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Graphic: Gore, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Torture, Transphobia, War
Moderate: Animal cruelty
The book has a bit of a slow start admittedly. It's tough to follow up the ending of the first book and the crazy choices the characters made. But give it a little bit of time to get reinvested in the world and characters and you'll find that Parker-Chan did an incredible job of building off of where she left off. There are more POVs than before, but I didn't mind the inclusions at all. In fact, this book made me truly appreciate Ouyang's character and his downward spiral. All of the different narrators gave such depth to the main themes of loss, ambition, and what it means to be yourself.
We see all these become more and more hyperfocused on their "fates", losing themselves and who they used to be in the process. In some ways, their fervent pursuit of the future is just an extension of their fixation on the past that they can't let go. I was fascinated and horrified with the choices these characters made, that simultaneously a character can be cruel and yet undeserving of the cruelty thrust upon them. Madam Zhang, General Ouyang, Wang Baoxiang, and even our original main character, Zhu Yuanzhang all suffer from the same oppressive forces in society and fight back in their own ways, but more often than not end up working with the society that hurt them as they try to defy it.
If you enjoy character deconstructions, character's descent into self-destruction, and examining the way that a society can hurt different people in the same way, for not belonging or acting within the expectations thrust upon them, this is the book for you.
I also just have to add that my favorite parts were when Ouyang and Zhu interacted, they ended up accidentally being a hilarious comedy duo that really lightened the darker mood of the book haha.
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, War
Moderate: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Slavery, Torture, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Vomit, Pregnancy, Outing
This is the grim follow-up to She Who Became the Sun. The main POV cast is expanded to four people: Zhu, Oyuang, Baoxiang, and Madam Zhang. Oyuang and Baoxiang were the characters I found to be the most compelling from the first book (I love those tragic, self-hating, revenge-seeking dangerous characters) so I really enjoyed them having a larger part of the narrative.
One of the things I really appreciate is how very queer this book is, Zhu is an asexual nonbinary person. Oyuang is a (possibly gay) cis man considered by others to be Not A Man because he’s a eunuch. Baoxiang is a flamboyant cishet man who nevertheless regularly sleeps with a man to further his goals. It a messy sort of queer rep that doesn’t fit into the neat boxes I’m used to seeing in other books.
On the other hand, just like in the first book, I found Zhu to be something of a weak point. The way she views the world as though success is a forgone conclusion, her optimism, her blind determination just isn’t particularly interesting, it often feels one-note. The far more angsty, sacrificing, and self-destructive paths that Oyuang and Baoxiang take is really what I most enjoy about this series. It looked like Zhu was going to become a clear villain type character at the end of the first book but she took on more of an anti-hero role in this book which I felt was a bit of a letdown. In contrast, Oyuang really stole the show, he’s at his best when he’s being his worst and I loved every scene he was in.
Overall I did enjoy this more than the first book, it’s an Everybody Makes Bad Choices type book. Sometimes it’s fun just to watch bad people do bad things. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this audiobook ARC.
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Transphobia, Violence
Moderate: Pregnancy
First of all, the writing style was so, so captivating. I remember heavily highlighting the first book, but I still feel like Shelley Parker-San has improved a lot as an author, not only in their writing style, but also in their technique. Humor, for instance, worked better for me here than it did in the first book. Also, the way Parker-San intertwines characters and their fates is mesmerizing. The way they write characters in itself is so compelling and masterful. I love morally grey characters, and all the people involved in this story are so fleshed out; they feel so real. Ouyang specifically was very challenging for me because of his trauma and his issues and I bet it was hard to write as well, and I think the author did a fantastic job.
However, I must admit that triggering content is medium to heavy in this one, at least for me, especially because self-harm is so frequently brought up, explored, and graphically described. The same goes for sexual abuse/rape, among others. However, regardless of my subjective reaction to these topics, I still believe they were dealt with very well, and I don't think they were included for shock value at all - they are, in each and every scene they appear, relevant and highly meaningful for both the plot and the characters.
I also really, really loved the third part of the book, as well as how it ended. I personally value the overall experience when I read a book, but a great ending is definitely a huge part of the rating for me, and this one was fantastic.
Lastly, please check all the trigger warnings before reading this book. Take care, and sorry for the rant.
psa: i started this review with a 4.5 star rating, but after reading what i've just said, i don't think i have any reasons not to give this a solid 5 stars. i genuinely don't have anything negative to say about this. i'm not a fan of historical fiction myself, and i thoroughly enjoyed it (although the reiterative queerness definitely helps lmao) <3
Graphic: Ableism, Homophobia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Blood, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit
Minor: Slavery
“I’ll find his grave, and bury you together. You had no descendants, but I’ll remember you. And my descendants, and their descendants, will remember you, and pray for you, at the monument I’ll build to your names.”
Just an insane duology about such complicated characters who I have many complicated feelings about and still couldn’t help but to hope they came out ok at the end of this story.
Graphic: Gore, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, War
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
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: Biphobia, Body horror, Death, Homophobia, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Murder, Sexual harassment
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