5 stars for the text, 4 for the audio

If you're unaware of #PegAmendment & you're listening, or reading a first or second edition hardcover, check out Xiran's review or socials.

"Every oppressor, through their denial of humanity, sows the seed of their own destruction."

Did this book do anything that I anticipated? Not really. Did it address the issues from the end of book 1? Yes. Was I left satisfied? Mostly? (I found out about halfway thru that its a trilogy, not a duology like I thought.)

"It’s incredible, how someone could be gone from this world, literally whisked away from the mortal earth, yet leave so many pieces behind."

Adressing the giant antlers in the room: this is an extremely toxic relationship - like an intervention should be called, but he'd kill anyone that intervened, & they'd just work it out with hate sex on the bodies. I saw at least 2 reviews about the lack of disability rep in this book - which is the opposite of the truth. Zetian spends at least half the book in a wheelchair & still has chronic pain. Spoiler

She also did not choose to fix her feet - the choice was taken from her. Stressing the lack of autonomy that women, especially disabled women, have, & the real world view that everyone has regarding disabilities are something to be fixed.

"If being on our knees was natural to us, why would they have to put so much effort into holding us down?"

Representation: Bi MCs, sapphic side character relationship off-page, disabled MC, all Asian MCs, nonbinary side character

"I mourn the people we could have been if a different world had shaped us."