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nclausel25's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Violence, Blood, War, and Classism
Moderate: Death, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
rnbhargava's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The strong aspects of this book are on level with the first book. That said, much of the pacing for the first half is unbalanced. The protagonist also makes choices and voices feelings that come across fairly inconsistent with where the first book left off and they’re not really even partially addressed for half the book. I ultimately had fun so I went 3 stars but I took a long break from reading down the middle of this for several months and I was mulling a DNF. I was even considering a 2 star once I did resume but it picked up.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
fifteenthjessica's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Fist of all, Sue Lynn Tan's prose is gorgeous! Descriptions of the opulence of the immortals are a delight, and I wish I used sticky notes to mark my favorite descriptions so I can draw them later. Action features a solid balance of memorable spectacle and realism that keeps it grounded and weighty while still heavily featuring magic.
I didn't like the plot as much as I liked the first one though. The love triangle (the one weak part in the first book because Xingyin's feelings for Wenzhi never held a candle to her feelings for Liwei) is overall stronger and more prominent, but also gets old eventually. Towards the end of the book, when Xingyin pondered her feelings for the male leads, my eyes would glaze over. The resolution makes sense and fits with the themes of the novel, but it was drawn out by Xingyin's stubbornness.And I feel bad for Liwei who feels very much like he was strung along for a book and a half. In spite of these complaints, I would buy a low stakes sequel about Wenzhi and Xingyin's new relationship (or anything by Tan) in a heartbeat.
There were also some loose ends that left me feeling unsatsifed. The two sisters from the Golden Desert that stay on the moon in the beginning are probably a sequel hook, but the lack of confirmation about what happened tothe dead in Wugang's army in the end was disappointing. Especially after it was heavily implied that poor Yanming was added to the army. Also, the resurrection of Houyi felt too easy, and characters from that subplot like Tao and Zhiyi feel more like plot devices then characters, which is a pity, because this adds a lot of much needed depth to Wenzhi and the Celestial Empress that makes you really understand their more antagonistic decisions in the last book.
I didn't like the plot as much as I liked the first one though. The love triangle (the one weak part in the first book because Xingyin's feelings for Wenzhi never held a candle to her feelings for Liwei) is overall stronger and more prominent, but also gets old eventually. Towards the end of the book, when Xingyin pondered her feelings for the male leads, my eyes would glaze over. The resolution makes sense and fits with the themes of the novel, but it was drawn out by Xingyin's stubbornness.
There were also some loose ends that left me feeling unsatsifed. The two sisters from the Golden Desert that stay on the moon in the beginning are probably a sequel hook, but the lack of confirmation about what happened to
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Body horror, Violence, Blood, and War
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Alcohol
andatherrin's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, and Deportation
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, and War
lanid's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and War
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