I liked most of the choices of the narrator except Lu Da. That voice was too much for me. That is personal preference and the narrator did a great job in making the characters distinct.

This was kinda hard to get through but the world and the story were both interesting.
The author did a great job of portraying the historical challenges and the misogyny that are still prevalent in our society.
I went in expecting far more queer rep than the crumbs I got so just a heads up if you're also interested in that.
Recommended for fantasy lovers.

The beginning of this novel was very well developed and interesting, but I slowly started to lose interest. This novel is too long in my opinion, and the middle parts slowed the pace and it dragged on and on and on. The historical aspect is very heavy on this novel, and if you, like me, get bored easily with historical fiction, this novel might not be for you.

I did like the characters and their development throughout the novel, especially Lin Chong. But the fact that it was so history centered and included so much information made it difficult for me to want pick it up.

Another one with a cool concept I was looking forward to that didn't quite hit. Concept: a group of women and other gender minorities, all outlaws, band together to provide protection to the villages and countryside that protect them. They're targeted by corrupt imperial officials, but win a pyrrhic victory. There is a large cast of characters, but I didn't connect with any of them. It was also much more violent than the fantasy wuxia fights I expected.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the audiobook.

An absolutely brilliant adaptation of the famous Water Margins. I love the genderbent, queer-friendly writing. Lots of strong, inspiring characters, an immersive journey through ancient China, magic and wuxia to fill your heart! Looking forward to Miss Huang's next book. Hats off to the narrator who brings the novel to life with her excellent narration.

Very strong start, a bit too long but overall a very action packed queer historical fantasy. There's so much rage and revenge in this, aimed towards men and the patriarchy, which is always a fun time. This is surrounded around a bandit group of outlaws against the empire, and everyone is morally grey. Lots of blood, violence, fighting, deceit, and guessing what everyone's intentions are.

I'm forever a fan of Emily Woo Zeller's narration, so while this is almost a 20-hour long audio, it was an enjoyable listen.

This book started so strong and ended strong. The characters were interesting and distinct. Lin Chong is our hero, and I just love a middle-aged or older female protagonist with a penchant for fighting. White I found her very stiff, it kind of grew on me and I ultimately enjoyed her shifting perspective throughout the book-- though I do take issue with the fact that she would have continued turning a blind eye to atrocities all around her if they hadn't ever targeted her directly. I enjoyed the rest of the cast of as well, particularly the loud, daft, and unwavering Lu Da. My only complaint is that the middle portion of the book felt overlong, and I struggled with the pacing enough that it was tough to push through to the end.

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC.

The Water Outlaws from Dreamscape Media

Listened to this one as an Audiobook! Emily Woo Zeller is definitely one of my favorite audiobook narrators, and she really does a fantastic job here, but I am a little glad I knew that I like her narration skills, because a couple of character voices at the very beginning are definitely a little rough on the ear.

The book’s greatest strength is also, unfortunately, one of its greatest weaknesses as well: character development. There are so many many many characters running around here, lending to a beautifully textured setting. But with so many characters everywhere, is hard to give them all fulfilling character development and some have more interesting subplots than others.

I was particularly fond of Lin Chong and her friend, and literary foil, Lu Junyi. It was really interesting to see a nuanced portrayal of two friends who manage to care deeply for their community, empire, and each othe, while watching the ways circumstances force them into opposing sides of morality, nationalism, and even across battle lines. They betray each other in ways that hurt and make sense, and they hold true to one another in ways that also hurt and make sense.

There's a lot to keep up with in this book - a lot of moving parts, a lot of POV shifts - but I definitely enjoyed it. Pacing occasionally suffered when things got convoluted, and it did take me a bit to get into things, but still overall really solid.

Thanks to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and Rebellion/Solaris for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately this book did not work for me. I found myself zoning out while listening to it. There was nothing about the story or the characters that sucked me in. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, and the changing perspectives just got confusing. I may have been better off physically reading this, rather than listening to the audiobook, but I’m not sure it would have made a difference. I think this book will appeal to many, but for me I find it kind of slow and boring.

Emily Woo Zeller and S. L. Huang are a duo I did not know I needed. I listened to this in two days! The Water Outlaws is beautifully crafted. The world building is immaculate and I really enjoyed the cast of characters though I wish I was able to spend more time with some. I was not familiar with the original story but because of Huang’s writing I was still able to feel fully immersed in both the story and the world. I was really impressed at Huang’s attention to detail and ability to blend topics such as political intrigue, martial arts, magical weapons, and science with such ease. Zeller also did an amazing job narrating. This was a great audio experience! The beginning of this book does include trigger warnings which is always appreciated. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys multiple POV retellings with a large cast of female characters. I cannot wait to listen to more from Zeller and read more from Huang. Thank you NetGalley for sending me this early!

I have seen SUCH hype around this title so I decided I ought to give it a shot but omg it was SOOOO long and boring :( the side characters weren't fleshed out, the queer representation I was promised was very spotty at best, and I just was left wondering what people saw

I did like the eventual growth of the main character, but even that took a little too long for me. Like girl. These are the last people on this earth who could potentially accept you and you wanna sit here and judge them for being criminals when any of them could have a story just like you (framed criminal) like idk man so prissy and for what

I’m a big fan of SL Huang and I love her stance on retelling classic Chinese stories and myths with women and queer characters. However, in this case it differs from having too many characters to follow, letting us barely scratch the surface. Part of that, of course, is the style, with this emulating the wuxia style and therefore coming off as over-the-top, brutally violent, and full of rapid flurries of action.

Huang definitely knows her way around a fight scene, and the pacing and physical movement of the story worked well. But the characters apart from Lin Chong don’t really see much growth or challenging of their ideals - even Lu Junyi who is arguably the other emotional pillar on which the story stands.

And, of course, Emily Woo Zeller is in peak form with the narration of the audiobook.

Huang's retelling is so well done that I didn't even have to know the original story in order to fully immerse myself in this world.

They blend philosophy, alchemical study and interests, political intrigue, and martial arts with attention to period, character development and world building. Nothing lacks detail and this along with the dialogue only increased my interest and enjoyment.

With perspectives from multiple characters, the world opens up on the page, with its hierarchical structures, political spheres, corruption, and exploitations. The depiction of imperial powers and government reach versus the idea of equality and justice that is sought by brave, exiled, and reviled individuals is clearly rendered.

I enjoyed the ways that plans are made and carried out, the ways that opposing forces parry and attempt to outwit each other is immensely enjoyable to me. Overall a well-writen retelling with a focus on the characters and their motivations, as well as the complexities of certain decisions that push us towards an eventual future.

This book gave me a hard time. I started reading the e-book but somehow I felt it slow and even though the blurb sounded intriguing, the story just didn't grab my attention. So I decided to go for the audiobook instead. The narration was good, yet there were so many characters it was difficult for me to follow who is who. The multiple plot lines didn't help and finally I had to admit that I'm not enjoying this book. It may be a good fit for someone else though. (Trigger warnings are included at the beginning of the novel - remember to check them!)

Many thanks to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and Rebellion/Solaris for an ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC!

I was very intrigued about this book and it turns out I had good reason to be, because above the beautiful cover and appealing synopsis, I really enjoyed it!

Although the pacing in the first half of the book is somewhat slow, it pays off moving forward.

Because I was listening to the audiobook it took me longer to read, or rather listen to, since it does have a bigger group of characters and it took some time to remember who was who without seeing the names on page. This being said, concerning characters and character development, I think this was the strongest point of the book and thoroughly enjoyed the exploration of our more central characters, as well as the ones with a more supportive role (n.b. I would have liked to go more in depth with different characters who were very interesting to me).

The themes explored are also strong and the descriptions of violence and struggles are not muted or masked; it sets a certain atmosphere and sets a tone while also expressing the scale of the threat.

The fantasy aspects are present and very interesting; it is an aspect I would have wanted more time to explore.

I gladly recommend this book to fantasy lovers, especially if you like political intrigue and plotting, as well as military fantasy.

I loved the modern retelling and the woman centered story. It was great on audio and i loved the cast of characters.

Unfortunately, I cannot complete this book. There are too many triggers for me. One that is left out of the trigger warnings is women thinking their only option is to be victims.

I love how OUTLAWS is inspired by Water Margins but instead focuses on the women. The narration is phenomenal. I love that the characters aren't perfect just to show off "strong female characters". Huang writes about their hopes & dreams & shortcomings fully that every character comes to life. I also adore the world building and the fight scenes. A fast-paced book that is so absorbing I finished the audiobook in a day!

I truly loved how female and queer-centred this novel was. However, I had a difficult time in the middle of the book to stay interested in the novel due to the pace. The first 100 and the last 50 pages were my favourite and quite fast-paced. Found the novel a little too long. Looking forward to reading other novels by S.L Huang.

The narrator was fantastic!