Reviews tagging 'Genocide'

Viúva de Ferro by Xiran Jay Zhao

85 reviews

paulawind's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexism, Torture, Misogyny, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, War, Alcoholism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, and Violence

mirireads's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Torture, Addiction, Alcohol, and Sexism

Moderate: Blood, Genocide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, War, and Colonisation

jessicax941's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, War, Cursing, Violence, and Bullying

Moderate: Death, Alcoholism, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Genocide

Minor: Rape and Sexual assault

sylvestra's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Misogyny, Torture, and War

starship_olympus's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful 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

5.0

Honestly FUCK every other YA book, Xiran I fuck wit YOU

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, War, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Violence, Torture, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, and Genocide

Moderate: Blood, Body shaming, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Classism, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, and Drug use

Minor: Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, and Rape

norwegianforestreader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, War, Genocide, Gore, Sexism, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Violence, Ableism, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Classism, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, and Gaslighting

mustnotblink's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Wu Zetian's anger is not beautiful. It is the kind of rage that leaves no burn scars because there is nothing but
blackened bones left in its wake and could destroy worlds with the sheer size of it. I love her because of that rage - her internal monologue and unhinged choices helped - but it is her rage that resonates so greatly for me. The fact that she is able to combine that rage with a giant mecha makes me seriously jealous. 

Xiran Jay Zhao is very good at including bits of humor that in no way detracts from the seriousness of the topics the book is mainly focused on. If I tried to share my favorite examples of this the review would never get posted because there are too many to choose. 

This book also has a true love triangle and I utterly adore it- all three characters loves and supports each other - including their flaws - and the sheer rightness of such relationships could clear my skin & water my crops for years. Yizhi and Shimin are not just paper doll men - they each each have very distinguished personalities
and goals that make their affection for Zetian & each other a much more dynamic read than 95% of love triangle' romances. As a bonus they both Stan for Zetian as much as I do! Let them all have a little murder as a gift.

The multiple twists towards the end are well done and have me vibrating with excitement about the sequel. It has only taken one book to make me a lifelong Xiran Jay Zhao fan! That being said this book hits on some very tough topics so please check out trigger warnings ahead of time!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Violence, War, Alcoholism, Classism, Murder, Rape, Sexism, Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Grief

Moderate: Body shaming, Torture, Gaslighting, and Ableism

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

estelagois's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Confinement, Death of parent, War, Alcoholism, Blood, Torture, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Violence, Gaslighting, and Gun violence

Moderate: Pregnancy and Vomit

lolajh's review against another edition

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

5.0

Women going lowkey mad and killing men > zetian I love you fr

Honestly the best development I’ve seen of a heroine becoming an anti heroine. Zetian, a morally grey Chinese disabled woman rebels against her patriarchal society, having to prove her power throughly due to being a woman and doing it FLAWLESSLY whilst criticising the patriarchal and misogynistic society that also exists in the real world. Zetian proves to be so much more powerful than any man, as

is every woman in this universe. Women in this story are so much stronger than men that they have to be used as a “battery” of chi to fuel men and make them stronger due to them being so much weaker naturally, which ends up killing the women, something that further fuels Zetian’s revenge of killing men due to her sister being one of the targets of this and being killed.

Zetian’s power is soon recognised as a major threat, so is paired up with the strongest pilot to fight together in the war that is going on. Whilst Zetian is on her rampage,

she ends up falling for the pilot she is paired with whilst still having feelings for her childhood friend back home. This love triangle is sorted out in best way by making them all polyamory

The book also describes Zetian’s challenging of the roles and expectations of women, through how she wants to present herself and also her body not being the perfect, skinny figure that is idealised. All this challenges Zetian’s connection to her own womanhood. Just about everything good is in this book. Will definitely have to reread while waiting for the next in the series to come out.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Medical trauma, Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Ableism, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Slavery, Rape, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, War, Sexual content, Child death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Xenophobia

atomicbritt's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Sexism, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Murder, and Xenophobia