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jrbenson95's review
adventurous
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Misogyny, Violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, War, Cannibalism, Sexism, Gore, and Murder
Minor: Sexual assault
displacedcactus's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
This book was something alright. Queer, feminist retelling of the classic Chinese story The Water Margin, but it was really violent and some of the heroes took some actions which were so unheroic I almost DNFed about 2/3-3/4 of the way through... and then it was never mentioned again and had no real impact on the story so it felt like it was just there for shock value? Make sure you read the TW/CW on this one, and realize that some of this stuff is done by the protagonists, not just the antagonists!
For those who prefer their books without romance, it didn't have any romantic subplot, so there's that.
Over all, the writing was pretty strong. Characters behaved consistently, pacing didn't bog down too much, and the martial arts fights were really well-described, allowing me to really picture them as scenes from a wuxia film! I suspect some readers who really enjoy morally grey/anti-hero characters will enjoy the heck out of this one. I definitely enjoyed parts of it, but overall it wasn't one of my favorite reads of the year and I'd hesitate to recommend it without a whole lot of caveats.
Note: I've never read The Water Margin so I don't know how closely this cleaves to the original and how many of my complaints are related to the original content. I don't feel like my enjoyment of the best parts of the book was hampered by my lack of familiarity with the book that inspired it, but probably people who are familiar will get more enjoyment!
For those who prefer their books without romance, it didn't have any romantic subplot, so there's that.
Over all, the writing was pretty strong. Characters behaved consistently, pacing didn't bog down too much, and the martial arts fights were really well-described, allowing me to really picture them as scenes from a wuxia film! I suspect some readers who really enjoy morally grey/anti-hero characters will enjoy the heck out of this one. I definitely enjoyed parts of it, but overall it wasn't one of my favorite reads of the year and I'd hesitate to recommend it without a whole lot of caveats.
Note: I've never read The Water Margin so I don't know how closely this cleaves to the original and how many of my complaints are related to the original content. I don't feel like my enjoyment of the best parts of the book was hampered by my lack of familiarity with the book that inspired it, but probably people who are familiar will get more enjoyment!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Torture, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual assault, Cannibalism, and Sexism
leanne_miron's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Torture, Death, Sexual assault, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Cannibalism and Misogyny
leweylibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
slow-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? N/A
3.5
I wanted to love this so badly, and it was sooo close to being amazing for me, especially the beginning and end. But the middle was what lost me really, I found myself getting a bit bored even though the plot was supposed to be exciting. It was also hard for me to keep track of the characters, but I think a lot of that was because I was doing it on audiobook. I did appreciate the LGBTQIA characters and the general premise, but I would've liked it more if I had more from the MC's POV because that's the storyline that got me hooked and made me want to read it. There were some really fun and exciting parts, and I'd still probably read a second book if there is one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Murder, Death, War, and Torture
fairyko's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
fast-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
5.0
I think there's a new favourite on my shelf. Character development, a story that does not drag on, rather fast paced and a flawless integration of lgbtq+ characters.
I'm so glad I got to read this.
I'm so glad I got to read this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, and Torture
Moderate: Misogyny
laurareads87's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
The Water Outlaws is a revolutionary feminist wuxia tale inspired by Water Margin, a novel written in Mandarin (the publication date of which is unknown, but which is certainly pre-1524). It follows Lin Chong, an instructor who works training soldiers for the Emperor, whose carefully constructed life of respectability is torn apart by a violently misogynist commanding officer. Fleeing, she finds herself amongst the Bandits of Liangshan, a crew of mostly women who consider themselves fighters for justice for the oppressed.
I loved this novel. Huang has so skillfully blended the conventions of wuxia, political intrigue, epic fight scenes, and complex & well developed magical systems that I wish I could go back a little bit in time so that I wasn’t finished reading yet. The plot drew me in and kept me interested, and the characters - in all their moral ambiguity - stole my heart. I so hope that Huang returns to Liangshan for a future novel.
Content warnings: sexual assault (on page), violence, murder, death, gore, injury detail, grief, misogyny, sexism, cannibalism (on page), torture (on page)
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for providing an ARC in exchange for this review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Misogyny, Gore, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Cannibalism, Torture, and Sexual assault
readhaileyread's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I really enjoyed so much of this! I loved the focus on corrupt government and a group of female and/or queer outlaws who are determined to fundamentally change their world. The entire book is so well-written, especially the action scenes and the depictions of female rage. The only things I struggled with are the fantasy elements and the desire to know more about the characters. The alchemy aspects went straight over my head (this is probably just a me problem) and I struggled to pay attention to them. I also wanted to know even more about the characters! All of them are so interesting with such unique and powerful backstories and sometimes it felt a bit surface level. It left me wanting more from them. Overall, this is a solid book full of great characters and a great retelling of the Liangshan outlaws.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for the ARC!
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for the ARC!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Sexism
Moderate: Cannibalism
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