Reviews tagging 'Trafficking'

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

39 reviews

themiscyra_anna's review against another edition

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, War, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Slavery, Sexism, Rape, Trafficking, Drug abuse, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Body horror, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Classism, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and Body shaming

niliii's review

adventurous dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.75

honestly i really enjoyed the entire book but the ending threw me for a loop....

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Emotional abuse, and Body horror

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Violence, Torture, and Alcohol

Minor: Death, Physical abuse, Trafficking, and Medical trauma

ender24's review

challenging dark funny informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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

DAMN.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Medical trauma, Ableism, Alcoholism, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Classism, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Gaslighting, Genocide, Infidelity, Misogyny, Murder, Police brutality, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, War, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Xenophobia

yourbookishbff's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Classism, Suicidal thoughts, War, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Trafficking, Addiction, Violence, Child death, Misogyny, Torture, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Grief and Xenophobia

unwise_samwise's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, War, and Trafficking

Moderate: Sexual assault, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Sexual harassment, Confinement, and Sexual violence

Minor: Domestic abuse, Torture, and Suicidal thoughts

miggyfool's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Ableism, Addiction, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Colonisation, Confinement, Drug abuse, Murder, Police brutality, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Chronic illness, Classism, Death, Dysphoria, Medical trauma, Slavery, and War

ging090803's review

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I love a “everyone has to die” type of book and this one didn’t disappoint. 
Even though, the middle was kinda long with all the blabla politic and all, I really loved it anyway. 
The end was amazing. The mains are badass and I really liked how the throuple didn’t feel forced. Everything was “too” natural, it just happened. 
I loved the end

I love the god complex and her being unbothered by her mass murdering.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Death, War, Blood, Body shaming, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Torture, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Rape, Trafficking, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Sexual content

fiona_gs's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

Action packed with lots of twists. Very strong main female character.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Violence, Trafficking, and Death

tangledinblue's review

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

3.75

there was no way you could keep this book out of my hands- you had me at “sci fi retelling of chinas only female emperor with mechas, a woman on a murderous rampage, and polyamory”. this book read shockingly fast, and while the writing style is sometimes clumsy, pretty much every critique I have of this book is overpowered by the immense fun I had reading it. great twists toward the end that have me so excited for the sequel!!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, War, Alcoholism, Sexism, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Murder

I will say, to its great, great credit, there is no rape or sexual assault scene in this book. However, women are concubines for violent men (implied systemic assault) and in more than one instance the protagonist is concerned she will be assaulted. But again, no rape scene is described.

stillinbeta's review

adventurous challenging dark tense 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

5.0

This entire book reads like being juggled in a fighting game. It is absolutely unrelenting, both in its depiction of horrific events and its action sequences. It has the ludonarrative consonance that marks really great writing: our protaganist never gets a break, so we don't get one either. We're all dragged down the river, splitting our heads open on the rocks.

Good scifi is a mirror through which we can examine our society, and the symbolism here is so obvious it's basically just another text. The society depicted is, unequivocally, horrific. It's depicted in an unflinching style that almost dares you to look away. Nobody in the setting is obviously the "good guys," and everyone is utterly corrupted by the rotten society they've built. 

There's some cute moments too, a spoonful of sugar to help the extremely bitter medicine go down. And some really incredible action scenes. But if you're looking for something <i>light</i>, this isn't it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, War, Alcoholism, and Child abuse

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, and Sexual assault