A review by velvetyaverage
Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao

adventurous dark emotional funny tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

My expectations were high going into Heavenly Tyrant and even then they have been exceeded. Just like Iron Widow, the book grabs you by the throat from the first page and refuses to let go. Time and the outside world cease to exist when reading this book. And yet, we have a slower pacing that allows the reader to sink more into the world and fleshes that world out. The prose has only gotten better and vivid imagery burns into the brain. The characters are complex; one minute you hate them, one minute you love them. All minutes are wonderfully conflicting. Genuinely I am quite shocked at how much Heavenly Tyrant has improved upon Iron Widow and I will spend every waking moment waiting for this third book. I feel like the last 72 hours have been a glorious fever dream and I’m struggling with coming up for air. Incredible book.
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