Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

504 reviews

thebooksanctum's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Just incredible, once again! The conversations around patriarchal societies and extreme sexism, the Pacific Rim vibes, it's all incredible and perfect to me!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

abbyschalupa's review against another edition

dark 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

3.5

Dark sci-fi with a focus on destroying the patriarchy 

A good read. I loved the main character and the rage she carried with her. Going against the lies she’s been taught, she defines her own worth. The whole story, you watch her reclaim her power. I liked the romance and was invested in all 3 characters- they each had their own story and history. I cared about all of them. The dynamics between the 3 of them felt fresh. 

What I liked-
A fast paced, dark story about female rage and taking back your power. I loved watching the protagonist on her journey and use her voice. A found family in the midst of abusive biological family. A love triangle where each character loves, supports, and balances one another in their own way.

What I struggled with-
This was more of a personal thing, as where I was didn’t quite mesh with the book. There’s an emphasis on dark themes and while much isn’t grotesque, it’s present. The hunduns are the enemy in the war, yet there’s not enough description on what they actually are or what they look like. I had no idea how to picture them. For the war to be a central focus, it felt like a blatant missing piece to have scarcely any information about them. There’s a big twist at the end meant to shock you, and it felt a bit cheap. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Sexism, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Medical content

Minor: Genocide and Rape

lauralia's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This is my second time reading this book, as I’m preparing to read the sequel, and I loved it just as much as the first time. The intrigue and the different revelations throughout make sense, I love seeing the way the main characters shed the weight of what society told them is the right. I hope Heavenly Tyrant will be as good, because Iron Widow still hasn’t let me down! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Genocide, Homophobia, Sexual content, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation

rizky's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

4.25

 Re-read before reading Heavenly Tyrant

I had forgotten SO MUCH, especially the final act, so this was another wild ride.

Not a lengthy review, but just the crux of my thoughts/feelings: this book has flaws - it is a debut, and noticably so. My main concern is a lack of subtely (Zhao spells the political implications out quite explicitly) and slightly convoluted worlbuilding. At same time, the story and characters are absolutely worth it (at least to me) (all the feelings I felt, damn).
I definitely recommend Iron Widow to anyone who enjoys female rage, morally dubious characters, and poly romance.

Excited to start reading Heavenly Tyrant! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual violence and Trafficking

gippytwo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Misogyny

Moderate: Alcoholism, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

aurora4847's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

Reread in audiobook form to prepare myself for reading the sequel Heavenly Tyrant. Iron Widow is just as incredible as I remember it being! I'm not a huge Scifi fan, but this blends futuristic tech and mecha battles so seamlessly with myth and magic that it's easy to forget. Zetian is the my favorite character ever for bloodthirsty female rage, and it doesn't hurt that Shimin and Yizhi are my favorite supportive male leads. The character arcs are brilliant, the stakes are just high enough, and the action sequences are so tense and fun. This book doesn't pull punches, so read with caution of course. But the ending is so satisfying and leaves you desperate for the continuation into Heavenly Tyrant.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Rape, Sexual content, Trafficking, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

This book has very heavy topics and scenes, including misogyny, foot binding, death, war, colonisation, murder, torture, death of family members, sexual assault, ableism, racism, exploitation, and war. It is all handled well, and is worth it.

thebookphile's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny sad 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? Yes

5.0

TW: physical abuse, emotional abuse, femicide, mention of rape, bound feet 

Really fantastic. Loved nearly everything about it. From the feral unhinged main characters, to the slowly developing romance, to the world building and action. Really great.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse

actingnerd101's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse and Torture

ceruleanseas's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Abandonment, and Classism

Minor: Body shaming, Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt

sadetanssija's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

3.75

I recognise many many flaws with this book, and yet... I found myself enjoying it a lot.

Mainly because good polyam rep is so hard to find, I'm willing to forgo a lot of other standards.

To quote a good movie: "It makes no damn sense. Compels me though."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, War, and Classism

Moderate: Biphobia, Gun violence, Slavery, Vomit, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail