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elcademia 's review for:
Iron Widow
by Xiran Jay Zhao
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
REALLY enjoyed the story! i was hesitant at first because mecha-centered stories can be a hit or miss for me depending on how the world is explained, but i didn’t struggle visualizing the world xiran jay zhao created for us.
what i like most about this story is how zetian basically goes against everything that is considered socially acceptable/expected of her. she is one of the most powerful female chrysalis pilots in a world where female pilots are looked down upon and seen as pawns to strengthen the male pilots. she is not very family oriented (which i did not expect and what she does to her family at the end took me by surprise!) and she even does not view relationships as a two-person thing.
one thing i would’ve wished is for more interactions between shimin and yizhi, but i saw a tiktok from xiran jay zhao saying that they had to cut out a scene between the two of them to shorten the book. hoping it’ll get released as a bonus chapter sometime
what i like most about this story is how zetian basically goes against everything that is considered socially acceptable/expected of her. she is one of the most powerful female chrysalis pilots in a world where female pilots are looked down upon and seen as pawns to strengthen the male pilots. she is not very family oriented (which i did not expect and what she does to her family at the end took me by surprise!) and she even does not view relationships as a two-person thing.
one thing i would’ve wished is for more interactions between shimin and yizhi, but i saw a tiktok from xiran jay zhao saying that they had to cut out a scene between the two of them to shorten the book. hoping it’ll get released as a bonus chapter sometime
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Torture, Sexual harassment