Reviews with content warning for Gun violence - Iron Widow

Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

readingwithkaitlyn's review

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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chezler24's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful tense fast-paced

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

4.25

A fantastic blend of history and sci-fi! Thrilling from start to finish. We have science fiction-inspired giant mechs, legends and magic stemming from legends, and various nods to romance, revenge, and power. I simply could not put this book down! I had that same kind of feeling when I read the Shadow and Bone trilogy where I was just engulfed entirely in this new world and invested in learning this magic/energy system. The ending battle and final turning moment (won't give too much away) seemed a bit rushed to me. I wish there was a little better pacing here or at least a longer beat when everything settled down to fully send off this novel, but it did set up the next installment in the epilogue. With the way this book ended, I can't wait to read the sequel novel now that some "secrets" of the world have been revealed. If there's anyone up for the challenge, it's definitely our leading lady, Wu Zetian.

Additional Comments:
- I am obsessed with the cover art! (bonus points for the author's photo)
- "Welcome to your nightmare" is going to be a quote that lives rent-free in my head for the next month.

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philippmk's review

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adventurous dark tense slow-paced

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

4.5

This book was brutal from beginning to end. I love a ruthless protagonist and Zetian development throughout this story makes absolute sense. She, and most other characters, were deeply engaging and I felt that I could understand every choice she made, even if I wouldn't have made them myself.

What confused me a little was how often I had seen this book come up in LGBT+ book lists. While three of our main characters are bisexual and I enjoyed the fleeting polyamory, the queerness of these characters really is a very minor part of the book. That is not to say their queerness isn't valid, but you sholdn't expect a groundbreaking queer romance going into this book — this is not that kind of story.
This was also a book I was told to expect a twist in. Though there was one twist early on in the story (unless you read the text in the book jacket), I was glad to see more throughout the book. And yet, one final twist was revealed literally on the second-to-last page, the lateness of which made it feel like an afterthought.

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prettiestwhistles's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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marleywrites's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense medium-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? Yes

5.0

“LONG LIVE THE IRON WIDOW!”

I am writing this directly after reading the ending via audiobook and when I say I didn’t see it coming…. I mean it!!

This book is so angry and visceral and raw. Almost everything about it screams rage and pain being released. But at the same time there are soft and tender moments, raw in a different way.

I love that they’re polyamorous. That was awesome and very well done in my opinion.

I am frustrated with the ending because I have to wait until 2023 for the sequel. But I’m eager to see where the next book takes them and how certain things will resolve.

I will say I appreciated the disability representation as well as Zetain used a wheelchair and it was a normal thing that nobody really questioned. The discussion of alcoholism was okay as well. I think it was a realistic take on the situation and then when “more stuff” is revealed you understand better why Shimin reacts that way to alcohol.

Overall, this book was possibly one of the weirdest books I’ve read but in the best way. I’m not really a frequent flyer with sci-fi and I wasn’t expecting the story to be how it was but I was pleasantly surprised. I loved the audiobook narrator and had a great time listening to the narration. I cheered for Zetian multiple times.

“WELCOME TO YOUR NIGHTMARE!!”

Great story. Looking forward to the sequel! 5/5 stars.

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catherinedsharp's review

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This book was INCREDIBLE.

Firstly the writing style was impeccable and although the text fell into some cliche moments it was a book that you will get fully absorbed into. The description and detail is precise and well crafted.

The story itself is a very interesting one with twists and turns at every corner. Many things I didn’t see coming; especially the ending!! (I’m writing this review about 3 minutes after finishing as I’m so filled with adrenaline!)

A very dark (so be careful with triggers etc) fantasy/sci-fi read with a fabulous premise and wonderful execution. I can’t wait to see what comes next!

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