Reviews tagging 'Chronic illness'

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

50 reviews

cathwolfiereads's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Chronic illness, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexism

mlllll's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious relaxing sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

I really enjoyed The Iron Widow. It was compelling enough to keep me entertained as a reader throughout the story and to entice me enough to read the sequel. I do think the latter half of the book is a bit rushed.

Someone else wrote how the writer didn't add any measurements of time so it's hard to fall in love with the relationships portrayed because you don't know how slow or fast they developed and I do agree with that criticism. If time measurements would have been given, it would have helped make the relationships more believable.

That said, Zhao manages to create really loveable characters who you want to root for even though they aren't the most morally just ones and as someone who usually sticks to the morally white ones, it was interesting to see how I loved the characters that weren't morally white.

 

Lastly, Zhao created an amazing love triangle, honestly. One that developed very naturally and, in my opinion, wasn't written in a fetishizing way, which is often the case when polyamory is involved, unfortunately. This was also the first YA novel or novel in general that I read that included a poly throuple because it's still really underrepresented, so a shout-out to the Zhao for including that as well. 

So all in all, this wasn't a perfect book but I did really enjoy the romance aspect of it, which I never in a million years thought I'd say about a "love triangle" cuz I hate those. The latter part was a bit too rushed but overall I loved, loved, loved the enormous fury that the main protagonist has. Is it a healthy way to cope ... I'll leave that  up to interpretation but as a woman, her fury is so recognizable. It's this all-consuming feeling sometimes that always has to be kept under lock and key but she lets it out instead. And I freaking loved it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Addiction, Sexual violence, Murder, Misogyny, War, Violence, and Genocide

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Chronic illness, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Physical abuse, Genocide, and Death

souriete's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is  one that I should not like, yet I loved it. I prefer humorous or at least light-hearted relaxing reading. This is dark and full of anger and violence, some of the violence perpetrated by the main character. But I totally understand the anger the main character feels, and instead of letting that anger eat at her internally, she does something effective with that anger, starting with avenging the death of her sister. She does some pretty morally reprehensible things, but her victims are instruments of a system that systematically destroys all women within it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Genocide, Misogyny, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Torture, War, Sexual harassment, Violence, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault

alphabetmafiamember's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Chronic illness, Cursing, Misogyny, Murder, War, Kidnapping, Violence, Alcohol, Death, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Trafficking, and Blood

Moderate: Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Medical content, Sexual content, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Addiction, Classism, and Rape

Minor: Classism, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Colonisation, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Xenophobia

julesadventurezone's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, War, and Torture

Moderate: Blood, Cursing, Genocide, Kidnapping, Medical content, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Body shaming, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, War, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, and Misogyny

Minor: Racism, Racial slurs, and Xenophobia

emilysreadingbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Classism, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Blood, Chronic illness, Grief, Mental illness, Police brutality, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Torture, and War

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Cursing, and Death of parent

Minor: Homophobia

jjjreads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Blood, Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, Murder, Torture, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Forced institutionalization, Body horror, Body shaming, Misogyny, Racism, Kidnapping, Addiction, Alcohol, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Mental illness, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, Confinement, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Genocide, Grief, Medical content, Physical abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, War, Xenophobia, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Homophobia, Biphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Death of parent, Gun violence, Medical content, Sexual harassment, and Vomit

Minor: Cursing, Pedophilia, Rape, and Fatphobia

zeppelinnyx's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

4.50

I very much enjoyed this book, even the second time through. I’m very much anticipating the sequel. The polyamorous romance almost makes me sad that I can’t get that kind of relationship dynamic in mainstream media. Zetian is such an amazing protagonist. It’s refreshing to see a justifiably unhinged female (non-binary?) lead. The pacing is a bit fast, but then the ending is even more so, which makes it feel rushed. 

Quality of Writing: 9/10
Pacing: 8/10
Plot Development: 9/10
Characters: 10/10
Enjoyability: 10/10
Ease of Reading: 10/10
Ending: 7/10

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Body horror, Torture, Violence, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Murder, Rape, Racism, Sexism, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Kidnapping and Classism

Minor: Homophobia

voidboy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking and Torture

Moderate: Chronic illness

paulawind's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This book is an epitome of  “I support women’s rights but most importantly I support women’s wrongs” . Ultimate “good for her” novel.

Don’t get me wrong, Wu Zetian (inspired by actual Chinese empress) is objectively a morally dubious person but you can’t help to be impressed by how unapologetic she is. She will claw her way through misogyny, no matter the cost. Once again - good for her.

I’ve never read such aggressively feminist book, so full of female rage and I absolutely loved it. She sees the injustice and isn’t afraid to not only point it out but actively challenge and dismantle it. Would I like to meet her irl? No, she would most likely killed me, she’s not likeable but she doesn’t have to be.

This book was such a bizarre mixture of all the books/general media I consumed whilst a teenager it gave me a bit of a vertigo. We got Pacific Rim/any mecha anime giant robots fighting a war, Hunger Games discussion about power of media and public image, and a suspicion gnawing on my guts throughout the book about the Hunduns in a very Enders Game way. Xiran truly is one of us.

More of a side note but from now on I accept love triangles to only be resolved like the one here, period

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexism, Torture, Misogyny, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, War, Alcoholism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, and Violence