There is no freedom under subjugation!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Even if some of the themes felt ham fisted, I think people need that. I loved how consistently those themes played into our MC's decisions and that this book was a turnaround from the frenzied actions of the first book. Excited for the third book!

This book is enrapturing. It is terrifying. It is a car crash you can't help but watch and a murder that freezes your blood while you cheer for the murderer. I would say I couldn't put it down, but that's untrue. I threw it on my couch and ran laps around my house from the adrenaline it caused me. I was screaming in the drive through for in-n-out beside my mom. I was reading every word between the fingers I covered my eyes with and pausing for breaths at every turned page. I was scared to start every chapter for fear of what lied before me. This was the most stressful inducing book with some of the most complex characters I ever read. 

But I was also cheering, whooping with joy, crying from relief. I swooned at certain romantic lines (even when I was aware I *really* should not be, but Wu Zetian the women you ARE) and reveled at the characters vengeance. 

The author stings along your hopes, crushing them in one hand while reviving them in the other. They twist your view of the world in so many knots your as unsure of every step as the characters. It was thrilling.

I hadn't realized how much I've missed books that make me feel this way until I read Heavenly Tyrant. They are rare and brilliant and this is at the height of them. We had to wait a long time for the sequel to Iron Widow because of the industry, but this book is a testament to how good things are worth waiting for, and how revolution relies not just on violence, but the voices of artists to carry it.