wiensill's reviews
220 reviews

The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang

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adventurous 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? It's complicated

4.0

Definitely started slow and took a while to get into, but once I got a better feel for the stakes and the bandits of Liangshan, the book was hard to put down! I think this book is a good fit for fans of The Poppy War and others who enjoy reading stories about feminine rage (and in this case, pursuit for justice & revenge) in a historical setting with just a touch of fantasy. The queer elements of the book aren't central to the novel, but there is a large presence of genderfluid characters and mentions of queer relationships, which I sometimes almost enjoy more for the more subtle ways it normalizes queerness :)