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Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

82 reviews

inkling's review against another edition

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

4.0

I had heard a lot of good things about this book before reading it, and it did not disappoint! Very gripping plot, interesting characters and finally a solution to the YA love triangle trope. (no spoilers but it's gay and it's genius). The writing was so immersive and I liked that the world building was continued throughout, the reader isn't just told everything at the beginning. I found the pilot-system a bit hard to understand at first, but the first "battle scene" helped me visualise it. The characters are constantly discovering secrets about their world, which makes it very exciting to read. Got to say though, I was NOT expecting the amount of violence, including sexual violence that is in this book. It is a lot darker than I was ready for and although it fit with the story, it was a little jarring. Something to keep in mind if you don't like reading about those things! 
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kaiyakaiyo's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious 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

okay i confess that sometimes internet hype makes me want to read a book less (i hate being told what to do & often find “recommendations” repetitive to the point of suspicion. who is paying these booktok girlies?). in this instance, my stubbornness in that regard did me a HUGE disservice bc I could have read this gem WAY sooner. many apologies to the author, i should have trusted the internet on this one :’( im here now, that’s all that matters  

This book has it all:
1. Giant machine fights & magic
2. Pissed off main chars
3. Romance that isn’t overly drawn out (+ that [spoiler] trope i LOVE replacing a love triangle!)
4. Twist that was just the right amount of twisty 

The romance was *chefs kiss* and I LOVE that this is a duology. Authors that know themselves & their story enough to wrap it up nicely without a million sequels make my wallet & my unmotivated depression brain very happy! (no real shade to authors with longer series, they just exhaust me at this stage of life)

Overall this was an incredible read, no notes, I really can’t wait to read the next book! Would recommend to anyone who likes Pacific Rim, word of honor (iygiygi), and just general violent fun with characters who do in fact choose revenge
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maya_venkatesh36's review against another edition

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adventurous dark fast-paced
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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sherlockstan98's review against another edition

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adventurous sad

3.0

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miss__manga__'s review against another edition

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

4.0

Not a perfect read but a great one. I think some of the repeated ideas (mcs ranting) could have been tightened and condensed to make more room for world building and the poly relationship. I feel like a lot was done off screen in that regard. 

Saw the end coming to a degree, but not the ultimatum. 

Contains some iconic and hilarious lines. Looking forward to the sequel. Li Shimin supremacy!

Do not understand the tattoos of one of the love interests. 
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may_alyse's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad 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? No

4.75

a murderous, raging, and unflinching female protagonist is all ive ever wanted to read about. i love this book.
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lolaslalaland's review against another edition

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emotional sad medium-paced

3.0

Mech-suits, spiritual energy, alien fights, I mean this was awesome. It reminded me of Pacific Rim, but also of the manga Darling in the Franxx, especially with the whole male and female pilots for the machines and needing to match each other's power levels. 

I really did love the whole concept of the book, but I very quickly got tired of the sexism narrative. After a while, the plot and storyline got swallowed by the main character's constant anger at the fact that she is a girl and girls don't get treated equally. Listen, there is nothing wrong with having a fantasy/sci-fi book criticize sexism and misogyny by placing it as a societal standard in the world building, but I'm a little tired of seeing it. And this book would not let up on it. Because of that I often felt like there wasn't enough character development, world building and general good story-telling. 

But that's not to say there weren't some positives about the book, I already mentioned the really cool premise of giant machines fighting aliens, and the ending was actually a very interesting twist, also I really loved the relationships in the book, the concept of love and how it can't adhere to rules and the more you have it, the better, shouldn't be limited by gender. I didn't have a bad time reading this book, but I probably won't pick up the sequel. 
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alphabetmafiamember's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense 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? No

4.75

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caitlin033's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

4.0

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fatherprozac's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad 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

Pretty much scratched every itch for female rage and vengeance I've ever had. I felt the urge to scream my soul out along with Zetian at every turn and was always left satisfied. 
I loved the inclusion of a polyamorous triangle. I've never read a book with one before. Honestly, I also really loved that Zetian crushed her family (literally) in the end. I was so disappointed by the initial "be the bigger person" turn but it was SO perfect how it was really just used as a weapon against her. Sometimes the rotten family really does just have to pay for their behavior and/or passiveness.
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