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kbairbooks's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Violence, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Death, Death of parent, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Torture, Gaslighting, Child death, Cursing, Body shaming, Grief, Colonisation, Addiction, Alcohol, Confinement, Mental illness, Biphobia, Blood, Classism, Genocide, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, and War
squinnittowinit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I thought this book did a very good job of immersing the reader in the very real misogyny that Wu Zetian experiences at every turn, but also not wallowing in those feelings. Instead, Zetian fights against the system at every turn and the reader can celebrate with her when she succeeds. Gao Yizhi and Li Shimin are great supporting characters as well, full of their own depth, but without taking away from Zetian's character in any way.
I especially loved how unapologetically bloodthirsty Wu Zetian was, so often the "dangerous woman" main character ends up just being misunderstood, or becomes tamed by love or something, which is just weak character development. Wu Zetian is a dangerous woman, and that never changes.
4.75 stars because some of the most dramatic dialogue moments were just a little too silly for my liking.
Graphic: Addiction, Murder, Confinement, Violence, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Misogyny, Death, Child abuse, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
Moderate: Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Classism, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Racism, Rape, War, Gun violence, and Ableism
Minor: Homophobia, Gaslighting, Vomit, Transphobia, Pedophilia, and Pregnancy
iane_reads'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? No
2.5
Graphic: Chronic illness, Physical abuse, Ableism, Death, Forced institutionalization, Violence, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Child death, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Grief, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Gun violence, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Torture, Murder, War, and Hate crime
Moderate: Classism, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Genocide, Xenophobia, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Cursing, and Trafficking
Minor: Biphobia, Fatphobia, Sexual content, Infidelity, Death of parent, Deportation, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, and Medical content
jonwood's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
In general I don't care for reading action scenes, and I found these about giant robots and equally giant aliens somewhat hard to follow (ironic considering my childhood love of Power Rangers, but visuals help).
This book despite being labeled as YA, covers a lot of sensitive topics. The opening introduction/prologue begins with a rather explicit rape allegory. Sexual assault, manipulation, and shame all feature heavy, and an actual rape attempt (not just a metaphor) is very explicitly applied to almost happen at one point. Also, within the first 50 pages, child abuse happens. Due to all of this, this book may be hard for some to read.
Graphic: Gaslighting, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Rape, Alcohol, Sexual assault, Sexism, Sexual violence, Violence, Alcoholism, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Death, Medical content, War, Torture, Murder, and Mental illness
bold_badger's review
- 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: Confinement, Misogyny, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Torture, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Racism and Vomit
Minor: Gaslighting
justmys's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Everything happens so fast and so easily (???) that it just felt...like watching a movie adaptation of a novel?
I didn't like the main character. I wanted to.
If there's another book set in the same world I'll read it. It's an easy read and a decent idea for a story. I just hope we get to delve further in and read a novel instead of watching the YA movie version.
Graphic: Murder, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Torture, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, War, Abandonment, Addiction, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Sexism, Child abuse, Death, Fatphobia, and Misogyny
Moderate: Gore, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Murder
bek_p87's review
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, War, Murder, Violence, and Gaslighting
Minor: Blood
themiscyra_anna's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Alcoholism, War, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Slavery, Sexism, Rape, Trafficking, Drug abuse, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Body horror, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Classism, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and Body shaming
goodevening77's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Hate crime, Gaslighting, Sexism, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, and Body horror
rachelsinabook's review
- 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, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Gaslighting, and War
Moderate: Body shaming and Death
Minor: Blood