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terranstorm 's review for:
Heavenly Tyrant
by Xiran Jay Zhao
slow-paced
There are a number of things I enjoyed about this sequel, but... it's just too long. It could have been a lot stronger with a structural edit. A lot of this has to do with the time spent explaining the political situation. It's not that I would jettison that entirely—it is interesting to see Zetian grappling with these trade-offs and the consequences of the 'revolution'—but it went WAY overboard and badly needed to be reigned in before going to print.
So the pacing dragged, and I had to drag myself through reading this. When we occasionally got back to the character dynamics that interested me most, each time I felt less invested. And that's even when there were some damn good twists and turns! It was so bogged down getting to those points. By the time we get an emotional catharsis in the finale, my heart just wasn't in it anymore. I hate to say it but this was a real letdown.
So the pacing dragged, and I had to drag myself through reading this. When we occasionally got back to the character dynamics that interested me most, each time I felt less invested. And that's even when there were some damn good twists and turns! It was so bogged down getting to those points. By the time we get an emotional catharsis in the finale, my heart just wasn't in it anymore. I hate to say it but this was a real letdown.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Physical abuse, Violence, War
Minor: Misogyny, Grief, Pregnancy, Gaslighting
Trial by mob, beating, medical non-consent