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uwubies's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
my biggest cons with the book are that it tries to cram a huge amount of topics in under 400 words: alien fighting sci fi, feminist commentary on the history of & present day china, love triangle turned polyamoury, and like poltical drama - its a Lot and many aspects are not given the attention they really deserved (the polyamourous relationship was a big factor in why i read this and i wish we could have seen more)
also when i got to like the last 10 pages of the novel i was struck with a vague deja vu and then the shame hit me, this was playing out exactly like all of these dark!harry potter fanfictions i read when i was 12 ☹️ it does end on a cliffhanger though! so im hoping the sequal adds more nuance to zetians actions than just a blind rage to murder everyone that crosses her path
ummm this book is not for everyone it will definitely make some people feel Weird since zetian shimin & yizhi are horrible people who do horrible things for like, the entire book but i had fun
Graphic: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Murder, Torture, Violence, War, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Medical trauma, Grief, Addiction, and Alcohol
Minor: Blood, Colonisation, Xenophobia, and Suicidal thoughts
annorabrady'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
Also, there once was a review I saw that said "any love triangle can be solved with polyamory" and I am pleased to say that this book chose that method.
Graphic: Alcohol, Medical content, Addiction, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, War, Torture, Confinement, Death, Murder, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Alcoholism, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Colonisation and Classism
ajhling's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book has characters that are mostly grey at best, and down right evil at worst. Our protagonist is a ball of rage and is someone who would be seen as the villain in many works of fiction. I love it. Even her romantic partners are on the verge of being villains in other works of fiction.
My favourite part besides the plot and our protagonist and her romantic partners, and the world as a whole?
The fact that there's no explicit sex scenes which have impregnated the publishing industry these days. Meaning you have a book that treats its readers like the older teens and adults that we are without having to worry about sex scenes because it's aimed towards an older teen, recent high school graduate age range, which apparently means sex most be included un the eyes of modern publishers.
I'm so hoping that the lack of explicit sex scenes continues onto the next book/s in the series (though even if they were present I'd still buy/read them anyway).
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexism, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, and Misogyny
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Torture, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Genocide, Child abuse, Child death, Sexual assault, Rape, Homophobia, Colonisation, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Violence, Body shaming, Racism, and Alcohol
devirtualized's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual harassment, Torture, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and War
Moderate: Cursing, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, and Confinement
Minor: Sexual content
bibim's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism and Death
Minor: Colonisation
bookishcori's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Misogyny, Sexism, War, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Colonisation, Confinement, Domestic abuse, and Sexual assault
marsh_mall0w'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
3.5
Graphic: Misogyny, Grief, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Murder, Sexism, Torture, Violence, and War
Moderate: Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Body shaming, and Confinement
miniingrid's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
El tono parece muy de fanfic adolescente. Y se lee casi de una sentada (a pesar de la cantidad de veces que he puesto los ojos en blanco).
Moderate: Violence, War, Grief, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Torture, Alcohol, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts
miggyfool's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Ableism, Addiction, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Colonisation, Confinement, Drug abuse, Murder, Police brutality, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Chronic illness, Classism, Death, Dysphoria, Medical trauma, Slavery, and War
cristina_margarita'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
4.75
The relationship development was so amusing to me because as a reader it was fairly obvious where it was heading but the characters are so oblivious.
I couldn’t answer a single question you asked me about the chrysalises or the war; but the vibes were excellent!! I look forward to the sequel & the author’s inevitable book about the French Revolution.
This book majorly gave the hunger games for me despite them being so different
Moderate: Chronic illness, Physical abuse, War, Confinement, Murder, Violence, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Alcohol, and Body horror