Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

811 reviews

totallyunemployed's review against another edition

adventurous dark inspiring 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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Alcoholism, and Misogyny

Moderate: Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Biphobia, Torture, and Medical trauma

Minor: Sexual assault

mossgoblins's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Classism, Grief, Confinement, Death, Murder, Torture, Addiction, Alcohol, Misogyny, Violence, War, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, and Sexism

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Body horror, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, and Rape

pengintoppa's review against another edition

adventurous tense

4.5

worldbuilding is interesting, i liked the 3 main characters. it was cool to read scifi set in china by a chinese author. some of the messaging felt a little heavy-handed. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Violence, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Xenophobia, Rape, Slavery, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Sexism, War, Misogyny, and Police brutality

Moderate: Torture, Sexual content, Colonisation, Body shaming, Trafficking, Racism, and Emotional abuse

recurring mention/description of the long-term crippling effects of footbinding. the racism/xenophobia is directed at non-han chinese ethnic groups. sexism/misogyny is a lot of the driving force of most of the plot.

betanine's review

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

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

3.0

Iron Widow reminds me of a collegiate level Hunger Games based on peoples who would make up modern China, holding on to traditions from the past. 

This is an emotional book that hits a number of cultural points throughout the book. I like books that make me think and illustrate a concept or make a point and this book does just that. This one wasn’t really for me due to the amount of anger experienced by the main character and the abuse that the main characters go through throughout the story. A number of times I thought about not finishing the book, but I was hoping for redemption after such darkness. 

The theme of this book is to illustrate the abuses and pain caused by a patriarchal rule that uses control and shame to maintain their rule. Initially, the main character sees the injustice women experience. She grows to see the abuse that boys who don’t agree with the patriarchal rule experience next. She sees how someone born to a rich and influential family can have it easier, this isn’t of the hook when they are different. Finally, she sees how people can hurt others even under the threat of the patriarchal rule to hurt others they care for. The book does a good job of illustrating the difference between polyamorous people and sexual promiscuity. Whether one subscribes to that type of relationship being acceptable or not, the distinction is there to see. 

This is the first of at least two and it ends with a cliffhanger ready to sitting right into the next installment.  Perhaps the redemption I’m looking for will be in the next book. I don’t know that I will read it. While I am sympathetic to the perspectives, it leaves me emotionally worn out.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Alcoholism, Torture, Sexism, and Sexual content

neko_reads's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Misogyny, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual assault, Torture, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Rape

the_readingfox's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Torture, Violence, and Misogyny

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Sexual assault

Minor: Rape and Domestic abuse

bibliorama's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

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

3.0

Iron widow
Enjoyment - 3
Start - 4
Characters - 2.5
Atmosphere - 3
Plot - 2.5
Ending - 2.5
Style - 2.5 
The first half was good. The second had way more telling to speed through the many plot points.

Overall - 3

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Body horror, Physical abuse, Violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, Chronic illness, Torture, War, Addiction, and Murder

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Racism, and Sexual assault

It's hard for me to say how someone else would handle these triggers as books don't typically get to me with triggering content. For what Iron Widow covers, it didn't feel overly graphic to me but that is very subjective. I would say this is better suited towards older young adults (16ish and above but that’s just my opinion)

charliesshit's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Classism, Alcoholism, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Drug abuse, and Child abuse

Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault

bookishmillennial's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective tense 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? Yes

disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial

Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid's Tale seems like a fair marketing blurb; I guess I co-sign that. However, Zetian, our main character has zero respect for any other woman in this book, which was a bit frustrating and exhausting tbh. In The Handmaid's Tale, there are a variety of different dynamics that exist between the women who rotate in and out of June's life, but moving on! 

Anyway, I listened to the audiobook for this one, and while the narrator was entertaining, I expected a bit more from this book. I would have loved a bit more detailed world-building, because I generally think of the first book in a sci-fi/fantasy series to lay the groundwork for us, and it's the book where I don't mind a lot of exposition and "telling" of the historical and political context, and how they tie into the current situation. 

However, I think we moreso got the repeated heavy-handed telling of the message the author wanted to convey. It's an important message, and I really do understand the need to sometimes be heavy-handed in the way we deliver messages so that it is crystal clear, especially when one is fed up and exhausted of systems of oppression. I am a staunch supporter of feminine rage and choosing revenge. 

I just.... wanted a bit more exposition to contextualize the world beyond the main character Wu Zetian. Like I know this misogynistic and violent world directly impacts Zetian, but I'd like to learn more about how the world came to be, and why these mecha aliens even began lurking beyond the Great Wall to begin with. I appreciated the driving factor of Zetian's goals though: avenging her Big Sister's death. 

Overall, I was entertained listening, and the MFM polyamorous relationship was interesting with Li Shimin and Gao Yizhi, who balanced out Zetian's rage with their soft vibes (and this really is a love triangle, because they all have relationships with each other. I think it would have worked a bit better though, if we got their POVs so we could see more of their relationship beyond Zetian too). However, I struggled with the pacing (again because of exposition and repetitive inner thoughts of Zetian about how the patriarchy is awful, and so are all of the women around her), and would have loved more refined world-building.

The epilogue was wild though, and my curiosity is piqued enough that I will continue the series.

I do not think Zetian will be a benevolent or altruistic leader; I really think she is power-hungry and her ego has only sky-rocketed, but I digress. We will see, won't we?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism and Misogyny

Moderate: Violence, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture

dandelionsteph's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

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

5.0

I know this is YA, but I was shocked that there was only swearing at about 134 pages in. I thought I'd be able to get through a whole YA book without it having any swearing. I always find swearing out of place, like a 14-year-old boy allowed to watch "grown-up" media going overboard and playing at being an adult. I've seen similar levels of brutality in lower age audiences without swearing (say, Animorphs of Wings of Fire).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Gun violence, Misogyny, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Body horror, Alcoholism, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Death, Torture, Grief, and Cursing

Moderate: Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Biphobia, and Bullying

Minor: Body shaming and Pregnancy