The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
tiernanhunter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Pregnancy, Self harm, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Drug use, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Torture, Violence, War, Blood, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Body shaming, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Toxic friendship
samants's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Take a shot every time you read:
- "Hungry ghosts"
- "Trotted"
- "Behatted"
- "Curious"
Also: I think I would have liked this more if the absolute psychological torment undergone by the characters wasn't described so lushly. The prose got a little purple at times, describing people's internal suffering. It was a bit much.
Graphic: Violence, Transphobia, Blood, Death, Dysphoria, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, War, Fire/Fire injury, Self harm, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Murder, Rape, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault
Minor: Body horror
bootrat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Violence, War, Self harm, Death, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Dysphoria, Murder, Sexism, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Miscarriage
leonormsousa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Pregnancy, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Sexual content, Abortion, Classism, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Infidelity, Body horror, Grief, Self harm, Sexism, Gore, Sexual assault, War, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Slavery, and Violence
jordiehp's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
The Radiant Emperor duology is a beautiful exploration of gender, ambition, grief, and hope. Highly recommend.
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Death, Grief, Dysphoria, War, Sexism, Self harm, and Misogyny
Moderate: Murder, Transphobia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Rape, Physical abuse, Ableism, Homophobia, War, and Violence
Minor: Miscarriage, Dysphoria, Gore, Child death, Torture, Abortion, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, and Slavery
kers_tin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, Toxic relationship, Torture, War, Sexual content, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Rape, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Murder, Infidelity, Transphobia, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, and Grief
Moderate: Outing, Pregnancy, and Homophobia
leweylibrary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I love seeing how the characters have developed and continue to develop, especially Zhu and Ouyung. I love the symbolism with the Mandate of Heaven and it's light and the drowning, and I love how the book approaches and discusses gender identity and expression throughout.Â
This one was also definitely much more exciting with the big battles and crazy scenes (I'm NEVER going to forgot
Graphic: Kidnapping, Infertility, Blood, Ableism, Gore, Dysphoria, Murder, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Grief, Homophobia, Deadnaming, Child death, Body shaming, Body horror, Death, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, War, Physical abuse, Outing, and Violence
beandream's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Violence, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, and Self harm
Moderate: War, Vomit, Grief, and Sexual content
Minor: Body shaming, Miscarriage, Dysphoria, Abortion, and Death
warlocksarecool21's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
If you read all of this, then congratulations 😂. This duology was really well done and is definitely worth a read (it’s really brutal though so watch out).Â
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gore, Self harm, Sexual content, Death, Dysphoria, Torture, Blood, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, War, Body shaming, Homophobia, Murder, Grief, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Violence, and Rape
aidareads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
First of all, the writing style was so, so captivating. I remember heavily highlighting the first book, but I still feel like Shelley Parker-San has improved a lot as an author, not only in their writing style, but also in their technique. Humor, for instance, worked better for me here than it did in the first book. Also, the way Parker-San intertwines characters and their fates is mesmerizing. The way they write characters in itself is so compelling and masterful. I love morally grey characters, and all the people involved in this story are so fleshed out; they feel so real. Ouyang specifically was very challenging for me because of his trauma and his issues and I bet it was hard to write as well, and I think the author did a fantastic job.
However, I must admit that triggering content is medium to heavy in this one, at least for me, especially because self-harm is so frequently brought up, explored, and graphically described. The same goes for sexual abuse/rape, among others. However, regardless of my subjective reaction to these topics, I still believe they were dealt with very well, and I don't think they were included for shock value at all - they are, in each and every scene they appear, relevant and highly meaningful for both the plot and the characters.
I also really, really loved the third part of the book, as well as how it ended. I personally value the overall experience when I read a book, but a great ending is definitely a huge part of the rating for me, and this one was fantastic.
Lastly, please check all the trigger warnings before reading this book. Take care, and sorry for the rant.
psa: i started this review with a 4.5 star rating, but after reading what i've just said, i don't think i have any reasons not to give this a solid 5 stars. i genuinely don't have anything negative to say about this. i'm not a fan of historical fiction myself, and i thoroughly enjoyed it (although the reiterative queerness definitely helps lmao) <3
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Graphic: Transphobia, Sexual violence, Self harm, War, Rape, Sexual assault, Ableism, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Blood, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Minor: Slavery