Reviews with content warning for Rape - Iron Widow

Finally giving a rating and writing a review after my first re-read, in preparation for the sequel. Wu Zetian is unlike any female protagonist I've ever seen, and one that the YA genre absolutely needs (though, I feel like this book should be classified as New Adult... I won't get into that). She's determined, angry, and vengeful. What I love most about her character is how she's completely unapologetic about being that way. She makes no excuses for her actions, and yet as a reader, I completely understand and respect her decisions. Her disability is a core part of her development, and her (literal) crawl to power is wonderfully written and well-paced.

Content Warnings

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.

Content Warnings

lilyslibraryofdreams's review against another edition

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Just lost interest and couldn’t really keep track of everything that had happened. It probably would have been 3 or 4 stars if I had the time to sit down and read it in a short period of time.

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cs172's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

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