Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

632 reviews

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I went into this with high hopes because of the hype it's gotten, and perhaps that's why I didn't like it as much as I hoped I would. 

It felt like too much telling and not showing, and almost all of the characters felt one-dimensional, including our narrator, whose inner dialogue was at times confusing and was expressing a type of feminism that is incredibly one-dimensional. 

The "plot twist" at the end felt obvious to me as I've seen it in many other novels of this type, but I am interested in reading the sequel to see how the author ends the story they've created here. 

I appreciated the polyam relationship and am also looking forward to seeing what the author does with their relationship in the second book. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional fast-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: Complicated

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

I was impressed by the action in the book and the uniqueness of it. However, I think the style of writing and the way the story unfolds especially at the end was confusing to me personally.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark 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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense 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

BEST STAND ALONE NOVEL I HAVE READ IN MY WHOLE LIFE

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Iron Widow is amazing. The story is fast paced and every time I put it down, I immediately wanted to pick it back up. All of the characters were complex and dimensional. I love how Xiran Jay Zhao wrote all of the female characters, especially Wu Zetian, and the exploration of how the society subjugates women and what that turns them into. The plot twist was surprising without seeming to come completely out of left field for the sake of having one. 

This does at times read heavily YA, with the points being made feeling a little blunt or clunky rather than completely well integrated in the story so that the reader easily arrives at them. I think the story overall may have been stronger if it leaned heavier adult or new adult. My only real complaints are that occasionally the diction threw me a bit out of the story, and the beginning is a bit exposition heavy.

Overall, I’m really looking forward to the sequel.  

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark inspiring 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: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous challenging dark emotional funny tense 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

Great book! Couldn't put it down.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings