Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

87 reviews

jonwood's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I know found the book rather hard to want to read the first 200 pages as the narrator was a very angry and venomous person. I appreciated as the narrator began to learn how complicated the world and politics can be and seems to be less venomous to everyone she meets, however at the end, the last 50-ish pages became a bunch of action with the narrator (while confident in her abilities and free of doubt) decides violence is the only way to solve society's powers by taking over the world. Also, the book doesn't really finish on a conclusion, but more of a tease that doesn't really leave me wanting more. 

In general I don't care for reading action scenes, and I found these about giant robots and equally giant aliens somewhat hard to follow (ironic considering my childhood love of Power Rangers, but visuals help).

This book despite being labeled as YA, covers a lot of sensitive topics. The opening introduction/prologue begins with a rather explicit rape allegory. Sexual assault, manipulation, and shame all feature heavy, and an actual rape attempt (not just a metaphor) is very explicitly applied to almost happen at one point. Also, within the first 50 pages, child abuse happens. Due to all of this, this book may be hard for some to read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Torture, Medical content, Murder, and War

queenpebbles's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, and War

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Sexual content

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

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

ufollowbooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny 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? Yes

4.0

a bit of mary sue fanfic kind of vibe, but in a good way 

 

what a book! traditions from our world intertwined with technology you cannot fathom properly, sprinkled with female rage, political intrigues, surprisingly great romance, and, of course, brilliant writing. 

 

basically, it's "labour" by paris paloma, but in a book form. 

 

i already knew that there's a polyamory done right - it was the main reason i added this book to my tbr in all honesty - as well as disability rep, but damn! it was amazing and seeing a badass wheelchair user made my heart go "wheee" 🫶🏻 

 

it's definitely a very fast paced book, and an intense one, too. a lot of violence happening, but it never is just for the sake if violence, as it often happens with male-written fantasy. and yes, it felt much more like fantasy to me than as sci-fi, though there are element of it for sure. maybe because sci-fi to me is more about space and aliens, and there are little of that! 😅 

 

the ending felt a but rushed, and i can actually understand the motivation behind the way things end. discussing the ending in detail and with spoilers:

yes it's not very thought through and a lot of decisions are made here and now, but that's how the whole book is! Zetian is young, and emotional (in the best way possible!), and she has a lot of power for literally the first time in her life. she doesn't play the nuanced game, she never did - she comes in hot and does things the way she sees fit, without compromises. taking over control of the golden dragon and planning to overtake the country is very much in her character, so you're either ok with it or not. can't wait to read the second book to see how it all will be addressed!

 

the romance is... well. it's m/f/m triangle, but the proper one, where everyone is queer. gender identity is also mentioned, but the book did felt a bit too cis and straight to me, with only the main throuple being part of the lgbtq+ community. it didn't worsen the story, but looking back it was, indeed, a bit odd. on the other side, this also highlights once again that Zetian is different from people around her - and her partners are, too. overall, the romance is a pretty big part of the storyline.

 

❗️ beware, there will be a second book, and the story ends on a BIG cliffhanger! so if you're not ready to commit to thus - wait until 30th of april, 2024, when "Heavenly Tyrant" comes out. 

 

to summarise, a great book, which i can definitely recommend to those who like intense, fast-paced fantasy with elements of sci-fi and historical basis 

 

8/10 ⭐️

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Stalking, Gaslighting, and Classism

Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Colonisation

msradiosilence's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

jessiereads98's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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? Yes

4.75

Iron Widow is amazing. The story is fast paced and every time I put it down, I immediately wanted to pick it back up. All of the characters were complex and dimensional. I love how Xiran Jay Zhao wrote all of the female characters, especially Wu Zetian, and the exploration of how the society subjugates women and what that turns them into. The plot twist was surprising without seeming to come completely out of left field for the sake of having one. 

This does at times read heavily YA, with the points being made feeling a little blunt or clunky rather than completely well integrated in the story so that the reader easily arrives at them. I think the story overall may have been stronger if it leaned heavier adult or new adult. My only real complaints are that occasionally the diction threw me a bit out of the story, and the beginning is a bit exposition heavy.

Overall, I’m really looking forward to the sequel.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Misogyny, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Murder, and Alcohol

Minor: Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, and War

bookishchef's review against another edition

dark 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, and Alcohol

Moderate: Ableism, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Murder, and War

Minor: Biphobia, Blood, Medical content, Toxic friendship, and Classism

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.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Alcohol, and War

Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

icy_queen's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

Do not expect any of the characters to be "nice" or "good people" and be prepared for many horrible things to happen (definitely check trigger warnings)! If you're ok with that or even enjoy reading it, I highly recommend this book.

The main character is absolutely, wonderfully unhinged and hellbent on revenge for her sister, herself, and all the other girls that were sacrificed, mutilated and/or killed by their society. She doesn't stop at killing her sister's murderer, but strives to destroy the whole system with the help of her soft "rich boy" bestfriend and her dangerous, bad boy, involuntary co-pilot (the three of them form an actual love triangle).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Racism, Sexual assault, and Police brutality

Minor: Biphobia, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Xenophobia, and Medical content

There is a a short list of potential triggers at the beginning of the book. Other triggers that cannot be tagged and could be huge SPOILERS:

Main Character Death (unclear if it's final) Foot-binding of girls' feet Domestic Abuse is pretty normal in this society Boys are hugely preferred over girls Purity Culture Etc.

annorabrady's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

This is a great, compelling story that's hard to stop reading. The characters are fully fleshed, morally grey characters (even those who think they are one extreme or the other). The combination of traditional cultures melded with a futuristic, sci-fi setting give strong foundations for allegories and messages that can be applied to our society today without feeling heavy handed. And the writing is masterfully done so that the plot twist at the end feels earned and satisfying. 

Also, there once was a review I saw that said "any love triangle can be solved with polyamory" and I am pleased to say that this book chose that method. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Medical content, Murder, Alcohol, and War

Moderate: Colonisation and Classism