4 stars. This was an interesting reimagining of a classic Chinese story that features fantasy, political intrigue and high stakes machinations. I appreciated the heads up early on from the author that it’s intended in the Wuxia style because I feel like it really influenced how I imagined it.

This story features a wide range of entertaining and engaging female characters who all have their own distinct voices and backgrounds providing them with genuine motivations for why they have found themselves in this found family of bandits trying to fight against corrupt government officials and the patriarchy. Lu Da is a stand out character for me and made me laugh out loud several times.

It’s worth noting that while this book is marketed as LGBTIQ and has some fantastic LGBTIQ rep that it is not at all a sapphic love story. So if you are wanting elements of romance this is probably not the place to look.

This story did have some truly intense reading passages that made me feel uncomfortable at times so take the CWs seriously if you need to. These include on page attempted SA, on page torture and cannibalism.

Thank you NetGalley for the audio ARC. I would 100% recommend this as an audiobook and think that the narration really enhanced the overall experience of the book.

‘The Water Outlaws’ by S.L. Huang was absolutely thrilling, empowering, moving, and downright epic. The audio performance by Emily Woo Zeller was freaking phenomenal too. A top favorite of the year. Highly recommend!

𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘣𝘺 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳 (𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬-𝘺𝘰𝘶!). 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

The Water Outlaws is a Chinese martial art inspired story about imperial arms instructor Lin Chong being severally wronged by a powerful man and, in a way, forced to joined a group of female and downtrodden bandits to seek retributional justice in view of the lack of institutional justice. It's about female empowerment, about women and queer folk helping grouping together and helping each other, and about bringing justice to the outcast in a corrupt Empire.

With a gripping start that hits the ground running, a rather large and diverse cast of characters and an action packed story, there was never a dull moment while reading The Water Outlaws. The plot kicks in really early on, making it easy for the reader to discern if this will be their type of book or not and there was not any moment at which I felt like the story was reaching stagnation or dragging. If anything, the opposite was true with the middle part having a rather quick pace with many important events happening in rapid succession. As for the characters, although it is a rather large cast all of them have a very distinct voices, personalities, backgrounds as well as their own agendas, making them compelling and interesting to read.

At its start I thought this story was going to be a humorous light-hearted read in which a group of bandits band together to fight against the system. I was somewhat wrong, mainly in the this was not as humorous or light-hearted as I thought it was going to be and I have zero complains about it. Definitely check for trigger warnings if you are a sensitive person because while the general tone is always on the lighter side, there are a few instances in which things get a bit grim in a way that might not be everyone's cup of tea.


I must also mention the splendid narration from Emily Woo Zeller for the audiobook. She is an incredible narrator and voice actress with many great works in her repertoire and this was yet another massive hit. In a book with so many characters and points of views, Woo Zeller did an astonishing job at giving each character a very distinct voice which made the audiobook experience a smooth and delightful ride.

Overall I really loved how The Water Outlaws took the bones from the Chinese classic Water Margin and gave it a queer and feminist twist and, although this is a standalone, I would love reading more books with this cast of characters, whit the only thing dragging it down a bit is that there were times it got a confusing due to the many perspective and characters in play. Nevertheless, The Water Outlaws is an amazing read for fans of Chinese inspired fantasy!

Thank you very much to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for providing me an Audio-ARC!

What a fantastic romp!

When Lin Chong, an expert arms instructor, is unjustly disgraced and branded a criminal, she is left with little choice but to join up with the infamous Liangshan bandits. This bandit clan might be raucous, but they believe fiercely in justice for all, including women, those who exist outside the gender binary, and the downtrodden lower classes.

This was a fabulous wuxia-filled adventure. S.L. Huang does a fabulous job of bringing to life the magical physicality of the wuxia genre. If you're a fan of unorthodox queer sisterhood, boisterous bandits, moral conundrums and battles of both strength and strategy, Water Outlaws isn't one to miss.

Emily Woo Zeller's narration brought so much life to these larger than life characters, and such gravity to the dire circumstances Lin Chong faces. This was a vibrant, endlessly entertaining audiobook.

I'm about halfway through this and I just can't do it. The narrator is terrible! I don't mind her regular voice when she is doing the voice of the main character, but the voices she uses for the other characters is whiney, grating, and severely annoying. It's so bad that it is ruining the story for me. I am going to switch to a physical copy so that the author has a fair chance at a good rating. If I rate it based on the narrator, it will be 1 star as I'm rating it here.

Lin Chong is a battle instructor who has been betrayed by a flawed society. Lu Junyi is trying to balance good with doing what’s right. Each woman’s story is intertwined with the other, but as one balances her transition to bandit and the other social justice without genocide, the line between right and wrong is blurred. Will each be able to mitigate the escalating stressors, serve justice and still make it out unscathed?

First, this was an enjoyable audiobook. The narrator did a good job of capturing the voices of several characters. At times I did struggle with the transitions from one point of view to the next as there was a fair amount of jumping around. Also the voice of the all brawn no brain character was, at times, too much especially in the early parts of the novel. Overall though, I really did enjoy the audiobook.

The novel itself is a well written adventure with a variety of characters ranging from witty to blundering and from good hearted to maniacal. It also is a case study in how the decisions a person makes can compound or have a domino effect in society. There is lots of action. Also good pacing with just a little bit of slow down at the end as storylines are wrapped up. A solid fantasy novel. 4 stars.

Review based on a Advanced Audiobook provided by Dreamscape Media and NetGalley. Thank you!

it's not you, it's definitely me?

Maybe I had some expectations going into after reading Burning Roses and As the Last I May Know that now feel a little misplaced - while this also a retelling, it is much more action-heavy in comparison and character work takes a backseat to the intricate plot.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed all the POVs (but Lin Chong remains my favourite), I had a great time with the Liangshan and their brand of badassery and humor, Gua Qiu was an excellent villain.
Yet as I was keeping track of names and professions and connections between them, being engrossed in the fight scenes and waiting to learn more about the science behind the god's teeth, I was waiting to fall in love with this band of bandits. I can only echo what others have written in their reviews that my investment was not very deep in the end.

I guess I am a little frustrated with the ending? I was not expecting a picture-perfect solution to all our problems but I am undecided yet if it was just well foreshadowed or too obvious after all.


Part of that is the audiobook, I was personally not a fan of some of the voices Emily Woo Zeller chose for certain people, it sounded more like caricatures at times and did not fit the overall tone of the story. Her way of delivering humor was also not for me (if it wasn't the book - it was my first audiobook by her).

I actually finished this book awhile back and I waited this long to review it because I really wanted to sit with it and think about whether or not I should be posting a review. I decided that since I'm not an own voices reviewer I am going to let this one go. I will say to go check out own voices reviews and reviews of those who have this story in their culture.

I have never read or heard of the original story for this book, but I absolutely loved this retelling. I don't have a basis for comparison, but this as a standalone without any background knowledge, reads fantastically. It didn't feel like I was missing anything because I hadn't read the initial material, and the book does an amazing job of bringing you into the story and creating a sense of injustice and anger.
This book was packed with action, and I really loved getting to see the different POVs. I would definitely recommend this for people who love to see hello queer characters and found family but set an a rougher narrative.

This was a fun story but with all the moving pieces, it might have been better to physically read it rather than listen to it. I feel that I missed quite a bit. The world building is lush and the characters are delightful.

A sweeping majestic tale that seamlessly swaps women into the valiant and morally complex roles of folklore. An impressive undertaking, well-executed by S.L. Huang.

Thank you to Net Galley and Tordotcom for the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Ever read a book that instantly makes you want every antagonist to get clipped?

"The Water Outlaws" by S. L. Huang is one of those stories. Lin Chong is an arms instructor, and damn good at her job, teaching the imperial guard how to use the 18 different weapons. But then this mfer tries some ****ery and she defends herself. And because he has a position of power she is marked a criminal and marked for death. Her friend sends her help via an insanely strong former monk, who takes her to the mountain stronghold of the Liangshan Bandits. These women are working to undo some of the corruption in the Empire. But they are also murderers, smugglers, thieves, and maybe cannibals... What's the worst that can happen?

Narrated by Emily Woo Zeller, always a treat to hear. Especially when she goes from a very stoic character to an overly exuberant one.

Reasons to read:
-Gender flipped version of Water Margin by Shu Nai'an, possibly, which has influenced a lot of media over the centuries
-Awesome wuxia story
-Swift and sure vengeance
-Fun characters with great names
-Super punchable villains

Cons:
-Sometimes fair trials and powerful people being taken to account for their actions would be nice... But hyper violence to them will do

I love genderbent stories and I am fond of retellings, even though I do not know the origin of this one.
The story is a journey of finding yourself, of loyalties and found family. The latter trope I really really love, and I somehow had hoped of more cozy vibes from this, plus a ragtag crew of bandits. For me though it was layered over with lots of politics and a vast variety of characters that were sometimes hard to follow. Which is not the fault of the story or author, but just didn't meet my personal expectations.
The plot is really intriguing, and a few characters I got interested in (Lu Da most of all), but for the most part I didn't get sucked into the book.
This could be partly because I only had the audiobook to follow. The narrator does a really great job of giving voices to different characters, but for me it was hard to follow everything that happened and get a good feeling for the vibes of the book. Her voice is also so soothing that at times I found myself zoning out.
I might have enjoyed the story much more as a written book, so I'd recommend reading it to anyone who is interested in this story. But then totally get the audiobook, too, because it's really well narrated.
3/5 stars
Thank you @netgalley and @dreamscape_media for the ALC!

What an amazing, epic fantasy! Martial arts, magical weapons, great characters, political intrigue, and feminism at the core make for a truly riveting reading experience. This story follows a fearsome crew of bandits hell-bent on toppling the Imperial patriarchy. The dark themes and violence of war are offset by the humorous dialogue, making for a well-rounded range of emotions. The pacing in this was excellent and I loved the action scenes most of all. The use of martial arts and the magic system made all the conflicts really harrowing and had me fully enthralled. While I did wish the characters were a bit more fleshed out, I still was relatively invested in most, especially Lin Chong's story arc. Highly recommend! The audiobook was especially entertaining, and the narrator did a phenomenal job of fully immersing you in the plot.

I really liked this book! I was not familiar with the legend it's based off of, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment. Our two main POVs are Lin Chong and Lu Junyi-- these two start off as friends, but their paths quickly diverge. Lin Chong is wrongly accused and banished, while Lu Junyi stays in society. Lin Chong joins a group of notorious bandits (Liangshan) and from there, she embarks on a journey to aid these "criminals" help those in need.

Overall, I was thoroughly entertained and interested throughout this whole book. There might've been (dare I say it?) too much action. So many things happened in this book, and I was constantly worried about what was going to happen next.

The narrator, Emily Woo Zeller, for this book did an outstanding job at differentiating the many POVs and different character's tones. Lu Da was especially recognizable, and Emily really gave depth to her dialogue.

For me, there were too many characters introduced and also additional POVs that I didn't necessarily need. I think it is interesting sometimes to be in the villain's head, but nothing in those chapters was surprising to me. This book has a huge cast, and I did find it a little confusing. This could be a me/audiobook issue because perhaps if I read the names over and over, I wouldn't have had the same problem. I also think this book was a little too long, but also somehow I didn't get some of the information that I wanted? I would've loved to see this as a duology for that reason.

Also, this cover??? Stunning.

4.5 rounded up.

The Water Outlaws is a feminist retelling of the Chinese classic Water Margin. I am not familiar with the classic story, but I absolutely loved the retelling by S.L. Huang. Emily Woo Zeller was the narrator. I have listened to many audiobooks narrated by her, and she never fails to deliver.

One thing that I GREATLY appreciated was the content warnings at the beginning of the book. I have some specific triggers and ALWAYS appreciate knowing if they will be present. Being surprised can cause me to not finish the book, and sometimes disregard the author’s future works.

Things to enjoy:
Complicated characters
A lot of action
Found family/friends
The writing style- I was engaged from beginning to end.
Normalization of queer characters
Rebelling against the patriarchy

Things that I enjoyed a smudge less:
A lot of characters are introduced throughout the book, and as I listened to the audiobook, sometimes I would get confused. This is more of a “me not you” problem though.
This is a long book, and I feel the ending could have been edited a little more.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It’s my first introduction to S.L. Huang, and I will definitely read more of their work.


Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media, Dreamscape Lore for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

following a master arms instructor of a far off army accused of a crime she did not commit and her friend that tries to help her, this book was a great and broad fantasy that i really enjoyed. i was not, and still am not, familiar with the legend that this book is based on in any way, but i think the story is well constructed that that did not take away from my enjoyment.

the thing i loved most about this book was the slow character arcs of our two pov characters - lin chong and lu junyi. they parallel each other the entire book, inverting each others arcs to create this really compelling look at what it means to be a hero under a corrupt system and how much you can do to make those choices.

the magic system was also just accepted as being there and not really explained to the reader, which i loved. it didn't tell us anything about god's teeth that the average person wouldn't know, and the science behind it that lu junyi worked on was really well presented to help expand the readers knowledge and foreshadow later conflicts.

i do think though that this book needed to be longer, or part of a duology at least. while the two main characters and a handful of the side characters were well explored, the first half of the novel was considerably slower than the second half, and when it got going i wished for more expansion around the characters we had now and their worlds. there was an element of found family here, but i felt that it relied more on allies being brought together for a common goal instead of people that love and trust one another.

the arc i received was also my first audiobook, and have to comment on the narration, which was wonderfully paced and also easy to speed up and still understand well. the narration for lu da was a stand out as well.

An epic queer fantasy/historical adventure book full of a diverse cast of characters that was EXCELLENT on audio narrated by Emily Woo Zeller and perfect for fans of books like She who became the sun and He who drowned the world. Many thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Our arm's instructor has obtained her position in a male-dominated kingdom by keeping her head down and doing what she is best at! No extra trouble is the key to survival, particularly for the people that come from nothing. But when a powerful minister's secret vendetta is threatened, no one in this kingdom is safe. And our Arm's instructor had the audacity to refuse a man, which in turn resulted in his rage, brandishing him as a traitor, and forcing her to flee for life. When everything felt like it was toppling towards the end, a tainted ray of hope shines from the mountains,

This book is inspired from a Chinease Classic tale and the influence is reflected in the story.

Thank you @netgalley @dreamscape_media @torbooks for the audibook

I was excited to read an epic high fantasy novel that was inspired by a classic martial arts Chinese literature that follows a group of ruthless, female bandits - and it seemed to have it all. The novel was action-packed and had fantastic prose, strong worldbuilding, LGBTQ+ representation, engaging battle scenes, and an interesting plot. However, I felt so disconnected from the characters. There were so many characters that we followed, that I did not get invested in any of them.

The book also became too political - and I have no interest in politics, even in fantasy worlds! I just wanted to follow the bandits and see more of their adventures (such as stealing the treasure!). So it was difficult for me to care, especially when I read from the perspectives of Cai Jing and Lu Junyi. Usually, I like multiple perspectives but not this time, unfortunately.

While this novel was very well-written and I was intrigued to see how it would end, I unfortunately struggled to stay interested. I can see why people love this novel, however, it was just not a book for me.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.