Reviews tagging 'Vomit'

Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao

11 reviews

b3ck3tt's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • 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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

jacksons_books_and_music's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced
  • 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

Last year, I said Iron Widow was one of the best books I ever read. I love the sequel even better!

The characters and the circumstances in which they have to survive are incredibly messy and imperfect. They have to make difficult decisions that are sometimes right, sometimes wrong, and sometimes it’s hard to say. I felt the characters were realistic and nuanced in an incredibly engaging way. I wish all my friends would read this series so we could all talk about it often!

The narration was great! I think it was very smart to cast two different narrators, even if one of them didn’t narrate often. 

Please keep in mind this book series is upper YA/New Adult, with content not meant for younger teens. In terms of content and trigger warnings, it would be easier to say what trigger and content warnings it doesn’t warrant. There is graphic violence and spicy content, falling short of explicit (depending on your definition).

I’m not sharing any further thoughts due to spoilers! I look forward to reading the third book in the series when it comes out!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

njstew's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous tense medium-paced
  • 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

Absolutely screaming oh my goodness
After waiting for YEARS for this book the plot was everything I hoped for.

Only criticisms would be that some of the writing about political ideas were just a little too on the nose, and that for most of the book it felt like the characters were overcoming obstacles too easy (although this did not hold up towards the end) 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

goggles4's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful tense fast-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

5.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

sirpandacat's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious tense
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

creationwing's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced
  • 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

5.0

I have never read a book all in one sitting like this.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

elenikin's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad 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

What a follow up to Iron Widow! It definitely had a different vibe- it's wasn't full time female rage and mecha- smash-things, but there still were elements of that vibe in this book. It was interesting to see how Huaxia changed after the old regime was overthrown, and I felt like sometimes it was almost like a foreshadowing of what could happen if capitalism was overthrown semi-violently. I really liked to see what Zetian did to try to uplift women. Qin Zheng grew on me, to the point where I was pretty much rooting for him and Zetian to make it work...
but I should have expected her to not fully bow down to him, so that crazy ending shouldn't have been a surprise! But man, I had whiplash with Yizhi and his various betrayals, and like Zetian, I lost my trust in him. But wow, what an ending! I had pretty much guessed that the gods were just more advanced beings/society but not really gods, but it was interesting to see how that interaction panned out! Also, does this mean there will be more books? I thought it was a planned duology, but now I'm not sure!
Overall, I continued to enjoy Zhao's writing style and world building, and I liked the revolution vibes. Definitely a worthy follow up after the excellence that is Iron Widow!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

orion_allthoughts's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

4.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

chanlo1994's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Rated it a step lower because the pace was slow for my personal liking. I think this is going to be a very important book for 2025, especially with the new polical cycle we will be facing. Honestly. My first thought was "this is what happens when we let children be in control of a government" 😂 I am absolutely looking forward to book 3. It's also important to note that bodily consent is not limited to sexual acts. It's includes anything done to your body with or without your knowledge and this is violated several times in the book.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

ali_k0's review against another edition

Go to review page

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.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings