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lil_rumblebee'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
4.75
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Slavery, Torture, Grief, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Suicide, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic
madmantha's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Body horror, Toxic relationship, Violence, and War
Moderate: Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Colonisation, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Biphobia, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Deportation, and Pandemic/Epidemic
calamitydane's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Rape and Trafficking
Minor: Ableism, Child death, Homophobia, and Alcohol
queer_bookwyrm'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
"They tell me you are vulgar, dangerous, bloodthirsty, self-absorbed, manipulative, and all-around, affront to sensibility. What do you have to say for yourself, Wu Zetian?
Yes, that's pretty much who I am. Still want to marry me, Your Majesty?"
Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao is book two in the Iron Widow series. I have been waiting so long for this book, and it did not disappoint! There is so much female rage in this, just like in book one, but this time it's much more politically focused. This was a very long book, but it kept my attention the whole time. Possible spoilers for book one ahead.
We pick up with Zetian after the events of book one, and she finds herself to have inadvertently started a revolution by waking Emperor Qin Zheng. Now Zetian has to live with the choices she has made and the people she has killed to get here. We find that despite her justifiable rage against the establishment, Zetian is quite naive about what happens after you topple a government and what it actually takes to have power and rule a country. We see her very unhealthy relationship with Qin Zheng, and the heartbreak and betrayal she endures from someone she loves.
Absolutely so much happened in this book, it's impossible to summarize it all. We get way more on the political side of things in this book as we see Zetian learning more about how government works and learns about the laborist movement. I have such complicated feelings about Qin Zheng, because one the one hand, he and Zetian's relationship is extremely toxic and he's definitely a dick, but on the other hand, he has some fairly progressive political ideas. Don't get me wrong, Zetian is also extremely toxic to Zheng as well. We learn so much more about the Hunduns and about the gods in the Heavenly Court. Some wild stuff happens at the end that leaves us on a cliffhanger about Shimin.
I'm so mad we had to wait so long for this book, and now I have to wait again for book three! 😭 I just want these characters to be happy. I loved this book, this series is definitely a favorite. Many tabs were used in the reading of this book.
Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, and Suicide
jacksons_books_and_music'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: Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Deportation
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Body shaming, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Transphobia, Vomit, Trafficking, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Lesbophobia
the eating disorder I mentioned is actually a hunger strikejelkebooks'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
The ending of book 1 truly shook things up for this world, and therefore the start of this book mainly focusses on Zetian, as well as the reader, getting used to this new normal plus setting up the new political system. I overall think the transition into these massive changes was just extremely well executed. As I mentioned before this book is A LOT of political intrigue. That personally is something I like in books so I had a blast. I feel like Xiran Jay Zhao clearly has such a strong grip on her world, and I loved seeing everything unfold, and seeing all the different moves the different characters made to get their shit done. It was just so incredibly well written, and it truly had me shocked at times as I too was fooled by some character's moves.
Zetian in this book is incredible though. We also spend quite a lot of time with Zetian just learning a lot of things she wasn't able to before because previously she was kept from education. I truly liked that she acknowledged she didn't know everything, and took the effort to learn because she saw it as something that could only help her forward. And it did! As Zetian learns more it's clear in the narrative that she just becomes stronger in this political game everyone is playing. It was great to see that developement throughout the book.
The plot was also just so good. I was captivated from beginning to end, and I just didn't want to put this book down. Despite not being as action packed, this definitely was still as much of a ride as book one was, just in a different way. It truly made me feel ALL the emotions, and the expansion we got on the world was also incredibly interesting. Overall this book went in so many different directions I didn't see coming but I still had a fantastic time with. The only complaint I have is that I need the next book like almost immediately because that ending was BRUTAL.
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexual assault and Suicide
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Miscarriage
mostlyvoidpartiallystars'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
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Child death, Homophobia, and Suicide
Minor: Child abuse, Miscarriage, and Blood
gardens_and_dragons's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Most of this book is just speeches and telling, not showing, what happens with Qin Zheng now that he is back as emperor of Huxia- after the events of the last book when Zetian frees him. He’s terrible. He’s a tyrant. It’s a warning about what happens when men do terrible things in the name of the "greater good." There’s some sexual content that is coercive and felt like it could have been handled better as subject matter.
The only truly interesting stuff in this SFF novel happens in the last 100 pages. The rest feels like poorly written leftist monologues pasted over a weak semblance of a plot that completely undermines the spirit of what the main characters worked toward in the first book. I say this as someone who is fairly liberal, but there’s a difference between portraying these beliefs meaningfully and cramming half-page Tumblr-style rants into the mouths of side characters.
Zetian spends the whole book suffering. Again. Great. We don’t get to see her do much of what she excels at—she’s literally forced to play a role for propaganda.
I’m honestly shocked this made it through an editor’s hands and got approved, especially with the run-on monologues, poor pacing, extra characters, and more.
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Violence
Moderate: Ableism and Pregnancy
Minor: Homophobia and Suicide
zeros_and_ones's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Genocide, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
velvetyaverage's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Gore, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and War
Minor: Eating disorder, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Pregnancy