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dandelionsteph's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Biphobia, Bullying, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Xenophobia
Minor: Body shaming and Pregnancy
cnaccarato'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
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
t_scottreviews's review against another edition
5.0
CAWPILE = 9.07
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Genocide, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Murder, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Pregnancy
madmantha'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
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Blood, Medical trauma, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Homophobia, Rape, Sexual content, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Pregnancy, and Lesbophobia
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
respheal'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? It's complicated
5.0
As a person in a healthy poly relationship, seeing that sort of relationship in media is lovely. Even when 1/3 is the delightful boyfriend who greets the other 2/3s with baked goods when they're done torturing a man to death. I was a little worried towards the end, before the Sequel Hook dropped. Disappointment turned immediately into deep concern. With the sequel hook came confirmation of many theories I had, which is always a good sign—a cohesive narrative rewards theorizing.
Overall, recommended. I'm still reeling.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, and Classism
Minor: Bullying, Confinement, Rape, Cannibalism, and Pregnancy
ellstar'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? It's complicated
3.0
<Spoiler> Don't get me wrong, the World building is great and the characters are interesting and each offer a unique perspective on this world, but the motivation at the start of Zetian's journey is for revenge for a sister we literally learn nothing about. I was wondering if there was going to be some sort of twist in the third act or some sort of reveal at the end which would explain why we literally know NOTHING about this big sister that Zetian is so desperate to sacrifice her life for, but as we learn about the family trauma she suffered from, her sister never is part of these stories. We don't see her sister either soothing her after her feet are crushed, or distracting her while her mother or grandmother are being beaten, or even offering any real advice or anecdotes to explain why she is so important to Zetian. It feels like a really big miss for me, and this also happens with Shimin's story as well, with both his friend whom he killed for (I can't even remember if she had a name) & Wende. For a book that is about trying to detach women from the shackles of a patriarchal society that devalues them, I was a bit disappointed that we didn't get to flesh out these characters a little bit more considering the impact they had on our leads. It felt a bit shallow and even her interactions with the other female pilots seemed shallow and I can't imagine that we're supposed to believe that this entire world has no good female characters? </Spoiler>
I'm hoping that this was just pieces that were removed during the editing process because I know this book could've been a lot longer, & fortunately this is something that can be improved on, so I look forward to the follow-up novels in this series.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Pregnancy
fraxisle's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, and War
Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, and Colonisation
estelagois'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
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Vomit and Pregnancy
mswarning'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
4.5
I love Zetian quite a lot. I find her both awful and inspiring.
Second read: This time I read both print and listened to the audiobook. I liked hearing the pronunciation of the character and place names. I understood the ending more since I remembered a few of the things that happened. I'm bumping it from 4.25 to 4.5 stars.
Graphic: Misogyny, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Pregnancy