Reviews tagging 'Religious bigotry'

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

5 reviews

cherry_lake's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring tense fast-paced

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

4.75

What a ride!! Omg I haven’t read a book like that in so long. Dynamic, unapologetic story of vengeance, power, love and war. It was like watching an anime. While this book is not highly detailed in its world building, it is sooo evocative and exciting, and it’s the first in a series so I’m actually so pleased with the amount of world building!! Can’t wait for more. Thank you Xiran Jay Zhao! 

If you’re wondering if you should read it… if you are tired of watered down dystopian YA novels, moralizing characters, mind NUMBING gender stereotypes (I’m including the stereotypes of the characters who are supposedly breaking the stereotypes as well!!), pussyfooting romance plot lines that are too afraid to commit — then this you might really love.

Also, I listened to the audiobook and the narrator is phenomenal.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Murder, Alcoholism, Death, Colonisation, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Body horror, Body shaming, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Religious bigotry, Torture, Violence, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Rape, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

thenymphsvoice's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• 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

5.0

Oh my goodness, the panic I went through when I realized that the next book isn’t out until AUGUST and it’s FEBRUARY!!!!!!

The following description will not do this Justice but,
Imagine if Hunger Games, Nausiica, and Enders Game had a baby with Giant fighting Robots.

This was fantastic, more fantasy than sci-fi (like Nausiica) with the same attack on the issues of todays and yesterdays issues like the hunger games.
The romance was not heavy focus but FAR better done than Hunger Games, everything that you thought was missing from the hunger game’s relationships and even from Katniss is exponentially better represented in Iron Widow. Zetian Is EVERYTHING I want in my female heroines! 

I’ll just be over here DYING until Heavenly Tyrant is released. DYING 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Physical abuse, Torture, and Addiction

Moderate: Sexual violence, Slavery, War, Mental illness, Violence, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry

Most depictions of the trigger warnings above are vague, with the exception of sexism and alcoholism which are consistent and important themes in the book. The depictions of Torture are not gratuitous in their descriptions nor particularly gorey. Relying more on your understanding the horror of that happening then the explicit descriptions of it.

angelofthestars's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexism, Self harm, Genocide, Blood, Xenophobia, Sexual violence, Ableism, Physical abuse, War, Violence, Religious bigotry, Police brutality, and Gaslighting

amccarthy's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Suicide attempt, Death, Religious bigotry, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Murder, Child abuse, Body shaming, Misogyny, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Chronic illness, Alcohol, Ableism, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Sexual assault, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Confinement, and Alcoholism

recycled_personalities's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

It’s genuinely become one of my favourite books and I cannot wait for the sequel. It takes us into a world of torturous misogyny and gives us the one girl who will fuck shit up with no regrets. And, even though it’s not the main focus of the book, the romance in it is quite literally the best I have ever read and I fear that I will never read something as good as it again. If I could give this more stars, I would. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Rape, Violence, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, War, Biphobia, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Medical content, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Blood, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Physical abuse