Author: Xiran Jay Zhao
Series: Iron Widow #2
Genre: Sci-fi/Queer/Romance
Publisher: Tundra Books
Publication Date: December 24, 2024
Edition: Ebook
Source: Library
Purchase: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | BAM | Bookshop | Kobo | Powell's |
Synopsis:
After suffering devastating loss and making drastic decisions, Zetian finds herself at the seat of power in Huaxia. But she has also learned that her world is not as it seems, and revelations about an enemy more daunting than Zetian imagined forces her to share power with a dangerous man she cannot simply depose. Despite having vastly different ideas about how they must deconstruct the corrupt and misogynist system that plagues their country, Zetian must join this man in a dance of truth and lies and perform their roles to perfection in order to take down their common enemy, who seeks to control them as puppets while dangling one of Zetian’s loved ones as a hostage.
With political unrest and perilous forces aiming to undermine Zetian at every turn, can she enact positive changes as a fair and just ruler? Or will she be forced to rely on fear and violence and succumb to her darker instincts in her quest for vengeance?
With political unrest and perilous forces aiming to undermine Zetian at every turn, can she enact positive changes as a fair and just ruler? Or will she be forced to rely on fear and violence and succumb to her darker instincts in her quest for vengeance?
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This book took me some time to get to and through. Not from lacking enjoyment. Life stuff has been making it hard to read most days. I did have to re-read the first book before reading this one because it's been years (4 years) since I read the first book, and didn't remember enough of the smaller details to pick this one up. There were some pacing issues around the middle,
That aside, there were parts of this book that I just didn't enjoy as much as I wanted to. The romance trapezium wasn't my cup of tea. I didn't buy any of it, some of the plot beats were redundant, and I didn't feel that some of the choices characters made, made a lot of sense even with all the context.
I also wasn't a huge fan of the new characters, well character. He's deeply unlikable on a fundamental level. Sure he has good policies but his execution (sometimes literally), But in a lot of ways he's also a hypocrite, which might be on purpose. He also has too much faith that others will follow his lead and won't just put things back the way they were before but with themselves in power when given the chance.
I don't know where things will go in the next book, but I am still invested in these characters. Most of them at least, some of the other characters I'm less interested in what their arch will be in the next book.
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