Reviews tagging 'War'

Iron Widow - Seele in Ketten by Xiran Jay Zhao

197 reviews


This second book is much more well written than the first, I enjoyed the last 200 pages immensely. Zetian is everything I wanted Rin in The Poppy Wars to be. She struggles with her humanity and still doesn't come out perfect in the end. She makes mistake that hurt people, and has to live with the consequences. Yet she shoulders them and her own identity with pride, in the end. Shame is a large obstacle for her.

I will say, in its length, the plot becomes lost amongst the tumultuous political landscape. As an anthropology major, this book presents a stunning array of political and personal statements about power, truth, and suffering of humanity. It showed a very philosophical and well-read background from the author, who was able to build complex characters whom you still rooted for— despite the suffering endured, despite thinking in oppsing ways. In its essence, the book is about putting power back into the hands of people whom make up the community they serve. Nobody is correct, only striving to be better than the old regime that came before them.

As an aside, to the author: all those wonderful sensual scenes and you couldn't elaborate on the one thing you used to advertise this book to me?? I needed a longer pegging scene than a paragraph, love. 

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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: Yes

This was rawr feminist badassery. The twist at the end was chef's kiss. I am still shook from it. Can't wait for the next book!

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous challenging 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: Yes

Love the complicated representation of a communist revolution 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional 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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Zhao’s writing is fast-paced, griping, and cinematic. The series continues with Zetian stepping into the new rule of law and the power vacuum left by her path of destruction.

New love interests, conflicts and revelations made this a compelling sequel to Iron Widow.

I do think we hit a bit of information overload at the end, and I found some of the action at the end a bit hard to follow. But, overall, I enjoyed this second book and look forward to the third.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous challenging 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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring 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: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous dark reflective 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: Yes

that was wild ride. I enjoyed it. I'm curious to see where this goes! 

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