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adventurous
challenging
dark
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Miscarriage, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence
Moderate: Ableism, Death, Misogyny, Slavery, Torture, War
Minor: Mental illness, Violence, Vomit
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
AMAZING. I loved the first book and this only built on it. Raises challenging issues but is done so so well. Highly recommend this book and duology for people who enjoy the more bloody and violent side of fantasy (the poppy war I'm looking at you), while also providing new sides to history which aren't really covered in mainstream education (I'm from the UK). I love the writing style and pretty much everything about this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Rape, Violence, Pregnancy, War
Moderate: Homophobia, Torture, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Abortion
Minor: Slavery
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a great conclusion to this duology.
I really liked the critiques of gender in this series and how most of the main characters all fall somewhere in the middle of the gender spectrum and how that plays into their lives and their personalities as well as the culture and society around them. I liked how that brought the characters together simply because of their uniqueness.
I also loved getting to watch Zhu achieve everything she was reaching for. She literally wanted to change the world and she succeeded and it was glorious to watch.
I think I said this for the previous book, but it was also amazing to see what she would do in order to achieve her goal. She was not going to let anything get in her way no matter how immoral it might have been and I admired that.
I do think this book kept my attention a little bit more than the first one, but it was still fairly difficult to get through and I think that is mostly due to not being able to differentiate the character's names as well as the many sudden POV switches. The distant nature of the writing probably also contributed to that, but I think most of it was the character names for me. I'm sure it would have been much easier to differentiate them if I was reading a physical copy of the book rather than listening though.
Overall this was a good series. I loved the themes and the critiques, I just wish I felt closer to the characters in general.
I really liked the critiques of gender in this series and how most of the main characters all fall somewhere in the middle of the gender spectrum and how that plays into their lives and their personalities as well as the culture and society around them. I liked how that brought the characters together simply because of their uniqueness.
I also loved getting to watch Zhu achieve everything she was reaching for. She literally wanted to change the world and she succeeded and it was glorious to watch.
I think I said this for the previous book, but it was also amazing to see what she would do in order to achieve her goal. She was not going to let anything get in her way no matter how immoral it might have been and I admired that.
I do think this book kept my attention a little bit more than the first one, but it was still fairly difficult to get through and I think that is mostly due to not being able to differentiate the character's names as well as the many sudden POV switches. The distant nature of the writing probably also contributed to that, but I think most of it was the character names for me. I'm sure it would have been much easier to differentiate them if I was reading a physical copy of the book rather than listening though.
Overall this was a good series. I loved the themes and the critiques, I just wish I felt closer to the characters in general.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Death, Incest, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, War, Injury/Injury detail
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
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship
Minor: Mental illness, Miscarriage, Abortion, Gaslighting, Abandonment
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
A queer reimagining of the historical start of the Ming dynasty, with some light fantasy thrown in.
I was very excited to read this sequel, and it lived up to expectations. Zhu Yuanzhang is a perfect antihero protagonist.
Many of the characters can’t be defined in more detail other than queer, which I think is written well and speaks to the author’s personal experiences. It’s important to remember that throughout history, labels have changed, but the heart of our community has not.
I was very excited to read this sequel, and it lived up to expectations. Zhu Yuanzhang is a perfect antihero protagonist.
Many of the characters can’t be defined in more detail other than queer, which I think is written well and speaks to the author’s personal experiences. It’s important to remember that throughout history, labels have changed, but the heart of our community has not.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, Violence
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Miscarriage
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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
This book was so stressful for me I can't ever live through it again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Sexism, Violence, War
Minor: Miscarriage
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
“But Zhu would be emperor; not despite who she was, but because of it”
This may be one of the most spectacular sequels I have ever read.
I was incredibly impressed by 'She Who Became the Sun' when I read it last year - it earning its place as my favourite of the Sapphic Trifecta. But this, this went well beyond my adoration of the first book.
Every second I spent with this book, every page I read, I was hooked back into this world of complex and morally ambiguous characters. Because that is truly where this series, as a whole, thrives. This book offers a veritable feast of complex and ambitious POV characters who each hold within them a pain and grief that drives them near as much as their ambition and goals. I shed tears with these characters, I followed them through their darkest actions and their deepest wells of pain - all because of deep character writing that is honestly masterful.
This duology was simply fantastic and I will likely be crying about the second to last page for some time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Self harm, War
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Murder
Minor: Miscarriage, Vomit, Pregnancy
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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
If you reject the gender binary and the cycle of vengeance, you too can become emperor of all of China (and I do not think that I am spoiling anything since this is based on the life of an actual person). So much of this book deals with violence and just intense ways to survive in a really brutal war environment, but I just thought it was so funny everytime Zhu approached a situation with the attitude of "How could I possibly fail when I am nonbinary?" This is such a serious and hard look at like the cost at creating a better world and a world where you can be yourself, and it is interesting to see that it's a book that's not even particularly interested in "redemption," but more like how can you survive in a world that hates difference and how can you move on. And in addition to being just a really interesting look at the confining nature of gender roles and cycles of revenge, Parker-Chan's prose is really engaging and it's just a great book all-around.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Miscarriage, Rape, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Blood
adventurous
dark
reflective
fast-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
He Who Drowned the World is fittingly drenched with emotions. Rage, grief, shame, and desire animate the characters. Their feelings are so intense and consuming, I wondered if I would tire of the relentless flood. I asked myself how many ways there are to express ire, yet each description felt biting and fresh. I was invested in each character’s journey, through their struggles for revenge or greatness, though I questioned if they could have a happy ending and if I was even rooting for them to succeed. I was fascinated by the performance of gender and the molds that the characters broke out of and longed for. Mental anguish and physical agony were so prominent, but rather than just being uncomfortable and overwhelming, I really appreciated the taboo emotions laid bare before the reader and made transparent to the other characters that mirrored them. I was intrigued by what everyone was willing to sacrifice for their motivations and ambitions, horrified by the lengths they were willing to go, and doubtful that they could survive this harrowing marathon with success and satisfaction. I mostly sat back and soaked in the story; there were only a few moments when I was unhappy with the plot decisions. The ending was sufficient for me overall, with enough detail to allow me to imagine a future, but I did selfishly want a little more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Self harm, Violence, Grief