Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc of this title in exchance for an honest review.

The Water Outlaws was a refreshing blend of martial arts and intrigue, which centers women and queer people, whilst also commenting on things like the patriachy and corruption. The atmosphere was lush and vibrant and definitly one of my favorite aspects of this book, along with its cast of fascinating chracters. Though, i would have loved for these to have been explored just a bit deeper than they were. However, the book was still an incredibly satisfying read and i definitly reccomend it to any who find themselves tempted by that gorgeous cover.

Ya sabíamos que S.L. Huang tiene un don especial para narrar las escenas de acción, pero el cambio de escenario de la actualidad “alternativa” a un mundo fantástico le ha sentado maravillosamente a su obra. The Water Outlaws es una obra autocontenida, que trata temas como la sororidad, la lucha contra la injusticia o la corrupción de los sistemas totalitarios sin dejar de lado la emoción e incluso el humor.


La protagonista de la novela es Lin Chong, una instructora del ejército que siempre se ha amoldado a las reglas, creyendo en la equidad del trato que todos deberían recibir de parte del Emperador y su jerarquía. Pero nada más lejos de la realidad, así que cuando atrae la atención de un veleidoso mariscal, se dará cuenta de que no tenía ninguna protección, que solo la suerte o la casualidad le habían permitido vivir tranquila hasta entonces. Acabará reclutada por los bandidos de Liangshan, donde descubrirá que la vida puede ser muy distinta e igualitaria, si todos ponen de su parte.

Hay bastantes aspectos que me gustan del libro, por ejemplo, el ritmo con el que está narrada es fulgurante, los personajes son creíbles, la magia está bastante presente y puede desequilibrar la balanza de fuerzas en cualquier momento pero también se da valor a la investigación y el método científico. Es una amalgama de ideas que resulta en un obra coherente y cohesionada.

También es muy interesante el hecho de que todos respeten a la máxima figura de poder, ese emperador que se ve lejano, inalcanzable y todopoderoso, pero que cada uno interprete su presencia a su antojo. Y que el favor del emperador alce a los ineptos mientras que destruye a los justos no hace si no hacer más hincapié en el error de los absolutismos.

Es importante también la presencia de un elenco de personajes que apoyan o se enfrentan a Lin Chong y que a veces le roban todo el protagonismo, por lo bien construidos que están. Especialmente atractivos son los dos personajes más inteligentes del libro, cada uno en un lado del tablero, enfrentándose a través de sus peones, con planes, tácticas e hipótesis que asemejan una partida de ajedrez.

No dejéis escapar la oportunidad de leer The Water Outlaws, estoy segura de que no os decepcionará.

Thank you NetGalley and Rebellion for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a lover of Asian Fantasy, that is tied to mythology and legends, which made me super excited to read this book. However, the characters didn’t have as much depth as I would’ve liked, and were almost wooden at times. There was action, and it was capturing, but the plot lagged a bit and occasionally was just a bit boring. Many people loved this, but unfortunately it wasn’t that for me.

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.

7/10

This book has a great opening, and a pretty good ending. I liked the characters, and it was a nuanced and imaginative take on the Water Margin. I do feel it was way too long, it definitely could have been cut down in some places. The fights were entertaining, but I found some of the dialogue very stilted.

Ultimately, glad I read this book as its an interesting experiment, but it wasn't a favorite.

This is just the kind of book I like!

I liked the book very much, I found it to be an interesting and enjoyable read. The characters are well fleshed out and I loved the world building and strong female characters.
I loved the character of Li Chong and the way he grew throughout the book and how he is a very strong character and full of values. I think it's a read that everyone should do and I absolutely recommend it!

The Chinese inspired fantasy of readers dreams has finally arrived! What an incredible read that I can't recommend enough, but do watch out for trigger warnings, as this is definitely not for the faint of heart!

Make sure you read the author’s content warning before you read The Water Outlaws by S. L Huang, this epic fantasy may not be for the faint hearted!
I received a copy of this book for a free and unbiased opinion.
This martial- art inspired fantasy has a lush and vivid world building, and I loved the political and societal structures and conflicts. The touch of magic provides by the God’s teeth, an ancient artefact, adds to the intrigue. The martial arts scenes are fluidly written and some of the best I’ve read.
Lin Ching, one of the main characters, is riveting as the woman who has lived her life by the rules to be successful and then has it torn apart when she angers a man in power. Her journey form law abiding citizen to victim to outright bandit was the best bit of the book.
I did however struggle with some of the more violent aspects of the book and the misogyny but as I said the author has clearly highlighted this in their introduction and the reasoning behind this. Despite this is plenty of humour and the fast-paced action kept me hooked till the end.

4,5 stars

"I only mean that as yet, our advancement has not come at the expense of men. But it shall. It must. There is not sufficient room for us otherwise. Our true success will mean some of them lose power...and that will not come without anger and fear. "

"Then we should slow its progress. A tidal wave spread over many generations becomes a gentle flow, and either one gets to the end. "

"A flow! You mean a trickle."

"Even a trickle can wash away a mountain eventually. "

The Water Outlaws is a gender spun retelling of the Chinese classic novel Water Margin. And a hefty one at that. The author doesn't once shy away from talking about the hard things in this book. Which can make this book a little jarring in places but it is also important. Because even though this is set in the past, a lot of its topics still has baring on our modern days.

The above quote shows how this book starts. Our main character Lin Chong believes that if she follows the rules and keeps her head down, she will be respected and be kept out of harms way. Unlike younger females she sees who are naive. It isn't right if it happens to them but changing your behaviour is a must to survive. That is until she finds that despite her perfect behaviour and older age, she is sexually assaulted by her superior. The thing that she was trying to protect her friend from by coming with her, now happens to her. And when she does end up fighting, she gets accused of treason.

That whole scene of the sexual assault. All the thoughts that Lin Chong had. It perfectly illustrated why most women won't tell about sexual assault right away. Why they don't just kick back or slap a hand away. Because the power always lays with the men or the position above you. Because if you slap that person away they will slap you. Because if you don't lie down and be silent, they will threaten your family or take away your job. Sexual assault isn't just physical. It is also psychological. A mind game that the assaulter plays on you. And it is society that says: stop complaining, stop whining. It is not that bad.

It is also a story that champions women, feminism. There are women that are strong, smart and capable of being leaders. It was interesting to see that Lin Chong's friend, who championed feminism the most, was the one that ended up giving out on her principles when put on the spot by someone higher in power. Yet Lin Chong changes to wanting to throw out a tidal wave. Because in the end, when you are forced into a corner, sometimes you have to lash out.

I would have rated this book 5 stars but it took slightly too long to get to the end. And I wasn't particularly happy about that scene of cannibalism and revenge. I understand the revenge, not everyone is pretty in anger. But the cannibalism was a step too far for me.

Good news for all those looking for Chinese-inspired fantasy – what we have here may be your new favourite book. Ever since reading ‘She Who Became the Sun’, I’ve been on the lookout for other authors who can match the high bar set by Shelley Parker-Chan. I’m thrilled to say that The Water Outlaws is just the thing I was looking for!

The Water Outlaws is a sneaky retelling of a 14th century Chinese classic, following a troupe of women bandits facing off against the corrupt echelons of society. Through the eyes of respected arms instructor Lin Chong and her socialite friend Lu Junyi, we get to see both sides of the tale – within the first two chapters, Lin Chong is cast out of the city on jumped-up charges of treason, while Lu Junyi is roped into the Chancellor’s sinister plots to quell any rebellions against the governing regime.

I was very impressed with how tightly written this book was – there is not a single chapter wasted, and the large cast of characters was used very effectively to build up an immersive and populated world. Furthermore, the characters remained true to themselves throughout, and their personalities didn’t start bleeding into one another. Characters do start actually bleeding at times though – The Water Outlaws definitely has a gritty, dark side that adds to the world-building, and cements the idea that death and tragedy is never far away. There’s a definite element of ‘cartoonish villainy’ to the antagonists in the Water Outlaws, but I found myself not minding this at all – a well-written horrible villain is a wonderful thing to behold in fantasy!

I’m always a fan of books that endeavour to resolve their plot in one book without relying heavily on future sequels – without spoiling anything, S.L Huang really executes a flawless ending in that regard, smartly crafted to genuinely work as a solid standalone novel, though there could be scope for another book set in the same world.

I had a lot of fun in reading this retelling of an ancient martial art text. It's well done, entertaining, and fast paced.
I liked the characters and liked the storytelling.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

such an incredibly written piece of work!
absolutely adored this from start to finish
incredible book

I enjoyed this book a lot, though I found it a bit slow. I also found the names sometimes a bit confusing as there were a lot of them and some of them were very similar but by focusing on just the main characters, I found it wasn't too hard to keep track. It was just some of the background characters I had to remind myself who they were the few times they came up.

I found the Liangshan beautiful from the start. It was wonderful that they had somewhere for those betrayed by the empire to come together for a fresh start, where any past lives or crimes were forgiven and they were able to fight for a better future. It was great to see a group of mostly women and also a group where transwomen were just accepted and seeing solely as women and not anything else.

I really really liked the ending. I wasn't sure if it was going to end happily or not. I could see it going both ways. But the way it ended was just an absolutely perfect message of hope, justice and just so fitting for all the characters.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was really excited picking up this book, as the plot synopsis promised to be exactly my thing. I have to admit though that I am not familiar with the Water Margin that it is based on, which is why I treated the work on it’s own.

The beginning got me hooked immediately, with well written character descriptions and a fast moving plot from the get go. I really enjoyed the detailed way the author describes the surroundings and especially the fight scenes were a pleasure to read.

Besides the well written characters and fight scenes, however, I must say that the book suffers from pacing issues. There were times were the book seemed to drag on for a lot longer than seemed necessary.

Beside that, I really enjoyed this book and can very much recommend it to anyone who enjoys queer, Chinese inspired fantasies!

The Water Outlaws is a martial arts (wuxia) fantasy story about a group of female, queer bandits bringing down an Empire, inspired by the Chinese novel Water Margin.

If you want a fast-paced, action-packed adventure type of book with lots of fight scenes, this book is for you. When Lin Chong, master arms instructor for the Empire, is wrongfully accused of treason by a general and sent off to a prison camp, she is rescued by the Liangshan, a legendary group of female bandits.

At the beginning, the book really hooked me. Despite never having done martial arts myself, I do quite like wuxia books and the book was genuinely funny. Lu Da, a former monk and member of the Liangshan, was an absolute delight, her POV was hilarious. I loved how the book was shock full of queer representation and how those women on the margins of society banded together to take down the men persecuting them.

However, around the middle, I lost some interest in the book. There was a ton of action, as you would expect from a martial arts movie, but the breakneck speed of the pacing threw me off. I would have liked to have more time with the characters reflecting and developing. As it was, some important side characters and character dynamics could have been more fleshed out. By the end, I felt like I understood the antagonist more than some of the heroes, which was not what I wanted.

For a debut novel, the writing was very impressive with some truly beautiful descriptions. Despite having a lighter tone and lots of humour, the author didn't stray away from darker scenes, too, and the themes of sexism, classism and colorism were well-explored. I loved that the feminism in this book wasn't a one-note "fuck the patriarchy" but very intersectional with discussing class privilege, colorism and privilege gained by being conventionally attractive within this group of women. Moreover, Lin Chong's downfall really exemplified how trying to conform to the patriarchy as a woman doesn't save you. Those men will still turn on you if it pleases them or gains them advantage. Despite this, the book still showed sympathy and outrage for her situation and I loved how nuanced this potrayal of women within the patriarchy was. I also enjoyed the alchemy-based magic system, which is something we don't see often in fantasy.

All in all, The Water Outlaws was a fun, action-packed romp of a book that I recommend to fans of Jade City by Fonda Lee and She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan. 3.75/5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley, Rebellion Publishing and S.L Huang for the ARC Copy.

The Water Outlaws is an intriguing martial arts fantasy with strong female characters.

I really enjoyed the three main female characters, I felt as if they were complex and displayed different types of femininity and positioning in the Empire which is really diverse.

The pace did drag a bit around the middle of the novel, but overall the novel was fast-paced with a lot of action. I really enjoyed the concept of God’s teeth throughout the novel, as I felt it really tested the morality of all the characters.

While the villains and the main three female characters were complex and interesting to read, I felt as most of the minor characters felt less developed and it got a bit confusing with the amount of characters introduced within the Bandits.

However, I felt this novel was a very fulfilling read with the feminist and philosophical aspects especially.

I’ve been looking forward to this book since I saw the cover, which I loved, and it didn’t disappoint.

I loved the queerness, the gender politics, the action and how utterly women of all types were involved.

My only real complaint is that the pacing was a little off in the middle. It still held my attention but it felt like a little bit more of a slog to get through.

Also the writing felt rather detached from the characters and as such I didn’t connect with them as I would have liked to.

But apart from these two quibbles, I really loved this book!

This book was full of strong and interesting female characters and non-stop action. The martial arts-based fantasy was fun and inventive. It also had strong feminist and queer themes throughout. The story takes place with a group of women (and queer) outlaws with varying backgrounds and moral compasses. The writing is beautiful and atmospheric, fitting perfectly with the style and scenery of the story. The scenery and action-packed plot made this book for me. It was an exciting ride.

This book took me longer to read than expected, partly because a lot happened and it was quite a heavy read, and partly because there were so many characters, and I needed to slow down to pay attention and keep track. The number of characters and plot in this book also meant that while the characters were so distinct, more time was focused on the plot rather than fleshing out the characters. There were a lot of characters we didn't get to spend much time with because there were so many, so people who prefer character-driven stories may find this less enjoyable, however, I really enjoyed the variety of perspectives of the central characters of the plot and I did really like how morally complex the assortment of characters was

I would strongly advise readers to pay attention to the content warnings of this book. The world this book is set in is harsh and unforgiving, and some readers may find this too confronting. This book comes with several trigger warnings, around sexual assault, torture, violence and cannibalism.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, but the heavy and violent content and the number of characters to keep track of meant this book took time and concentration to read to enjoy. I found myself needing to take a lot of breaks.

I absolutely loved Water Outlaws! It surprised me in so many ways. The writing was beautiful, elaborate and very engaging. Even though the blurb represented the book as action/military based tale, it was not heavy on that at any point. For me, military-based books tend to get dried at times but this wasn't a problem with Water Outlaws. It was very well-paced and I didn't lose interest or focus at any point.

The book is a gender-reversed retelling of the Chinese classic, the Water Margin. I didn't know about this story prior to reading the book but comparing with the text afterwards, I know that I prefer the Water Outlaws. It's a feminist tale that will empower you and break your heart only to mend it so many times. Highly recommended!

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

A retelling of The Water Margin stories with a female cast. The story starts with Lin Chong who is teaching women self-defence; she has been a successful arms instructor serving the Emperor for many years. However when she accompanies her friend the Lady Lu Junyi to a meeting with her superior Gao Qiu she finds herself with an unwanted proposition which she is unable to stomach, even though she knows that might be the smarter move. Her instincts cause her to fight back and she suddenly finds herself accused of assassination. She is arrested and only Lu Junyi′s intervention prevents her death, but she finds herself exiled to a prison camp at the far reaches of the empire.
But instead of ending up there she is rescued by an unlikely Flower Monk Lu Da and they end up in the shelter of Liangshan where the bandits offer more justice than the government.

I remember seeing the TV series of The Water Margin in the 1970′s and I could recognise the characters in the current incarnation, even though many of them had been transformed into women. (I was pleased to see the description of the male Gao Qiu was very much how I remembered Kei Satō′s version.) The story does hang together much better than the TV series, and there is a plot with Lu Sunyi back in the capital involved in sorcery which is new and has some unique touches. And there is the introduction of gods′ teeth which grant the wearer powers beyond the normal if they are worthy to carry them.
A very enjoyable retelling with some innovative details ... although I might still go and see if I can find some of the old episodes!

I had a copy of this book early through Netgalley