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beckycarter97'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? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Genocide
bluejayreads's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Ableism, Child death, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Blood, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Racism, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Animal death, Vomit, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, and Dysphoria
rowanasm'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
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Outing, Alcohol, Dysphoria, War, and Injury/Injury detail
snowydaze'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? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual content
veronikav'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
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.
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Blood, Death of parent, Colonisation, Dysphoria, 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 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
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.
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual content, and Transphobia
mythos365's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Genocide, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual violence
danny_thereader'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
4.5
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Child death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder
imds'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? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Death, Racism, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and War
hanarama's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Dysphoria, War, and Injury/Injury detail