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adventurous
dark
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:
N/A
Iron widow is an exhilarating fast paced novel that follows main character Zeitan, a young female who has grown up in a highly misogynistic world, her feet were broken and bound at a young age, her elder sister was forced into becoming a ‘concubine’, and then murdered !! And now Zeitan looks set to follow the same fate as her sister.
However Zeitan is completely unhinged, she has a plan , and she is set to kill the male pilot that was responsible for her sisters death.
This is a fun book and I will admit that I quickly whizzed through this in about 2 days , the novel is interesting and refreshingly different in its incorporation of Chinese culture, bi-sexual characters and polyamory within a fantasy setting. Don’t let my 3 star review put you off reading this ! For a debut novel this is brilliant , I just personally wish the novel had more depth, perhaps certain parts of the story would of benefited from multiple character points of view as the romance scenes in particular felt too rushed.
Furthermore while I appreciate Zeitan and her righteous unrelenting rage, her refusal to back down and her ability to always stand by her own morals - at times she can come across as narrow minded and for a novel rooted in feminist ideals , I would of loved to see more expansions of other female characters and their stories.
I’m hoping a lot of the issues I had with this book will be resolved in book 2 and can’t wait for it’s release!
Recommended for Fans of the- Hunger games, The poppy war, Pacific rim, Attack on titan.
However Zeitan is completely unhinged, she has a plan , and she is set to kill the male pilot that was responsible for her sisters death.
This is a fun book and I will admit that I quickly whizzed through this in about 2 days , the novel is interesting and refreshingly different in its incorporation of Chinese culture, bi-sexual characters and polyamory within a fantasy setting. Don’t let my 3 star review put you off reading this ! For a debut novel this is brilliant , I just personally wish the novel had more depth, perhaps certain parts of the story would of benefited from multiple character points of view as the romance scenes in particular felt too rushed.
Furthermore while I appreciate Zeitan and her righteous unrelenting rage, her refusal to back down and her ability to always stand by her own morals - at times she can come across as narrow minded and for a novel rooted in feminist ideals , I would of loved to see more expansions of other female characters and their stories.
I’m hoping a lot of the issues I had with this book will be resolved in book 2 and can’t wait for it’s release!
Recommended for Fans of the- Hunger games, The poppy war, Pacific rim, Attack on titan.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Violence
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Sexual assault
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
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
HOLY FORKING SHIRT BALLS.
The utterly UNREPENTANT vengeance and rage against the patriarchy SHOOK ME.
Give me book two immediately, please and thank you.
The utterly UNREPENTANT vengeance and rage against the patriarchy SHOOK ME.
Give me book two immediately, please and thank you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Grief, Murder, War
Moderate: Body shaming
Minor: Rape
PLEASE READ THE WARNINGS THE AUTHOR INCLUDES AT THE FRONT OF THE BOOK. THIS IS NOT A BOOK FOR THE FAINT OF HEART.
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I ripped through this book in a weekend and while I don't regret any minute of it, I do feel like it's a lot of tell, not show. There are quite a few examples of expository characters in this novel and while I really enjoyed the description in the battle scenes it felt like certain key twists & secret information were just dropped out of nowhere to keep the plot progressing.
<Spoiler> Don't get me wrong, the World building is great and the characters are interesting and each offer a unique perspective on this world, but the motivation at the start of Zetian's journey is for revenge for a sister we literally learn nothing about. I was wondering if there was going to be some sort of twist in the third act or some sort of reveal at the end which would explain why we literally know NOTHING about this big sister that Zetian is so desperate to sacrifice her life for, but as we learn about the family trauma she suffered from, her sister never is part of these stories. We don't see her sister either soothing her after her feet are crushed, or distracting her while her mother or grandmother are being beaten, or even offering any real advice or anecdotes to explain why she is so important to Zetian. It feels like a really big miss for me, and this also happens with Shimin's story as well, with both his friend whom he killed for (I can't even remember if she had a name) & Wende. For a book that is about trying to detach women from the shackles of a patriarchal society that devalues them, I was a bit disappointed that we didn't get to flesh out these characters a little bit more considering the impact they had on our leads. It felt a bit shallow and even her interactions with the other female pilots seemed shallow and I can't imagine that we're supposed to believe that this entire world has no good female characters? </Spoiler>
I'm hoping that this was just pieces that were removed during the editing process because I know this book could've been a lot longer, & fortunately this is something that can be improved on, so I look forward to the follow-up novels in this series.
<Spoiler> Don't get me wrong, the World building is great and the characters are interesting and each offer a unique perspective on this world, but the motivation at the start of Zetian's journey is for revenge for a sister we literally learn nothing about. I was wondering if there was going to be some sort of twist in the third act or some sort of reveal at the end which would explain why we literally know NOTHING about this big sister that Zetian is so desperate to sacrifice her life for, but as we learn about the family trauma she suffered from, her sister never is part of these stories. We don't see her sister either soothing her after her feet are crushed, or distracting her while her mother or grandmother are being beaten, or even offering any real advice or anecdotes to explain why she is so important to Zetian. It feels like a really big miss for me, and this also happens with Shimin's story as well, with both his friend whom he killed for (I can't even remember if she had a name) & Wende. For a book that is about trying to detach women from the shackles of a patriarchal society that devalues them, I was a bit disappointed that we didn't get to flesh out these characters a little bit more considering the impact they had on our leads. It felt a bit shallow and even her interactions with the other female pilots seemed shallow and I can't imagine that we're supposed to believe that this entire world has no good female characters? </Spoiler>
I'm hoping that this was just pieces that were removed during the editing process because I know this book could've been a lot longer, & fortunately this is something that can be improved on, so I look forward to the follow-up novels in this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Murder, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Pregnancy
adventurous
dark
emotional
relaxing
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:
Complicated
I support women's rights but I also support women's wrongs, which means I am a tiny bit obsessed with female powerful angry women. Zetian my queen, destroy everything! She kind of becomes a morally terrible person and I am living for it. I needed more characters doing horrible stuff.
She is definitely a character partly defined by her anger and defiance to the system. Patriarchy is lenthly tackled and criticized in this world. Even though she has her "I am not like the other girls" slightly annoying moments, she is an incredible character. I hope she is able to find and befriend many other women like her, which is what this book lacked (a lot, I dare say for a feminist book, but nothing that a sequel cannot fix). Kind of wishing she befriends now the other bitchy female pilote, I want some enemies to friends. I think they both could be fcking neat. Also, I think it would have also been good to add a few scenes with her sister in order to get a better idea of how she was, so that we care deeply about her.
I loved the worldbuilding but, most of all, A POLY RELATIONSHIP FULL OF CHAOTIC BISEXUAL PEOPLE. LETS GOOOOOO. Yizhi being the lawfully good boyfriend who makes a snack for his murderous girlfriend and boyfriend... oh, I love them. I hope we get a lot more cute and domestic scenes between them and, ehem, Zetian said she can also be attracted to women so... GIVE HER A GIRLFRIEND IN THE NEXT BOOK I BEG
Anyway, morally grey characters, a lot of murder and torture, chinese history mixed with modern technology, criticism about patriarchy and a poly relationship, very good food :)
She is definitely a character partly defined by her anger and defiance to the system. Patriarchy is lenthly tackled and criticized in this world. Even though she has her "I am not like the other girls" slightly annoying moments, she is an incredible character. I hope she is able to find and befriend many other women like her, which is what this book lacked (a lot, I dare say for a feminist book, but nothing that a sequel cannot fix). Kind of wishing she befriends now the other bitchy female pilote, I want some enemies to friends. I think they both could be fcking neat. Also, I think it would have also been good to add a few scenes with her sister in order to get a better idea of how she was, so that we care deeply about her.
I loved the worldbuilding but, most of all, A POLY RELATIONSHIP FULL OF CHAOTIC BISEXUAL PEOPLE. LETS GOOOOOO. Yizhi being the lawfully good boyfriend who makes a snack for his murderous girlfriend and boyfriend... oh, I love them. I hope we get a lot more cute and domestic scenes between them and, ehem, Zetian said she can also be attracted to women so... GIVE HER A GIRLFRIEND IN THE NEXT BOOK I BEG
Anyway, morally grey characters, a lot of murder and torture, chinese history mixed with modern technology, criticism about patriarchy and a poly relationship, very good food :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Trafficking, War
Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Suicide attempt
Minor: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is my new top read of 2022.
Things I loved:
- A queer polyamorous relationship!! This is something I don't ever think I've seen before in a book and it was a big draw for me to read this
- The whole universe and the world-building was very interesting!
- The characters themselves. Zetian, who is full of rage for the unfair world she's been born into and isn't afraid to harness that anger. Shimin, who is torn between the expectations to perform as a man should in his society and his understanding that the same society lives to tear women apart. And Yizhi, my absolute favourite character, who appears innocent but will not hesitate to cheer on (and even help) Zetian and Shimin with murder.
Things I wanted more of/hope to see in the sequel:
- More women! For a "feminist" book, there is a sad lack of female characters. I want to see other strong women aligning with Zetian to take down the patriarchy.
- I wanted soooo much more character development and insight into their relationship. I can tell there's so much more to unlock in these characters and I'd be very happy if the next book was a few hundred pages longer so that the characters can get their proper development alongside the story.
Things I loved:
- A queer polyamorous relationship!! This is something I don't ever think I've seen before in a book and it was a big draw for me to read this
- The whole universe and the world-building was very interesting!
- The characters themselves. Zetian, who is full of rage for the unfair world she's been born into and isn't afraid to harness that anger. Shimin, who is torn between the expectations to perform as a man should in his society and his understanding that the same society lives to tear women apart. And Yizhi, my absolute favourite character, who appears innocent but will not hesitate to cheer on (and even help) Zetian and Shimin with murder.
Things I wanted more of/hope to see in the sequel:
- More women! For a "feminist" book, there is a sad lack of female characters. I want to see other strong women aligning with Zetian to take down the patriarchy.
- I wanted soooo much more character development and insight into their relationship. I can tell there's so much more to unlock in these characters and I'd be very happy if the next book was a few hundred pages longer so that the characters can get their proper development alongside the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Murder, War
Moderate: Addiction, Rape, Injury/Injury detail
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:
Complicated
This book is an epitome of “I support women’s rights but most importantly I support women’s wrongs” . Ultimate “good for her” novel.
Don’t get me wrong, Wu Zetian (inspired by actual Chinese empress) is objectively a morally dubious person but you can’t help to be impressed by how unapologetic she is. She will claw her way through misogyny, no matter the cost. Once again - good for her.
I’ve never read such aggressively feminist book, so full of female rage and I absolutely loved it. She sees the injustice and isn’t afraid to not only point it out but actively challenge and dismantle it. Would I like to meet her irl? No, she would most likely killed me, she’s not likeable but she doesn’t have to be.
This book was such a bizarre mixture of all the books/general media I consumed whilst a teenager it gave me a bit of a vertigo. We got Pacific Rim/any mecha anime giant robots fighting a war, Hunger Games discussion about power of media and public image, and a suspicion gnawing on my guts throughout the book about the Hunduns in a very Enders Game way. Xiran truly is one of us.
More of a side note but from now on I accept love triangles to only be resolved like the one here, period
Don’t get me wrong, Wu Zetian (inspired by actual Chinese empress) is objectively a morally dubious person but you can’t help to be impressed by how unapologetic she is. She will claw her way through misogyny, no matter the cost. Once again - good for her.
I’ve never read such aggressively feminist book, so full of female rage and I absolutely loved it. She sees the injustice and isn’t afraid to not only point it out but actively challenge and dismantle it. Would I like to meet her irl? No, she would most likely killed me, she’s not likeable but she doesn’t have to be.
This book was such a bizarre mixture of all the books/general media I consumed whilst a teenager it gave me a bit of a vertigo. We got Pacific Rim/any mecha anime giant robots fighting a war, Hunger Games discussion about power of media and public image, and a suspicion gnawing on my guts throughout the book about the Hunduns in a very Enders Game way. Xiran truly is one of us.
More of a side note but from now on I accept love triangles to only be resolved like the one here, period
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Colonisation, War
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I absolutely loved it. So rarely do I see that primal justice we crave when wrong has been done to us. So rarely do we see a woman allowed to be wrathful.
Is it healthy? Probably not. Was it so so satisfying? Hell yes.
I feel like this is what men must feel like after watching those war movies or something. God it feels powerful to read of Zeitan’s rise.
That being said: I wish this was an adult book, not YA. It had potential to be more and go deeper. The romance line could have carried more weight if they had the ability to flesh it out more, beyond the YA label. Also the “girl” and “boy” phrasing felt juvenile. You’re 18 now, time to stop calling yourself a girl exclusively. And a man in his early 20s is not a boy. It was the only part I disliked.
Is it healthy? Probably not. Was it so so satisfying? Hell yes.
I feel like this is what men must feel like after watching those war movies or something. God it feels powerful to read of Zeitan’s rise.
That being said: I wish this was an adult book, not YA. It had potential to be more and go deeper. The romance line could have carried more weight if they had the ability to flesh it out more, beyond the YA label. Also the “girl” and “boy” phrasing felt juvenile. You’re 18 now, time to stop calling yourself a girl exclusively. And a man in his early 20s is not a boy. It was the only part I disliked.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Biphobia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Sexual harassment
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
This book was a wild ride- It is a good exploration of Asian culture mixed with futuristic fantasy/sci-fi and badass feminism
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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:
Complicated
"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 story and it's main characters are so angry and rightfully so! It's exhausting being female in a society, that devalues exactly that. Your existence alone is a burden sometimes. It's good to have it addresses here while simultaneously not devaluing men on the basis of their gender alone. The book is also pretty brutal and cold, which in turn made me a little annoyed to read it, but I know that just stems from me being a very emotional person and here, it was mostly based on thoughts and strategy and that's just not really my vibe. It's definitely a good book tho! Angry and full of strategy as it is. That probably makes it even better for certain other people ^^
One of the main points I liked it better was the very lovely display of polyamory, which I find lacking in a lot of literature, and honestly, this here was the best love triangle! I can't wait for the next book and also I want to see more healthy polyam ships in books, it's amazing! :)
"Look on the bright side, I tell myself. After this, I can die. Finally. Being alive has been painful, exhausting, and disappointing."
This story and it's main characters are so angry and rightfully so! It's exhausting being female in a society, that devalues exactly that. Your existence alone is a burden sometimes. It's good to have it addresses here while simultaneously not devaluing men on the basis of their gender alone. The book is also pretty brutal and cold, which in turn made me a little annoyed to read it, but I know that just stems from me being a very emotional person and here, it was mostly based on thoughts and strategy and that's just not really my vibe. It's definitely a good book tho! Angry and full of strategy as it is. That probably makes it even better for certain other people ^^
One of the main points I liked it better was the very lovely display of polyamory, which I find lacking in a lot of literature, and honestly, this here was the best love triangle! I can't wait for the next book and also I want to see more healthy polyam ships in books, it's amazing! :)
"Look on the bright side, I tell myself. After this, I can die. Finally. Being alive has been painful, exhausting, and disappointing."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism