I have a lot of feelings about this one. I'll start by saying I didn't re-read Iron Widow before starting this one -- and, honestly, it might have made the differences even more stark.

I enjoyed Zetian's relationship with a few of the female characters in this novel, but feel like the feminine rage that I loved in IW was tempered in this one, aside from her sparring with Qin Zheng. 

I thought her grief over both Shiming and destruction of the Palace of Sages was pervasive, which felt genuine.