Take a photo of a barcode or cover
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-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
WoW. Okay. Je m’attendais pas à ça. C’est si génial. J’ai hâte de lire la suite. Et la révélation sur les Hunduns? Je savais que quelque chose clochais mais pas ça du type d’ancienne veuve de fer ou des femmes enfermées dans des chrysalides mais WoW . Et cette fin?????
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Rape
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Well, I've finally read Iron Widow and I have very mixed feelings. When I first started reading this, I was sure it was going to be my next 5-star read because it gave me all the tingly and excited feelings I tend to get when I'm reading something I'll love. But the further I read, the more disappointed I became because this had so much potential and IMHO, it failed to deliver. While I'm glad that I've finally read it (and with one of my book besties too!), I'm pretty sad that I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I do get why people love this though, so if you're still curious about it and own a copy, I think you should still give it a try cos I found the concept unique. Plus, if you like doggedly relentless revenge-fuelled MCs that would go to any extreme to successfully stick it to the man, with plenty of giant robot battles and spirit energy magic, then there's a chance you could enjoy this more than I did!
First, let's take a look at what I liked about it.
This ended up being very different to how I thought it was going to be written and in a good way. If you were worried that this might be too heavily scientific or full of jargon you don't understand, you don't need to worry. The writing was fun and accessible and it was pretty easy to follow along with! The story was also well-paced and moved at a steady but fast clip. There was never a lull or dull moment as the author rapidly took us from scheme to scheme through to the end. As for the world-building, I liked it for the most part although I was left with a lot more questions by the end than I had at the start (which was already a lot)! This is set in a futuristic Chinese-inspired world that was destroyed by mech aliens called hunduns hundreds of years ago. The surviving population now lives behind a Great Wall and those with strong enough qi pilot giant robots called Chrysalises—they're just like those robotic war machines in Pacific Rim and of course, Transformers. The author described the sociocultural setting and the Chrysalises really well and it was easy to picture everything playing out in my head like a movie. Side note: I do think this is going to be made into a movie and I think it'd be perfect for the big screen, so that's pretty exciting! Despite being a little heavy-handed, I also liked the broaching of social issues and commentary on the treatment of girls/women in society—it's relevant, it's relatable and it's real.
I actually really liked Zetian, our main character and sole POV, in the beginning. Her righteous fury and desire to avenge the death of Big Sister made sense and her feelings were so relatable that I was more than ready to root for her success. She was fiercely determined and she's the type of character who never gives up and quite literally never stops. I wouldn't ever want to get her on my bad side because I know that no matter what it'll cost her, she'd exact her revenge.
First, let's take a look at what I liked about it.
This ended up being very different to how I thought it was going to be written and in a good way. If you were worried that this might be too heavily scientific or full of jargon you don't understand, you don't need to worry. The writing was fun and accessible and it was pretty easy to follow along with! The story was also well-paced and moved at a steady but fast clip. There was never a lull or dull moment as the author rapidly took us from scheme to scheme through to the end. As for the world-building, I liked it for the most part although I was left with a lot more questions by the end than I had at the start (which was already a lot)! This is set in a futuristic Chinese-inspired world that was destroyed by mech aliens called hunduns hundreds of years ago. The surviving population now lives behind a Great Wall and those with strong enough qi pilot giant robots called Chrysalises—they're just like those robotic war machines in Pacific Rim and of course, Transformers. The author described the sociocultural setting and the Chrysalises really well and it was easy to picture everything playing out in my head like a movie. Side note: I do think this is going to be made into a movie and I think it'd be perfect for the big screen, so that's pretty exciting! Despite being a little heavy-handed, I also liked the broaching of social issues and commentary on the treatment of girls/women in society—it's relevant, it's relatable and it's real.
I actually really liked Zetian, our main character and sole POV, in the beginning. Her righteous fury and desire to avenge the death of Big Sister made sense and her feelings were so relatable that I was more than ready to root for her success. She was fiercely determined and she's the type of character who never gives up and quite literally never stops. I wouldn't ever want to get her on my bad side because I know that no matter what it'll cost her, she'd exact her revenge.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment
Minor: Rape
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol
Moderate: Chronic illness, Sexism, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, War
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
I really wanted to like this book. Conceptually, it had a lot of great things, and the MC was unhinged in an amazing way.
But man, the misogyny. And I don’t just mean the evil patriarchy in the book. I mean in the way her sister is fridged and then almost never brought up again, as if she didn’t exist except as plot motivation. I mean in the way the MC has 0 female friends and there is not a single female character she has a positive relationship with. I mean in the way the MC wants to end the killing of girls but is 100% okay with slaughtering boys. I mean in the way this book doesn’t pass the Bechdel test. I mean in the waysome guy makes her strip naked and read a contract on camera, and she says whatever, humiliation is just a state of mind, effectively invalidating all the women (and people) who have felt shame and humiliation from that same thing. It kind of blames them for feeling shamed.
It was a good idea, and in many ways, it actually felt like the hunger games. It just didn’t hit the mark for me.
But man, the misogyny. And I don’t just mean the evil patriarchy in the book. I mean in the way her sister is fridged and then almost never brought up again, as if she didn’t exist except as plot motivation. I mean in the way the MC has 0 female friends and there is not a single female character she has a positive relationship with. I mean in the way the MC wants to end the killing of girls but is 100% okay with slaughtering boys. I mean in the way this book doesn’t pass the Bechdel test. I mean in the way
It was a good idea, and in many ways, it actually felt like the hunger games. It just didn’t hit the mark for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Alcohol
Foot binding
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Sexual harassment
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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
Amazing read, full of incredibly important criticism. Can't wait for more!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting
Minor: Domestic abuse
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I had heard a lot of good things about this book before reading it, and it did not disappoint! Very gripping plot, interesting characters and finally a solution to the YA love triangle trope. (no spoilers but it's gay and it's genius). The writing was so immersive and I liked that the world building was continued throughout, the reader isn't just told everything at the beginning. I found the pilot-system a bit hard to understand at first, but the first "battle scene" helped me visualise it. The characters are constantly discovering secrets about their world, which makes it very exciting to read. Got to say though, I was NOT expecting the amount of violence, including sexual violence that is in this book. It is a lot darker than I was ready for and although it fit with the story, it was a little jarring. Something to keep in mind if you don't like reading about those things!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Violence, War
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence
Minor: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia
challenging
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:
No
If you're into mecha science fiction and feminism, THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU.
For me, a person who's favorite genre is not science fiction with a lot of world building, the plot and all the fighting action scenes bored me to be honest. On the contrary, did I find the romance and exploration of themes such as feminism, sexuality, polygamy, gender roles etc. FAR more intreguing. However the romance and interpersonal conflicts and relationships wasn't as explored as I might would have hoped in a book almost the length of 400 pages. That is a main reason why this book dragged a little for me. In addition was the writing a little too dense in my opinion and the pacing a little off.
But still considering all of this, I need to state that this book is an impressive debut from a young person.
I will call this an original and severely interesting idea that could have been executed better.
Of course is the star rating also influenced by my personal taste in genre and theme.
For me, a person who's favorite genre is not science fiction with a lot of world building, the plot and all the fighting action scenes bored me to be honest. On the contrary, did I find the romance and exploration of themes such as feminism, sexuality, polygamy, gender roles etc. FAR more intreguing. However the romance and interpersonal conflicts and relationships wasn't as explored as I might would have hoped in a book almost the length of 400 pages. That is a main reason why this book dragged a little for me. In addition was the writing a little too dense in my opinion and the pacing a little off.
But still considering all of this, I need to state that this book is an impressive debut from a young person.
I will call this an original and severely interesting idea that could have been executed better.
Of course is the star rating also influenced by my personal taste in genre and theme.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, War, Classism
Minor: Blood
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
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:
Complicated
I am absolutely in shock with this book. THE ENDING?! I am unable to wait for the second book. I need it now.
Zetian is the perfect morally-grey-badass protagonist. I am in absolute awe of her.
Also the romance in this book, even with it being a sub-plot, was so intricate and refreshing that I was 100% obsessed.
If you like Pacific Rim, read this book.
If you like Attack on Titans, read this book.
If you are a woman, read this book.
If you like masterpieces, read this book.
I will forever recommend this book to everyone I like.
5/5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Zetian is the perfect morally-grey-badass protagonist. I am in absolute awe of her.
Also the romance in this book, even with it being a sub-plot, was so intricate and refreshing that I was 100% obsessed.
If you like Pacific Rim, read this book.
If you like Attack on Titans, read this book.
If you are a woman, read this book.
If you like masterpieces, read this book.
I will forever recommend this book to everyone I like.
5/5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Violence, War, Classism
Moderate: Genocide, Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation
Minor: Rape