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Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Confinement, Abortion, Death of parent
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, War, Classism
Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, War
Moderate: Bullying, Gaslighting, Colonisation
Minor: Sexual content, Pregnancy
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Blood, War
Moderate: Pregnancy
Graphic: Sexism, War
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Classism
Minor: Abortion
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic: Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Ableism, Body horror, Bullying, Blood
Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Body horror, Body shaming, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body horror, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Infertility, Blood, Gaslighting
The Wu Zetian from Iron Widow is non-existent. She is in a position of power, but still questions every decision and does not stick with her convictions. She will say one thing in one chapter, but then completely second guess it in the next. Yizhi feels like a bad fan fictional version of himself. Some of what I loved most about Iron Widow was the poly relationship with Yizhi, Shimin, and Zetian. Shimin is not anywhere in this book other than the last 50ish pages or so. Even then, he isn't really present. Yizhi plays a background character to the plot as he serves as Chief Secretary to Qin Zhang. He does not share any real meaningful moments with Zetian because it "wouldn't be proper."
Now the elephant in the room is the romance. This isn't an enemies to lovers. This is a weird-Homestuck age black romance out of necessity for survival. Honestly, I think Qin Zhang may have loved Zetian by the end of the book. But, he does a poor job of communicating it as she constantly reminds her that he could end her life.
I will likely read the third book. If nothing else, because the cliffhanger made me angry and I want to know what happens. But this is more of a "I am angry and need to know how you are further massacring my faves" rather than a true excitement to read.
TLDR: Yizhi, Shinmin, and Zetain deserve a softer third book, but they likely won't get it because their situation is too fucked up for them to reasonably get together.
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Violence, Pregnancy, War
Minor: Body horror, Miscarriage, Abortion
Well I think the plot of watching her go through having woken up Qin is really interesting I also don't like it at the same time... Or I guess wished that it had happened differently, as there were several aspects I just wasn't a fan of. I liked some of the political stuff but wish it had focused on a few topics instead of throwing like 50 topics at us, or had gradually put them in. But I also get why, given how they were written in. Also
Overall still enjoyed the book, and looking forward to the next.
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gore, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, War, Classism
Moderate: Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail