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4.3 AVERAGE
4.3 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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:
Yes
emotionally devastating
adventurous
challenging
dark
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
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
even as their character commit acts that approach and surpass the monstrous, you keep rooting for them. nothing hurt as much in this book as witnessing ouyang’s murder, the knowledge that he sacrificed everything and everyone he ever loved, fruitlessly, needlessly. that he avenged someone who did not need it, nor deserve it. my god that hurt…
zhu’s growth in grief is also so compelling. we learnt, in book one, that she’d do anything to win, but book two challenges this conviction, again and again and again. it makes zhu so interesting, so captivating, so much more human.
the biggest challenge, of course, was xu da’s death. i knew xu da wouldn’t make it out of this book unscathed, but goddamn it still was so sad. especially with the fact that zhu’s wanting, her desire, her willpower; all of it was futile in the face of death.
there was something so satifying in the ending of this book (although it also felt a tiny bit abrupt/incomplete (though I think that was the point, as much as it frustrates me))…and the way that xu da’s death shaped it, made her rethink her actions, made her intentional, and scared and unsure…it just made it so so so much more exciting than just having her kill baoxiang to become emperor. PLUS how absolutely glorious of an image it is to have a maid on the throne, while the old emperor kneels at her feet, powerless! just exquisite...
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:
N/A
Every friend group has the: he/him disabled lesbian, the only normal person in the group, suicidal gay eunuch, the ghost of his gay lover, token straight guy who is gay4pay, a woman-hating girlboss
This was genuinely so good. I am not one to read fantasy often or genre fiction (outside of my recent special interest in danmei), there are reasons though why I would recommend this book anyway. First of all: the prose is good. The author is very talented with words and manages to express emotions very convincingly. Second of all: beyond the surface plot there is a constant and recurring exploration of gender intertwined with the narrative. That's what really sold me here.
Gender with all its pecularities, its shame and its subversions: effeminate straight man, masculine but ashamed gay man, a crossdressing lesbian, a beautiful warrior who is an eunuch and hates women: these characters bend the world by existing in their shameful, abnormal selves. Even the most feminine women and masculine men are not able to live up to the violent gendered expectations thrust upon them.
This was genuinely so good. I am not one to read fantasy often or genre fiction (outside of my recent special interest in danmei), there are reasons though why I would recommend this book anyway. First of all: the prose is good. The author is very talented with words and manages to express emotions very convincingly. Second of all: beyond the surface plot there is a constant and recurring exploration of gender intertwined with the narrative. That's what really sold me here.
Gender with all its pecularities, its shame and its subversions: effeminate straight man, masculine but ashamed gay man, a crossdressing lesbian, a beautiful warrior who is an eunuch and hates women: these characters bend the world by existing in their shameful, abnormal selves. Even the most feminine women and masculine men are not able to live up to the violent gendered expectations thrust upon them.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this book was not given the time and space it deserved from me. i felt myself falling into a slump over halfway through but that had absolutely nothing to do with the book itself.
personally, i looove a duology!! although a story as complex as this one would be difficult to flesh out in 2 books — the author does this incredibly well. the pace was faster than i usually enjoy but it never felt rushed & i never felt like i was left hanging. all lose ends are tied, all characters are explained. i think the twist this book takes feels original or at the very least uncommon for the genre. i think watching the MC grow over time and learn what the path they truly chose looks like really made this book feel real. as though i could truly track and understand the choices made.
i think this series does absolute NUMBERS for LGBTQ representation. although the experience is not something i can relate to closely, i do feel as though the internals struggles are written well. especially within the parameters of the society this story takes place in. i loved this book & i will be recommending.
personally, i looove a duology!! although a story as complex as this one would be difficult to flesh out in 2 books — the author does this incredibly well. the pace was faster than i usually enjoy but it never felt rushed & i never felt like i was left hanging. all lose ends are tied, all characters are explained. i think the twist this book takes feels original or at the very least uncommon for the genre. i think watching the MC grow over time and learn what the path they truly chose looks like really made this book feel real. as though i could truly track and understand the choices made.
i think this series does absolute NUMBERS for LGBTQ representation. although the experience is not something i can relate to closely, i do feel as though the internals struggles are written well. especially within the parameters of the society this story takes place in. i loved this book & i will be recommending.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
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
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
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
It's everything I wanted in the sequel. There are worlds of torment to experience before the payoff.
I liked the personal hells Ouyang and Wang created for themselves to sustain their rage in their post Esen lives. Everyone gets what they think they want but there is no satisfaction. The cost is too great.