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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
What i liked: unique concept of Pacific Rim meets ATLA meets ancient China, Chinese cultural and historical references, non-binary/bi/poly representation, morally gray characters, lot of really good zingers. Loved that Xiran subverted the tired YA trope of the love triangle. Action packed pretty much all the way through. I couldn’t put it down once things picked up after Zetian was in her first battle, and I loved all the Chinese mythological references.
What I disliked: magic/tech in the world not explained very well (would have been hard for me to picture some elements had I not already been somewhat familiar with some of the Chinese cultural elements), no pinyin accent marks on the characters’ names (nit-picky, but still), Zetian being a feminist but not explained how she developed those views, the ending was really weird??? (Aliens?). Also would have liked to see her show more conflicted feelings towards her family (esp her mom and grandma) instead of squashing them all at the end. I was half-expecting her to show more compassion towards her mom and grandma at least after learning that they too were products of a misogynistic system, but nope.
What I disliked: magic/tech in the world not explained very well (would have been hard for me to picture some elements had I not already been somewhat familiar with some of the Chinese cultural elements), no pinyin accent marks on the characters’ names (nit-picky, but still), Zetian being a feminist but not explained how she developed those views, the ending was really weird??? (Aliens?). Also would have liked to see her show more conflicted feelings towards her family (esp her mom and grandma) instead of squashing them all at the end. I was half-expecting her to show more compassion towards her mom and grandma at least after learning that they too were products of a misogynistic system, but nope.
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Xiran Jay Zhao is my new favourite author this slapped so hard. I normally don't get that hyped for mecha but THISSS got me good.
Great read so far, but got too confusing / not my cup of tea at that point in life. Probably will return to it in a classic mood reader move.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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:
Yes
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-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
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book made really interesting use of Chinese mythology and history, and I enjoyed the magic/tech system. It was definitely a wild ride of a book. I enjoyed the handling of gender and including a polyamorous relationship, even if it sometimes felt a little heavy handed. Hooray for a strong and not annoying love triangle!
Holy shit... I was set to give this one 4.5 stars until I hit the last 30 or so pages and I'm absolutely floored... The plot twist in the epilogue also completely surprised me. I'm so excited to see how Zhao follows this up in the sequel.
This book exceeded my expectations by leaps and bounds. It was so tightly plotted and fast paced that I managed to read it in about 3 hours! I
This book exceeded my expectations by leaps and bounds. It was so tightly plotted and fast paced that I managed to read it in about 3 hours! I
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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:
Complicated
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
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:
No