The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
madmantha's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Alcohol, Addiction, Classism, Blood, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, Body horror, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, War, Child abuse, and Misogyny
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual content, Police brutality, Grief, Violence, Trafficking, and Pregnancy
anni_o'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: Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Alcohol, Cursing, Misogyny, Sexism, Classism, Emotional abuse, War, Alcoholism, Torture, Addiction, Confinement, Domestic abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence
taque's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Murder, Grief, Torture, Violence, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Death of parent, War, Confinement, Alcohol, Addiction, and Alcoholism
Minor: Terminal illness, Sexual assault, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Racial slurs
kbairbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Violence, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Death, Death of parent, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Torture, Gaslighting, Child death, Cursing, Body shaming, Grief, Colonisation, Addiction, Alcohol, Confinement, Mental illness, Biphobia, Blood, Classism, Genocide, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, and War
thenoboshow's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Classism, Misogyny, Murder, Torture, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Blood, Confinement, and War
Moderate: Toxic friendship and Self harm
rubybastille'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
4.75
That gets accomplished almost immediately. After that, it’s Zetian unleashing potential she never thought she had, plotting to overturn the pilot system and possibly the entire government, and piloting a majestic mecha to new heights while she’s at it. She does it with the help of equally mistreated male pilot Shimin and media scion Yizhi, possibly the only decent males in the entire world.
Zetian starts off already overflowing with cutthroat, righteous anger, and she shaves away any and all traces of kindness or compassion as the book progresses. YMMV on how much you enjoy a protagonist like that. For the most part, Zetian is easy to root for, but I get the feeling the second book will be a very different Zetian.
Graphic: Misogyny, Alcoholism, Sexism, War, Emotional abuse, Murder, Torture, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual assault, Trafficking, Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs, Slavery, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Confinement
bee_wuud's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Addiction and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Confinement and Sexual assault
missjuliamazing's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨
Let me preface by saying I flew through this book and had a great time. Magic, mech suits, and an honest to god throuple??? Yes please!!Â
That said, I had two major issues with this book:
 1) I found a lot of the world building to be pretty clunky. Additionally, this book was marketed as heavily feminist. Some of the sexism is cartoonishly handled in a very jarring way. There were many asides that sounded like they would fit in with a 2012 Tumblr rant about feminism. It’s not that I disagree, but it was a little ham handed for my taste.Â
2) the main character, despite being on a mission for revenge for her sister’s murder and eventually to change the misogynist pilot practices, seems to have a lot of disdain for other women. There is not one other sympathetic female character in the whole book aside from her dead sister, who I’m pretty sure isn’t even named. I would have loved to see more girls supporting girls, but Zetian seemed to go out of her way to hold contempt for every other woman.Â
In the end I enjoyed the book enough to be motivated to finish it and still want to read the next one. Dat cliffhanger tho!!!!
Moderate: Rape, Sexism, Addiction, Alcohol, Confinement, Sexual assault, and Violence
megssargent'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, War, and Alcoholism
squinnittowinit's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
I thought this book did a very good job of immersing the reader in the very real misogyny that Wu Zetian experiences at every turn, but also not wallowing in those feelings. Instead, Zetian fights against the system at every turn and the reader can celebrate with her when she succeeds. Gao Yizhi and Li Shimin are great supporting characters as well, full of their own depth, but without taking away from Zetian's character in any way.
I especially loved how unapologetically bloodthirsty Wu Zetian was, so often the "dangerous woman" main character ends up just being misunderstood, or becomes tamed by love or something, which is just weak character development. Wu Zetian is a dangerous woman, and that never changes.
4.75 stars because some of the most dramatic dialogue moments were just a little too silly for my liking.
Graphic: Addiction, Murder, Confinement, Violence, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Misogyny, Death, Child abuse, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
Moderate: Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Classism, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Racism, Rape, War, Gun violence, and Ableism
Minor: Homophobia, Gaslighting, Vomit, Transphobia, Pedophilia, and Pregnancy