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teaforazathoth's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexism
Moderate: Torture, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Classism, War, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Murder, Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, Slavery, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Xenophobia, Homophobia, and Panic attacks/disorders
lolajh's review against another edition
- 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
Honestly the best development I’ve seen of a heroine becoming an anti heroine. Zetian, a morally grey Chinese disabled woman rebels against her patriarchal society, having to prove her power throughly due to being a woman and doing it FLAWLESSLY whilst criticising the patriarchal and misogynistic society that also exists in the real world. Zetian proves to be so much more powerful than any man, as
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Medical trauma, Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Ableism, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Slavery, Rape, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, War, Sexual content, Child death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Xenophobia
pastelkerstin's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
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.
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 transphobiarecycled_personalities's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Rape, Violence, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, War, Biphobia, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Medical content, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Blood, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Physical abuse
soundlysmitten's review
- 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
4.5
“Under siege by monsters beyond the Great Wall like that shitty Matt Damon movie (except the monsters are Cybertronian-like sentient machines) a society that has the fashion, social customs, and beliefs of Ancient China but futuristic tech fights back by pulling a Neon Genesis Evangelion and rebuilding their very invaders into giant mecha. A boy-girl pair in their teens, because of course they have to be teens, pilot the mecha Darling in the Franxx style, except in a much more sensible position (he hugs her from behind). Under command of human pilots, these mecha take on forms inspired by East Asian myth creatures and transform like Transformers through Digimon-esque evolution lines that get more humanoid as you go on. The pilots physically embody them, so it's more Attack on Titan than Gundam. Oh, and they blast qi attacks, so the battles honestly read like a bunch of furries engaged in a Dragon Ball Z fight, and that’s no one’s fault but mine.”
I heard NGE, Digimon & Dragon Ball, lol. Suffice it to say, Iron Widow is a trip 😹 In a good way, though. I don’t usually follow sci-fi well, but all the fast paced action in this book is surprisingly easy to visualize. The pages are rife with brutality, but there’s a good amount of well-timed humor as well. The morally grey cast is complete with a cinnamon roll character. There’s a love triangle that doesn’t follow the usual set up where everyone gets hurt and you can guess early on who ends up alone. And, another brilliant twist.
However, some people don’t like that the book is marketed as feminist because the main character, Zetian, is all about violence and bloodshed. In my opinion… some people need to recall that this story is set in a world where survival is rooted in violence and the government has been systematically sacrificing women for generations. It’s not like Zetian can change anything by say, running for office or writing to representatives. And we are capable of thinking critically, so should we really require her to be the ultimate feminist icon at all times just because the book has feminist themes? Zetian's life is constantly on the line. She isn't given many options, so while her actions might not always reflect an ideal picture of humanity, I think she operates in a realistic way considering all she's been through and all she's up against. In the beginning, it’s obvious that she is desperately done with life. Consumed by grief and rage, she is ready to sacrifice her awful family along with herself. Moreover, she contemplates possibly damning the human race for the sake of revenge. I would’ve liked more content on Zetian’s bond with Big Sister in order to make better sense of her death as Zetian’s initial driving force, but all the same… as circumstances shift, she comes to realize she has a bit of power to leverage and hope begins to spark in her chest. Her goals get bigger, less selfish. It’s still very clear, though, that if things don’t change, she doesn’t want to be around. Taking her past trauma, the conditions she's being forced to endure, and her mental/emotional/spiritual state into account, how can readers expect her to be this golden heroine who always does the right thing? Even the very concept of ‘the right thing’ becomes convoluted as the story progresses. Right or wrong, Zetian is the type of person who’s willing to make heartless decisions in order to tear down the toxic system she was born into. But she’s also prone to lashing out in fits of anguish. And I do wonder how the aftermath of her actions will settle, how she will process it all…
Another reason people have argued the book shouldn't be labeled feminist is that Zetian goes about attaining victory the way men are often portrayed doing so. I agree that women don't need to emulate men in order to be strong and I so appreciate stories about women who are strong by their own feminine standards. But Zetian is a girl whose qi manifests the way society might expect a guy’s to, and it's great. It doesn't change the fact that the narrative centers on the liberation of women, so I don't see it as a reason to denounce the story's feminist themes.
My question isn’t how did Zetian get such ‘radical’ ideas, but why does she appear to be the only one seeing clearly enough to get big mad?
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, War, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Confinement, Grief, and Torture
Moderate: Blood, Racial slurs, Racism, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Domestic abuse, Rape, and Body shaming
nicole_schmid's review
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Murder, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, and War
Minor: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
ramiel's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Murder, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Torture, Violence, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Gore, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, and War
Moderate: Sexual assault, Classism, Dysphoria, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Rape, and Sexual violence
Minor: Confinement, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Bullying, Death of parent, Racism, Body shaming, Classism, Sexual content, and Racial slurs
hanarama's review
- 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
The Good:
• Cinematic
• Poly relationship rep
• Imaginative setting
The Bad:
• Rushed ending
You Might Like this if You Like:
• Pacific Rim
• Mech anime
• Rise to Power arcs
• Chinese history & mythology
Iron Widow is an absolute blast. Reimagining China's only female emporer, Wu Zetian in a futuristic, sci-fi setting. The world is starkly divided by gender, with women regularly sacrificed to power the mechs needed to defend humanity. Zetian enlists as a pilot consort in order to get close to the man that killed her sister and take her revenge. Her will power proves unrelenting and she may be humanities greatest hope, as well as their worst nightmare.
The setting is so much fun, weaving in nods to Chinese history and mythology. The threat of the Hunduns feels grand and the fight scenes are so fun. This is further helped by Zhao's writing which is direct and cinematic.
Zetian is a charismatic lead character, and her relationships with Shimin and Yizhi are unique and compelling. Zhao takes care to slowly establish their dynamics, making them a triad that you want to root for.
My only issue is that the last 50 pages or so could have been expanded to maybe another 100-150. I felt like after the plans to hit the Hundun base go into motion, things are very rushed. Instances that could have been built up more end up feeling a bit deus ex machina. As this is a rise to power arc, I think I would have liked this to be built out a bit more.
Over all, really fun. Where Zetian ends up leaves a lot of opportunity for things to go wrong (or right), and a lot of fun possibilities due to the final reveal.
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, and Torture
hazychapters's review
- 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
Everything is perfect: the characters (REAL morally-grey characters), the world-building, the writing, but also all the reflections, whatever it’s about gender roles or the place of women in societies, for example. I’m so glad to see MCs from the bi/pan spectrum well-represented; and a polyamorous relationship about which I didn’t know a lot before! And even if the author said they took some creative liberties, it was so intriguing to discover their reading of the figure of Wu Zetian. I need the sequel right now 🥺
Thank you Adèle (andmybooks on IG) for making me read this book!
Graphic: Death, Murder, Torture, Violence, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, and Alcoholism
Minor: Sexual assault
Mentions of needles and depressionsmiley_ari's review
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Racial slurs, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and War
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Racial slurs
Minor: Sexual violence