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Title: He Who Drowned the World
Review:
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic: Body horror, Rape
Take a shot every time you read:
- "Hungry ghosts"
- "Trotted"
- "Behatted"
- "Curious"
Also: I think I would have liked this more if the absolute psychological torment undergone by the characters wasn't described so lushly. The prose got a little purple at times, describing people's internal suffering. It was a bit much.
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body horror
Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Sexual content, Slavery, Transphobia, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Classism
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, War
Moderate: Homophobia, Pregnancy, Outing
I love seeing how the characters have developed and continue to develop, especially Zhu and Ouyung. I love the symbolism with the Mandate of Heaven and it's light and the drowning, and I love how the book approaches and discusses gender identity and expression throughout.
This one was also definitely much more exciting with the big battles and crazy scenes (I'm NEVER going to forgot
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Outing, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Slavery, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Abortion, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
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