Scan barcode
the_frenchie_history_nerd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Iron Widow's characters definitely aren't good people, but they're still loveable in some sort of twisted way. Zetian is a villainous figure that you're probably gonna learn to love despite her cruel nature.
This book is just as good on a second read, and I can't wait to start Heavenly Tyrant!
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Murder, Alcohol, and War
Moderate: Ableism, Death, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Murder, and Classism
Dark subjects treated with respect throughout the book, but the author does not shy away from talking about a brutal, deeply flawed and violent society.blacksphinx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The answer turned out to be mostly yes! It doesn't hurt that I recently bounced off of two other YA-ish-female-rage stories and I could compare and see how much better this one is (even on a sentence level). I love how Zeitan is a wrathful, manipulative thing who is fueled by spite. I also loved how singularly focused she was on women's position in the unjust pilot system. She never lost sight of the constant disregard and loss of female life, and even was able to pull her gaze back further to see that yelling at individual men was ineffective, it's the system that is rotten. And yeah, there's some cheesy bits (a character snaps his fingers and goes yeeeees at some point as the narration says the audience "gags" for a performance, which made me cringe). The blisteringly fast pace is an asset, allowing any humor that doesn't land to be quickly moved on from. The final cascade of revolutions was just as cool as it was the first time.
And yet, there's things that stood out and bothered me that I didn't think about my first time through. There's some continuity errors. This is supposed to be
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and War
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body horror, Body shaming, Homophobia, Sexual content, Medical content, and Pandemic/Epidemic
clownfectionary'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
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Confinement, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Murder, Gaslighting, and War
Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Gun violence, Medical content, and Grief
shadow_cat94's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wu Zetian is an angry and vengeful girl who is set out of fighting against her misogynistic society. Li Shimin is a sweet boy with a dark past who is just doing his best to survive in a world that doesn't want him to. Yihzi is a gentle boy with a restrictive father in a world of high expectations and different dreams.
Placing these three characters together in the way that they were made me so giddy, I just wanted to scream. There were so many twists including a major one in the epilogue!!!
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Sexual violence, Murder, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Blood, and Death of parent
The military actively points loaded guns at the heads of the characters while threatening to shoot them for a good chunk of the book. If that is triggering for you, I can not recommend this book.thebooksanctum'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
ella_rose31'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: Violence and War
Moderate: Child abuse, Misogyny, and Blood
Minor: Ableism, Bullying, and Rape
rjbedell's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
However, for me the book was weighed down by excessive brutality, surprisingly immature dialogue, and at-times clumsy plot advancements. The cruelty of the novel’s world makes it impossible not to root for the title character, yet the conclusion Zetian reaches as her revenge fantasy reaches its fever pitch — “the world does not deserve my respect… kindness or compassion” — abandons speculative fiction’s potential to inspire. From a serious standpoint, the story paints a grim portrait of a woman consumed by her own rage in a seemingly endless fight against injustice. For readers able to take the book less seriously, it may provide a cathartic release valve in the form of a sensational, unpredictable bloodbath.
Reminded me strongly of The Hunger Games and Ender’s Game.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia, Sexual assault, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation
abbyschalupa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A good read. I loved the main character and the rage she carried with her. Going against the lies she’s been taught, she defines her own worth. The whole story, you watch her reclaim her power. I liked the romance and was invested in all 3 characters- they each had their own story and history. I cared about all of them. The dynamics between the 3 of them felt fresh.
What I liked-
A fast paced, dark story about female rage and taking back your power. I loved watching the protagonist on her journey and use her voice. A found family in the midst of abusive biological family. A love triangle where each character loves, supports, and balances one another in their own way.
What I struggled with-
This was more of a personal thing, as where I was didn’t quite mesh with the book. There’s an emphasis on dark themes and while much isn’t grotesque, it’s present. The hunduns are the enemy in the war, yet there’s not enough description on what they actually are or what they look like. I had no idea how to picture them. For the war to be a central focus, it felt like a blatant missing piece to have scarcely any information about them. There’s a big twist at the end meant to shock you, and it felt a bit cheap.
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Sexism, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Medical content
Minor: Genocide and Rape
lauralia'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Genocide, Homophobia, Sexual content, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation
anjoureadsbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
It lays bare the insidious, absurd and strategic nature of the patriarchy.
I love how it’s in your face.
And I love how Vengeful and Angry the protagonist, Wi Zetian is. Her rage and her unpredictability is what I love most about her.
There are times she makes crazy and impulsive decisions and I want to judge her but I pause and put myself in her shoes, if I was an 18 year old girl living in her world, her circumstances, how would I behave?
It helped me understand her actions sometimes.
Although, the story could have been much better if it had more character depth and romantic development. The romantic connection between Zetian, Yizhi and Shimin felt pretty underdeveloped but ate up the little I got regardless. I think it could have helped if we had the POVs of the love interests a few times in the book.
I still really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend.
I can't wait to read book 2- Heavenly Tyrant. Hoping there’s more depth and the writing improves this time around.
Also, that ending had me like what the fuck???
But it’s a really good setup for the series so I’m not even mad at it.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Blood