Reviews with content warning for Sexual violence - Iron Widow

Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

447 reviews

bookish_mk's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious sad tense 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

Unforgiving, unrelenting, and perfectly satisfying.

Iron Widow doesn't give an inch and that's what I LOVE SO MUCH about it. Finally, a book and a female main character who doesn't back down when setting out to achieve what she desires most, WHICH IS NOT ROMANCE - HOW REFRESHING!

I loved this book so much, I take any chance I get to recommend it to anyone. ANYONE.

This story is a retelling of China's first female emperor and it delivers on all ends. Zhao's writing is straightforward, bold, and holds a special place in my feminist heart that would see all wrongs committed against women and girls righted and justice awarded.

It's refreshing. If you are looking for something different, stop here and immediately READ THIS BOOK. And the next one too. And the third, when it comes out...

Content Warnings

aliyas_encanto's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

WHAT WAS THAT EPILOGUE?! Good thing I'm 5 seconds away from reading the sequel, what a whirlwind.... (more coherent review to come)

Alright, after much time to process I am ready to give a more coherent review: Zetian is angry. And, in a world that willingly sacrifices young girls against their will for the sake of battle with alien life-forms, I can understand why. The life a girl growing up in a country that values women as lesser than livestock, Zetian seeks revenge for the murder of her older sister. However her spirit is so strong that she is given a second chance as the Iron Widow, a female deemed strong enough to pilot a Chrysalis. The world-building leaves the reader curious about the seemingly dystopian landscape and the questionable rules set in place. It was a heavy story that, although the anger was justified the pride did not allow for true satisfaction of enemy defeats. Zetian is really one of the more complex characters I grew to enjoy, and I am curious how her character will grow in book 2. This is a heavy book, so please check content warnings before engaging.

Content Warnings

lianaet's review against another edition

4.5

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: Yes

This book feels a bit blunt with the themes but it gets the point across - and is a lot of fun being an anime if it was a book. I feel there could have been more build up of the relationships but I appreciate the fast nature of the pacing didn't leave a lot of time for that and it is kind of more a secondary plot.

Content Warnings

mirandyli's review against another edition

4.75

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: Complicated

This was an incredible book that was basically written for people like me.

Pacific Rim meets Ancient China (the main character has bound feet), with a queer polyamorous relationship. Featuring heavy misogyny and colonization. The ending had me reeling.

Content Warnings

deshibornbideshe's review against another edition

5.0

dark hopeful inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Themes/Topics/Attributes: dismantling the heteropatriarchy in an ultra-heteropatriarchal world, dystopian industrial future, class commentary, trauma-informed character development, exploited/prisoner labor

Have patience with our protagonist who is young, highly traumatized, and has every right to be as indignant

and vengeful

as she wants to be when she has had no community at her back for so long, under conditions that most of us reading this book could only ever imagine but that many of us can certainly at least begin to relate to. Zetian is scrappy and clever and cunning, and she deserves to survive. She deserves to thrive in a world that she has been told cannot exist. I see that world for her and her companions, and they've begun to see it too.

They have a difficult and still traumatic jouney ahead of them. I hope they emerge victorious in each other's arms.

This is a story of navigating trauma, power, and injustice. This is a story of daring to have hope and begin the messy work of making it a reality.

Content Warnings

rim_eh's review against another edition

3.25

adventurous dark 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 book started off quite fast paced and I was instantly sucked in to the story of the main character.

In a world run by money and propaganda, where women are viewed as disposable and less than, the heroine is pissed off and determined to be recognised as equal. Her mental fortitude and pragmatism is almost too strong to be believable considering her upbringing.

The romance is closed door, if anyone was wondering.

The last part of the book felt more superficial or detached than the beginning and I had trouble getting in to it.

I also discovered I’m not a huge fan of mecha (mega transformer machines fighting a war), but despite all that it was an entertaining enough story.

Content Warnings

kymopolaya's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Content Warnings

rolugomi's review against another edition

4.75

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

Content Warnings

scripturient's review against another edition

4.25

dark reflective 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: Complicated

That was one hell of a ride. It is unapologetic female rage, which I really enjoyed, it is inspired by Imperial China's only female Emperor, which is also super cool, and

it has a love triangle that resolves into a throuple which was AWESOME

. I don't ever want to read that in any other way.
I felt the ending was a bit rushed, almost as if there was no real resolution at hand, so we had to go for more broad angry violence, which felt a bit empty. But overall a great read!

Content Warnings

hannahblue1's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Content Warnings

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