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A review by taliejane
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
4.5
I absolutely adored this book from the beginning! I don't usually go for fantasy or dystopia but this book is big in queer bookish spaces so I went for it. I wasn't disappointed!
The story takes place in a fictional dystopia, inspired by various historical Chinese epochs, where female concubines are routinely sacrificed in battle in order to fuel the futuristic war weaponry piloted only by men. Wu Zetian, inspired by the historical Chinese Empress, decides to enlist as a concubine with the intention of murdering the pilot who took her sister's life. However, in a world where power comes from mental fortitude rather than physical, she soon proves herself to be a powerful force to be reckoned with.
TW: Sexual assault, misogyny, alcoholism and Chinese foot binding.
<Spoiler> Spoilerful review:
Wu Zetian immediately subverts expectations of a dystopian heroine, which had me hooked from the start. Whereas usually the Katniss Everdeens of the world are fighting to protect their family or loved ones, Zetian is motivated purely by revenge. Despite knowing it will condemn her entire family to death, despite knowing there are no hopes of survival for herself, she single-mindedly pursues the pilot who murdered her sister.
The pure rage that fuels her throughout the story was so addictive to read. I've seen criticisms of this book which lamented that her feminism was purely violent. So what? I've been sexually assaulted and my feelings afterwards were also violent. I also would have wanted horrible consequences for everyone who hurt me. Zetian gives catharsis to any reader who has ever just wanted to scream and rage against the seemingly untouchable forces in society that hurt them.
Her melodramatic inner monologue really worked for me too. She is an epic figure on an epic journey. The tone worked. Especially in contrast to the even-tempered rhetoric of the sages and strategists. Which is obviously just placating bullshit when they actively participate in a system which purposefully sacrifices girls.
I enjoyed the way the weaponry works in this story too. Despite having bound feet, Zetian is poweful because she is powerful in spirit. Maybe that allegory is too obvious for some people, but it really worked for me.
Her relationship to the two love interests was also a really nice counterbalance to the main narrative, and added some complexities to her understanding of her own world.
As someone who doesn't love sci-fi, I found the battle scenes easy enough to follow as well. That meant there weren't scenes were I lost interest and so I can comfortably recommend the book to other non-scifi or fantasy fans.
Where this books lost me a bit was the lore behind the 200 year old emporer. Maybe this was a problem with my own reading comprehension. I thought we needed more time with the nomads and the discovery of the 200 year old man??? for her victory to feel deserved. Maybe this was cut for the length of the book to be more typical but idk. Hopefully the sequel will give this more time.
Ultimately this was definitely a 4.5/5 read for me!
The story takes place in a fictional dystopia, inspired by various historical Chinese epochs, where female concubines are routinely sacrificed in battle in order to fuel the futuristic war weaponry piloted only by men. Wu Zetian, inspired by the historical Chinese Empress, decides to enlist as a concubine with the intention of murdering the pilot who took her sister's life. However, in a world where power comes from mental fortitude rather than physical, she soon proves herself to be a powerful force to be reckoned with.
TW: Sexual assault, misogyny, alcoholism and Chinese foot binding.
<Spoiler> Spoilerful review:
Wu Zetian immediately subverts expectations of a dystopian heroine, which had me hooked from the start. Whereas usually the Katniss Everdeens of the world are fighting to protect their family or loved ones, Zetian is motivated purely by revenge. Despite knowing it will condemn her entire family to death, despite knowing there are no hopes of survival for herself, she single-mindedly pursues the pilot who murdered her sister.
The pure rage that fuels her throughout the story was so addictive to read. I've seen criticisms of this book which lamented that her feminism was purely violent. So what? I've been sexually assaulted and my feelings afterwards were also violent. I also would have wanted horrible consequences for everyone who hurt me. Zetian gives catharsis to any reader who has ever just wanted to scream and rage against the seemingly untouchable forces in society that hurt them.
Her melodramatic inner monologue really worked for me too. She is an epic figure on an epic journey. The tone worked. Especially in contrast to the even-tempered rhetoric of the sages and strategists. Which is obviously just placating bullshit when they actively participate in a system which purposefully sacrifices girls.
I enjoyed the way the weaponry works in this story too. Despite having bound feet, Zetian is poweful because she is powerful in spirit. Maybe that allegory is too obvious for some people, but it really worked for me.
Her relationship to the two love interests was also a really nice counterbalance to the main narrative, and added some complexities to her understanding of her own world.
As someone who doesn't love sci-fi, I found the battle scenes easy enough to follow as well. That meant there weren't scenes were I lost interest and so I can comfortably recommend the book to other non-scifi or fantasy fans.
Where this books lost me a bit was the lore behind the 200 year old emporer. Maybe this was a problem with my own reading comprehension. I thought we needed more time with the nomads and the discovery of the 200 year old man??? for her victory to feel deserved. Maybe this was cut for the length of the book to be more typical but idk. Hopefully the sequel will give this more time.
Ultimately this was definitely a 4.5/5 read for me!