Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

Viúva de Ferro by Xiran Jay Zhao

68 reviews

madmantha's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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

4.5

What a great book!! I cannot wait for the sequel! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Addiction, Classism, Blood, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, Body horror, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, War, Child abuse, and Misogyny

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual content, Police brutality, Grief, Violence, Trafficking, and Pregnancy

hearkenheretic's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Addiction, Child abuse, Sexism, Dysphoria, Medical trauma, Violence, Misogyny, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Ableism, Homophobia, Genocide, Body shaming, Alcohol, and Murder

Minor: Death of parent

tekoppstok's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Violence, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Body horror, Death, Gore, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Murder, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Chronic illness, Torture, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and War

Minor: Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

The content warnings make the story seem like a downer. It very easily could have been a very depressing book. Instead, the passionate rage and desperation of the main character buoys the narrative into something much more fierce and addictive than doom and gloom, even at the very darkest moments. It's fight or flight the whole way through, with heavy emphasis on fight.

matturay's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

I don't usually read sci-fi, but this book grabbed me by the throat and wouldn't let go.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Medical content, Child abuse, Child death, Torture, Blood, Cursing, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Ableism, Sexism, Sexual violence, Violence, Bullying, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Death of parent, Genocide, Murder, Rape, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Classism, War, Colonisation, Gore, and Sexual harassment

caramia's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

Holy crap this book just takes off right from the get go! The visceral depictions of bound feet made me feel so uncomfortable, just like I know it’s meant to. The descriptions about Chrysalis were so beautiful, I’m not into yugioh but maybe I should be. The love between them all is just so powerful.

I did call it that they were the terraformers! I also called it that they were humans in the ‘heavenly above’ it sounded like a human ship from another world way too much, especially since they never showed themselves.

I just want my babies to be happy, so hopefully Xiran doesn’t hurt them too much in the next one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Physical abuse, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Chronic illness, and Alcoholism

justmys's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad 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

2.75

I enjoyed the world the story took place in. The premise and intrigue but I wish there had been more of it.
Everything happens so fast and so easily (???) that it just felt...like watching a movie adaptation of a novel?
I didn't like the main character. I wanted to.

But every time she opened her mouth I cringed at her. She was not the cold genius she I thought she was. She was manipulated and easily played and only accomplished what she did because of the men around her. She never did anything herself.

If there's another book set in the same world I'll read it. It's an easy read and a decent idea for a story. I just hope we get to delve further in and read a novel instead of watching the YA movie version.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Torture, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, War, Abandonment, Addiction, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Sexism, Child abuse, Death, Fatphobia, and Misogyny

Moderate: Gore, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Murder

magnan1mouse's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexism, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Forced institutionalization, Violence, Addiction, Alcohol, Rape, Police brutality, Death, Confinement, War, and Misogyny

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Murder, Grief, and Slavery

Minor: Child death, Medical trauma, Genocide, and Suicidal thoughts

analenegrace's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

3.0

I went into this with high hopes because of the hype it's gotten, and perhaps that's why I didn't like it as much as I hoped I would. 

It felt like too much telling and not showing, and almost all of the characters felt one-dimensional, including our narrator, whose inner dialogue was at times confusing and was expressing a type of feminism that is incredibly one-dimensional. 

The "plot twist" at the end felt obvious to me as I've seen it in many other novels of this type, but I am interested in reading the sequel to see how the author ends the story they've created here. 

I appreciated the polyam relationship and am also looking forward to seeing what the author does with their relationship in the second book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Rape, Classism, Confinement, Addiction, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Murder, Body shaming, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, War, Sexual violence, and Violence

niliii's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad medium-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

4.75

honestly i really enjoyed the entire book but the ending threw me for a loop....

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Emotional abuse, and Body horror

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Violence, Torture, and Alcohol

Minor: Death, Physical abuse, Trafficking, and Medical trauma

blackberryjambaby's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Gore, Medical trauma, Chronic illness, War, Torture, Death, Gaslighting, Violence, Classism, and Misogyny

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Child abuse, Police brutality, Emotional abuse, Outing, and Grief