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Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Grief, Murder, Dysphoria
Moderate: Ableism, Confinement, Rape, Torture, War
Minor: Body shaming, Infertility, Sexual content, Slavery, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Abortion, Pregnancy, Outing, Abandonment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Miscarriage, Rape, Violence, Pregnancy, War
Moderate: Homophobia, Torture, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Abortion
Minor: Slavery
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.
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
SUBVERT THE WHOLE FUCKING GENRE YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Oh, the exquisite pain of reading writing so good that you are simultaneously exultant you're in a timeline that allows you to read such truth and yet despairing you can never write like them and capture that same feeling.
Just fantastic. Brilliant. So beautiful and true and as;dlfkjasl;kdfjaksldfjaskdfjdask
THIS DUOLOGY IS EVERYTHING!!
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Abortion, Pregnancy, War, Injury/Injury detail
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
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War
Moderate: Sexual content, Pregnancy
Minor: Abortion
Graphic: Rape, Self harm, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexual content
Minor: Homophobia, Abortion, Pregnancy
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, Classism
I certainly felt a lot more bogged down in the sequel than the first book, and that’s for a couple of reasons.
First,the set up is complex and thorough, and with that comes the requirement that nearly every thought and detail is important. I had trouble keeping everything straight, and at times made me quite sleepy (but that might just be on me for reading late at night).
Second, while I’m appreciating this now that I’ve moved on to other books, there is just so much hate that drives these characters, to the point where their darkness became too much. “I hate you because you don’t hate me” was a common sentiment is the second half that I wasn’t particularly enthused with, but it certainly acted as a good driver of plot. Looking back, the most powerful actions are driven by hate, whether for yourself, others, or both. It’s a bold choice that I think is executed well, but it can teeter on too much angst at times.
Last, I think some of these events happened in a way that’s almost too convenient or without proper danger and consequences for the main collection of characters. At times, I was utterly befuddled with how easily key characters got away with a betrayal or action. Follow your fate, and I guess the world will make it happen for you.
Overall, a really enjoyable experience, but the writing is dense. Be prepared to feel overwhelmed, but even when you miss something, the way everything resolves satisfied my hopes going into this read.
Do I think this is better than book 1? No. Did I enjoy it? Certainly. Would I recommend it to hardcore fantasy lovers? Give it a shot, absolutely.
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Blood, War
Moderate: Self harm, Abortion
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Murder, War
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Abortion