A review by ladymadestar
Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.25

Really struggled to rate this one. I was a HUGE fan of Iron Widow, had this one on pre-order and everything. It was quite a book to get through, very lengthy, a lot of things happening. (Trying to avoid spoilers here.) I felt as though some things had too much time spent on them, and others not enough.

But it was the last part that truly felt like a let down. I expected the twist, but

the way it sets up the future of the series is not wholly my cup of tea. It was such a jarring shift.

I will be reading book 3 when it releases.

Some spoilers:

Felt there were too many times that characters developed and then regressed. Many jarring moments that felt incredibly out of left field. I also feel like the Iron Widows that Zetian wanted to recruit were not utilized enough.

Overall, I wanted to love this book way more than I did.