Scan barcode
takarakei's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Apparently this was openly marketed as a
Because I really enjoyed the world, I will continue the series because I hope that there can be some actual character development in the next book(s).
Graphic: Alcoholism, Misogyny, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Alcohol, Confinement, Sexism, and Torture
Minor: Pedophilia, Rape, Acephobia/Arophobia, Colonisation, and Biphobia
captainhannes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Murder, Death, Misogyny, Alcoholism, Addiction, Torture, Xenophobia, War, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Sexism
Moderate: Sexual violence, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Blood, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Addiction, and Medical trauma
Minor: Fatphobia, Sexual harassment, Acephobia/Arophobia, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
nickoliver's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Violence, Addiction, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, and War
Moderate: Physical abuse, Acephobia/Arophobia, Rape, Torture, and Sexual assault
Minor: Sexual content
jenny_librarian'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
4.5
This is a lot. It's angry feminism smashing the patriarchy in a science fiction setting inspired by Chinese folklore. In the acknowledgements, Xiran Jay Zhao mentions that the first draft was way too dark for YA, and I have no trouble believing it. Even this final product is really dark, but it's the kind of darkness and anger that empowers, in the same way The Hunger Games and Katniss Everdeen did. I'll go ahead and claim Wu Zetian as a Katniss on steroids.
The world itself feels a lot like a videogame when it comes to the battles. I didn't completely connect with it, though, and it might be because it's so heavily Chinese-influenced that my Western brain had to struggle to keep up as I read. Which is great, because we need more of that. We need more mainstream Eastern stories that don't necessarily follow the typical Western tropes.
Talking about tropes, WE FINALLY GOT A LOVE TRIANGLE THAT ENDS IN POLYAMORY! The end of this book isn't great about it (it scared me a lot when it seemed to go down a very tired and depressing queer trope), but there's hope in the epilogue for book 2.
Also "HA!" I knew there was something about the Hunduns! Not what I expected, but a twist was inevitable.
The only thing that made me cringe (other than the misogyny) was the phrase Yizhi and then Zetian say about love being as big as one's heart. The context makes it sounds like they only mean romantic love and that would make it arophobic... And would also imply that monogamous people don't have as big a heart as polyamorous folks...
It's definitely a feminist science fiction to look out for, and I'm already waiting for the sequel.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Violence, and War
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Trafficking
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia, Body horror, Gun violence, Infidelity, and Suicidal thoughts
foreverinastory'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
Rep: Chinese polyamorous female MC with bound feet & uses a wheelchair, bisexual Chinese male love interest, alcoholic bisexual Chinese male love interest, supporting cast of all Chinese characters. While the world heavily relies on the gender binary, there are discussions that gender and sex are not binary.
CWs: Acephobia/Acemisia, alcohol/alcoholism--forced development of alcoholism, internalized biphobia/bimisia, blood, body horror (bound feet), body shaming/fatphobia, colonisation, confinement to chrysalis vehicles and prison cells, death/death of parents, emotional abuse, fire/fire injury, forced enlistment of women as concubines, gaslighting, mental illness (PTSD/panic attacks), misogyny, murder, racial slurs, attempted rape/mentions of past rape/sexual violence, sexism, sexual content, suicidal thoughts, torture, war, violence.
Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, War, and Violence