A review by uraveragelesbianreader
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

adventurous dark emotional 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

4.5

This book is like a roller coaster. Every high leads to a dizzying low and when it's over far sooner than you expected your hair is in your face, your latest meal in your throat, you can't tell left from right up from down and swear that there was no reason the final drop needed to be that big. When my close friend recommended this book she said that it 'reads a bit like a first draft' and that may be the best way to sum up my criticism for this book. Some of the scenes feel hasty and almost like you're watching them at 1.5x speed. However I do not actually fully blame the author for this as I think this books popularity on tiktok rushed them into keeping a strict release schedule when it could've benefited from a little more polishing. All that being said this book doesnt read like a 'written for tiktok' book and I didnt often find myself cringing at scenes or wishing that a scene would just be over already. I think the way this book is marketed does it a disservice. Wu is not a 'morally grey' protagonist. She does things that are objectively morally wrong BUT justifiable in her circumstances. It is very much a 'good for her' moment whenever she lashes, out but she is by no means morally grey and thats okay. Had she been marketed to me this way I think I would have read this book sooner and not let it rot on my TBR for nearly 3 months. On the note of incorrect marketing, I often see this book marketed as queer and although that is not WRONG it does require further nuance. This book is written by a queer author and all of the 3 main characters are bisexual however only MLM romance is explored explicitly and only very briefly. This is completely fine, fits the narrative and I dont feel further inclusion of queerness would add to or hurt the story I just want people reading this book to have realistically set expectations. On the note of romance it was skilfully done. Seeing someone so beautifully perfect a genuine enemies to lovers story line AND a friends to lovers story line was wonderfully refreshing and the polyamory element was exciting. Everyone always says that they want a genuine love triangle (all 3 involved in love with one another) and this is exactly what this book gives you. My personal advice is to go into this book as blind as possible and block out the time to read it all in one sitting because as it mentioned earlier IT IS FAST. I read it across 3 days and ended up having to reread at least a chapter every time I started again, if you prefer slow burn and careful delicate world and character building, this is not the book for you. That is however not to say that I think the pace hurt the story, I think a slow pace would feel out of place for a book like this. The pace serves the narrative wonderfully and is skilfully used by the author. This book feels like a scream written down on paper it is a violent rage against the qualms of the female experience and it is wonderful. As someone who typically shys away from scifi I would read a million sci-fi books if they were done half as tactfully as this one. The world building is gripping and the power system is easy to understand but somehow not simple or boring. The duelling threats facing the main character adds multiple layers of tension that at times feel like more could be done with but are not underutilised by any means underused. I would recommend this book to those bored by typical sci-fi, looking for a unique take on historical tales and fantasy readers wishing to branch out their taste. I am already waiting to preorder the second book and I cannot wait to see what is done with this series
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