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pastelkerstin's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Here are two facts about my experience reading this book:
1) I fundamentally disagree with the moral framework for justice that the main characters use (revenge as the response to injustice).
2) I found this book gripping despite that.
Some people hold the view that to like a book with flawed characters means that you agree with everything they do, but I think that's a ridiculous way to view fiction.
Yes, I think Zetian's methods are unethical. But no, that doesn't mean that this book ruins the perception of real-world feminism. Zetian is flawed, hypocritical at times, and cruel. But it's also very clear that she became this way because of the deeply oppressive misogynist society she lives in. She's the monster the world forced her to be if she wants to survive. She's not your perfect feminist icon, who is a good example for children, because she is a fictional character in a very specific world with very specific circumstances, some of them based on actual historical (and on-going) women's rights issues, and some of them entirely fictional. Let female characters be fucked up sometimes!
That's all I have to say on that. Additional thoughts: I wish this book slowed down more often to give you a bit more breathing room between so many tough scenes. I also think those "breaks" could have been used to flesh out the relationships more. I was definitely rooting for these three, but a lot of their falling for each other seems to happen in the in-betweens that we don't get to see. Nevertheless, I think having more canon polyamorous relationships in traditionally published books is really important. The polya rep is one of the main reasons I read this book. I think polya triads where everyone is dating each other allow for very interesting character dynamics.
Another thing I struggled a bit with was not letting the combination of traditional and at times conservative elements and futuristic sci-fi tech break my suspension of disbelief. Some parts of this world seem so very old and then others are so futuristic. I know this is deliberate. It's what makes this world-building pretty unique. But it can feel a bit disorienting at times.
All right, that's all. I'm very interested to see where the sequel will go.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Child death and Medical content
Minor: Biphobia, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
allonormativity/implied asexual erasure, implied intersex erasure, implied transphobiarecycled_personalities's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
nicole_schmid's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Murder, Gaslighting, and War
Minor: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
rai's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Confinement, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Medical trauma, Alcohol, and War
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Toxic friendship
mrtnk's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Rape and Toxic relationship
mn0rgan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The author tried to cram as many controversial topics in as possible and rushed over any resolution or understanding of the issues. It really feels like she crammed in all these things to gain brownie points and to say that her book includes them. This has a terrible portrayal of Bi people and polyamory. If the goal was to portray an unhealthy polyamorous reaction ship; she did succeed at that.
Everything plot wise was so coincidental and convenient for the protagonist and though she ran into man “issues” she didn’t actually have to put in effort to resolve any of them. All the other character in the books were merely accessories.
The relationships were extremely frustrating because the book provided no reason for these characters to be in love or care for or want to support each other beyond the protagonist suddenly going “I think maybe they’re bi too”
It reads like an unedited fan fiction. The lore doesn’t make sense, contradicting itself consistently and the end was entirely predictable. There is no consistent mood or flow. There is no rhyme or reason for any of the decisions or actions of the protagonist. There is excessive detail for things that don’t contribute to the story and a stark lack of detail for anything that would immerse the reader.
For the majority of the book there isn’t even a reason to KEEP reading. No drive to see the characters succeed or persevere. It was a rushed timeline and plot (if you can even say there is a plot to begin with). The language is inconsistent at best making the narrator entirely unreliable. She will go from speaking very educated and powerfully to using “bonkers”
I was incredibly disappointed because this book was hyped up so much, it has potential for a great setting and story. It was just very badly done. I only finished it because it was for a book club. I really wish I hadn’t spent money on this.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Sexual harassment, and War
Moderate: Ableism and Biphobia
Minor: Rape
ktcl's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Toxic relationship
djdembeck's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
The book lacked imagery, and it felt as though I couldn't 'see' any of the world, I was just hearing the dialogue. This is unfortunate, because some parts seemed interesting.
The author clearly has something against men, which feels like the sentiment of hunger games’ Katniss, x10.
I’m not particularly well versed in LGBTQ stuff, but the story right away started with the main character complaining about people's perception of gender fluidity. It felt like those movies/tv-shows that get political when it’s unrealistic and/or outside the reasonable scope of the plot: forced and immersion-breaking
Also confusing because she continually complains about men, and then goes on to enter a polyam relationship with 2 of them, so the entire position was mute.
Moderate: Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, and Alcohol
chamaeleontis's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
The characters were well-developed, and have a very real sense to them. The plot is engaging and doesn't falter. Bonus points for the gorgeous cover, it did not disappoint.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Genocide, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Slavery, Abandonment, and Colonisation
snowydaze's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
However, on a different note I found the ending to be rushed and the epilogue partially confusing. Particularly because of how short it is, the information presented in it does not have enough explanation to really hit home. Additionally she discusses the importance of found family and family obligations in a strange way that works at some points but is muddled in other parts of the story. At times it seems like she excuses their behavior and diminishes her families toxicity as a whole but during other scenes it is explained well. This comes across as muddled and it is harder to fully understand her dilemmas later in the book because of it.
Other than that Iron Widow was a refreshing read with unique plot and although I found the last bit rushed overall it was a great read that I've already pre-ordered and plan on recommending! I can't wait for the next volume to see what happens next!
Disclaimer ~ I got an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail