Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

Rache im Herzen by Xiran Jay Zhao

84 reviews

gattolinos_nerdy_nook's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I AM SCREAMING. This book was, no IS, so amazing. It is the first book that made me not want to read the ending because then there would be no more. Spoiler I read the ending and love this book. I was screaming through out the ending, especially in part 4.

The plot, characters, the twists and turns, and everything in between is just so well done that I can't even begin to describe it. This book is not for the faint of heart or those who do not like morally grey characters. It covers some heavy topics and themes in ways that can seem extreme at times.
As main characters go we have Zetian who is unapologetically anger with the world she is in and the part she has to play as a women. She uses that anger to get vengeance and demand change. I related to her a lot with the anger and injustice as a women working in STEM. I face those issues daily in my workplace and have to shout and screaming to be heard and not talked over.
Some might say we are following an antagonistic, but I think we are just following a normal person who has been pushed to the edge thanks to injustice in their world. I think a lot of people can relate to that.

The plot was also not where or what I was expecting it to be when I started reading, and I'm so happy it wasn't as this is so much more. As it is a fast paced book it feels like things are happening all the time and a lot happens within these 400 pages, but not of it feels out of place, forced, or not giving enough attention.

From Zetian killing Yang Guang in part 1, which had me screaming and cheering especially at that "welcome to your nightmare" line. Gold. Pure fucking gold. The beautiful relationship and development between Zetian, Sima Yi, and Yizhi was so well written and felt so natural, and then the ending of part 3 and all of part 4. I just couldn't at Sima Yi's "death" and then the  resurrection  of Emperor Qin Zheng and really just all of part 4 had me screaming as I was reading. Pretty sure my neighbours think I've been murdered about four times now.

 

This book deserves all the praise and hype it is given and so much more. I will never hesitate to recommend people to read this book. If you are on the fence about it this is your message to read it. You will not regret it.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Body horror, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Violence, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Gore, Medical trauma, and War

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Confinement, Death of parent, and Torture

Minor: Sexual violence and Kidnapping

lolajh's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

5.0

Women going lowkey mad and killing men > zetian I love you fr

Honestly the best development I’ve seen of a heroine becoming an anti heroine. Zetian, a morally grey Chinese disabled woman rebels against her patriarchal society, having to prove her power throughly due to being a woman and doing it FLAWLESSLY whilst criticising the patriarchal and misogynistic society that also exists in the real world. Zetian proves to be so much more powerful than any man, as

is every woman in this universe. Women in this story are so much stronger than men that they have to be used as a “battery” of chi to fuel men and make them stronger due to them being so much weaker naturally, which ends up killing the women, something that further fuels Zetian’s revenge of killing men due to her sister being one of the targets of this and being killed.

Zetian’s power is soon recognised as a major threat, so is paired up with the strongest pilot to fight together in the war that is going on. Whilst Zetian is on her rampage,

she ends up falling for the pilot she is paired with whilst still having feelings for her childhood friend back home. This love triangle is sorted out in best way by making them all polyamory

The book also describes Zetian’s challenging of the roles and expectations of women, through how she wants to present herself and also her body not being the perfect, skinny figure that is idealised. All this challenges Zetian’s connection to her own womanhood. Just about everything good is in this book. Will definitely have to reread while waiting for the next in the series to come out.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Medical trauma, Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Ableism, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Slavery, Rape, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, War, Sexual content, Child death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Xenophobia

macknificent's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

"In fact, I am what the worst kind of hope looks like. The kind that has driven group after group of girls here to be prettied into concubines. Families will point at me— this tamed, airbrushed image of me— to calm down their daughters about being sold to the army."


"One last thing,” I say over my shoulder, too quiet for my family to hear over the hovercraft churning. “Don’t think I’ve overlooked that you came to my house and almost foiled my plan, despite knowing how important it is to me. If you tip off the army in even the slightest way, I will kill myself when they lock me up, and then I will haunt you.”

What I Liked: The opening of the book was stellar! I felt like I was in the midst of a Gundam battle and somehow it had been turned into a novel! The world felt very full and the characters were complex, Wu Zetian's fury and follow through was glorious in the first portion of the book. I appreciated the constant call out of the patriarchy and how it was shown to affect every level of their world. 

What I Didn't Like: Once Wu Zetian achieved her initial objective it felt like the book lost its momentum and cohesiveness. In the second half of the book we jumped from gritty & dark to sappy & thoroughly YA with no warning, rhythm or purpose. As happens with many debuts, the ending felt rushed as we tried to wrap up a lot of loose ends and set up for the next book.

We never found out the story behind Gao Yizhi's tattoos!

I enjoyed this book immensely but there are issues with consistency and character cohesiveness that I hope are improved in the next book. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Classism, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Suicide, Addiction, Alcohol, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Medical content, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Sexism

Moderate: Sexual violence, Slavery, Trafficking, Violence, War, Rape, Self harm, and Xenophobia

atomicbritt's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense fast-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

2.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Sexism, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Murder, and Xenophobia

laurajeangrace's review against another edition

adventurous dark fast-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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Gore, War, Violence, and Sexism

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Murder, Confinement, and Rape

Minor: Sexual content and Pregnancy

nessynoname's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring 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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Classism, Sexism, War, Misogyny, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Confinement, Torture, Violence, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Grief, and Medical trauma

Foot-binding is practiced among the cultures of this world and the main character is a recipient of it. There is graphic description of the procedure as well as multiple references to the daily pain it causes her.

rai's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional fast-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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, War, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Rape, Alcoholism, Violence, Torture, Sexual violence, and Confinement

Moderate: Toxic friendship and Toxic relationship

brokenbodybitch's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Medical trauma, Death, Torture, Sexual violence, Grief, Sexual assault, Gore, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse

marissasa's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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

5.0

Wu Zetian is the most iconic female protagonist I have ever read in a book and I adored every page of her rise to power and descent to madness. She is rage-filled and outspoken, determined and unrelenting. I never stopped rooting for her to overcome her challenges, which were all imposed on her by the patriarchal government and misogynistic society. Xiran's writing is casual but powerful and it made Zetian's characterization even more distinct as we viewed the world through her eyes. On top of all this we got not one but two bisexual love interests who end up in a polyam relationship with her, each of them supporting each other and destroying everything and anything that threatens to bring harm to one of them? Yeah, iconic.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Cursing, Death, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Violence, War, Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Colonisation, Confinement, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Suicidal thoughts

btwnprintedpgs's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark inspiring tense fast-paced

• 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? No

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Murder, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Medical trauma, Alcoholism, War, Misogyny, Gore, Violence, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, and Slavery