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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
Very strong start, a bit too long but overall a very action packed queer historical fantasy. There's so much rage and revenge in this, aimed towards men and the patriarchy, which is always a fun time. This is surrounded around a bandit group of outlaws against the empire, and everyone is morally grey. Lots of blood, violence, fighting, deceit, and guessing what everyone's intentions are.
I'm forever a fan of Emily Woo Zeller's narration, so while this is almost a 20-hour long audio, it was an enjoyable listen.
I'm forever a fan of Emily Woo Zeller's narration, so while this is almost a 20-hour long audio, it was an enjoyable listen.
A little middle of the road for me, I’ve read a lot of amazing Chinese-lore inspired fiction this year and this just wasn’t as good for me. Characters were fine, didn’t love or hate any of them. I expected more violence with the warning at the start too lol. And this was baaaaarely LGBTQ. Is having a gay person enough for a book to be considered a queer book? I want mooooore
My favorite by Huang so far! She's really grown as a writer and it's lovely to see. Lin Chong was an amazing protagonist.
I am a character-focused reader and this is a plot-focused book :( but still very well done and full of violence & complicated women.
I adore Lu Da, a himbo with an enormous heart. Lin Chong beats her up once and earns her undying love and friendship. She is so funny – “No sister Lin, I must prostrate myself before you, I deserve to be flayed! I was unfair to your magnificence! It will be my fault if you die, elder sister!”
Really enjoyed all the bandits, actually. There are a lot of characters to keep track of but they’re great, from the man-soup-making cannibal cook to Wu Yong the strategist. Honestly, I could’ve done with less of Lu Junyi’s arc in the capital and more of the bandits’ camp and traditions because it was so much more unique and fun.
I was immersed for the first 25% of this book but the plot starts moving fast once Lin Chong meets the bandits, and that’s a shame. I wish we’d gotten more emotional depth from these characters, because they’re all so cool – I want more of their internal lives, their backstories, just more! And it would’ve kept me more invested in the story too.
Still a solid book, but for my personal enjoyment I'd give it a 3.5 stars
I adore Lu Da, a himbo with an enormous heart. Lin Chong beats her up once and earns her undying love and friendship. She is so funny – “No sister Lin, I must prostrate myself before you, I deserve to be flayed! I was unfair to your magnificence! It will be my fault if you die, elder sister!”
Really enjoyed all the bandits, actually. There are a lot of characters to keep track of but they’re great, from the man-soup-making cannibal cook to Wu Yong the strategist. Honestly, I could’ve done with less of Lu Junyi’s arc in the capital and more of the bandits’ camp and traditions because it was so much more unique and fun.
I was immersed for the first 25% of this book but the plot starts moving fast once Lin Chong meets the bandits, and that’s a shame. I wish we’d gotten more emotional depth from these characters, because they’re all so cool – I want more of their internal lives, their backstories, just more! And it would’ve kept me more invested in the story too.
Still a solid book, but for my personal enjoyment I'd give it a 3.5 stars
I really liked this book! The Author's Note in the beginning almost threw me in the first sentence because I wasn't sure what "genderspun" meant, but I'm glad I read the whole blurb because it got exciting fast, and the book itself didn't disappoint. The Author's Note promised "an action-packed battle against patriarchy that's rife with indecorous women and fantastical sword fights", "gloriously violent", and "a joyous, toothy escapist adventure." The book delivered on all of that and more and I did indeed have a ton of fun reading it. While featuring many gender-fluid heroes, it did not have any sex scenes (something I personally generally don't like in stories), did not ever get preachy about gender issues, and did a fine job of simply portraying people as nuanced humans, both heroic and awful and everything in between, and showing that one's gender is not the totality of a person, just a small element of personhood, and is unremarkable next to whether someone is haojie or not. Super well done, really loved it, it was indeed a joyous, toothy escapist adventure! I believe it deserves better reviews than it is getting.
adventurous
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:
No
adventurous
dark
tense
EPIC! absolutely amazing feminist wuxia adventure full of heart and righteousness. the characters were well-rounded and the descriptions of the martial arts and battles in the swamp were mysterious and compelling. 100% highly recommended. Lu Da forever!
I thought the beginning and ending of the book are fantastic. The middle, not so much as I felt it kind of dragged on. It's very character driven. I like how the book points out the male fragility.. being denied after an attempted SA and the victim defending herself. He does everything in his power to punish her, it's a weird obsession. But most of the women uplift each other and support one another. I didn't get much Water Outlaws vibes though. The writing is decent.
