Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan

63 reviews

jayisreading's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

4.75

Just when you thought the stakes couldn't get higher, Parker-Chan raised them with more political intrigue and a surprising amount of darkness that will have you on the edge of your seat. There are more perspectives we're getting in this sequel to really reveal the complex web that the author crafted. Parker-Chan seized this opportunity and did a phenomenal job fleshing out fascinating, morally grey characters, many of them changing a fair bit compared to She Who Became the Sun.

Once again, Parker-Chan dives deep into gender and sexuality, though I felt there was more discussion on femininity in the sequel than in the first book, which was refreshing. I think more could have been done on this front, especially considering that we got more of Ma's and Madam Zhang's perspectives on ongoing politics and scheming, though I didn't think it was unsatisfying either— I absolutely loved that the author continued to explore (toxic) masculinity. I was especially invested in Baoxiang's perspective and the way he negotiated with his own sexuality.

In the first novel, I didn't feel the fantastical elements worked particularly well. I think this was attended to rather well in the sequel, and the ghostly elements really did add a lot to the story (particularly towards the end).

Parker-Chan did a fantastic job wrapping up a strong duology. Despite the significant losses and violence in He Who Drowned the World, it all played out well like a high stakes chess game that you can't help but feel invested in.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Death, Violence, Blood, Misogyny, Sexism, Self harm, War, and Rape

Moderate: Homophobia and Ableism

bonriki's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Mild spoilers included:

This is the grim follow-up to She Who Became the Sun. The main POV cast is expanded to four people: Zhu, Oyuang, Baoxiang, and Madam Zhang. Oyuang and Baoxiang were the characters I found to be the most compelling from the first book (I love those tragic, self-hating, revenge-seeking dangerous characters) so I really enjoyed them having a larger part of the narrative. 

One of the things I really appreciate is how very queer this book is, Zhu is an asexual nonbinary person. Oyuang is a (possibly gay) cis man considered by others to be Not A Man because he’s a eunuch. Baoxiang is a flamboyant cishet man who nevertheless regularly sleeps with a man to further his goals. It a messy sort of queer rep that doesn’t fit into the neat boxes I’m used to seeing in other books. 

On the other hand, just like in the first book, I found Zhu to be something of a weak point. The way she views the world as though success is a forgone conclusion, her optimism, her blind determination just isn’t particularly interesting, it often feels one-note. The far more angsty, sacrificing, and self-destructive paths that Oyuang and Baoxiang take is really what I most enjoy about this series. It looked like Zhu was going to become a clear villain type character at the end of the first book but she took on more of an anti-hero role in this book which I felt was a bit of a letdown. In contrast, Oyuang really stole the show, he’s at his best when he’s being his worst and I loved every scene he was in.

Overall I did enjoy this more than the first book, it’s an Everybody Makes Bad Choices type book. Sometimes it’s fun just to watch bad people do bad things. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this audiobook ARC.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Homophobia, Violence, Death, Transphobia, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Torture

Moderate: Pregnancy

osladek's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

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

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

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

tlaynejones's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense fast-paced

4.5

I’m not sure I have the brain space to create an accurate review, but here are some thoughts. I really liked this book. A lot. However, I wanted to quit a couple times in the first quarter cause, while listening to the audiobook, I got confused about/ couldn’t keep track of all the characters quite a few times. I had this problem with the first book a few times too, so I persevered. It was totally worth it, but I do wish the publishers had included a PDF of the characters as a reference. 
There is quite a bit of self loathing/ self harm throughout the story, and a lot of homophobia. Particularly a misogynistic hatred of men loving men and men presenting with any femininity. I had some questions for the author, particularly around the homophobia, but I’ll have to listen again sometime to check my impressions. 
Recommended, with these CW. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Self harm, Misogyny, War, Sexism, Murder, Ableism, Classism, and Death

Moderate: Toxic relationship and Sexual assault

winterwoodbooks's review against another edition

3.75

So much better than the first book!
Much more gory tho

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Content Warnings

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

theresahasread's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Physical abuse, Misogyny, and Homophobia

Minor: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Torture

badbud's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Murder, Homophobia, Sexism, Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual violence, War, Genocide, and Self harm

Moderate: Blood, Infidelity, Misogyny, Confinement, Ableism, Body shaming, and Torture

Minor: Pregnancy and Dysphoria

aliteraryescape's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexism, Misogyny, Homophobia, Sexual content, Death, Blood, Self harm, Child death, and Ableism

Minor: Vomit

nomonbooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring 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

5.0

 Very cleverly written. Enthralling. A perfect continuation of the story of Zhu and all of the other beautifully queer and/or violent people we follow. I didn’t like everyone, but I understood them, at times better than they understood themselves. That automatically springs compassion for almost everyone. Such a wonderful portrayal of going down the path of no return, of outwardly being evil with no redemption but having an insight into that as a reader that allows comprehension and empathy. Every event is believable, and everything is crafted so well even in the final pages, which are perfectly paced. I usually try and look for a negative but this book was everything I could have wanted.

Before reading, I thought maybe watching Zhu triumph and their buoyant nature would get boring in this book but the character growth and strength of plot meant that, it was nowhere near an option. I loved the first one and I'm so glad this one didn't dissapoint. 

Though generally, it is very dark, so be prepared. There are a sea of content warnings. Generally handled pretty well but the self-harm and assisted self-harm is quite intense.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Slavery, Body horror, Classism, Confinement, Death, Dysphoria, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Transphobia, War, Ableism, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Abortion and Kidnapping

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Incest, Infertility, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Vomit, and Abandonment