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beckycarter97's review against another edition
slow-paced
- 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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, Sexual content, Racism, Xenophobia, Death, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Moderate: Genocide
bluejayreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I put a hold on this audiobook at the library, and I’ll admit, when it came ready I wondered what I was thinking. I’ve read a lot of Chinese- and East Asian-inspired fantasy lately, including a completely different one that was also a fantasy version of a real ruler of China’s journey to power. But I’ve also DNF’d many, many other similar books recently. So I was a little skeptical going in.
Everything on the back cover is basically the setup for the story. The girl does not get a name, either because her father and brother don’t think her important enough to use it or her family never bothered to give her one in the first place. Surrounded by famine so terrible that people have resorted to truly terrible means, there was no reason to put effort into keeping a daughter alive when you could instead save a son.
But the girl lives. She takes her brother’s name and identity to enter a monastery where there would be food. There she discovers how far she will go to survive. She believes her true fate is nothingness and death, but if she has a strong enough will, she can convince Heaven itself that she should live.
That is the story. It is a monk who is not a woman* but who must hide her woman’s body, whose choices are nothingness or greatness and who will sacrifice anything, even breaking her own heart in the process, to seize her fate. As a girl child in a world that would rather let a girl die than let a boy be uncomfortable, she chose to live by any means necessary.
She is not a good person, but she is a strongly compelling character, a queer anti-hero who does many things that are morally dubious or outright wrong but who I still want to see succeed.
Her journey is set against a war – the Red Turban Rebellion – as the Chinese attempt to overthrow their Mongol rulers. And hers is not the only perspective in the story. There is also the eunuch general of the Mongol rulers, biding his time in dubious favor with various Mongol nobility until he can get revenge for his slaughtered family. There is also Ma, engaged to the son of a Red Turban leader as the rebellion’s leadership jockeys for power, who gets significantly less page time but no less importance than the other two. The threads of fate surround everyone and draw them ever closer to their glory or doom.
This review is poetic because that’s what this book evokes. The writing style isn’t poetic, and the book itself is full of violence and gore and hatred, but the story feels like an epic saga, the kind of thing that gets put to song and sung throughout the land. I occasionally had a difficult time keeping the names straight – though I’m pretty sure that’s a limitation of reading it as an audiobook – and the sheer excess of misogyny was hard to read at times. But I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. The sequel hasn’t even been announced yet, but there is going to be one and I can’t wait.
*About gender and pronouns in the book: Though raised as a girl until age 9-ish, Zhu declares herself not to be a girl. She presents as a man and uses he/him pronouns with others, but declares herself to be in a space between or outside the two genders, neither male nor female. The parts of the book that are from her perspective use she/her pronouns for her, so that’s what I use in this review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Child death, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Blood, Gore, Ableism, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Classism, and Racism
Minor: Vomit, Animal death, Dysphoria, Cannibalism, and Fire/Fire injury
rowanasm's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- 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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Ableism, Violence, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Racism, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Dysphoria, Child abuse, Sexual content, Sexism, Medical trauma, Death, Child death, Animal cruelty, War, Alcohol, Outing, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Grief, Murder, Domestic abuse, and Blood
snowydaze's review
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
3.0
The changing povs took a while to get into and I just couldn't get into it. The ending also felt rushed after the build up of the rest of the novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Injury/Injury detail, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Grief, Alcohol, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Torture, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Death, Medical content, and Misogyny
Minor: Sexual content
veronikav's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.5
Got interested in it because of the premise of lesbian fisting , stayed for the eunuch general.
I didn't have some extra high hopes going into this. All I had known about this books were little tidbits and memes from tiktok (some of the more explicit scenes were very popular there) but nothing of real substance. Oh also I had seen some quotes on tumblr and surprisingly enjoyed them. Still I was expecting another run-of-the-mill YA/new adult fiction that gets mass produced and published these days. I was wrong and I am happy that is the case.
First of all - whoever described this as "Mulan meets Achilles" is doing the story a big injustice. While you could draw parallels between those it does feel like whoever wrote that just saw "Chinese girl who pretends to be a man fights in a war" and "gay" and thought it an appropriate comparison. But rather than that I would draw a comparison to what is the predecessor of this book which is the Chinese fantasy web novel genre which then gave birth to wuxia/xianxia dramas.
As much as there are many elements that you would find in a Chinese fantasy web novel it is clearly different - first noticable difference being the language it is written in. After all despite translations the cadences and writing styles of each language are vastly different and it is clear that SWBS was written for English not transformed into it as an afterthought. Therefore it proves a much easier and smoother read while having the same overall tone.
From what I had heard about the novel I didn't expect it to have such a profound message pertaining to conceptions of gender. That was what honestly drew me in more and more with each chapter - the construction of gender in a highly patriarchal society - the existence of Other gendered states of being in such a space. My favorite character of course ended up being Ouyang because there was something so incredibly fascinating about him. Actually in the first book I'd say the romance between Ouyang and Esen is much more well-developed and intriguing compared to the main couple - who despite having more actual moments are on a smoother path. I've always been into the tragic love stories.
Anyways, I rate this book highly - had to hesitate between a 4 and a 5, but ended up giving it a 5 because I know I can't apply my classical lit standards to everything. Think of it as a rounded up 4.5.
I didn't have some extra high hopes going into this. All I had known about this books were little tidbits and memes from tiktok (some of the more explicit scenes were very popular there) but nothing of real substance. Oh also I had seen some quotes on tumblr and surprisingly enjoyed them. Still I was expecting another run-of-the-mill YA/new adult fiction that gets mass produced and published these days. I was wrong and I am happy that is the case.
First of all - whoever described this as "Mulan meets Achilles" is doing the story a big injustice. While you could draw parallels between those it does feel like whoever wrote that just saw "Chinese girl who pretends to be a man fights in a war" and "gay" and thought it an appropriate comparison. But rather than that I would draw a comparison to what is the predecessor of this book which is the Chinese fantasy web novel genre which then gave birth to wuxia/xianxia dramas.
As much as there are many elements that you would find in a Chinese fantasy web novel it is clearly different - first noticable difference being the language it is written in. After all despite translations the cadences and writing styles of each language are vastly different and it is clear that SWBS was written for English not transformed into it as an afterthought. Therefore it proves a much easier and smoother read while having the same overall tone.
From what I had heard about the novel I didn't expect it to have such a profound message pertaining to conceptions of gender. That was what honestly drew me in more and more with each chapter - the construction of gender in a highly patriarchal society - the existence of Other gendered states of being in such a space. My favorite character of course ended up being Ouyang because there was something so incredibly fascinating about him. Actually in the first book I'd say the romance between Ouyang and Esen is much more well-developed and intriguing compared to the main couple - who despite having more actual moments are on a smoother path. I've always been into the tragic love stories.
Anyways, I rate this book highly - had to hesitate between a 4 and a 5, but ended up giving it a 5 because I know I can't apply my classical lit standards to everything. Think of it as a rounded up 4.5.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Gore, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, and War
body mutilation one of the important characters is an eunuch and it's a very important part of his character arch. so constant comments about this etc.ireadinbed's review
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- 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
Honestly this book is amazing.
I found that I felt the troubles of the characters deep in my heart. It hurt but I was so invested in the outcomes I couldn't stop reading. And honestly it was all very. . . satisfying isn't the right word but the ending was exactly what it was meant to be.
Would absolutely read again.
I found that I felt the troubles of the characters deep in my heart. It hurt but I was so invested in the outcomes I couldn't stop reading. And honestly it was all very. . . satisfying isn't the right word but the ending was exactly what it was meant to be.
Would absolutely read again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Body horror, Body shaming, and Child death
Moderate: Misogyny, Homophobia, Transphobia, Sexual content, and Racism
mythos365's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I really wanted to like this book. While I am glad I read it, I can't say that it's one I'd pick up again. The characters were interesting but I didn't really care for most of them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Sexism, Racism, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Child death, Genocide, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual violence
danny_thereader's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Violence, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Murder, and Racism
imds's review
- 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? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, War, Murder, Violence, Racism, and Death of parent
hanarama's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Cw: dismemberment, murder, starvation, misgendering, dysphoria, misogyny, ableism, child death,
The Good:
• NB main character
• Building intensity
The Bad:
• Not enough distinction in PoV voices
• Slow middle
You Might Like This if You Like:
• Political intrigue
• Descent into darkness
• Climb to power
• The Poppy War
A fictionalized account of the Ming dynasty's founding emporer's rise to power. This is a story of war and destiny. Zhu Chongba grabs her brother's destiny of greatness when he dies of famine. Becoming first a monk, then a warrior, Zhu will let nothing stand in her way. On the other side of the growing conflict is Ouyang, a eunuch general in the Mongolian army. Fighting against his fate and yet drawn ever towards it, Ouyang finds himself constantly at odds with himself.
Zhu is a highly compelling lead. Her cleverness and resilience carry her forward. Her shift is gradual, but not unexpected. Every step Zhu makes is to advance her agenda and to achieve greatness through any means possible.
I found the book's exploration of gender to be really interesting. Parker-Chan provides a very nuanced understanding of Zhu and Ouyang's gender identities, despite the historical setting and the lack of more contemporary vocabulary.
Though Zhu's PoV sections are very distinctive, I felt that those of Ouyang and Esen were at times too similar in tone.
Though the ending and beginning are extremely easy to get through, the middle kind of lags. There is a bit of a repeating cycle with Zhu succeeding at a task assigned to her by the rebels, discussing who to align with, etc. While it helps to build precedent for what Zhu is willing to do to become great, it can be a little bit of a drag.
I use the pronouns used by the characters in their chapters. Zhu does not ID as a woman, but uses she/her pronouns in her chapters.
The Good:
• NB main character
• Building intensity
The Bad:
• Not enough distinction in PoV voices
• Slow middle
You Might Like This if You Like:
• Political intrigue
• Descent into darkness
• Climb to power
• The Poppy War
A fictionalized account of the Ming dynasty's founding emporer's rise to power. This is a story of war and destiny. Zhu Chongba grabs her brother's destiny of greatness when he dies of famine. Becoming first a monk, then a warrior, Zhu will let nothing stand in her way. On the other side of the growing conflict is Ouyang, a eunuch general in the Mongolian army. Fighting against his fate and yet drawn ever towards it, Ouyang finds himself constantly at odds with himself.
Zhu is a highly compelling lead. Her cleverness and resilience carry her forward. Her shift is gradual, but not unexpected. Every step Zhu makes is to advance her agenda and to achieve greatness through any means possible.
I found the book's exploration of gender to be really interesting. Parker-Chan provides a very nuanced understanding of Zhu and Ouyang's gender identities, despite the historical setting and the lack of more contemporary vocabulary.
Though Zhu's PoV sections are very distinctive, I felt that those of Ouyang and Esen were at times too similar in tone.
Though the ending and beginning are extremely easy to get through, the middle kind of lags. There is a bit of a repeating cycle with Zhu succeeding at a task assigned to her by the rebels, discussing who to align with, etc. While it helps to build precedent for what Zhu is willing to do to become great, it can be a little bit of a drag.
I use the pronouns used by the characters in their chapters. Zhu does not ID as a woman, but uses she/her pronouns in her chapters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Blood, Death, Dysphoria, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail