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A review by s_sheppard18
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This novel was a wild ride from start to finish. I think the best thing I can say about it is that I was desperate to know what would happen next from the moment I read the first chapter, and I don't often feel that way even when reading things I love. The book flew by quickly and was easy for me to follow, which I expect and appreciate in a YA novel.
Did I love this book, though? That's debatable. I loved the experience of reading it, the excitement and action, the emotion. But the actual story fell a bit flat for me for a few reasons. One was that I keep seeing this book marketed as a feminist novel and if it is, it's very surface-level, more than anything that will evoke deep thought about feminist theory. I see this novel as more of a meditation on the power of feminine rage and violence than anything else.
Another area that bugged me was that it felt like there were some gaping holes in the world building, particularly the area of global politics as it relates to the alien war that the novel is set within. We get a brief overview of how gender politics influences the national political arena, which is limited by our main character's (kind of unreliable) perspective anyway. Perhaps this will be revealed more in the plot of the next novel, considering the twist at the end.
Speaking of the twist at the end- it felt far too abrupt, and left me a little irritated.The entire book, I was waiting for a more thorough explanation of "the gods" that were mentioned twice, then we get a couple pages of a reveal as the last pages of the story? The pacing on this just felt out of line with the rest of the book, and I felt like I wasn't given any time to absorb it or see how the characters react to it. I'm sure this is designed to get people to want to read the second book in the series, and I probably will read it, but leaving this to the very last pages of the book feels like a cheap trick to me, tbh.
My final qualm with the book is that there is no explanation about why the protagonist has these ideals that are so progressive compared to the people she has been raised with/around. Sure, she has reason to be simmering with rage, but where did she gain the perspective to know she should or could fight against the patriarchal power imbalance that permeates her life? Surely there's something in her life that woke her up to the possibility that things can be different, but we aren't told what that is, beyond the "I'm not like other girls" trope.
Overall, despite my criticism, I really enjoyed this book. It was like scifi romance popcorn for my brain. I appreciate the depiction of disability, and liked the representation ofa poly relationship (although I think the author could have given them a little more time together, and gotten them together earlier in the book). I am, despite my irritation with the ending, looking forward to reading the next installment.
Did I love this book, though? That's debatable. I loved the experience of reading it, the excitement and action, the emotion. But the actual story fell a bit flat for me for a few reasons. One was that I keep seeing this book marketed as a feminist novel and if it is, it's very surface-level, more than anything that will evoke deep thought about feminist theory. I see this novel as more of a meditation on the power of feminine rage and violence than anything else.
Another area that bugged me was that it felt like there were some gaping holes in the world building, particularly the area of global politics as it relates to the alien war that the novel is set within. We get a brief overview of how gender politics influences the national political arena, which is limited by our main character's (kind of unreliable) perspective anyway. Perhaps this will be revealed more in the plot of the next novel, considering the twist at the end.
Speaking of the twist at the end- it felt far too abrupt, and left me a little irritated.
My final qualm with the book is that there is no explanation about why the protagonist has these ideals that are so progressive compared to the people she has been raised with/around. Sure, she has reason to be simmering with rage, but where did she gain the perspective to know she should or could fight against the patriarchal power imbalance that permeates her life? Surely there's something in her life that woke her up to the possibility that things can be different, but we aren't told what that is, beyond the "I'm not like other girls" trope.
Overall, despite my criticism, I really enjoyed this book. It was like scifi romance popcorn for my brain. I appreciate the depiction of disability, and liked the representation of