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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
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:
Complicated
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
ok so i have pretty mixed feelings about this book and i cannot for the life of me articulate my thoughts. all i can say is by the end of this book i was fully charged with feminine rage. i support women's rights and wrongs.
i got through the first two-thirds of this book just for the sake of it, i haven't been reading with much concentration so i must've missed out on some world building and mechanics of piloting so i won't hold it against this book.
in the beginning i was intrigued but not entirely engaged. then,yang guang died so suddenly without any further details about zetian's elder sister and that threw me off.
i wasn't a fan of the romance element either. personally, it felt like zetian was the only one with good character depth and the others were lost opportunities. i never understood why anyone liked who they liked. felt like the subplot was there for the sake of it.
but when once the counterattack begins, i had the best time. looking forward to reading the next book though i'm not sure if i'll pick it up immediately!
i got through the first two-thirds of this book just for the sake of it, i haven't been reading with much concentration so i must've missed out on some world building and mechanics of piloting so i won't hold it against this book.
in the beginning i was intrigued but not entirely engaged. then,
i wasn't a fan of the romance element either. personally, it felt like zetian was the only one with good character depth and the others were lost opportunities. i never understood why anyone liked who they liked. felt like the subplot was there for the sake of it.
but when once the counterattack begins, i had the best time. looking forward to reading the next book though i'm not sure if i'll pick it up immediately!
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Clearly a lot of people enjoyed this book, so maybe this is a personal issue. But everything just fell a little flat to me… I thought the world building was lacking, the characters (especially Zetian herself) had little actual internal development and basically only revolved around a certain trope. The feminism was also a little meh. Nothing wrong with some feminine rage, but it really did feel as if every other line was intentionally placed to leave the reader with an “dammnn!!!” effect and the relationship of Zetian to other women in this highly patriarchal structure was superficial at best. I understand that Zetian is not supposed to be a model of a perfect feminist but her ruthlessness and her anger felt to me less of an actual part of her character and rather an instrument to make her seem the most badass most powerful most sexy main character that the reader is supposed to go like “yasss girl, go slay the patriarchy!” at. This also ties to the most jarring issue I had with the book: I could barely go two pages without cringing—either at the prose itself or at the girlbossness of it all. I can forgive a lot of things (including all the aforementioned criticism) and still have a good time reading but if I’m cringing, it’s very hard for me to enjoy even the story parts which technically still were intriguing.
I did of course enjoy the positive poly representation and the imperial chinese references/setting—I just wished it would have been more fleshed out. There were a lot of fun ideas, personally though I did not feel connected to either the characters, the relationships or the world and ultimately had to force myself through the last 40% of this book.
I did of course enjoy the positive poly representation and the imperial chinese references/setting—I just wished it would have been more fleshed out. There were a lot of fun ideas, personally though I did not feel connected to either the characters, the relationships or the world and ultimately had to force myself through the last 40% of this book.
adventurous
dark
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
Novels touted as being about feminine rage almost always fall short for me (looking at you, Circe). Iron Widow was, happily, the first exception I've found. This book seethes with rage, and I loved every minute of it.
Zhao adapts and subverts the "league of fighter pilots staving off an alien invasion" trope in really exciting ways, and it's a genuinely fun read. The world building and magic/technical system are well developed; the intricacies of that system are revealed at an appropriate and enjoyable pace, rather than teased out over too long (a trap I think a lot of sci-fi/fantasy writers fall into). This also means that the twists and reveals are genuinely surprising.
It's also a very intelligent narrative, critically examining gender, race, sexuality, and late capitalism; despite its heavy cultural and political lifting, though, the book moves quickly and isn't bogged down by these themes. Zhao has walked the line perfectly between engaging narrative and sociocultural critique, and fair play to them for managing that balance so well.
I loved Iron Widow and am very much looking forward to reading Heavenly Tyrant. I would happily read a 10+ novel series set in this world (though I doubt Zetian will need 10+ novels to sort out her world, she's quite efficient!).
Zhao adapts and subverts the "league of fighter pilots staving off an alien invasion" trope in really exciting ways, and it's a genuinely fun read. The world building and magic/technical system are well developed; the intricacies of that system are revealed at an appropriate and enjoyable pace, rather than teased out over too long (a trap I think a lot of sci-fi/fantasy writers fall into). This also means that the twists and reveals are genuinely surprising.
It's also a very intelligent narrative, critically examining gender, race, sexuality, and late capitalism; despite its heavy cultural and political lifting, though, the book moves quickly and isn't bogged down by these themes. Zhao has walked the line perfectly between engaging narrative and sociocultural critique, and fair play to them for managing that balance so well.
I loved Iron Widow and am very much looking forward to reading Heavenly Tyrant. I would happily read a 10+ novel series set in this world (though I doubt Zetian will need 10+ novels to sort out her world, she's quite efficient!).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, Grief, Sexual harassment
Minor: Colonisation, Classism
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I love everything this book chooses to be.
“How do you take the fight out of half the population and render them willing slaves? You tell them they’re meant to do nothing but serve from the minute they’re born. You tell them they’re weak. You tell them they’re prey. You tell them over and over, until it’s the only truth they’re capable of living.”
This book is a scream of rage into the night, and I’m so glad it got published. Even if you don’t normally read YA, I would urge you to shelve your preconceptions and pick up this book in any way that you can (and per the author’s note at the end, if you read it for free, leave them a review!)
In addition to being a science fantasy set on some other planet, presumably in the far future, this is also a stealth historical retelling, as the main character is a reimagining of a real historical figure, whose role in history I won’t spoil if you aren’t already aware of her (as I wasn’t), because then the plot of the book will be that much more fun for you to read.
Wu Zetian lives in a world where women are subjugated. Her feet were broken and bound as a child, and her sister was sold off to become a concubine for a male Chrysalis pilot. Chrysalises are the repurposed husks of the alien beings who invaded this world thousands of years before, and the humans eventually figured out a way for them to essentially be turned into giant mechas to fight back against the alien Hunduns. But in this fight, where men and women (boys and girls) are piloting each Chrysalis, most of the time, doing so kills the girl. Zetian’s sister is killed in this way, so she vows to enact her revenge, selling herself to the same pilot as a concubine, intending to kill him and forfeit her life in the process. But things don’t go as expected, because Zetian’s qi overpowers that of the boy, killing him in the process, and Zetian becomes a rare Iron Widow. Her revenge mission morphs as she goes, and she’s going to fuck up as much shit as she possibly can. I love her so much.
“Perks of refusing to play by the rules: you don’t have to choose between the boy who’d torture a man to death with you and the boy who welcomes you back with pastries.”
Something else I love about this book is the way that it explores gender roles using the metaphor of the mechas. Zetian as a character refuses to do what she’s told, and discovers the lies of the system she grew up in as a result. The three main characters (Zetian provides POV) are exercises in smashing gender stereotypes, and to make things even better, the love triangle here (between the sweet boy from Zetian’s village, who turns out to be the son of a millionaire, Zetian, and the pilot she’s paired with who has killed all his concubines and murdered his own family) morphs into a polyamorous relationship between the three of them, I was so incredibly pleased and elated. This is the best way for love triangles to resolve, in my opinion. I’m spoiling this on purpose because I’m using it as a lure for people to read the book.
I thought I would have a hard time reviewing this book, especially since it’s been two months now since I read it, but the story and the characters are still vivid in my mind, and I have lots of very clear feelings I’m finding easier than usual to express. Perhaps it’s the rage.
“Shame and humiliation are self-imposed emotions, and from here on out, I choose not to feel them.”
Read Harder Challenge 2022: Read an adventure story by a BIPOC author.
“How do you take the fight out of half the population and render them willing slaves? You tell them they’re meant to do nothing but serve from the minute they’re born. You tell them they’re weak. You tell them they’re prey. You tell them over and over, until it’s the only truth they’re capable of living.”
This book is a scream of rage into the night, and I’m so glad it got published. Even if you don’t normally read YA, I would urge you to shelve your preconceptions and pick up this book in any way that you can (and per the author’s note at the end, if you read it for free, leave them a review!)
In addition to being a science fantasy set on some other planet, presumably in the far future, this is also a stealth historical retelling, as the main character is a reimagining of a real historical figure, whose role in history I won’t spoil if you aren’t already aware of her (as I wasn’t), because then the plot of the book will be that much more fun for you to read.
Wu Zetian lives in a world where women are subjugated. Her feet were broken and bound as a child, and her sister was sold off to become a concubine for a male Chrysalis pilot. Chrysalises are the repurposed husks of the alien beings who invaded this world thousands of years before, and the humans eventually figured out a way for them to essentially be turned into giant mechas to fight back against the alien Hunduns. But in this fight, where men and women (boys and girls) are piloting each Chrysalis, most of the time, doing so kills the girl. Zetian’s sister is killed in this way, so she vows to enact her revenge, selling herself to the same pilot as a concubine, intending to kill him and forfeit her life in the process. But things don’t go as expected, because Zetian’s qi overpowers that of the boy, killing him in the process, and Zetian becomes a rare Iron Widow. Her revenge mission morphs as she goes, and she’s going to fuck up as much shit as she possibly can. I love her so much.
“Perks of refusing to play by the rules: you don’t have to choose between the boy who’d torture a man to death with you and the boy who welcomes you back with pastries.”
Something else I love about this book is the way that it explores gender roles using the metaphor of the mechas. Zetian as a character refuses to do what she’s told, and discovers the lies of the system she grew up in as a result. The three main characters (Zetian provides POV) are exercises in smashing gender stereotypes, and to make things even better, the love triangle here (between the sweet boy from Zetian’s village, who turns out to be the son of a millionaire, Zetian, and the pilot she’s paired with who has killed all his concubines and murdered his own family) morphs into a polyamorous relationship between the three of them, I was so incredibly pleased and elated. This is the best way for love triangles to resolve, in my opinion. I’m spoiling this on purpose because I’m using it as a lure for people to read the book.
I thought I would have a hard time reviewing this book, especially since it’s been two months now since I read it, but the story and the characters are still vivid in my mind, and I have lots of very clear feelings I’m finding easier than usual to express. Perhaps it’s the rage.
“Shame and humiliation are self-imposed emotions, and from here on out, I choose not to feel them.”
Read Harder Challenge 2022: Read an adventure story by a BIPOC author.
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes