Reviews - Iron Widow | The StoryGraph

22.4k reviews for:

Iron Widow

Xiran Jay Zhao

4.13 AVERAGE

menderbender's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous dark 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: Complicated

_meeg's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous emotional mysterious tense

jtone's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

This was amazing. I loved the world building and the characters were complex and believable. The theme of struggle against a rigged system moved me.

halles_reads's review against another edition

3.0

dark tense medium-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

maggiesummerkate's review against another edition

3.25

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious 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

i really enjoyed this book in the sense that i enjoyed the themes, the way that the main character wasn't willing to compromise who she is for anyone else. it was something that i think i'd have to read again to fully grasp the plot as there's a lot happening and with the audiobook, it can be kinda difficult to follow. it wasn't bad, though, as i do think i got most of the gist.

i think what confused me is the sci-fi elements of it as i'm not a big sci-fi reader. that isn't to say i didn't like it; quite the opposite, actually. but i do think i'd need to reread or physically read it to get all the little details. i do think the story has a good message, though, and i'd definitely endorse reading it for that reason. i'm also not the biggest reader of fantasy, either, which are the two genres this book occupies.

i really enjoy novels set in chinese culture, i'm realizing as i write this, so maybe this book is my first step into finding more! who's to say? what i will say is this book is worth the read. it's worth the time you'll spend on it, especially as an enjoyer of the themes and culture. so even if sci-fi or fantasy isn't your thing, this book is definitely a great place to start! i definitely found them enjoyable as someone new to both genres.