Medical content
Minor: Biphobia, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
allonormativity/implied asexual erasure, implied intersex erasure, implied transphobia