Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

35 reviews

ameliabee33's review

adventurous dark tense 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

Oh my God do I love reading about female rage, and this book has tons of it! Zetian is a character that is completely unhinged and angry, but for all the right reasons. Like yes she does wrongs, but I am totally willing to turn the other way about it. This story has an easy to follow plot, Zetian enters the army to avenge her sister as well as the other girls thay are sacrificed to run the Chrysalis'. Along the way she becomes one of the most powerful Chrysalis pilots in the army. She never loses her anger but she does accept love along the way. I loved the polyamerous representation in this book! The end had me in tears but also a bit angry, like Zetian. Can't wait to read the second book when it comes out!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, and Sexual content

phantasmaboo's review

adventurous dark reflective 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

Iron Widow follows the story of Wu Zetian, who lives in a futuristic society after an attack on humanity. Her world is constantly under threat from the invading species, and to combat them, they have developed a pilot system in which male pilots consume the life energy of their female co-pilots. Zetian enlists after a pilot kills her system, seeking revenge against not only the man himself, but the system that enabled him. 

In a harrowing tale that examines the victimization of women within a patriarchy, Xiran Jay Zhou creates a fantastical world that is somehow not too dissimilar from our own. Zetian’s (and other women’s) experiences are highly relatable to today’s world. This books holds no punches as she channels her grief, sadness, and rage into each of her actions to take down the society she lives in. 

Overall, I gave this book five stars. Zhou was ferociously brave in her writing and I see this book as the type to advance the genre. I hope more authors and publishers take note, and perhaps begin to write from the “villain’s” point of view, incorporate other perspectives and cultures, and include LGBTQIA+ and different relationship structures. Finally, I love that the book pulled heavily from Chinese culture. It added a layer and perspective not often seen in Western books. I can confidently say I have not read a book like this before, and I cannot wait for Zhou’s next novel.

However, I would be remiss to not mention Zhou’s own warning. This book contains torture, sexual assault (not graphic), body shaming, and body mutilation. Please make sure to check Zhou’s warning before reading, as I can see this text being very triggering. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Gore, Torture, Body shaming, and Drug use

Moderate: Sexual assault, War, Torture, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence

pucks_pups's review

adventurous dark 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? Yes

4.75

This book is so good , I need more . Characters are complex and plot is equisite. Only gave 4.75 cause cliff hanger. Why you do this 😅

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, Rape, and Torture

pastelkerstin's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

(Definitely look at content warnings for this book. It is dark. So dark that I'm questioning whether it should have been marketed as adult instead of YA.)

Here are two facts about my experience reading this book:
1) I fundamentally disagree with the moral framework for justice that the main characters use (revenge as the response to injustice).
2) I found this book gripping despite that.

Some people hold the view that to like a book with flawed characters means that you agree with everything they do, but I think that's a ridiculous way to view fiction.

Yes, I think Zetian's methods are unethical. But no, that doesn't mean that this book ruins the perception of real-world feminism. Zetian is flawed, hypocritical at times, and cruel. But it's also very clear that she became this way because of the deeply oppressive misogynist society she lives in. She's the monster the world forced her to be if she wants to survive. She's not your perfect feminist icon, who is a good example for children, because she is a fictional character in a very specific world with very specific circumstances, some of them based on actual historical (and on-going) women's rights issues, and some of them entirely fictional. Let female characters be fucked up sometimes!

That's all I have to say on that. Additional thoughts: I wish this book slowed down more often to give you a bit more breathing room between so many tough scenes. I also think those "breaks" could have been used to flesh out the relationships more. I was definitely rooting for these three, but a lot of their falling for each other seems to happen in the in-betweens that we don't get to see. Nevertheless, I think having more canon polyamorous relationships in traditionally published books is really important. The polya rep is one of the main reasons I read this book. I think polya triads where everyone is dating each other allow for very interesting character dynamics.

Another thing I struggled a bit with was not letting the combination of traditional and at times conservative elements and futuristic sci-fi tech break my suspension of disbelief. Some parts of this world seem so very old and then others are so futuristic. I know this is deliberate. It's what makes this world-building pretty unique. But it can feel a bit disorienting at times.

All right, that's all. I'm very interested to see where the sequel will go.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Vomit, Xenophobia, Child abuse, Classism, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Addiction, Bullying, Misogyny, Torture, Grief, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, War, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, and Sexism

Moderate: Medical content and Child death

Minor: Drug abuse, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Biphobia

allonormativity/implied asexual erasure, implied intersex erasure, implied transphobia

colonisation, genocide

rachelreadsrelentlessly's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

2.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Murder, and Torture

sapphic_reader's review

adventurous dark fast-paced

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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Gaslighting, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, and Violence

Moderate: Torture, Body shaming, Child death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Genocide

Minor: Animal death, Biphobia, Rape, and Colonisation

Rep: Polyamorous relationship POC characters Bisexual main characters

thecasualbooknerd's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Torture

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Genocide

goosegrimm's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.75

Really direct and engaging, I very much liked the author's voice. They are very skilled at getting you inside of the heads of the characters. Well worth the read and I am excited to see how they develop. I am impressed that this is their first work of published fiction and yet they've managed to create such an engaging world. Highly recommend for fellow readers of Tasymin Muir's work and people who appreciate a dark story.  

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Addiction, Abandonment, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Violence, and War

Moderate: Blood, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Sexual content

Be warned, this book is serious when talking about institutionalized misogyny and all of the ways it can be taken to its extremes. There is ALOT of death in this book. It is treated as seriously as death and violence should be. If you are sensitive to violence, especially gendered violence, please review the content warnings carefully before picking up this book.

gizzylove's review

adventurous dark emotional inspiring reflective sad 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Torture, and Addiction

Minor: Sexual harassment and Sexual assault

arwombat's review

adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

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

3.75

I didn't find Zetian super likable, not because she was a ruthless killer, but because her personality was so strong and uncompromising.  She had no sympathy for Li Shimin, even seeing how he was just as imprisoned by the system as she was, and knowing how tortured he was. There are times when it makes sense to be angry at someone and there are times when you're just being pointlessly stubborn. I liked the take on a love triangle.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Torture

Moderate: Drug abuse

Minor: Rape