Reviews tagging 'Hate crime'

Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao

4 reviews

maricasement's review against another edition

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dark informative inspiring tense fast-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

5.0

Xiran Jay Zhao further explores the world of Huaxia in this sequel to Iron Widow, fleshing out not only the characters and their motivations but the revolution they are inciting.
The story of Heavenly Tyrant follows immediately after the end of Iron Widow, as the characters deal with the consequences of their actions.
Wu Zetian has to not only manage being the Empress but also Li Shimin's kidnapping, the distance she has to keep from Yizhi, new relationships and the realisation about the Hunduns. All this while she tries to stick to her convictions and survive among so many people who want to do her harm.

The book spends more time describing the characters' activities and their conversations than the first one. This was a good choice as so much happens in such a short time in Iron Widow that you are left reeling and rather overwhelmed, even after a second read-through. Spending more time with the characters in moments of less action also allowed for more nuance when expressing their ideals and different points of view.
It was important to have time to dwell on the explorations of the practical consequences of the policies Qin Zheng and Wu Zetian implement, of the terror, anger and fear involved in a revolution, and of how hurt and oppressed people deal with that in different ways.

Xiran Jay Zhao is able to explore complex themes in a nuanced and multifaceted way and I can't wait to read more of their work.
And of course what is going to happen next to the Iron Triangle and the toxic waste Darth Vader...
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kmart_ceo's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced
  • 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

4.5

I don’t think the sequel is as good as the first book. Maybe that’s just because there’s WAYYYY more going on and
there was no Shimin (for the most part)
. The plot twists had my jaw dropping, and I started having a hard time keeping track of who I am supposed to hate. 
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blackknight4449's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

A modern retelling that combines mecha-anime and historical China in a thrilling manner. I did not put this down after I passed page 200. I have never identified more with the protagonist and the antagonist at the same time for WILDLY different reasons. I have too much to say and too little time to say it. Suffice to say that this book goes above and beyond other similar science fiction of its type. It should have won the Hugo Award.   
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juniperbranches's review against another edition

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dark informative reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I LOVE that Zeitian maintained So much of her feminine rage. Loved how hateable but reasonable Qin Zheng was. I’m a big fan of sneaking conversations about power wealth and consent into a YA novel but comes off a little dry and educational in some spots. I can’t decide if I like where the author seems to be directing the series, but I like that scope they’ve given the story. 
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