Reviews tagging 'Infertility'

Lui che annegò il mondo by Shelley Parker-Chan

26 reviews

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Fantastic conclusion to the duology that expands upon the characters of the previous book as well as exploring new POVs.

 Very flowery prose if you're not into that, but if you are its very well done and a delight to read. I enjoyed this series so much, I really couldn't reccomend it enough.

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adventurous dark emotional 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

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dark emotional sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Hoo boy, this one is a lot darker than the first book. If I had a criticism, it's that it's sooo long, so much happens in it. There's less of a focus on Zhu, but I found the scheming of the other characters incredibly interesting, especially with the empress. Zhu and Ouyang having to team up was amusing. He's so very bitter and Zhu takes everything in stride. I love the way this book looks at gender, the prisons it can put them in and whether they choose to work within their bars or slip through them.
There's so much self-hatred packed into this book. I found it a little amusing how often characters thought "I feel terrible right now, all according to plan!". That being said, you can't really look away as you watch them barrel toward their own destruction. 
I honestly wondered if/how Zhu was going to manage to come out of this successful.
Her endless ambition was bound to be her downfall in the end, and I thought for sure she'd lose Ma forever. But once again she pulled it off at the end, doing what the others couldn't. It made me think about how  Baoxiang had thought "I can still stop now" but chose to keep going. Zhu had the courage to do what he couldn't. I had hoped for a nicer ending for Ouyang, but it wasn't meant to be. Even so, he's on his way to peace.

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adventurous challenging dark sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

A much more emotionally taxing story than its counterpart, He Who Drowned the World eclipsed its predecessor in all ways. I was surprised to find myself crying, when at other parts of the story I had to force myself to continue reading. 

I really appreciated the continued depth with which the author explored gender and identity in this series, as well as mental health. 

This story forces you to ask yourself, “is it too late to change the fate that I chose?” And “who am I once I turn away from everything I’ve always believed?”

While not a 5⭐️ duology for me personally, I think it is worth the time. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous challenging dark reflective 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: Complicated

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous challenging dark emotional sad 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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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