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anxieteaandbiscuits12'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: Blood, Body shaming, Ableism, Murder, Self harm, Violence, War, Body horror, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Kidnapping, and Slavery
warlocksarecool21'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
4.5
If you read all of this, then congratulations 😂. This duology was really well done and is definitely worth a read (it’s really brutal though so watch out).
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gore, Self harm, Sexual content, Death, Dysphoria, Torture, Blood, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, War, Body shaming, Homophobia, Murder, Grief, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Violence, and Rape
chelsholt03'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: Murder, Sexual violence, and Self harm
Moderate: Child death
sarasreading'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
4.0
It was also so brutal. Whoooo. Definitely be aware of the trigger warnings. There are so, so many. I don't have a strong stomach and I made it, but I was prepared for this one to be more violent.
Still, I flew through this beast in like 2.5 days, and there were several moments where I literally gasped out loud. It was a wild ride, you guys. The ending was also pretty satisfying.
I can see myself reading first book again, but the sheer amount of gruesome suffering in this one probably won't compell me to pick it up again.
Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, Body shaming, Child death, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, War, and Grief
Moderate: Colonisation, Classism, and Miscarriage
Minor: Slavery
osladek'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
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Child death, War, Murder, Sexual assault, Torture, Sexism, and Rape
talonsontypewriters'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
4.5
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, War, Grief, Confinement, Torture, Misogyny, Classism, Death, Domestic abuse, Self harm, and Sexism
Moderate: Death of parent, Infidelity, Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual content, Medical content, Child death, Sexual assault, Dysphoria, Xenophobia, Transphobia, Animal cruelty, and Slavery
Minor: Suicide, Miscarriage, Abortion, Incest, and Vomit
winterwoodbooks's review against another edition
3.75
Much more gory tho
Graphic: Vomit, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Deadnaming, Body horror, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Grief, Death, Transphobia, Violence, Slavery, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Homophobia, Genocide, War, Torture, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Murder, Misogyny, Hate crime, Rape, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Child death, and Body shaming
aliteraryescape's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Sexism, Misogyny, Homophobia, Sexual content, Death, Blood, Self harm, Child death, and Ableism
Minor: Vomit
pages_of_emma'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? Yes
5.0
We have characters we love (hate? love to hate?) returning and some new perspectives too. I loved how we got to see Zhu and Ouyang together in this one – their complex and charged connection is everything I wanted it to be. Other character highlights were Ma (oh Ma) and Madam Zhang. I loved how, despite these women not being ‘allowed’ to have power like the men, they wielded what they did have in clever ways.
I also knew that Ouyang would break my heart but I did not expect how it happened. I am not one to cry at books at all, but I definitely felt my eyes prickle!
And Wang Baoxiang… goodness me. If you think someone is nasty, put him next to them and they’ll probably look like an angel.
The thing about all these characters and the way Shelley has written them though, is that even though you know they are all terrible people, you cannot help but be sucked in to their machinations. You need to keep reading, to follow them on their journeys because they are so compelling.
Shelley Parker-Chan’s prose is, as it was in the first book, outstanding. It’s brutal, lush and textured and I drank it all up.
As with the first book we have the exploration of gender and the breaking of gender norms at the heart of the tale. In a world where being other than male or female can bring shame and even death, it was fantastic to witness characters blazing their own paths while defying these rules.
This story is dark and heavy all of the time, the pain and sufferings of the characters unrelenting as we move through the pages. They all strive to be great, and all have to face the consequences of that quest. There is so much plotting, more betrayal and many twists and turns all bringing these character threads to a truly epic conclusion.
The Radiant Emperor Duology is nothing short of a masterpiece, and it will sit on my favourites shelf forever.
Content warnings galore for this one – please check them!
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an e-arc of this book in exchange for review.
Graphic: Death, Self harm, Ableism, Grief, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Child death and Miscarriage
savvypotions'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: Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Misogyny, and Self harm
Moderate: Kidnapping, Blood, Sexual content, Miscarriage, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Body shaming, Child death, and Classism