Reviews with content warning for War - Iron Widow - Seele in Ketten

Reviews tagging 'War'

Iron Widow - Seele in Ketten by Xiran Jay Zhao

197 reviews

galexandriaw's review against another edition

3.5

adventurous mysterious reflective tense slow-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

I almost wanna re-read the first book bc I LOVED the first one but this one was such a drag, and it could possibly be a change in my reading preference. I understand we were trying to build the world and the changes in it, but goodness we can show that not tell it! I don't need a laundry list of "we did this, than this, than this...." like girl. But the last 100ish pages?? Let's go I love it. So I'll still read this next book but bro this could've been a much shorter book

Content Warnings

thebooklovingpanda's review against another edition

4.25

adventurous challenging dark reflective 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

Full RTC! This book should come with a seatbelt or something because more than a few of those twists were full-on rollercoaster vertical drops. Also I found myself most emotional over a character who doesn't even really appear in the book. (I'm FINE T-T)

Content Warnings

orionmerlin's review against another edition

3.75

challenging dark emotional 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

Characters – 8/10

I swear, I spent half this book shouting at Zetian to do something instead of getting punted around by other people’s schemes. She started out feral and unstoppable, and I loved her for it, but here she’s so reactive she feels like the human equivalent of a spinning office chair.

Qin Zheng, though—dear god. He woke up from his two-century nap, looked around, and decided to speedrun becoming the worst boss I’ve ever had. The narrative kept telling me he was a revolutionary genius, but most of the time he read like an overcaffeinated cult leader with a superiority complex. I still couldn’t look away. He’s the car crash of this book: horrifying, magnetic, a little bit funny if you squint.

Yizhi faded into a nice, bland afterthought. And all those new advisors? They felt like NPCs whose only job was to hover behind Zetian looking supportive. I’m pretty sure I could swap their names around, and nobody would notice.

Atmosphere / Setting – 9/10

The world is still deliciously grimy and larger-than-life. I could taste the metallic reek of crushed Hundun corpses and picture the neon glow of Chang’an at midnight. Even when the plot was deflating like a sad balloon, the atmosphere kept me invested.

That said, the space gods’ headquarters at the end felt less “cosmic threat” and more “abandoned shopping mall with a couple of drones.” But most of the book’s aesthetic was so vivid I forgave it.

Writing Style – 7.5/10

I have never read a book that sounded this much like someone live-tweeting their own revolution. It’s bold and unashamedly modern—sometimes to the point of feeling like a Tumblr post with a billion exclamation points.

There were moments I loved the bluntness—Zetian’s internal monologues have the energy of “fuck everything, burn it down.” But then we’d hit lines that were so on-the-nose it felt like the prose didn’t trust me to understand the point without a giant neon arrow.

Also, the Marxist safe words mid-sex scene? Peak cringe. I had to put the book down and reevaluate my life choices.

Plot – 6.5/10

The story here felt like a long list of errands labeled “state-building for dummies.” I started out hyped: Zetian was going to hunt down the gods! Challenge the whole system! And then…she spent 200 pages reacting to Qin Zheng’s imperial cosplay while everyone else ran around being incompetent.

I tried to be patient, but by the time the climax arrived—if I can even call it that—I was just tired. The big mission to destroy the gods’ space station was so rushed and convenient it felt like the narrative equivalent of tripping and accidentally hitting the self-destruct button.

I love ambitious stories, but this one needed another draft and a therapist.

Intrigue – 7.5/10

I can’t lie—there were definitely moments when I couldn’t put the book down. Watching Zetian fly the Yellow Dragon into the desert on a one-woman god-murder mission? Iconic.

But for every unhinged, riveting scene, there was another where I slogged through endless politicking that never built to anything. I felt like I was stuck in a meeting that could’ve been an email.

I still wanted to see what happened next, but I had to pep talk myself through the slog.

Logic / Relationships – 6/10

Let me be honest: the internal logic here is held together with duct tape and revolutionary fervor. I was supposed to believe Qin Zheng could wake up, read a couple history files, and instantly re-conquer an empire? Sure, buddy. And I’m the Empress of Mars.

The relationships didn’t fare much better. Zetian and Yizhi’s dynamic basically froze in place. Shimin turned into a haunted torso. And Zetian and Qin Zheng’s dynamic was an oscillation between “fascinating power struggle” and “please get therapy.”

And I still can’t get over the scene where Zetian’s feet are surgically fixed without her consent, and the narrative barely stops to consider how messed up that is. I mean—what??

Enjoyment – 7/10

I really wanted to love this. I wanted the sequel to take the wild energy of Iron Widow and blow it up into something even more unhinged and powerful. Instead, I got an overstuffed, lurching narrative that felt like a bloated second season of an anime that should’ve ended after twelve episodes.

But you know what? Even when I was annoyed, I wasn’t fully bored. The ambition here is undeniable. The mecha fights, the big ideas, the audacity—it’s all there. It just needed more discipline and less “look how clever I am” winking at the audience.

Will I read the next book? Yes. Because I’m a glutton for chaos.

Final Scores:

Characters: 8
Atmosphere / Setting: 9
Writing Style: 7.5
Plot: 6.5
Intrigue: 7.5
Logic / Relationships: 6
Enjoyment: 7

Total: 51.5 / 70
CAWPILE-style average: ~7.35 / 10 — rounded rating: ★★★☆ (3.75 stars)

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, War

Minor: Cursing, Self harm, Death of parent, Colonisation, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic

This novel is a high-intensity blend of science fiction, political revolution, and psychological struggle. It features frequent scenes of violence and body horror, including detailed descriptions of characters suffering a plague that erupts in flower-shaped pustules, partial dismemberment and reanimation of a main character, and the visceral effects of piloting giant mechas powered by life energy. Toxic and coercive relationships are a major focus. Zetian’s dynamic with Qin Zheng is fraught with manipulation, psychological domination, and power imbalance. Qin Zheng repeatedly exerts control over her body and circumstances, including performing non-consensual surgery to reverse her foot binding while she is unconscious, presented as a pragmatic choice but leaving Zetian disoriented and violated. Themes of agency and autonomy are woven through the story: characters grapple with whether they are tools of the gods, disposable weapons of the state, or truly free. This includes repeated references to the dehumanization of pilots—especially women—and the way the state commodifies their bodies. Mental health struggles appear prominently. Zetian experiences intense guilt, trauma, and intrusive nightmares of the people she has killed. She frequently questions whether her pursuit of power has made her monstrous, and several scenes depict her being overwhelmed to the point of collapse. Suicidal ideation is implied in her exhaustion and her willingness to die rather than return to subjugation. While there are sexual elements, including a scene where safe words referencing revolutionary slogans are used in a way that feels both awkward and coercive, there is no explicit on-page sex. However, the consent dynamics are blurred enough to be potentially distressing. Finally, the book includes a large-scale depiction of war and revolution aftermath, including civilian casualties, destroyed cities, forced loyalty, and ideological propaganda. The cost of dismantling an oppressive system—and whether that cost is ever justifiable—is central to the narrative.