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A review by jenny_librarian
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
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
4.5
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
This is a lot. It's angry feminism smashing the patriarchy in a science fiction setting inspired by Chinese folklore. In the acknowledgements, Xiran Jay Zhao mentions that the first draft was way too dark for YA, and I have no trouble believing it. Even this final product is really dark, but it's the kind of darkness and anger that empowers, in the same way The Hunger Games and Katniss Everdeen did. I'll go ahead and claim Wu Zetian as a Katniss on steroids.
The world itself feels a lot like a videogame when it comes to the battles. I didn't completely connect with it, though, and it might be because it's so heavily Chinese-influenced that my Western brain had to struggle to keep up as I read. Which is great, because we need more of that. We need more mainstream Eastern stories that don't necessarily follow the typical Western tropes.
Talking about tropes, WE FINALLY GOT A LOVE TRIANGLE THAT ENDS IN POLYAMORY! The end of this book isn't great about it (it scared me a lot when it seemed to go down a very tired and depressing queer trope), but there's hope in the epilogue for book 2.
Also "HA!" I knew there was something about the Hunduns! Not what I expected, but a twist was inevitable.
The only thing that made me cringe (other than the misogyny) was the phrase Yizhi and then Zetian say about love being as big as one's heart. The context makes it sounds like they only mean romantic love and that would make it arophobic... And would also imply that monogamous people don't have as big a heart as polyamorous folks...
It's definitely a feminist science fiction to look out for, and I'm already waiting for the sequel.
This is a lot. It's angry feminism smashing the patriarchy in a science fiction setting inspired by Chinese folklore. In the acknowledgements, Xiran Jay Zhao mentions that the first draft was way too dark for YA, and I have no trouble believing it. Even this final product is really dark, but it's the kind of darkness and anger that empowers, in the same way The Hunger Games and Katniss Everdeen did. I'll go ahead and claim Wu Zetian as a Katniss on steroids.
The world itself feels a lot like a videogame when it comes to the battles. I didn't completely connect with it, though, and it might be because it's so heavily Chinese-influenced that my Western brain had to struggle to keep up as I read. Which is great, because we need more of that. We need more mainstream Eastern stories that don't necessarily follow the typical Western tropes.
Talking about tropes, WE FINALLY GOT A LOVE TRIANGLE THAT ENDS IN POLYAMORY! The end of this book isn't great about it (it scared me a lot when it seemed to go down a very tired and depressing queer trope), but there's hope in the epilogue for book 2.
Also "HA!" I knew there was something about the Hunduns! Not what I expected, but a twist was inevitable.
The only thing that made me cringe (other than the misogyny) was the phrase Yizhi and then Zetian say about love being as big as one's heart. The context makes it sounds like they only mean romantic love and that would make it arophobic... And would also imply that monogamous people don't have as big a heart as polyamorous folks...
It's definitely a feminist science fiction to look out for, and I'm already waiting for the sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Murder, and War
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Body horror, Gun violence, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, and Acephobia/Arophobia