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crasscass's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Greatly disappointed but I finished the book which means it wasn't so bad.
It was very well pace and the action was usually very clear.
I was really looking forward to a cool Pacific Rim story about feminism and rage. In the end, the MC over explained every single decisions, leaving nothing to be inferred. The love triangle, though good polyamory represetation, was rushed and pointless. At no point did I think that she was in love with either men. The world is filled with plot holes and doesn't always make sense. The dialogue was childish at times, the main character, inconsistent, and the plot, thought well paced, felt very predictable, up to the plot twist at the end.
The female rage aspect wasn't bad per se, but the main character was so busy being an activist and saving all women that the reason why she craves blood, her dead sister, isn't even named.
I did enjoy the decent into madness and becoming the villain though I wish more could have been done with it. I also enjoyed the culture and history woven into the story, particularly the myths.
It was very well pace and the action was usually very clear.
I was really looking forward to a cool Pacific Rim story about feminism and rage. In the end, the MC over explained every single decisions, leaving nothing to be inferred. The love triangle, though good polyamory represetation, was rushed and pointless. At no point did I think that she was in love with either men. The world is filled with plot holes and doesn't always make sense. The dialogue was childish at times, the main character, inconsistent, and the plot, thought well paced, felt very predictable, up to the plot twist at the end.
The female rage aspect wasn't bad per se, but the main character was so busy being an activist and saving all women that the reason why she craves blood, her dead sister, isn't even named.
I did enjoy the decent into madness and becoming the villain though I wish more could have been done with it. I also enjoyed the culture and history woven into the story, particularly the myths.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Torture, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Alcohol, Death, Sexual harassment, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Sexual violence, Murder, Mental illness, and Sexual assault
Minor: Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Racism, and Cursing
ionarachel's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Alcohol, Violence, Addiction, Medical content, Body shaming, Torture, Sexual violence, Rape, Misogyny, Mental illness, Grief, Gore, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Sexism, Death, Death of parent, Child abuse, Alcoholism, and Blood
thisonecassie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? Yes
5.0
holy fucking shit, i LOVE this book. It is absolutely beautiful, ever sentence is filled with emotion, the way Xiran describes the world of Huaxia (particularly the capital Chang'an) as an almost untouchable and otherworldly place while still maintaining a sense of reality to me as a reader (plus it ties itself to the inspiration of Zetian, the real life Empress Wu who ruled in the Tang Dynasty in a way that links itself to the historical basis, while still allowing the story to grow from the source) Wu Zetian is a brilliant narrator she does things that my mind tells me i should be morally against, but Zetian herself convinces me that it is right (i love getting mind fucked like this by the narrators morality differing from mine) reading all about Zetian and Shimin killing An Lushan was everything i wanted, and i thought that would be the 'height' of Zetian's anger, and her 'cold bloodedness" (being a ya book and all) but then the pay off of her killing Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying in the Black Tortoise, and this passage!!!!!
I lean close to the Tortoise almost touching it with the dragons extended snout and long golden whiskers, my words pour a silver white glaze over its black surface. "please you already killed my real family"
I squish a slaw through the tortoise's head, tearing it clean off its neck. I crush and grind it, streams of blood, so thin they're nearly invisible, trickle down the claw. The thought of Shimin going through the same thing flashes through my head, and i clench even tighter, gritting the dragon's teeth"
oh my god i love it so much!!
I love the build up of the relationships (both romantic and otherwise) as well as the deterioration of some of the relationships, so many books go straight from characters working well together to just saying "they are no longer good" but Iron Widow explore how they deteriorate, and I loved the focus and exploration of chosen family.
The romantic relationships, are handled beautifully, at no point did i think "why??? are THEY in a relationship??" I loved how the book handled polyamory, and how Zetian at no point compromised herself for her relationships, and how Shimin and Yizhi are "gentlemen", in the classical sense, focusing on her comfort and wants over their own desires.
The book wrapped itself up well, I felt satisfied by the ending, and yes it does set up a sequel that I am eagerly awaiting entitled Heavenly Tyrant. some people might think the 'twist' (through i woudlnt call it that) was unexpected or out of the blue "hail mary-y" but i disagree, it was set up well and makes sense
I hope Xiran can come to an agreement with their publisher that does not force them to compromise their morals (a few days ago, as I was mid-read, Xiran announced that in addition to being sketchily excluded from this years Hugo Awards [likely due to their open position against the Uygur genocide] that Heavenly Tyrant is being delayed from its original april 30th 2024 release date to an unknown date in 2025, due to internal conflict with the publisher over the Palestinian genocide.
I love the build up of the relationships (both romantic and otherwise) as well as the deterioration of some of the relationships, so many books go straight from characters working well together to just saying "they are no longer good" but Iron Widow explore how they deteriorate, and I loved the focus and exploration of chosen family.
The romantic relationships, are handled beautifully, at no point did i think "why??? are THEY in a relationship??"
The book wrapped itself up well, I felt satisfied by the ending, and yes it does set up a sequel that I am eagerly awaiting entitled Heavenly Tyrant.
I hope Xiran can come to an agreement with their publisher that does not force them to compromise their morals (a few days ago, as I was mid-read, Xiran announced that in addition to being sketchily excluded from this years Hugo Awards [likely due to their open position against the Uygur genocide] that Heavenly Tyrant is being delayed from its original april 30th 2024 release date to an unknown date in 2025, due to internal conflict with the publisher over the Palestinian genocide.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Addiction, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual violence, Violence, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, War, Death, and Trafficking
xx_salem's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The book was good but the main character upset me in a lot of her choices, I recognized she was tied but I wanted to see her put more on the line and take more and honestly be more evil. It got better in the end, I really liked the twist, but at the same time it took all of the sting out of the book, as if her actions didn’t really have consequences. I didn’t really feel sadness or attachments to any of the characters and really wished the Iron Widow didn’t feel as if she was made out to be the one truly strong girl, I wanted to see more scary powerful women if only in little actions behind the scenes. And all the love felt rushed and awkward and the lack of chemistry I felt was excused by this idea of accepting her sexuality, it’s a nice concept but felt really weirdly executed and off in this romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, War, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Gaslighting, Sexism, Alcohol, Classism, Murder, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, Confinement, Addiction, Ableism, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Grief, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Violence, and Death of parent
mari1532's review
challenging
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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I had first heard about the author when I stumbled upon them scrolling Instagram one day. I was immediately in love with their content and put the audiobook on hold at my library. Due to the book’s popularity, I spent several months waiting.
It was not only the author’s online content that intrigued me about their book. The descriptions I had read online described it as a science fiction book with loose references to China’s first Empress, Wu Zetian.
After finally reading it I can safely say, that I adored this book. It is full of political intrigue, messy relationships, and glimmers of historical references. The way that Jay Zhao writes is enthralling and by providing the reader with guide posts about the characters’ motivations/feelings and leads you along with the growth and development of the character without explicitly telling you what is going on. For instance, when Zetian has a confrontation with another female pilot in the bath, I was able to feel the character’s confusion, rage, and compassion in the scene and through the dialogue I was able to understand why various characters reacted the way that they did. Each of their characters is deliciously complex and Jay Zhao’s writing is exceptional.
I liked that there was a polyamorous relationship rather than a love triangle. It was a completely natural development and it was great that there was no focus on the development in the book. The relationships simply evolved and that was just the way it was.
There were several plot twists throughout the book that I did find unexpected and it made me want to keep reading. Jay Zhao’s plotting of this book was just exceptional and I am so excited for the next installment of the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Confinement, Grief, Gaslighting, War, Death, Addiction, Blood, Classism, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Violence, Alcohol, and Forced institutionalization
jenny_d's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Addiction, Misogyny, Confinement, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Death
kennyhamann1312's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
inspiring
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
5.0
i have NEVER read a book that has represented so much lgbt diversity while still being set in traditional ancient Chinese culture. NEVER before have I seen not one but TWO MALE BISEXUAL CHARACTERS. This book is the best writing I've ever read. It dives deep into gender stereotype and sexism hidden in modern culture, while melding together the thrills of Chinese myths and culture. I never read books a second time! but I certainly would read this book again while I wait for the next in the series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, and Torture
my_faelady's review against another edition
adventurous
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
3.5
⭐️: 3.5/5
TW: Descriptive & dark violence, alcoholism
Like many people here, I enjoyed the book. However, for my personal tastes, it was heavy-handed in the feminist, female rage aspects of the text. The author's work is, of itself, a phenomenal blend of Chinese history and sci-fi elements, but the above left it a bit lackluster for me.
I read this, primarily, to see if a student of mine would be able to read it, and the answer is a sound no, purely because they're too young, not for the messages this book brings. The ideas it presents are solid ones, and I would read the next book if it was given to me, but I may not actively seek it out.
TW: Descriptive & dark violence, alcoholism
Like many people here, I enjoyed the book. However, for my personal tastes, it was heavy-handed in the feminist, female rage aspects of the text. The author's work is, of itself, a phenomenal blend of Chinese history and sci-fi elements, but the above left it a bit lackluster for me.
I read this, primarily, to see if a student of mine would be able to read it, and the answer is a sound no, purely because they're too young, not for the messages this book brings. The ideas it presents are solid ones, and I would read the next book if it was given to me, but I may not actively seek it out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Violence, and Alcoholism
micah_mac's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Sexism, Torture, Misogyny, and Child abuse
Moderate: Xenophobia, Death, Suicidal thoughts, War, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Addiction, Alcohol, and Colonisation
Minor: Confinement
valpyre's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
this ended up being an almost aggressively average read for me. i should have learned my lesson by now, but i did actually have higher expectations for this, and was disappointed about halfway through.
i will give this book its roses for being good enough that i was able to pick at it over time without wanting to tear my hair out or DNF. the writing itself was far from the worst i've ever read, but i still found it a little awkward and cheesy in parts ("welcome to your nightmare"). the prose was quite blunt and left little to mull over.
i was mostly interested in the first couple of chapters while zetian is still at home -- the exposition laid out at the beginning was compelling to me, especially regarding the chrysalises and the media/live streaming aspect that capitalized on their existence.
i respect that the author was extremely transparent about the sources they drew on for inspiration (historical figures and other media), and while i wasn't familiar with many of them, the book still read as transformative fiction than original to me. many parts of the story felt underbaked -- i felt that there was so much more to be said about pilot training, about concubines (a position zetian was never truly in due to her Specialness), about the different types of qi, and more. i found that many developments were talked about and not shown (e.g. we got one random ice dancing scene, li shimin teaches zetian martial arts off screen). i definitely felt this acutely regarding the love interests -- zetian suddenly always returned yizhi's feelings, and i never felt the "tension" between her and li shimin. it's not that they weren't compelling, but just weren't developed enough.
i think many of the top rated reviews of this book articulate the issues with its presentation of misogyny and feminism -- eventually, it just felt like the book wasn't telling me anything new. i totally understood the lens of zetian overcoming the constant propagandized knowledge of women being "lesser" than men, but at the same time she was special for knowing it was bullshit the entire time, which made it frustrating as a reader who knew the same. zetian's big sister was just another fridged character -- i honestly forgot about her until she was mentioned closer to the end of the book.
the major "plot twists" weren't all that surprising to me, and i mostly just wanted to know more about them exactly, as opposed to uncovering them. zetian's point of view was frustratingly slow in figuring some of this stuff out, especially at the end, which i found rushed (particularly in the epilogue).
i put the sequel on my TBR because i am interested in the worldbuilding reveal from the end, and want to see if that'll come to anything in the next one.
one line that i liked: "They may think they do, but no matter how they scold or threaten or beat me, they can't really control what goes on in my head."
i will give this book its roses for being good enough that i was able to pick at it over time without wanting to tear my hair out or DNF. the writing itself was far from the worst i've ever read, but i still found it a little awkward and cheesy in parts ("welcome to your nightmare"). the prose was quite blunt and left little to mull over.
i was mostly interested in the first couple of chapters while zetian is still at home -- the exposition laid out at the beginning was compelling to me, especially regarding the chrysalises and the media/live streaming aspect that capitalized on their existence.
i respect that the author was extremely transparent about the sources they drew on for inspiration (historical figures and other media), and while i wasn't familiar with many of them, the book still read as transformative fiction than original to me. many parts of the story felt underbaked -- i felt that there was so much more to be said about pilot training, about concubines (a position zetian was never truly in due to her Specialness), about the different types of qi, and more. i found that many developments were talked about and not shown (e.g. we got one random ice dancing scene, li shimin teaches zetian martial arts off screen). i definitely felt this acutely regarding the love interests -- zetian suddenly always returned yizhi's feelings, and i never felt the "tension" between her and li shimin. it's not that they weren't compelling, but just weren't developed enough.
i think many of the top rated reviews of this book articulate the issues with its presentation of misogyny and feminism -- eventually, it just felt like the book wasn't telling me anything new. i totally understood the lens of zetian overcoming the constant propagandized knowledge of women being "lesser" than men, but at the same time she was special for knowing it was bullshit the entire time, which made it frustrating as a reader who knew the same. zetian's big sister was just another fridged character -- i honestly forgot about her until she was mentioned closer to the end of the book.
the major "plot twists" weren't all that surprising to me, and i mostly just wanted to know more about them exactly, as opposed to uncovering them. zetian's point of view was frustratingly slow in figuring some of this stuff out, especially at the end, which i found rushed (particularly in the epilogue).
i put the sequel on my TBR because i am interested in the worldbuilding reveal from the end, and want to see if that'll come to anything in the next one.
one line that i liked: "They may think they do, but no matter how they scold or threaten or beat me, they can't really control what goes on in my head."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Torture, Sexism, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Xenophobia, Violence, and War