Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

567 reviews

spockrocket's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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

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rory18's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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? No

4.0

It's a fun power fantasy but I'm not really sure I'd call it feminist since it doesn't exactly pass the Bechdel test and the main character barely has any relationships with women. Also, I called all the plot twists but maybe that's just because I'm also a writer who is writing about colonization and sexism. Also weird how Zetian can't forgive anyone but her boyfriends for anything but has done some pretty frequently-seen-as-unforgivable things herself. I did enjoy it though. Anti-heroes are fun and the boys are interesting.
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d13_chels's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging inspiring 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

4.0

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valkyrahowl's review against another edition

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adventurous 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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vchirico's review against another edition

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adventurous dark sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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augustsreads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense

4.0

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kucingliest's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional reflective 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

Exciting read with an interesting main character. Systematic oppression and childhood trauma leads her to take the path of an anti hero, willing to pursue her goal of tearing down confinements set upon women and girls no matter the cost. Would recommend.

There are some tropes I found a little silly but ultimately don’t take away from the overall experience too much:
- despite being teenagers, characters are able to trick experienced war lieutenants who should be no strangers to deceit and manipulation
- perfect rich boyfriend and mysterious strong quiet guy who’s actually just a sweet heart. both of them are likable but it’s still trope-y LOL
- some side characters feel more like caricatures than humans
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merlynnefae's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring reflective tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

I really enjoyed this book and it made me want to learn more about the history that the book is based off of. I enjoyed the strong female representation and resilience of the main character and her refusing to give in and that she kept her morals throughout the book. However at the same time, I feel like there is character development both with her and several of the other characters while she's still remains true to her roots. So good character development while staying true to themselves. 

I'm also not a big fan of mech stories, but this held my interest throughout and I found myself wanting to continue this story and find out what happened. 

Please do rig to your warnings before reading this book. But overall I did enjoy.
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scissor_i_barely_know_her's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

4.5

I thought this was a very fun read. It kept me very entertained. I loved the three main characters and the dynamic between them.
POLYAMORY FOR THE WINNNN
This was also the first book I have read that had mechsuits in it and I really liked it! I thought that the way the futuristic world was crafted was really interesting. 

I think there are definitely places the book falls short. At times, Zhao tells the reader what is happening and doesn't show. I also think that because of how fast-pace it is, it doesn't give the reader time to take in the worldbuilding and rushes some of the messages the book is trying to get across.  

This book does tackle a lot of important and interesting concepts, including (but not limited to): misogyny (as previously stated), war/ violence as entertainment, and complicated family dynamics/ generational trauma. I appreciate the conversations this book is trying to tackle/ address, but I think there are aspects that could have been done better. For instance, even though a major theme of the book is misogyny, there are not a lot of women in the book. Additionally, I think some of the messages fall victim to the pace of the book and the author's tendency to tell. The most obvious one of these related to Ma Xiuying's character.
I think that the idea that she was pressured into having children is a good thing to include to show how the pilot system manipulates women, however, I think that the way that information was revealed (Zetian thinking about it to herself) comes off as her judging Ma and looking down on her. I think it would have been more impactful if that had been revealed by Xiuying herself over multiple meaningful conversations.


Despite these flaws, I really enjoyed reading this book and it kept me on the edge of my seat. I am exited to read the sequel!
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lanamackreads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad 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

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