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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, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Ableism, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Homophobia, Pedophilia, Transphobia, Vomit, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
mersymerci'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Minor: Sexual assault
iane_reads's review
- 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: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and War
Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Cursing, Genocide, Mental illness, Xenophobia, Blood, Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Biphobia, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Medical content, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, and Deportation
oliviathebookwyrm'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Blood, Murder, and War
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Grief, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
moonchild_cos's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, War, and Classism
Minor: Cursing, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent
lisacanteven'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
I’ve heard the comparison of The Hunger Games meets Pacific Rim, and I guess that is an okay observation. But this book is so much more than those stories. The amount I learned about Chinese history and culture made it more alone.
But then when you get into the queerness of it all, you realize just how valuable this book is for young (and old) readers everywhere. The queer rep is sweet and lovely. It’s a rough, hard, sharp story with a very soft, sweet queer love story at its core. This juxtaposition exists within the characters too.
This story felt like the most real story I have ever read. Zetian, the MC, thinks and acts in a way I have always craved to see in a character. I felt every word written about Zetian. I felt every emotion @xiranjayzhao created for Zetian.
Zetian, Shimin, and Yizhi are the three characters I want to have dinner…and dessert with. I have never felt more connected to three characters. This is why representation of all kinds is so fucking important, and I will never stop fighting and expecting it.
tl;dr- This is a story about a badass woman and the two men backing her up as she takes down the patriarchy in a society yet to come.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Classism
mel_j's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Grief, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cursing, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
sparrowhearted'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
The writing felt somewhat underdeveloped and a little dissonant in many places, something I assume was both encouraged given its target audience and is also very understandable considering this is Zhao's debut as a published author but it did frequently take me out of my reading experience, which I thought was a pity. I also think that due to its stylistic shortcomings, the more serious aspects that pertain to inequality and other more sensitive, nuanced topics took somewhat of a preachy tone, not unlike the one you would find on Twitter. I personally did not enjoy that, but I can yet again also see why that would resonate with a YA audience that I no longer fall into.
The book's premise and ideas overall make up for my gripes with its writing and structuring, however, and I'm both very willing to read its continuation once it is published but have also recommended it to multiple people.
Graphic: Ableism and Sexism
Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Classism
emilb's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
My rating might be a tad unfair - I'm just generally not a fan of YA. But as YA goes, this is definitely up there.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Murder, and War
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Classism
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: Addiction, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Trafficking, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Genocide, Gore, Self harm, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic