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maggie_t's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Sexism, Violence, and Medical trauma
Minor: Body shaming, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Death of parent
Artificially induced/forced addiction, Sexual extortionbreadwitchery's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Misogyny, Torture, Violence, and War
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Murder
Minor: Ableism, Cursing, Xenophobia, Medical trauma, and Alcohol
thebetterstory's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The story touches on the concepts of sexism, racism and homophobia, but it doesn't really have much new to add to the conversation. (A friend I talked to about it said that it felt almost like it was name-dropping social justice concepts rather than tackling any in-depth, and I agree.)
There are some cool touches, and I particularly like that its main character is allowed to be genuinely power-hungry and violent to the point of cruelty in a few places, as that really is rare in a female lead. The sheer level of vitriol she has toward societal sexism is also pretty great. (In particular, I loved the part where she
The pacing moves so fast that there really isn't much time to get attached to anyone or anything. The relationship that builds up between Wu Zetian, Li Shimin and Yizhi is definitely sweet, but we don't really get a lot of downtime or quiet moments with them to give us a chance to get attached. It felt like the novel speedran their relationship progression into a throuple, which wasn't at all necessary when there's a sequel coming out and they could have used that time to stretch the romantic tension out longer. But I am ecstatic to see poly in a YA book at all. I hope others follow suit.
Happily the plot always has enough going on to keep things interesting, and the leads are just likeable enough to keep you invested in what happens to them. There are twists and turns aplenty, some of which I guessed and some which still surprised me. The setting is also obviously incredibly cool, what with the fusion of Chinese history, mecha and sci-fi, and the prose is serviceable and easy to read. The book is also helped along by not taking itself too painfully seriously, even though it dips into dark territory sometimes.
Overall, Iron Widow's not the best YA I've read this year, by a long shot. But it is conceptually awesome, easy to read and a lot of fun. Just check your expectations before starting and you won't be disappointed.
Graphic: Misogyny
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and War
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, and Xenophobia
The main character's had her feet bound, and it talks a bit about how they did it, the pain it gives her and how her rotting feet smell.teaforazathoth's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, and Classism
Minor: Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Xenophobia
lolajh's review against another edition
- 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
Honestly the best development I’ve seen of a heroine becoming an anti heroine. Zetian, a morally grey Chinese disabled woman rebels against her patriarchal society, having to prove her power throughly due to being a woman and doing it FLAWLESSLY whilst criticising the patriarchal and misogynistic society that also exists in the real world. Zetian proves to be so much more powerful than any man, as
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
schnaucl's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
I'm ignorant of the historical background, and the author says in the beginning it's not really an alternate history although it sounds like it's partly inspired by a historical figure.
It's definitely based on a culture that's different from my own (I don't mean the internal and external misogyny). I'm talking about the yin/yang and five elements of the magic system. I briefly wondered why you couldn't have pilots of the same gender for example, then realized that the yin/yang balance was the explanation.
The world Zhao created is interesting and I'm really looking forward to learning more.
The description of how Wu's feet were crushed was brutal. I remember seeing pictures and x-rays of a woman's bound feet in a course in college and it was horrifying. I'm glad it wasn't just mentioned at the beginning and then never raised an issue again. It makes sense that it would be something Wu constantly thinks about since it would obviously impact her daily living.
I did wonder about the "gods" even before the end. For one thing it's interesting that no one seems to pray for an individual thing (e.g. not to be sold as a pilot concubine or to do well in battle or even just to make pain stop. Maybe it's because they have proof gods are real and they don't really interfere on that level or maybe that's just another cultural difference). I really want to know what they use the husks for. Presumably the "gods" are in fact, other humans, maybe from a more advanced society.
I liked the triad of Wu, Yizhi and Shimin and I liked that there didn't seem to be jealousy once they all got to know each other, just love.
Shimin was a really interesting character and I liked that Wu slowly got to see more of who he really was. The idea that he was a beautiful artist was a nice (and tragic) touch. I'm really sorry he died. Given that this is a science-fiction book and we don't really know the rules, I don't know if he can actually be brought back or not but I have a feeling he wouldn't be the same even if he could be. But it's hard to know what the cultural/religious/psychological impact of such a thing would be.
I was glad we got to see some some boys who objected to the sacrifice of girl pilots. I think Wu thinks that revealing the truth about the pilot seats will spark a change but I don't think that's right (and given the world Zhao created, my guess is they don't believe it either). There's a lot riding on the status quo. Boys are more prized than girls, selling girls as concubine pilots brings in money to further advance boys. Boys presumably carry on the family name in a way that girls don't. I think it will certainly spark some people (of all genders) to revolt but I don't think society-wide reform is going to happen overnight. And if the knowledge that in fact they are the invaders on the planet becomes public knowledge that may cause things to be upended even more quickly. Of course, that raises all kinds of questions. It doesn't sound like the population was aware there were other populated planets which has all kinds of implications, as does the fact that it seems like Hunden are sentient and can communicate verbally as well as through feelings (something that so far has been ignored but presumably will play a role later on). I'm also curious about Yizhi's tattoos.
Interesting world, interesting characters. More please!
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Homophobia and Death of parent
pastelkerstin's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Here are two facts about my experience reading this book:
1) I fundamentally disagree with the moral framework for justice that the main characters use (revenge as the response to injustice).
2) I found this book gripping despite that.
Some people hold the view that to like a book with flawed characters means that you agree with everything they do, but I think that's a ridiculous way to view fiction.
Yes, I think Zetian's methods are unethical. But no, that doesn't mean that this book ruins the perception of real-world feminism. Zetian is flawed, hypocritical at times, and cruel. But it's also very clear that she became this way because of the deeply oppressive misogynist society she lives in. She's the monster the world forced her to be if she wants to survive. She's not your perfect feminist icon, who is a good example for children, because she is a fictional character in a very specific world with very specific circumstances, some of them based on actual historical (and on-going) women's rights issues, and some of them entirely fictional. Let female characters be fucked up sometimes!
That's all I have to say on that. Additional thoughts: I wish this book slowed down more often to give you a bit more breathing room between so many tough scenes. I also think those "breaks" could have been used to flesh out the relationships more. I was definitely rooting for these three, but a lot of their falling for each other seems to happen in the in-betweens that we don't get to see. Nevertheless, I think having more canon polyamorous relationships in traditionally published books is really important. The polya rep is one of the main reasons I read this book. I think polya triads where everyone is dating each other allow for very interesting character dynamics.
Another thing I struggled a bit with was not letting the combination of traditional and at times conservative elements and futuristic sci-fi tech break my suspension of disbelief. Some parts of this world seem so very old and then others are so futuristic. I know this is deliberate. It's what makes this world-building pretty unique. But it can feel a bit disorienting at times.
All right, that's all. I'm very interested to see where the sequel will go.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Child death and Medical content
Minor: Biphobia, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
allonormativity/implied asexual erasure, implied intersex erasure, implied transphobiaisnotacrayon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Misogyny, Sexism, and War
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Racism, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
macknificent's review against another edition
- 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? No
3.75
"One last thing,” I say over my shoulder, too quiet for my family to hear over the hovercraft churning. “Don’t think I’ve overlooked that you came to my house and almost foiled my plan, despite knowing how important it is to me. If you tip off the army in even the slightest way, I will kill myself when they lock me up, and then I will haunt you.”
What I Liked: The opening of the book was stellar! I felt like I was in the midst of a Gundam battle and somehow it had been turned into a novel! The world felt very full and the characters were complex, Wu Zetian's fury and follow through was glorious in the first portion of the book. I appreciated the constant call out of the patriarchy and how it was shown to affect every level of their world.
What I Didn't Like: Once Wu Zetian achieved her initial objective it felt like the book lost its momentum and cohesiveness. In the second half of the book we jumped from gritty & dark to sappy & thoroughly YA with no warning, rhythm or purpose. As happens with many debuts, the ending felt rushed as we tried to wrap up a lot of loose ends and set up for the next book.
I enjoyed this book immensely but there are issues with consistency and character cohesiveness that I hope are improved in the next book.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Trafficking, and War
house_of_hannah's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The beginning is brilliant. You will come to hate this world as much as Zetian does. This story revolves aroung rage, revenge, and injustice in a brutal way that makes me very surprised that this is YA. However, since the start is so strong it does feel like it drags in the middle, and becomes a bit repetitive.
I do wish there had been a bit more world building. I feel like I don't understand the politics of this world well enough, or who's running it. (Besides men) I think that may have been done on purpose due to the ending, but I definitely wanted a few more things explained than what we got.
The whole time I was reading this I was getting major Hunger Games vibes. (Movies, I have not read the books) The layers of betrayel upon betrayel upon betrayel got to be too much though. It left me with no one to root for in the end.
One of the major selling points of this book that is pushed a lot is the polyamory. It's there, and there's some good commentary about being able to love multiple people at once, but man, I wish there was a bit more of it !
Overall, prepare for a violent tale about standing up to the patriarchy that turns into a different book by the end.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, War, and Classism
Moderate: Gun violence, Mental illness, Xenophobia, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape