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yamumsnotproud's review
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- 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? No
2.75
Adheres to the old adage of ‘rooting for the underdog,’ and for the first 75% of the book you do. After that the desire of the main character moves from ambitious to megalomaniacal.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Misogyny, Ableism, Body shaming, and Sexism
Moderate: War
Minor: Classism and Slavery
genny's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- 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
3.75
First of all, I gotta throw it out there that this is very low fantasy. It's really more historical fiction, so adjust expectations accordingly. Anyway, I truly enjoyed the set-up - Shelley Parker-Chan paints a vivid story reminiscent of Mulan, only the protagonist's primary driving force is a desperate bid for survival rather than familial duty (now that I think about it, the desire to honor family is the motivation for the "antagonist", Ouyang, so that's interesting). I enjoyed listening to the story (great audiobook narration!) even as it gave me an odd feeling of dread. Morally gray characters in a high-stakes setting will do that to you, haha.
I appreciated the conversations on gender and sexuality. There's a lot to unpack there for both Zhu and Ouyang, and I think it was executed beautifully. The monastery section was great, but I became less invested once we left that setting. For a book set in a time of war, the action scenes were forgettable and felt like filler. My heart did twinge a bit at "that scene" with Ouyang and Esen, so there's that! That said, I couldn't help but feel that Zhu as a protagonist was a little...one-note? Take away the intense ambition and there's not much left of her personality; even the comical side of her felt like a mask. This was fine up until the point whenshe has an epiphany that she doesn't need to pretend to be her brother; she no longer needs to become "great" to survive. From then on, I was never fully convinced by why she was doing all that she did. She didn't seem to truly care about the rebels' cause, the fate of people who aren't directly under her command...anything, really. She knew she could live a peaceful life and heaven wouldn't strike her down for it, she just didn't want to. But why? Power for the sake of power, I guess? Or is it simply an answer to a world that tried to confine who she could be? I'm sure the next book will explore this more, because the question was acknowledged by Zhu herself. 🤔
I appreciated the conversations on gender and sexuality. There's a lot to unpack there for both Zhu and Ouyang, and I think it was executed beautifully. The monastery section was great, but I became less invested once we left that setting. For a book set in a time of war, the action scenes were forgettable and felt like filler. My heart did twinge a bit at "that scene" with Ouyang and Esen, so there's that! That said, I couldn't help but feel that Zhu as a protagonist was a little...one-note? Take away the intense ambition and there's not much left of her personality; even the comical side of her felt like a mask. This was fine up until the point when
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Child death, Death, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, War, Body shaming, and Death of parent
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Animal death
palomabird's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Murder
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.cinnamonandpancakes's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book, this book! What can I say! The scope of this book expands as its main character expands and you don't even notice until the end when it hits you. Shelley Parker Chan infuses this book with beautiful descriptions, the sense of place is magnificent.
I don't want to say too much about the characters, because learning who they are has been such a delightful adventure, but they were all compelling and fully rounded people, they made decisions that make _sense_ for who they are. It was very easy to keep reading, even though I tried to spread it out and make it last longer!
I don't want to say too much about the characters, because learning who they are has been such a delightful adventure, but they were all compelling and fully rounded people, they made decisions that make _sense_ for who they are. It was very easy to keep reading, even though I tried to spread it out and make it last longer!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Violence, War, Death of parent, and Child death
Minor: Body shaming and Outing
bayleaff's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- 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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body shaming, Death, Murder, and War
Minor: Animal death
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
booksandteatime'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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Body shaming
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Animal death
tallis's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dysphoria, Misogyny, and Body shaming
cadenlock's review
adventurous
dark
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I loved reading Zhu's story, and I liked how Ma's perspective supported it. I didn't feel like I gained a ton from Ouyang's perspective. There were a lot of surprises, which were frustrating because I knew they were coming since it was teased (many times it would say, "She knew what she had to do," or the like), but I had to wait until it actually happened.
This is a story about ambition and desire for greatness, no matter what it takes. I'm excited to read the sequel to find out all that Zhu will achieve and what she will do to get there.
This is a story about ambition and desire for greatness, no matter what it takes. I'm excited to read the sequel to find out all that Zhu will achieve and what she will do to get there.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Body shaming, and Body horror
Minor: Child death