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adventurous
dark
tense
medium-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
I really enjoyed the concept of this book. The mix of traditional Chinese philosophy with fantasy and sci-fi, the awesome Chrysalis battle scenes, and the fact that Chrysalises are a somewhat equal battleground of minds rather than physical power all make for a quick and interesting read.
One thing I have to commend Zhao for is their commitment to female rage and a truly vengeful, violent heroine. Zetian’s prime motivation is revenge — revenge for her sister’s death, and revenge for everything she and countless other women are being put through —, and when she discovers the power she can wield as a chrysalis pilot, she uses it for just that. She has little remorse over torturing and killing people to achieve her goal, and she perhaps comes to enjoy that power a little too much. (An interesting factor, to me, is the way her physical disability — the bound feet — plays into this enjoyment and feeling of freedom.)
Zetian is a great example of a protagonist who is compelling despite not necessarily being likeable. On the one hand, you see the danger of her impulsivity, ruthlessness, and lack of compassion for others. On the other hand, it is satisfying to see her reject the misogynist messages and restrictions imposed on her, destroy the system she (and other women) suffer from, and make men uneasy or afraid in the process. In fact, the very satisfaction that is easy to find in Zetian’s violent revenge makes said violence easier to understand. At times, however, her extreme "badass-ness", like the way she quickly not only graps but dominates the Chrsyalis system, verge on "Mary Sue"-ness.
Zetian’s personality and the fact that she is physically vulnerable without a Chrysalis but mentally powerful also add an interesting dynamic to the romantic relationships of the book. Traditionally “masculine” and “feminine” roles and behaviours get muddled and mellowed in a gender role-critical way, with Yizhi often taking up the sensitive, caring aspects of the relationship while Zetian struggles with accepting help and being vulnerable because she is working so hard to be strong and powerful. I would’ve loved to have more of the poly relationship because the dynamic was really interesting to me and is a rare sight in popular literature in general, even more so in YA.
Unfortunately, the book grants few other characters the same kind of complexity which, in my opinion, really impedes its feminist potential. From the beginning on, Iron Widow has strong feminist themes. Not only are the misogynistic views of her society forced onto Zetian — often violently, in case of her feet even permanently disabling —, she also has a lot of explicitly feminist, critical thoughts about this system and believes. These scenes often seem very heavy-handed, and Zetian's thoughts a little too explicit and well verbalised for a woman who grew up without the concept of feminism or even female resistance. They also sometimes let Zetian fall into the “not like other girls” trap of writing strong female characters.
While most men are portrayed as misogynistic and violently oppressive, there are at least two, at best four male characters who show a more complex attitude towards the system, Zetian, and her goals of destroying it. The same cannot be said for the female characters as Zetian is apparently the only woman to ever oppose or even openly criticise the system. All other female characters appear to, at worst, submit to men and encourage Zetian to do the same (her mother and grandmother), and, at best, find their one, restricted way of retaining some power while still lacking any truly revolutionary instinct or feminist solidarity (Qieluo, the White Tiger pilot ).
It might be Zetian’s lack of compassion and empathy that complicates any way the book could give other female characters and motivations more depth. With Li Shimin, she ends up acknowledging the way the system forced him to commit murder because his memories and feelings are forced on her through their Chrysalis bond, so she can’t help but see his point of view. She does not have the same compassion for — or even interest in learning the perspective of — Xiuying, a woman victimised by the same system as Zetian and her sister, whose children’s lives are threatened. If anything, Zetian’s earlier thoughts implicitly blame her by wondering why she would even choose to have children — completely ignoring the possibility and implication of domestic violence and sexual assault which Zetian knows is prevalent in the pilot system.
This lack of empathy makes sense for a vengeful character like Zetian, who is powered by grief and rage most of the book (including when killing Xiuying and her partner ), but it is also very frustrating from a feminist perspective because it prevents the book from exploring other female perspectives and ways of dealing with a misogynistic system. To be fair to the author though, they confirmed on Twitter that this is very much a deliberate choice and part of a character development they planned for Zetian in the sequel, Heavenly Tyrant.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Misogyny, Torture
Moderate: Rape
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Notes:
Read the trigger warnings at the start of the book
One of the most chaotic books I've read in a long time.
Pacific Rim meets Handmaid's Tale meets Hunger Games (love a sci-fi dystopian angle)
Really appreciated the use of traditional Chinese culture to inform the story, characters and setting (the feet binding will stay with me)
For me an interesting take on science-fiction/fantasy - female power and taking control by escaping traditional patriarchal expectations with some serious anger (though there are elements of this in The Sword of Kaigen by ML Wang which are done better)
Remember it's YA targeted and for that audience level works well
Overall I enjoyed reading it but there are multiple elements that did detract:
World Building - not massively in depth, I had a picture in my mind but I think that was informed more by the Pacific Rim and recent Godzilla movies.
Wu Zetian - so very angry which I get as above but made it difficult to fully root for her. Very few female allies, doesn't really sell the feminist angle of the story for me but uses a 'feminist' agenda as a vehicle for selling her as a Mary Sue style MC (no empathy for the situation of one female character towards the end, no spoilers for the outcome).
Polyamory relationship not particularly fleshed out or developed, the male characters in the relationship didn't get much depth beyond being vehicles for Wu to get to the next thing.
Narrative not subtle - lots of telling not showing. Works great as a wish fulfillment escapist narrative but felt sometimes that messages were getting shouted at me multiple times to make sure I definitely got them (reminded me a little of Her Majesty's Royal Coven in that respect) - this may be the YA audience influence - subtlety not always their thing
Overall I enjoyed reading it but there are multiple elements that did detract:
Summing up - I enjoyed this, it's action packed, loads of set pieces, empowering messaging and utilises fantasy and sci-fi tropes well especially mixed in with the use of traditional chinese cultural elements. It has a main character that for YA audiences is someone they can likely identify with and root for and is a classic tale of overcoming your circumstances to take control and find your own destiny and identity.
Read the trigger warnings at the start of the book
One of the most chaotic books I've read in a long time.
Pacific Rim meets Handmaid's Tale meets Hunger Games (love a sci-fi dystopian angle)
Really appreciated the use of traditional Chinese culture to inform the story, characters and setting (the feet binding will stay with me)
For me an interesting take on science-fiction/fantasy - female power and taking control by escaping traditional patriarchal expectations with some serious anger (though there are elements of this in The Sword of Kaigen by ML Wang which are done better)
Remember it's YA targeted and for that audience level works well
Overall I enjoyed reading it but there are multiple elements that did detract:
World Building - not massively in depth, I had a picture in my mind but I think that was informed more by the Pacific Rim and recent Godzilla movies.
Wu Zetian - so very angry which I get as above but made it difficult to fully root for her. Very few female allies, doesn't really sell the feminist angle of the story for me but uses a 'feminist' agenda as a vehicle for selling her as a Mary Sue style MC (no empathy for the situation of one female character towards the end, no spoilers for the outcome).
Polyamory relationship not particularly fleshed out or developed, the male characters in the relationship didn't get much depth beyond being vehicles for Wu to get to the next thing.
Narrative not subtle - lots of telling not showing. Works great as a wish fulfillment escapist narrative but felt sometimes that messages were getting shouted at me multiple times to make sure I definitely got them (reminded me a little of Her Majesty's Royal Coven in that respect) - this may be the YA audience influence - subtlety not always their thing
Overall I enjoyed reading it but there are multiple elements that did detract:
Summing up - I enjoyed this, it's action packed, loads of set pieces, empowering messaging and utilises fantasy and sci-fi tropes well especially mixed in with the use of traditional chinese cultural elements. It has a main character that for YA audiences is someone they can likely identify with and root for and is a classic tale of overcoming your circumstances to take control and find your own destiny and identity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Torture, Violence
sad
medium-paced
Favorite quotes:
• "Plus, I don’t trust myself to landscape two matching brows out of the entity I’ve got. And how am I supposed to sign up for my death if my eyebrows are uneven?"
• “There’s no such thing as karma. Or, if it does exist, it sure doesn’t give a shit about people like me. Some of us were born to be used and discarded. We can’t afford to simply go along with the flow of life, because nothing in this world has been created, built, or set up in our favor. If we want something, we have to push back against everything around us and take it by force.”
• “I would seriously give that back to her. That girl does not seem like one to be messed with.”
• “Do you terrorize people often, beautiful?”
• “You’ve been living a dream for long enough! Welcome to your nightmare!”
• “Well. This is an interesting development.”
• "Me. Li Shimin. An assassin. A murderer. Huaxia’s best hope. Not hostile."
• “If you want something from me, you better pay what I’m due!”
• “Yeah, we’re not the ones who want you dead, you unhinged bitch!”
• “Oh. Poor guy.”
• “I think…you’ve been lied to about what male needs are like. We aren’t animals. Yes, our desires get pretty strong, but they’re not overpowering. There’s no such thing as going mad because of them.”
• “Well, supposedly, you smash the lenses, sharpen the biggest fragment on the floor of your bunker, hide it in your collar, and try to slit a soldier’s throat with it.”
• “When you cherish someone for how amazing they are, you don’t pluck them from their roots just to watch them wither in your hands. You help them bloom into the incredible thing they’re really meant to be. And no, I’m not expecting anything back from you, so don’t feel pressured. This is simply what I want to do.”
• “You’re my polar star. I’ll go wherever you guide me.”
• "What I have learned through this madness is that you can absolutely solve your problems by throwing money at them. If you can’t, you probably don’t have enough money for that particular problem."
•“You can’t shoot me; I’m from Central Command!” ... “You can’t shoot me; I’m rich!”
• “You’re the miracle I’ve been waiting for all this time, going into these battles, praying that something would be different. I can’t bear the thought of losing you.”
• "Love can be infinite, as much as your heart can open. I mean, when you think about it, love is fueled mostly by compatibility. Whether two people make each other happy by being close."
• “Listen up: just because you have the capacity to do something for someone, it doesn’t mean you have the obligation to, especially when they won’t even appreciate you for doing it.”
• “If you say so. But mark my words: one day, this will come back to bite you in the ass.”
• “Humans…scourge of the universe…”
• “Remember. Remember who you are. Remember me.”
• “Fuck the cabin in the mountains. Let’s rule the world.”
• "Plus, I don’t trust myself to landscape two matching brows out of the entity I’ve got. And how am I supposed to sign up for my death if my eyebrows are uneven?"
• “There’s no such thing as karma. Or, if it does exist, it sure doesn’t give a shit about people like me. Some of us were born to be used and discarded. We can’t afford to simply go along with the flow of life, because nothing in this world has been created, built, or set up in our favor. If we want something, we have to push back against everything around us and take it by force.”
• “I would seriously give that back to her. That girl does not seem like one to be messed with.”
• “Do you terrorize people often, beautiful?”
• “You’ve been living a dream for long enough! Welcome to your nightmare!”
• “Well. This is an interesting development.”
• "Me. Li Shimin. An assassin. A murderer. Huaxia’s best hope. Not hostile."
• “If you want something from me, you better pay what I’m due!”
• “Yeah, we’re not the ones who want you dead, you unhinged bitch!”
• “Oh. Poor guy.”
• “I think…you’ve been lied to about what male needs are like. We aren’t animals. Yes, our desires get pretty strong, but they’re not overpowering. There’s no such thing as going mad because of them.”
• “Well, supposedly, you smash the lenses, sharpen the biggest fragment on the floor of your bunker, hide it in your collar, and try to slit a soldier’s throat with it.”
• “When you cherish someone for how amazing they are, you don’t pluck them from their roots just to watch them wither in your hands. You help them bloom into the incredible thing they’re really meant to be. And no, I’m not expecting anything back from you, so don’t feel pressured. This is simply what I want to do.”
• “You’re my polar star. I’ll go wherever you guide me.”
• "What I have learned through this madness is that you can absolutely solve your problems by throwing money at them. If you can’t, you probably don’t have enough money for that particular problem."
•“You can’t shoot me; I’m from Central Command!” ... “You can’t shoot me; I’m rich!”
• “You’re the miracle I’ve been waiting for all this time, going into these battles, praying that something would be different. I can’t bear the thought of losing you.”
• "Love can be infinite, as much as your heart can open. I mean, when you think about it, love is fueled mostly by compatibility. Whether two people make each other happy by being close."
• “Listen up: just because you have the capacity to do something for someone, it doesn’t mean you have the obligation to, especially when they won’t even appreciate you for doing it.”
• “If you say so. But mark my words: one day, this will come back to bite you in the ass.”
• “Humans…scourge of the universe…”
• “Remember. Remember who you are. Remember me.”
• “Fuck the cabin in the mountains. Let’s rule the world.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Torture, Sexual harassment
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
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:
Yes
This was fucking incredible. I didn't really know anything about this book going in, other than it was a booktok favorite. It is now in probably my top books I've ever read, and for sure top 5 of the year I think. The feminine rage was palpable through this entire book. It was fantastic. Highly recommend.
There's definitely a lot of horrible things in this book so definitely check trigger warnings, but it's so worth it.
There's definitely a lot of horrible things in this book so definitely check trigger warnings, but it's so worth it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really freaking enjoyed this book! It is set in an Attack On Titan type dystopian world with a mashup of historical Chinese folklore, mecha and aliens. The mc is a strong, ruthless girl who is willing to die to avenge her sister in the midst of a patriarchal society with little care for women. As a reader who loves robots and a good poly triangle, this read was a blast!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Misogyny
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Misogyny, Violence
Moderate: Death
Minor: Sexual assault
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Can be confusing if you have little knowledge of chinese culture and mythology or mecha genres.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Alcohol
Moderate: Confinement, Genocide, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Grief, Colonisation, Dysphoria
Minor: Ableism, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual content, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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:
Yes
I honestly have not been this excited while reading a book in years. The mix of an old society with science fiction was fascinating. Not mention the POLY REP. As a poly person I never rarely see it portrayed so well in media. The world was so rich with the lore of the science fiction aspects I never once felt confused about how everything worked. I am desperately excited for the next book and will be preordering immediately!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Misogyny, Torture, Violence, War
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Alcohol, Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death, Domestic abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, War
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There are so many things I like in this book. Smart and ruthless heroine, interesting worldbuilding and lore, polyamory...these are all things I enjoy very much, and I have no complaints about how Xiran handled them. The pacing is a bit of an issue - Part One was amazing, but parts Two and Three blended together to me. Some of it plodded, and some of it moved incredibly quickly. Part 4 kept me on the edge of my seat, and I was genuinely surprised by all the twists it presented. I did love Zetian, and Shimin and Yizhi were great as well, I was invested in their relationship. There were also a few minor anachronisms ("Full offense") that I found a bit jarring. It was a good book, I enjoyed it, I definitely want to read the sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Violence