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emileejean's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-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
4.75
szuum's review against another edition
dark
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Grief, Murder, Dysphoria, War, and Classism
walius's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-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
sugarpop's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
coyotes_tiptoe's review
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
angel_with_a_shotgun's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-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
3.25
I have to say i'm a bit disappointed...
The ending felt wrong. Through the whole book it kinda seemed like the author wasn't sure if they want Zhu to be good or bad. They kept telling us she's good, but what they showed us was a villain who thought they were doing the good thing. But the ending was so out of character... Zhu killed so many innocent people throughout those 2 books, she killed a small child, but she feels bad about killing Baoxiang? She suddenly realizes that this act of violence would be a 'bad start for her new empire'? I'm sorry but there just wasn't enough character development for her to realistically decide to spare the Great Khan sitting on 'her throne'. And why was 'giving the mandate up' so suddenly a possibility? It just felt cheap. It would have been better for the story and more fitting for Zhu to kill him.
cardbuck1720's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
4.75
ergative's review against another edition
5.0
Gosh, Parker-Chan is SO GOOD at what they do! The character arcs, the plotting, the intrigue! The WILDLY UNHEALTHY sexual relations. I'm astonished that Baoxiang managed to come out of it without a miserable horrible death. And I'm even more surprised that Ouyang's arc could have been made any more tragic than it already was, but Parker-Chan managed to find a way! Well done, well done indeed!
blandrea_reads's review against another edition
medium-paced
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Sometimes I devour books and sometimes I have to sip at them an ration them out.... This book has taken me the better part of a year, because I have been savouring it and it was too rich for me to devour quickly. Each person is SO complex and has SUCH a complicate relationship to their body, and space and family and power that I needed to spend time reflecting and just thinking about the situation.