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ellius'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
Wow. I absolutely loved this. Never in my life have I had a reading experience like this. Never in my life have I had a book engage me so much that I’ve felt physically nauseous but in the BEST way. This is absolutely one of my new favourite books, and for good reason.
I fell in love with the world building immediately. It was absolutely impeccable and i thought it was a really informative and creative depiction of Chinese history and culture.
I 100% fell in love with the main characters. Their motivations were all so interesting but ESPECIALLY Zetians. She is truly one of the most fascinating characters I have EVER read about. Plus her being based on the only ever female empress of china is so fucking interesting and added a whole other level to this book.
And the society that this was set in was so raw that it was kinda hard to read at points but it was a really important discussion on misogyny that I have never seen done in such a powerful way before.
But that’s all I can really say without getting into spoilers.
All in all this was an incredible book and reading experience. It covered important topics in a serious way while still being a creative and lively story (with a really cute romance). My only complaints are that the ending wasn’t as engaging as I wanted and I thought that the final twist was really cliché seeing as I predicted it since the beginning, other than that, a truly stunning book.
9.7/10. Polygamy *rizz*
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
mandieroz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Minor: Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, War, and Classism
abnormal_shadow'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
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Medical content
malecbanewood89'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: Confinement, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, and War
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Ableism, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Medical trauma
r3allybadusername's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Trafficking, Murder, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Body shaming and Fatphobia
blandrew's review against another edition
Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
cfitz13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexism, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Minor: Rape and Alcohol
moonsongsiren's review against another edition
the main character is not complex, she is unlikable, and incredibly misogynistic to the girls around her. her love interests at the point i stopped reading were.. mediocre. she is poor “representation” if you can even call her that, but i understand and appreciate that this book was written with a LOT of heart and a LOT of effort was put into it. But that does not make a good story.
What was truly the last straw for me was the main character forcing herself upon one of her love interests (does not, at any point ask him for consent, and he even tells her to stop and wait and she does not comply). To me, that sends the exact opposite message that the book was trying to send.
Over all, EXTREMELY disappointing. i would not recommend this to anyone, there is simply too much it is lacking. but for a debut novel that was clearly a loved passion project, it serves that purpose.
it is self indulgent for the author, it has a very bare bones emotion that drives the story, and it barely scratches the surface of the message it WANTS to convey.
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
julbel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The quick pace of the book does leave me wishing for more moments of quiet, which are few and brief, to get a sense of the characters outside of turmoil. Zetian, Shimin and Yizhi are compelling characters, with much potential for further development of depth (and hopefully *some* down time to figure out who they are when they aren't trying to overthrow the government).
Looking forward to the continuation of this story in the next book!
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Torture, Violence, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Police brutality
nicoleisalwaysreading'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
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Alcohol, and War
Moderate: Xenophobia