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It was also so brutal. Whoooo. Definitely be aware of the trigger warnings. There are so, so many. I don't have a strong stomach and I made it, but I was prepared for this one to be more violent.
Still, I flew through this beast in like 2.5 days, and there were several moments where I literally gasped out loud. It was a wild ride, you guys. The ending was also pretty satisfying.
I can see myself reading first book again, but the sheer amount of gruesome suffering in this one probably won't compell me to pick it up again.
Graphic: Body shaming, Child death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Violence, Grief, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Miscarriage, Colonisation, Classism
Minor: Slavery
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence
Graphic: Child death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Transphobia, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Child death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Medical content, Death of parent, Dysphoria
Minor: Incest, Miscarriage, Suicide, Vomit, Abortion
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.
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Murder, War, Classism
Moderate: Sexual assault, Toxic relationship
Much more gory tho
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Genocide, Homophobia, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, Murder, War
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Confinement, Infidelity, Misogyny, Torture, Blood
Minor: Pregnancy, Dysphoria
“Nobody would lift a finger to change the world for us. To make a place for us. What choice did we ever have, but to do it ourselves?”
I quite enjoyed the first book in this series, with the only drawback being that I don’t typically enjoy war stories. The battle scenes and violence make sense to the story, of course, but they aren’t really my cup of tea. Strategy, however, rarely fails to keep my interest. He Who Drowned the World had all of the best aspects of She Who Became the Sun, but with a LOT of scheming and strategy in place of much of the all-out warfare! Don’t mistake fewer battles for less brutality, though, as characters sink to their lowest in order to put their plans into action. There are scenes with torture, self-harm, and assault among others, so be ready for this before you read.
This all being said, the characters and storyline were so compelling that the dark tones didn’t turn me off to the book. In fact, the writing is so vibrant and visceral that the words seemed to spill off the page. I was fully immersed each time I picked up the book, which I feel is the mark of a truly talented author!
The character arcs were thorough, and the added perspectives of newer characters added perfect tension and depth as each of the storylines were woven together. The consequences of the first book are also explored through each perspective, and the layering and world building were exquisitely crafted.
If you’re a lover of morally ambiguous characters and tormented villains (or antiheroes), this is definitely a series you’ll want to read.
Thanks so much to Tor/Forge for this advanced copy!
Graphic: Self harm, Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Murder
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!
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Kidnapping, Abortion
Minor: Domestic abuse, Incest, Infertility, Vomit, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment
The good: As before, the writing by Shelley Chan in this book is exquisite. Her imagery and poetic language was both haunting and easy to parse. They masterfully wove the 3-5 narratives together in a way that made sense and built upon our knowledge of the world. The characters were incredibly complicated and diverse, and I was excited to see most of the voices. The author made sure to pull at our heartstrings with heartbreaking deaths, sacrifices, and debauchery which still hurts me after reading it. I loved the complicated relationships as well, between Zhu and Ouyang, Zhu and Ma, Baoxiang with his dead family, and Madam Zhang with her lovers and her own body.
The meh: I felt this book lost some of the charm of the first book, which was mainly communicated through its humor. Though I recognize this was a book primarily about suffering, I felt it didn't quite match the tone of the first book. This may be good for some people but I missed the banter from the first book. I also had a problem with the climax being the very end of the story. I very much wanted to see a falling action and the consequences of some of the decisions made by Zhu and other characters.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and read it very quickly. I can't remember the last time a complicated fantasy series like this drew me in so quickly and forced me to read so fast.
You will like this series if you like: complicated relationships with others and self, ambitious people, political intrigue, war, suffering, consequences, and hard questions.
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, War, Injury/Injury detail