This was a fascinating and compelling story focusing on a band of women fighting for justice under a corrupt empire. I thought the characters were very well drawn, although there were times when I struggled to keep people straight in my mind at the beginning. The narrative is fast paced and brutal, with some excellently wrought fight scenes and more touching and quiet character moments. Overall, I enjoyed this one a lot.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you Tor Books for The Water Outlaws. I know I am a year late reviewing this book, but I put this review off for that long. For me, The Water Outlaws had an interesting premise, which is why I requested the book in the first place, however, I found myself to be bored with the world and characters. Many people will love this book, but ultimately, this book was not for me.

An engaging story about power, found family and what happens when the underdogs of the empire rise up, The Water Outlaws is a great read. It took me a bit to fully get into the story, but the more I got to know about each character, the more I loved the book and the way this chaotic group navigated every situation that came their way as the stakes went up and up with the passage of the plot. I loved the shifting perspectives of the story as well, which allowed for a great look at the bigger picture of the plot and also made the stakes feel even higher. From the reluctant rise to power of Lin Chong, to the brutish but deeply kind Lu Da and all the brigands, poets, and leaders who call Liangshan home, this fierce, intense and endearing cast of characters kept me hooked. I thought this was a clever story that should capture the attention of anyone who looking for a good fantasy-esque novel where outcasts become heroes, power is both wielded by and weaponized against those at the top, and a good battle scene is just a page away. I definitely recommend this one.

**Many thanks to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This queer, feminist retelling of a Chinese classic follows a master arms instructor whose carefully constructed life is destroyed by a corrupt official who decides he wants her. Now, she's been accused of treason and faces a life of imprisonment and hard labor. But when a band of outlaws save her, she discovers a new way of living she's never let herself imagine before. Surrounded by a sisterhood she never thought possible, she finds something new to fight for--and people to fight with. If you love martial arts movies / books, this one is definitely for you!

There's a lot, a LOT happening in this book, so prepare to focus all your energy on this. Really enjoyed this one and will forever consider it one of my favorite feminist epics!

Incredible story and characters. You really get to know the characters as you progress through the story and the world is well-built.

The Water Outlaws is an exceptional example of the very best of the fantasy genre! The storytelling was masterful, and I was kept reading long into the night by S. L. Huang’s quick and snappy pacing. For me, the most outstanding part of The Water Outlaws was the cast of characters, particularly of strong and individual women represented on page. While this book has numerous characters, they were each so distinct that I never had trouble keeping track of anyone’s personality or motivations. I plan to re-read The Water Outlaws as an audiobook in the near future, because I just cannot stop thinking about the powerful and sweeping narrative, and I need more!

My Recommendation-
If you read and loved any of the books in the notorious sapphic trifecta (She Who Became the Sun, The Jasmine Throne, and The Unbroken) you have got to grab a copy of The Water Outlaws as soon as possible! This book is perfect for fans of high-stakes high fantasy, and will hold a place of honor on my shelf for years!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC of The Water Outlaws!

Lin Chong's life as an arms instructor is destroyed by a petty government official who then attempts to have her killed on her way to serve her sentence for a crime she didn't commit. After being saved she has no choice but to join the Liangshan Bandits and all that their activities entail. But Lin Chong may have stumbled from one world of navigating politics to another as tensions within the Liangshan Bandits lead to unexpected upheavals for Lin Chong. Meanwhile back in the capitol, Lin Chong's friend Lu Junyi is also navigating the political landscape and is unwillingly working for the empire to create what could be used as a world-leveling weapon. As the two women face their own trajectories unwillingly, will they be forced to battle each other?

While a bit slow at times this was a good read. The overall theme of women trying desperately to fight back against the tyranny that threatens to squash them is empowering and the various ways the women do it is inspiring. It was not the fun romp of female bandits I was expecting but instead a desperate fight to save the life they've known. I was also expecting more of a Robin Hood, steal from the rich to give to the poor, theme but these bandits are not so kind-hearted. I did struggle to follow some of what was going on in Lu Junyi's storyline and some of the motivations and instant dislike of characters towards one another were hard to swallow. Overall I enjoyed the book and think S.L. Huang is a talented writer.

3.5 stars

Thank you Netgalley for giving me an arc in exchange of my honest review.

This book was so good y'all. It was like Mulan but fir adults with a lot of more action. The storytelling and pace of the story goes perfectly with the characters development and you will not get bored.

THE WATER OUTLAWS by S.L. Huang

An ARC was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. THE WATER OUTLAWS was published on 22 August 2023.

By following her own set of strict rules, Lin Chong has built a quiet life as an arms instructor for the Emperor's army. But when her superior thinks she owes him more than her work, that life rapidly unravels. Branded as a criminal she is saved by the Bandits of Liangshang, a group of outlaws serving their own version of justice and together they start shaping their own version of Empire.

An imperfect but cathartic retelling

The Water Outlaws starts with an author's note warning about some of the violence that is part of the book. This not only acts as a welcome trigger warning but also contextualises the story, especially for readers who might not be familiar with the genre(s) S.L. Huang draws from. That being said, there are still moments in the novel that are hard to swallow regardless of the reader's preparedness. One of the most memorable ones is a scene a bit more than half-way through the story where torturous violence is quenched with unspeakable horror in a way that is visceral, emotional and gut-wrenchingly character-building. It is some of Huang's finest writing.

Other times, it works less well. As painstakingly as Huang paints the "heroes" in The Water Outlaws as three-dimensional, flawed and changing, some things feel imperfect and/or difficult to believe. There is one particular moment in the epilogue where a literal war crime by a fellow bandit is shrugged away by Lin Chong, still the most upright character, as a simple "work in progress." Similarly, the ending of a major character is left almost completely untold by the narrative, a loose end that is never tied up. Though arguably a set up for a sequel, it still feels sloppy, especially since there would have been ways to address the uncertainty without giving away too much. In fact, it felt like an oversight to not have at least one character acknowledge it. Both examples left a bitter aftertaste in an otherwise fun, queer and engaging novel.

Rating

It's been a long time since I regretted reading an epilouge but The Water Outlaws's casual violence - rather than the (mostly) perfectly righteous one displayed throughout the novel - really threw me. Maybe I'm making too big a deal out of it but the characters are what carry and elevate this retelling and the way parts of the ending play out - or don't - feels like the fictional people I learned to love, flaws and all, were cheated. Apart from that, I really liked a lot about The Water Outlaws (Lu Da is so precious!), though maybe not as much as readers who are explicitly looking for cathartic, righteous anger with a queer, gender-bent twist.

I loved Burning Roses so was really excited about a longer Chinese folklore reimagining from Huang, but this was a little de see than I liked. Lu Da is my favorite character because she’s so earnest and trying so hard even as she over does things because she’s not always the best at measuring her strength and ability. I loved how she grew with Lin Chong as well as Lin Chong’s own growth and changes in her perspective from being martial arms instructor to being a bandit and finding a family with Liangshan. There was a lot of interesting elements and I did like the execution of the story, but sometimes it felt slow and hard to keep track of all the threads at play, even as so much was happening across various locations. This was a good book and I’d recommend it and I did like the resolution overall, but it was also dense and hard to keep going through parts of the middle just because it felt so long.

Really interesting concept, focusing on women and action packed, but remembering the characters name was such a struggle😅

This also the kind of book that requires total attention & right headspace. It’s okay i guess

This book has some great themes that sold me on wanting to read it. Lin Chong is an arms instructor who gets targeted when a powerful man decides she'd be better off dead. Her options are to die, or to run from the law and its corruption. As an outcast herself, she reluctantly begins to understand what drives the bandits who live at the margins of the Empire. She is recruited by them, and a story of stubbornly trying to right injustice and claw their way to a more equal society unfolds. It's a tale of anti-heroes becoming legends.

Some elements that I particularly enjoyed were the alchemy and the scholar's skills that explored super-human capabilities in fighting and channeling power. I also found the camaraderie and intense loyalty between the bandits to be compelling, as well as all the detail in their governance and operation. The characters surrounding Lin Chong were vibrant and complicated, and there was a good amount of growth and change through the tale for many of the central characters.

I also found the author's note at the beginning to be really helpful, both to understand the origin of what I was reading (especially as someone who has seen a few wuxia films, but isn't terribly familiar with the genre beyond that). And I would also say to take the content warnings about potentially disturbing content to heart. This is a violent read, and it took me a while to make my way through it. Part of this was because the beginning of the book is a lot of character development and set up, and the action picks up in the final third. And the other part was because I am pretty sensitive to violence. I knew this wasn't going to be my usual fare going in, and I expected to take my time with it. That said, I am very glad I finished it. You can feel the care and detail that went into writing it, and the result is a really well written, moving, and adventurous read.

The premise of this was fantastic and I really enjoyed the first and last halves. However, this was far too long, the middle dragged considerably. My other issue was that I never really connected to the characters, and that is so important to me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC! I am very grateful and happy to explore everything this author will write in the future as well!

A rather solid retelling. Full of thrilling action, great characters and good writing. S L Huang is one to watch and this shows it.

Stopped reading at 62%. Absolutely beautiful retelling, the pacing was just too slow and the overall book too long. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Lin Chong never wanted to be anything more than she was: an imperial arms instructor. But when everything she'd fought and scrambled for is shattered by the arrogance of a corrupt marshal, she finds herself in the arms of a group of (mostly) female bandits. Bandits who are going to change the world...one way or another. Against the Empire. For the Empire.

I can't believe I put off reading this ARC for so long. I blame my tepid enjoyment of the first (and before this, only) work of Huang's I had read, Burning Roses for my procrastination.

Right from the first sentence, I was snatched up in this book. It's a gender-bent, queer retelling of The Water Margin about a group of 108 righteous bandits who face off against ten thousand Imperial troops and, against all odds, win. Of course, there is so much more than that.

It is so good.

The perfect mix of politics and wuxia and bravery, and so, so queer and so good. Did I mention it was good?

It's good.

THE WATER OUTLAWS by S.L. Huang - a sweeping epic and feminist triumph full of magical objects, a band of witchy outlaws, and beautifully lyrical writing. I really loved so many of these characters and highly recommend the audio!

Really enjoyed this one and will forever consider it one of my favorite feminist epics!

Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC.