Reviews - Iron Widow | The StoryGraph

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22.4k reviews for:

Iron Widow

Xiran Jay Zhao

4.13 AVERAGE

adashredacted's review against another edition

5.0

Loveable characters: Complicated

elizabitch's review against another edition

3.0

I follow and love Zhao on social media and always meant to get around to reading their book and honestly after their posts about there being pegging in the second book I had to pick it up lmao. I wrote a paper on Wu Zetian in college and it's so cool to see stuff pulled from her history here.

The first half is a ton of fun, even if some of the dialogue is immature - I mean, it's a YA book, what teen wouldn't think screaming "welcome to your nightmare" would be hella cool. I've never been a mecha girl outside of IGPX but this was just so....cool. I liked that Zhao didn't fuck around with building up Zetian's power over time, she just straight up murders for revenge in the first section. Then we shift in the third section to...a bunch of boring photoshoots? The whole third section, apart from the relationships, could have been cut, it slows the plot down too much. Then it speedruns through action and critical plot points in the last quarter to make up for lost time at whiplash speed.

I have so many questions about world building and how things work but am maybe hoping we get answers in the second book? I think having a polycule is rad and I love that it's relevant to the plot - their triad relationship creates the balance needed to operate the Vermillion Bird. Altho I don't understand why Zetian is obsessed with Yizhi, he's boring as hell and they don't have chemistry.

tarison13's review against another edition

4.25

adventurous dark tense 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: Yes

lilypad537's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 5%

Too literal; weird prose; world building involved way too much telling and zero showing

sunsetsaurora's review against another edition

3.5

dark tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

ally_grace's review against another edition

4.0

This book was surprisingly enjoyable. I’m not sure what kept me from reading it, but I was finally convinced to give it a go. And man was it worth it! The book had humor, charm, action, heartbreak, and more. It is everything you want from a dystopian novel. The main characters were so fun to read about, and I loved the social commentary! The love story was one of my favorite aspects, and the fact that it didn’t over power the main plot line made it all the better. This felt different and refreshing compared to many romantasy or dystopian novels. Highly recommend if you’re looking for something new but also want all the great characteristics of your favorite books!