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veronikav's review against another edition
adventurous
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
Got interested in it because of the premise of lesbian fisting , stayed for the eunuch general.
I didn't have some extra high hopes going into this. All I had known about this books were little tidbits and memes from tiktok (some of the more explicit scenes were very popular there) but nothing of real substance. Oh also I had seen some quotes on tumblr and surprisingly enjoyed them. Still I was expecting another run-of-the-mill YA/new adult fiction that gets mass produced and published these days. I was wrong and I am happy that is the case.
First of all - whoever described this as "Mulan meets Achilles" is doing the story a big injustice. While you could draw parallels between those it does feel like whoever wrote that just saw "Chinese girl who pretends to be a man fights in a war" and "gay" and thought it an appropriate comparison. But rather than that I would draw a comparison to what is the predecessor of this book which is the Chinese fantasy web novel genre which then gave birth to wuxia/xianxia dramas.
As much as there are many elements that you would find in a Chinese fantasy web novel it is clearly different - first noticable difference being the language it is written in. After all despite translations the cadences and writing styles of each language are vastly different and it is clear that SWBS was written for English not transformed into it as an afterthought. Therefore it proves a much easier and smoother read while having the same overall tone.
From what I had heard about the novel I didn't expect it to have such a profound message pertaining to conceptions of gender. That was what honestly drew me in more and more with each chapter - the construction of gender in a highly patriarchal society - the existence of Other gendered states of being in such a space. My favorite character of course ended up being Ouyang because there was something so incredibly fascinating about him. Actually in the first book I'd say the romance between Ouyang and Esen is much more well-developed and intriguing compared to the main couple - who despite having more actual moments are on a smoother path. I've always been into the tragic love stories.
Anyways, I rate this book highly - had to hesitate between a 4 and a 5, but ended up giving it a 5 because I know I can't apply my classical lit standards to everything. Think of it as a rounded up 4.5.
I didn't have some extra high hopes going into this. All I had known about this books were little tidbits and memes from tiktok (some of the more explicit scenes were very popular there) but nothing of real substance. Oh also I had seen some quotes on tumblr and surprisingly enjoyed them. Still I was expecting another run-of-the-mill YA/new adult fiction that gets mass produced and published these days. I was wrong and I am happy that is the case.
First of all - whoever described this as "Mulan meets Achilles" is doing the story a big injustice. While you could draw parallels between those it does feel like whoever wrote that just saw "Chinese girl who pretends to be a man fights in a war" and "gay" and thought it an appropriate comparison. But rather than that I would draw a comparison to what is the predecessor of this book which is the Chinese fantasy web novel genre which then gave birth to wuxia/xianxia dramas.
As much as there are many elements that you would find in a Chinese fantasy web novel it is clearly different - first noticable difference being the language it is written in. After all despite translations the cadences and writing styles of each language are vastly different and it is clear that SWBS was written for English not transformed into it as an afterthought. Therefore it proves a much easier and smoother read while having the same overall tone.
From what I had heard about the novel I didn't expect it to have such a profound message pertaining to conceptions of gender. That was what honestly drew me in more and more with each chapter - the construction of gender in a highly patriarchal society - the existence of Other gendered states of being in such a space. My favorite character of course ended up being Ouyang because there was something so incredibly fascinating about him. Actually in the first book I'd say the romance between Ouyang and Esen is much more well-developed and intriguing compared to the main couple - who despite having more actual moments are on a smoother path. I've always been into the tragic love stories.
Anyways, I rate this book highly - had to hesitate between a 4 and a 5, but ended up giving it a 5 because I know I can't apply my classical lit standards to everything. Think of it as a rounded up 4.5.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Gore, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, and War
body mutilation one of the important characters is an eunuch and it's a very important part of his character arch. so constant comments about this etc.danny_thereader's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Violence, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Murder, and Racism
emilyready's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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
5.0
Sweeping epic for fans of historical dramas and stories of great fates seized. This book has been misadvertised as "women loving women," when Zhu, the main character, would probably better be described as nonbinary. The discussions around Zhu's gender were nuanced even with the limitations of not having modern labels to describe it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Death
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, and Violence
Minor: Ableism and Gore
wrenxavier's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Death, Dysphoria, Genocide, Grief, Gore, Misogyny, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, and War
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Medical content, Sexual harassment, and Toxic relationship
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