Reviews tagging 'Suicide attempt'

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

57 reviews

feverdreamhigh's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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shaipanda's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious 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

OMG BRO HOLY SHIT THAT ENDING WAS FUCKING WILDDDDDD WTF - I fucking knewwww something wasn’t adding up but holy shittt

Ok so this is by far one of the best books I’ve probably ever read??! Like it’s crazy intense and needs a shit ton of trigger warnings but so gooddd - this and this fic I read recently single handedly dragged me out of my reading slump (esp when it comes to fantasy specially) that’s been going on all semester 
JUST SO GOODDD AHH
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goosegrimm's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.75

Really direct and engaging, I very much liked the author's voice. They are very skilled at getting you inside of the heads of the characters. Well worth the read and I am excited to see how they develop. I am impressed that this is their first work of published fiction and yet they've managed to create such an engaging world. Highly recommend for fellow readers of Tasymin Muir's work and people who appreciate a dark story.  
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crimtastic's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I really enjoyed this book. The descriptions and world building were really engaging, drawing from Chinese mythology and some of our more modern concepts like giant mecha robots... such an interesting mash of an idea there. Add into the righteous rage of Zetian and it's just dynamite.

There are a handful of delightful tropes that appear, but my favorite is the love triangle that is not a love corner. It's refreshing to see a blossoming relationship that isn't immediately scalded with jealousy. It may be a bit unrealistic, but honestly, it fits the characters involved.
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roro_lettuce's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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dododenise's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring medium-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

When I first heard about this book I couldn’t believe my ears. It sounded like everything I could want from a book. 
To summarise what arguments convinced me this will be the most amazing book:
  • badass female protagonist fighting the patriarchy!
  • Science-Fiction and fantasy!
  • Pilots!
  • Poly love triangle!
  • Based on the Chinese history and mythology!
Ever since hearing about it I couldn’t wait for it to come out and thanks to NetGalley I was able to read it a little earlier. Thank you!
I’m now thinking about buying a physical copy because this book blew me away, deserves all the support and I just want this gorgeous book to have a place on my bookshelf. 

The characters:
Oh my, the characters. I love them so much. 
Zetian is one of the most badass protagonists I’ve read about in a while. She’s ruthless, fierce and yet, through all her brutality, she has heart. The stark contrast of her love for her boys, and he rage against the system and ferocity of her will to fight it was stunning. 

Shimin just kept on giving. Layer after layer was revealed and through Zetian’s rather biased eyes it was so interesting to get to know him. He has my heart and honestly I just want to give him a hug and never let go. He’s so loveable and yet so strong. Calling him impressive doesn’t even start to say it all. 

And of course Yizhi. I want to call him a ruthless puppy. He feels so different to Shimin and Zetian, giving it a breath of fresh air and yet he fitted perfectly. His presence was so comfortable. He just radiates calmness which the fire of Zetian needed. And yet he’s everything but innocent or shy. That man got a power of his own and I love him for it. 

The three of them make a perfect and balanced team. They just feel right together and all their character moments were so beautiful, I didn’t want to let them go. 

The plot:
This story is so good! The world building is fantastic. It’s so rich and detailed! I have such a strong sense of how this world is put together and even though new revelations did change the world quite a bit, it never fell apart. It just painted an even more detailed picture that wrapped itself around a thrilling plot.
This didn’t let me go! A perfect balance of character moments, reflection, setting something up and pure action. I was rooting for Zetian all the way through, cheering her on to destroy the absolutely horrendous and disgusting sexist society she lives in. 

Conclusion:
This book lived up to all my expectations and created a beautiful world that I don’t want to leave. Without a doubt, 5 out of 5 stars.
And now I can’t wait for the second one!
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jubilee707's review against another edition

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dark 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

5.0

the plot twists are good bc you can see them coming!! foreshadowing on point
the
poly relationship
is so sweet
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