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4.3 AVERAGE
4.3 AVERAGE
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Homophobia, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Pregnancy, Outing
Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage
dark
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Vomit
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
I’d definitely check the content warnings before jumping into this one.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
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:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
Incredible. This book ripped my heart out. I rarely cry when reading but this, specifically losing Xu Da/Xu Da sacrificing himself and finding out that Ouyang's dad was alive the entire time after Ouyang finally gets his revenge, but then realizing it didn't actually mean anything , destroyed me. The main characters are focused on living up to their fate, getting their revenge, or proving themselves worthy, and the reader is left asking: okay, but at what cost? Excellent character development, fantastic world building, outstanding dialogue. This duology is my favorite series of the year so far.
"But as long as there existed something greater in the world than what Zhu had, she knew she would desire it. She could have as readily given up that desire as she could have stopped breathing."
"The reason I follow him is because out of everyone I've met, he's the only one that when the world didn't allow a place for him as he was, he refused to accept it, and vowed instead to change the world."
"Only men could spend years agonizing over the morality of a decision. They knew the opportunity would still be there when they were ready. They knew their potential would never fade, even if potential was all they'd ever had, and never the realization of it. But women didn't have that luxury."
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have complicated feelings with this one because the beginning and middle dragged a bit, but the ending got me. This was definitely a lot darker than She Who Became the Sun, so I was shocked with some of the events that took place. This expands on the povs from book one, but I did find some of them harder to get through. Definitely check trigger warnings.
One of my favorite parts of this series has been the exploration of queerness by various characters. Gender, sexuality, and desire are such huge parts of these characters, and I think that representation is much needed in the fantasy genre.
Zhu went on to be the selfish leader I knew they could be, and it really made me sick to see the lengths they went and the sacrifices they made to meet their goal. Ouyang as always was such a strong character, and I once again have such a love-hate relationship with him. No one is good and entirely bad in this series, and it’s definitely hard to reconcile with that as a reader.
One of my favorite parts of this series has been the exploration of queerness by various characters. Gender, sexuality, and desire are such huge parts of these characters, and I think that representation is much needed in the fantasy genre.
Zhu went on to be the selfish leader I knew they could be, and it really made me sick to see the lengths they went and the sacrifices they made to meet their goal. Ouyang as always was such a strong character, and I once again have such a love-hate relationship with him. No one is good and entirely bad in this series, and it’s definitely hard to reconcile with that as a reader.
adventurous
dark
emotional
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