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tifftastic87's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Wu Zetian is born low in the caste system, she is "just a frontier girl," and thus has two options in life: get sold as a bride or sold as a concubine to a mech pilot. Ignoring her family's pressure for years, she finally agrees to become a concubine, but only to avenge her fallen sister. Killing the first pilot she's paired with, and avenging her sister gets her paired with the most violent pilot in the military. Li Shimmin is known for having no surviving female pilots, and as her punishment she will be condemned to serve with him. Zetian will not be sacrificed and attempts to use Shimmin to topple the violent and patriarchal system that has wronged her and every other woman in Huaxia.
Iron Widow is a truly YA book that focuses on the themes of gender, race, and power. I feel a bit uncomfortable with the reviews that refer to this as a feminist story and the reviews that are harsh because of how they view the feminism in the book as not portrayed correctly. I don't think this is feminism, this is a woman fighting back against the powers that have been suppressing her and everyone like her. In a way that could be feminism, but it isn't modern feminism - at least from a white American perspective. Currently, we (white American women) are not being violently oppressed, we are not literally sacrificed in war for the success of men, we are not forcibly maimed for the male gaze. If we were, violent feminism would be the answer. Radical, systemic change does not happen through peace. It never has. Wu Zetian is not a feminist hero, she's an antihero.
That being said, I do feel like she is going through similar stages of feminism that many of my age range went through. Rage when she realizes her culture is being used to oppress and silence her, that male violence is used as control to make women passive wives and daughters, that she will never be anything that her husband does not want her to be. She starts off as the “how dare you open my door” type of woman, but as she meets more men she learns that what she was told is not always true. Just as women are multilayered, men are and not all of them are out to control her and use her body for their pleasure. She has a moment where she asks herself after a severe injury:
Can I really call myself a strong girl if I’m relying on two boys?
Which is something everyone of us who has gone through that phase of “I’m a strong woman” has asked. Can we still be strong while relying on others? Can we truly be for empowering women if we let men do things for us? Is this bringing down the movement? All you have to do to see that this is a stage of young women coming up to realize what the world is like is to look at the comments of any woman creator on TikTok or YouTube. If a woman is talking positively about a man the comments will be full of things like this.
As Zetian comes into her own, her anger starts to be placed in the correct directions. We go from just hate radiating through her pores to be aimed at targets within the systems of oppression. She goes from just a rage machine to very Arya Stark, with a kill list to avenge those important to her. The male characters are there to prop her up and are not the stars of the story, but they too go through some growth, especially Shimmin.
I like to think of this story as told through Zetian’s perspective, especially because it is told in first person limited. That makes her a bit of an unreliable narrator as everything will include her bias. That could explain some of the ways the other characters talk and their perceived reactions to things. I think it is really important to always consider the point of view the author takes when telling a story, and Xiran really uses Zetian’s voice very strongly. There was so much of the story that my inner damaged teenage girl ached with reading. Talk of shame and manipulation and what it means to be strong.
People who refuse to break under any number of harsh strikes and any amount of loud words, but crumple as soon as someone touches us gently or speaks to us softly.
Was a line that got me particularly, in the feels as my elder millennial self would say. I could feel that person I used to be, who felt shame at being a woman, who didn’t trust any other women and thought they all disliked me. That girl who didn’t trust men because I was told for all of my life that they wanted nothing more from me than sex. Some parts of this may have felt immature to many reviewers, but I genuinely believe that is done on purpose and serves a purpose.
That being said, some of the writing style was a little off putting to me. It did feel very millennial in the language used, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing but there would be some really pretty prose followed up by something harsh and it felt a little jarring.
Ex:
Each tap feels more scandalous than being alone with him on a frontier mountain, shrouded by greenery and spring heat, breathing the same thick eddies of earthy, intoxicating air. My village elders say girls shouldn’t touch these heavenly devices, because we would desecrate them with, I don’t know, our wicked femaleness or something.
But not enough to take me out of the story. The descriptions were clear and I could understand what was happening. The pacing was really good as well. It was just some of the dialogue could have been better.
I will certainly be reading the next book and am looking forward to reading more of Xiran’s work. They are an author I think I will continue to enjoy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, War, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Sexism, Racism, Physical abuse, Murder, Misogyny, Alcoholism, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Body shaming and Suicide
Minor: Rape and Sexual violence
alfspoilerspren's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
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
5.0
BEST STAND ALONE NOVEL I HAVE READ IN MY WHOLE LIFE
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Addiction, and Alcohol
Moderate: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Biphobia, Body shaming, Violence, and War
helfire124's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Great book! Couldn't put it down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Torture, Alcohol, War, Violence, Alcoholism, Death, Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Body horror, Confinement, Addiction, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Bullying, Medical content, Misogyny, Ableism, Gore, Racism, Self harm, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Cursing, Gaslighting, Rape, Sexual harassment, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
bookbisaster's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Child abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Suicide
rhiannonafternoon's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, War, and Misogyny
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
alexisgarcia's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-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
3.5
this was a good and somewhat educational read. however, i struggled with the worldbuilding and the "magic" system. i found myself lost at some points.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Violence, Death, Colonisation, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Classism, Cursing, Infidelity, Blood, Alcohol, Gore, Infertility, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Torture, War, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
louiseriddles's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Could not stop reading. This book moves very fast and really grips you. I was feeling like this was more a 3.5-4 star book in the middle, but the ending really surprised me.
The best stuff: Strong women characters, intricate plot based on deceptions, strong voice of the main character, bisexual representation, strong social commentary on gender roles, abusive family dynamics, and celebrity culture
My only problems with the book were world-building issues around the role of women in their society. I don't know anything about Chinese culture so I'm not sure which parts were inspired by that. It was hard to tell when Zeitan's actions were outrageous to her society, or allowed due to her fame. HOWEVER it mirrored the real world's misogyny and double standards for women, so it felt very real.
Few other characters in this book were women. Most were either part of Zeitan's abusive family or very catty and hostile. While this book has great feminist themes, unfortunately it lacks multiple well developed women characters.
Finally, and this is simply personal preference, it did the thing of the main character falling in love with a violent person because they're misunderstood. The relationship makes sense, and aforementioned love interest has many underlying issues. But I don't like the trope of guy beating up other people as a romantic gesture. It's more complicated than that, but it was a tad annoying.
Finally this book is very dark, and discusses a lot of misogynistic issues(virginity tests, footbinding, rape), as well as death, murder, and torture.
Overall, great book, loved the main character.
The best stuff: Strong women characters, intricate plot based on deceptions, strong voice of the main character, bisexual representation, strong social commentary on gender roles, abusive family dynamics, and celebrity culture
My only problems with the book were world-building issues around the role of women in their society. I don't know anything about Chinese culture so I'm not sure which parts were inspired by that. It was hard to tell when Zeitan's actions were outrageous to her society, or allowed due to her fame. HOWEVER it mirrored the real world's misogyny and double standards for women, so it felt very real.
Few other characters in this book were women. Most were either part of Zeitan's abusive family or very catty and hostile. While this book has great feminist themes, unfortunately it lacks multiple well developed women characters.
Finally, and this is simply personal preference, it did the thing of the main character falling in love with a violent person because they're misunderstood. The relationship makes sense, and aforementioned love interest has many underlying issues. But I don't like the trope of guy beating up other people as a romantic gesture. It's more complicated than that, but it was a tad annoying.
Finally this book is very dark, and discusses a lot of misogynistic issues(virginity tests, footbinding, rape), as well as death, murder, and torture.
Overall, great book, loved the main character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Alcoholism, Torture, War, Misogyny, Child death, Child abuse, Murder, and Suicide
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Rape and Suicidal thoughts
ellstar's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I ripped through this book in a weekend and while I don't regret any minute of it, I do feel like it's a lot of tell, not show. There are quite a few examples of expository characters in this novel and while I really enjoyed the description in the battle scenes it felt like certain key twists & secret information were just dropped out of nowhere to keep the plot progressing.
<Spoiler> Don't get me wrong, the World building is great and the characters are interesting and each offer a unique perspective on this world, but the motivation at the start of Zetian's journey is for revenge for a sister we literally learn nothing about. I was wondering if there was going to be some sort of twist in the third act or some sort of reveal at the end which would explain why we literally know NOTHING about this big sister that Zetian is so desperate to sacrifice her life for, but as we learn about the family trauma she suffered from, her sister never is part of these stories. We don't see her sister either soothing her after her feet are crushed, or distracting her while her mother or grandmother are being beaten, or even offering any real advice or anecdotes to explain why she is so important to Zetian. It feels like a really big miss for me, and this also happens with Shimin's story as well, with both his friend whom he killed for (I can't even remember if she had a name) & Wende. For a book that is about trying to detach women from the shackles of a patriarchal society that devalues them, I was a bit disappointed that we didn't get to flesh out these characters a little bit more considering the impact they had on our leads. It felt a bit shallow and even her interactions with the other female pilots seemed shallow and I can't imagine that we're supposed to believe that this entire world has no good female characters? </Spoiler>
I'm hoping that this was just pieces that were removed during the editing process because I know this book could've been a lot longer, & fortunately this is something that can be improved on, so I look forward to the follow-up novels in this series.
<Spoiler> Don't get me wrong, the World building is great and the characters are interesting and each offer a unique perspective on this world, but the motivation at the start of Zetian's journey is for revenge for a sister we literally learn nothing about. I was wondering if there was going to be some sort of twist in the third act or some sort of reveal at the end which would explain why we literally know NOTHING about this big sister that Zetian is so desperate to sacrifice her life for, but as we learn about the family trauma she suffered from, her sister never is part of these stories. We don't see her sister either soothing her after her feet are crushed, or distracting her while her mother or grandmother are being beaten, or even offering any real advice or anecdotes to explain why she is so important to Zetian. It feels like a really big miss for me, and this also happens with Shimin's story as well, with both his friend whom he killed for (I can't even remember if she had a name) & Wende. For a book that is about trying to detach women from the shackles of a patriarchal society that devalues them, I was a bit disappointed that we didn't get to flesh out these characters a little bit more considering the impact they had on our leads. It felt a bit shallow and even her interactions with the other female pilots seemed shallow and I can't imagine that we're supposed to believe that this entire world has no good female characters? </Spoiler>
I'm hoping that this was just pieces that were removed during the editing process because I know this book could've been a lot longer, & fortunately this is something that can be improved on, so I look forward to the follow-up novels in this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Murder, Torture, Addiction, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Pregnancy
sundayfever's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Very engaging read. The force of the main characters' anger is very powerful. Beautiful fantasy universe based on Chinese history. Strong challenge to a society built on gender assumptions. One of my favorite books of the year!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Violence, War, Suicide, Murder, Torture, and Death
Moderate: Grief and Domestic abuse
macknificent's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
"In fact, I am what the worst kind of hope looks like. The kind that has driven group after group of girls here to be prettied into concubines. Families will point at me— this tamed, airbrushed image of me— to calm down their daughters about being sold to the army."
"One last thing,” I say over my shoulder, too quiet for my family to hear over the hovercraft churning. “Don’t think I’ve overlooked that you came to my house and almost foiled my plan, despite knowing how important it is to me. If you tip off the army in even the slightest way, I will kill myself when they lock me up, and then I will haunt you.”
What I Liked: The opening of the book was stellar! I felt like I was in the midst of a Gundam battle and somehow it had been turned into a novel! The world felt very full and the characters were complex, Wu Zetian's fury and follow through was glorious in the first portion of the book. I appreciated the constant call out of the patriarchy and how it was shown to affect every level of their world.
What I Didn't Like: Once Wu Zetian achieved her initial objective it felt like the book lost its momentum and cohesiveness. In the second half of the book we jumped from gritty & dark to sappy & thoroughly YA with no warning, rhythm or purpose. As happens with many debuts, the ending felt rushed as we tried to wrap up a lot of loose ends and set up for the next book.We never found out the story behind Gao Yizhi's tattoos!
I enjoyed this book immensely but there are issues with consistency and character cohesiveness that I hope are improved in the next book.
"One last thing,” I say over my shoulder, too quiet for my family to hear over the hovercraft churning. “Don’t think I’ve overlooked that you came to my house and almost foiled my plan, despite knowing how important it is to me. If you tip off the army in even the slightest way, I will kill myself when they lock me up, and then I will haunt you.”
What I Liked: The opening of the book was stellar! I felt like I was in the midst of a Gundam battle and somehow it had been turned into a novel! The world felt very full and the characters were complex, Wu Zetian's fury and follow through was glorious in the first portion of the book. I appreciated the constant call out of the patriarchy and how it was shown to affect every level of their world.
What I Didn't Like: Once Wu Zetian achieved her initial objective it felt like the book lost its momentum and cohesiveness. In the second half of the book we jumped from gritty & dark to sappy & thoroughly YA with no warning, rhythm or purpose. As happens with many debuts, the ending felt rushed as we tried to wrap up a lot of loose ends and set up for the next book.
I enjoyed this book immensely but there are issues with consistency and character cohesiveness that I hope are improved in the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Classism, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Suicide, Addiction, Alcohol, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Medical content, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Sexism
Moderate: Sexual violence, Slavery, Trafficking, Violence, War, Rape, Self harm, and Xenophobia