Reviews tagging 'Trafficking'

Viúva de Ferro by Xiran Jay Zhao

45 reviews

unwise_samwise's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Trafficking, and War

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture

miggyfool's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Colonisation, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

ging090803's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I love a “everyone has to die” type of book and this one didn’t disappoint. 
Even though, the middle was kinda long with all the blabla politic and all, I really loved it anyway. 
The end was amazing. The mains are badass and I really liked how the throuple didn’t feel forced. Everything was “too” natural, it just happened. 
I loved the end

I love the god complex and her being unbothered by her mass murdering.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Trafficking, and Sexual harassment

fiona_gs's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Action packed with lots of twists. Very strong main female character.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Torture, Violence, and Trafficking

tangledinblue's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

there was no way you could keep this book out of my hands- you had me at “sci fi retelling of chinas only female emperor with mechas, a woman on a murderous rampage, and polyamory”. this book read shockingly fast, and while the writing style is sometimes clumsy, pretty much every critique I have of this book is overpowered by the immense fun I had reading it. great twists toward the end that have me so excited for the sequel!!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Trafficking, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

I will say, to its great, great credit, there is no rape or sexual assault scene in this book. However, women are concubines for violent men (implied systemic assault) and in more than one instance the protagonist is concerned she will be assaulted. But again, no rape scene is described.

stillinbeta's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense fast-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

5.0

This entire book reads like being juggled in a fighting game. It is absolutely unrelenting, both in its depiction of horrific events and its action sequences. It has the ludonarrative consonance that marks really great writing: our protaganist never gets a break, so we don't get one either. We're all dragged down the river, splitting our heads open on the rocks.

Good scifi is a mirror through which we can examine our society, and the symbolism here is so obvious it's basically just another text. The society depicted is, unequivocally, horrific. It's depicted in an unflinching style that almost dares you to look away. Nobody in the setting is obviously the "good guys," and everyone is utterly corrupted by the rotten society they've built. 

There's some cute moments too, a spoonful of sugar to help the extremely bitter medicine go down. And some really incredible action scenes. But if you're looking for something <i>light</i>, this isn't it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Torture, Violence, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Trafficking

alphabetmafiamember's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and War

Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Medical content, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Colonisation, and Classism

jjjreads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Biphobia, Bullying, Gun violence, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Medical content, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Cursing, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, and Rape

voidboy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture and Trafficking

Moderate: Chronic illness

tinyjude's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional relaxing 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? It's complicated

4.5

I support women's rights but I also support women's wrongs, which means I am a tiny bit obsessed with female powerful angry women. Zetian my queen, destroy everything! She kind of becomes a morally terrible person and I am living for it. I needed more characters doing horrible stuff.

She is definitely a character partly defined by her anger and defiance to the system. Patriarchy is lenthly tackled and criticized in this world. Even though she has her "I am not like the other girls" slightly annoying moments, she is an incredible character. I hope she is able to find and befriend many other women like her, which is what this book lacked (a lot, I dare say for a feminist book, but nothing that a sequel cannot fix). Kind of wishing she befriends now the other bitchy female pilote, I want some enemies to friends. I think they both could be fcking neat. Also, I think it would have also been good to add a few scenes with her sister in order to get a better idea of how she was, so that we care deeply about her.

I loved the worldbuilding but, most of all, A POLY RELATIONSHIP FULL OF CHAOTIC BISEXUAL PEOPLE. LETS GOOOOOO. Yizhi being the lawfully good boyfriend who makes a snack for his murderous girlfriend and boyfriend... oh, I love them. I hope we get a lot more cute and domestic scenes between them and, ehem, Zetian said she can also be attracted to women so... GIVE HER A GIRLFRIEND IN THE NEXT BOOK I BEG

Anyway, morally grey characters, a lot of murder and torture, chinese history mixed with modern technology, criticism about patriarchy and a poly relationship, very good food :)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Trafficking, and War

Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment