Reviews with content warning for Child death - Viúva de Ferro

I was going to write a much more in depth review of this book, but seeing how i dnf’d at 174 pages i don’t think i’m fully qualified to do so. i went into this book with high expectations, and was prepared for an exciting and compelling story. i was not met with such a story.
the main character is not complex, she is unlikable, and incredibly misogynistic to the girls around her. her love interests at the point i stopped reading were.. mediocre. she is poor “representation” if you can even call her that, but i understand and appreciate that this book was written with a LOT of heart and a LOT of effort was put into it. But that does not make a good story.
What was truly the last straw for me was the main character forcing herself upon one of her love interests (does not, at any point ask him for consent, and he even tells her to stop and wait and she does not comply). To me, that sends the exact opposite message that the book was trying to send.
Over all, EXTREMELY disappointing. i would not recommend this to anyone, there is simply too much it is lacking. but for a debut novel that was clearly a loved passion project, it serves that purpose.
it is self indulgent for the author, it has a very bare bones emotion that drives the story, and it barely scratches the surface of the message it WANTS to convey.

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c_dmckinney's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense 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? No

4.75

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julbel's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

3.25

Intense experience of one young woman's struggle in a system that views her as no more than fuel for an endless war.
The quick pace of the book does leave me wishing for more moments of quiet, which are few and brief, to get a sense of the characters outside of turmoil. Zetian, Shimin and Yizhi are compelling characters, with much potential for further development of depth (and hopefully *some* down time to figure out who they are when they aren't trying to overthrow the government).
Looking forward to the continuation of this story in the next book!

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missymoo93's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

DARK. It starts dark and barely ever gets better. Clearly cathartic for the author, and a solid rage piece against our unjust world.
The action is fairly disorienting to the point of being truly hard to follow, and motivations for characters other than the main three often fall into an abyss of "I [the POV character] have barely any idea what's happening, so neither will the reader."
As someone who has also experienced similar suicidal thoughts and ideation to the main character, it was represented with upsetting accuracy and depicted honestly.
All in all, a good first book, but not my favorite, and I am hesitant to return due to the tone, despite the tantalizing out-of-nowhere bombshell cliffhanger dropped in the last literal two pages of the epilogue that offered a glimpse of the only lore questions that remained for me.

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franksreads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious 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

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fragrant_stars's review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Honestly I loved this book. I didn't love it.. as much as I wanted to love it, if that makes sense. It did come off as a little "preachy" at some points-- like when the characters talk about how men aren't just animals who can't control their sexual urges-- but the book as a whole, I loved, and I also loved, loved, loved the ployamoury in it, and the characters, and the ending. I'd definitely recommend this to any and all my friends.

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