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lettuce_read's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Torture
Moderate: Cannibalism
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
kmartbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
"The Water Outlaws" by S.L. Huang draws inspiration from magic martial arts (wuxia), bringing to life the fierce and ruthless band known as the Water Outlaws as they challenge the norms of Imperial society and the oppressive patriarchy that governs it.
A civilian expert arms instructor who teaches the military, Lin Chong's carefully constructed life is torn apart by a vengeful and petty man. When she is unwilling to allow him to assault her, he frames her for a crime she did not commit and ruins her life. Branded as a criminal, she joins the Bandits of Liangshan—a group of misfits and criminals committed to justice for the oppressed and marginalized. Huang crafts a tale of empowerment, as these women and queer characters seize control of their destiny and fight against a corrupt society. Lin Chong's journey from a rule-following arms instructor to a revolutionary is a testament to the power of women reclaiming their agency.
The novel is action-packed and immersed in a world of violence and corruption. Huang's storytelling captures the struggles and triumphs of those fighting for justice against insurmountable odds. It delivers a powerful exploration of defiance, camaraderie, and the fight against a deeply ingrained patriarchy. While the violence against women within the story may be difficult for some readers, the book's unflinching portrayal of its themes adds poignancy to its narrative.
Thank you to Tor Books and Netgalley for the eARC. This is an honest review.
TW: Cannibalism, violence, torture, murder, beating, mention of sexual assault without details
A civilian expert arms instructor who teaches the military, Lin Chong's carefully constructed life is torn apart by a vengeful and petty man. When she is unwilling to allow him to assault her, he frames her for a crime she did not commit and ruins her life. Branded as a criminal, she joins the Bandits of Liangshan—a group of misfits and criminals committed to justice for the oppressed and marginalized. Huang crafts a tale of empowerment, as these women and queer characters seize control of their destiny and fight against a corrupt society. Lin Chong's journey from a rule-following arms instructor to a revolutionary is a testament to the power of women reclaiming their agency.
The novel is action-packed and immersed in a world of violence and corruption. Huang's storytelling captures the struggles and triumphs of those fighting for justice against insurmountable odds. It delivers a powerful exploration of defiance, camaraderie, and the fight against a deeply ingrained patriarchy. While the violence against women within the story may be difficult for some readers, the book's unflinching portrayal of its themes adds poignancy to its narrative.
Thank you to Tor Books and Netgalley for the eARC. This is an honest review.
TW: Cannibalism, violence, torture, murder, beating, mention of sexual assault without details
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Cannibalism
Minor: Sexual assault
swalk's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
- 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
4.5
This book is a gender spun retelling of the Chinese classic water margin, in which anti-heroic bandits rise against the tyrannical government on behalf of the common people.
For me there was a lot to love about this book, the anti-patriarchal sentiment was always going to appeal to me. But the complexity of the tale, woven with excellent world building and great characters is what really made it shine. I think my favourite character is Lu Da the flower monk, funny, loyal and sweet, but also a bit of a big oaf. I also like the way in which the LGBT+ characters are introduced is so sweet, wholesome and generally … normal. As it should be.
The book follows the character of Lin Chong, Master arms instructor to the imperial guard, a woman with a high level of moral values, who is brought to question her own ideals when she sees the corruption of the government and is forced to join the Liangshan Bandits.
The book follows the character of Lin Chong, Master arms instructor to the imperial guard, a woman with a high level of moral values, who is brought to question her own ideals when she sees the corruption of the government and is forced to join the Liangshan Bandits.
Without giving away a whole ton of spoilers it’s hard to say much else. Some people may find it hard to follow, due to the sheer number of characters and I would suggest including a character list as a PDF as some audiobooks do (This number of characters is in keeping, or even cut down from the original Water Margin. I looked up the Water Margin character list which is pretty similar and found it helpful as a reference.)
In some ways it reminds me of Daughter of the Moon Goddess due to the Chinese folklore influences. If you have read and enjoyed that or similar, I am sure you will love this.
Emily Woo Zeller was an excellent narrator, I remember her from Under The Heavens and I would definitely keep an eye out for more audiobooks narrated by her as I think she has a really soothing voice, but also the character voicing and emotion in the reading is fantastic.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Sexual violence
evidoe's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
This book was full of strong and interesting female characters and non-stop action. The martial arts-based fantasy was fun and inventive. It also had strong feminist and queer themes throughout. The story takes place with a group of women (and queer) outlaws with varying backgrounds and moral compasses. The writing is beautiful and atmospheric, fitting perfectly with the style and scenery of the story. The scenery and action-packed plot made this book for me. It was an exciting ride.
This book took me longer to read than expected, partly because a lot happened and it was quite a heavy read, and partly because there were so many characters, and I needed to slow down to pay attention and keep track. The number of characters and plot in this book also meant that while the characters were so distinct, more time was focused on the plot rather than fleshing out the characters. There were a lot of characters we didn't get to spend much time with because there were so many, so people who prefer character-driven stories may find this less enjoyable, however, I really enjoyed the variety of perspectives of the central characters of the plot and I did really like how morally complex the assortment of characters was
I would strongly advise readers to pay attention to the content warnings of this book. The world this book is set in is harsh and unforgiving, and some readers may find this too confronting. This book comes with several trigger warnings, around sexual assault, torture, violence and cannibalism.
Overall I really enjoyed this book, but the heavy and violent content and the number of characters to keep track of meant this book took time and concentration to read to enjoy. I found myself needing to take a lot of breaks.
This book took me longer to read than expected, partly because a lot happened and it was quite a heavy read, and partly because there were so many characters, and I needed to slow down to pay attention and keep track. The number of characters and plot in this book also meant that while the characters were so distinct, more time was focused on the plot rather than fleshing out the characters. There were a lot of characters we didn't get to spend much time with because there were so many, so people who prefer character-driven stories may find this less enjoyable, however, I really enjoyed the variety of perspectives of the central characters of the plot and I did really like how morally complex the assortment of characters was
I would strongly advise readers to pay attention to the content warnings of this book. The world this book is set in is harsh and unforgiving, and some readers may find this too confronting. This book comes with several trigger warnings, around sexual assault, torture, violence and cannibalism.
Overall I really enjoyed this book, but the heavy and violent content and the number of characters to keep track of meant this book took time and concentration to read to enjoy. I found myself needing to take a lot of breaks.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Torture, Violence, 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
anarchistaesthete's review
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Cannibalism
Minor: Sexual assault
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