Reviews tagging 'Miscarriage'

Iron Widow - Seele in Ketten by Xiran Jay Zhao

63 reviews

creationwing's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I have never read a book all in one sitting like this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Genocide, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Dysphoria, Classism

Minor: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child death, Miscarriage, Rape, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol

lucypunzel's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous 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

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yizhi high heels, i adore you

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, War

Moderate: Death, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

Minor: Miscarriage, Sexual content, Torture, Death of parent, Pregnancy

cattheteawitchfairy's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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This book is messed up but in a good way and I really enjoyed it! After waiting for so long for it to come out, I’m glad to see a continuation of the story, with extra titbits to think about. 

Not sure what to say really other than make sure to read the first book (everything is connected!) and that this book did not go how I expected! Make sure to check the content warnings (there is a list at the start of the book but be extra careful as this book is extremely dark!) 

I cannot wait for the next one!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, War, Classism

sheyri's review against another edition

4.0

challenging inspiring reflective fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Pregnancy, War

Moderate: Miscarriage

Minor: Child abuse, Sexual assault

zeros_and_ones's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Murder, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Gaslighting

kal517's review against another edition

3.0

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: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, War

Moderate: Body horror, Sexual content, Grief, Pregnancy, Colonisation

Minor: Child abuse, Miscarriage, Sexual assault

hopeless_ash's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I knew this book was likely to be a cliffhanger again, but goddamnit I didn’t want to be right. More pain, less polyamory in this book vs the last. Much slower than the first, and more dealings with politics(not that politics wasn’t present in Iron Widow). Iron Widow was very sad at points for me, but this one read much sadder overall IMO. Definitely lived up to my hopes for it, and I will be impatiently waiting the third book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Violence, War

Moderate: Sexual assault, Torture, Pregnancy

Minor: Miscarriage

cassianlamb's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous dark hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief

Moderate: Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy

Minor: Miscarriage

There is questionable consent for some sexual scenes, and Zetian is not broken up with Shimin/he does not know about her relationship with Qin Zheng so it feels like infidelity to me. Medical trauma related to pregnancy trigger warning

in that Zetian was unaware she was being used to create a fetus via rivf

ali_k0's review against another edition

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This book is enrapturing. It is terrifying. It is a car crash you can't help but watch and a murder that freezes your blood while you cheer for the murderer. I would say I couldn't put it down, but that's untrue. I threw it on my couch and ran laps around my house from the adrenaline it caused me. I was screaming in the drive through for in-n-out beside my mom. I was reading every word between the fingers I covered my eyes with and pausing for breaths at every turned page. I was scared to start every chapter for fear of what lied before me. This was the most stressful inducing book with some of the most complex characters I ever read. 

But I was also cheering, whooping with joy, crying from relief. I swooned at certain romantic lines (even when I was aware I *really* should not be, but Wu Zetian the women you ARE) and reveled at the characters vengeance. 

The author stings along your hopes, crushing them in one hand while reviving them in the other. They twist your view of the world in so many knots your as unsure of every step as the characters. It was thrilling.

I hadn't realized how much I've missed books that make me feel this way until I read Heavenly Tyrant. They are rare and brilliant and this is at the height of them. We had to wait a long time for the sequel to Iron Widow because of the industry, but this book is a testament to how good things are worth waiting for, and how revolution relies not just on violence, but the voices of artists to carry it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Colonisation, War, Classism

Moderate: Genocide, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Vomit, Trafficking, Death of parent, Gaslighting

Minor: Miscarriage, Terminal illness

The authors own included Note on content warnings: "Please beware that this book contains violence and abuse, body horror, mass murder, toxic relationship dynamics, discussions of reproductive coercion, allusions to childhood sexual abuse, and references to mis- carriage, domestic violence, sexual assault, and suicide. Although inspired by figures and events from across Chinese history, this book is not historical fiction, historical fantasy, or alternate history, but a futuristic story set in a science-fiction world entirely different from our own in the way that many sci-fi stories riff off of the Roman Empire. Historical figures are reimagined for the purpose of exploring the spirit they represented rather than accurately depicting their origi- nal life circumstances and upbringings. This book should not be taken as an educational guide in any way. To get an authentic view of history, please consult nonfiction sources. The fictionalized characters in this novel make many morally ques- tionable choices in the conditions unique to their world. Depictions do not equate to endorsement in real life, and parallels to reality should not be drawn without considering the impacts of the existence of fantasy plot devices such as Chrysalises." -Xiran Jay Zhao

velvetyaverage's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous dark emotional funny tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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My expectations were high going into Heavenly Tyrant and even then they have been exceeded. Just like Iron Widow, the book grabs you by the throat from the first page and refuses to let go. Time and the outside world cease to exist when reading this book. And yet, we have a slower pacing that allows the reader to sink more into the world and fleshes that world out. The prose has only gotten better and vivid imagery burns into the brain. The characters are complex; one minute you hate them, one minute you love them. All minutes are wonderfully conflicting. Genuinely I am quite shocked at how much Heavenly Tyrant has improved upon Iron Widow and I will spend every waking moment waiting for this third book. I feel like the last 72 hours have been a glorious fever dream and I’m struggling with coming up for air. Incredible book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Murder

Moderate: Gore, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, War

Minor: Eating disorder, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Suicide, Pregnancy