Reviews with content warning for Rape - Iron Widow

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Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

452 reviews

tfortilney's review against another edition

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? Yes

3.25

I really enjoyed the concept of this book. The mix of traditional Chinese philosophy with fantasy and sci-fi, the awesome Chrysalis battle scenes, and the fact that Chrysalises are a somewhat equal battleground of minds rather than physical power all make for a quick and interesting read.

One thing I have to commend Zhao for is their commitment to female rage and a truly vengeful, violent heroine. Zetian’s prime motivation is revenge — revenge for her sister’s death, and revenge for everything she and countless other women are being put through —, and when she discovers the power she can wield as a chrysalis pilot, she uses it for just that. She has little remorse over torturing and killing people to achieve her goal, and she perhaps comes to enjoy that power a little too much. (An interesting factor, to me, is the way her physical disability — the bound feet — plays into this enjoyment and feeling of freedom.)

Zetian is a great example of a protagonist who is compelling despite not necessarily being likeable. On the one hand, you see the danger of her impulsivity, ruthlessness, and lack of compassion for others. On the other hand, it is satisfying to see her reject the misogynist messages and restrictions imposed on her, destroy the system she (and other women) suffer from, and make men uneasy or afraid in the process. In fact, the very satisfaction that is easy to find in Zetian’s violent revenge makes said violence easier to understand. At times, however, her extreme "badass-ness", like the way she quickly not only graps but dominates the Chrsyalis system, verge on "Mary Sue"-ness.

Zetian’s personality and the fact that she is physically vulnerable without a Chrysalis but mentally powerful also add an interesting dynamic to the romantic relationships of the book. Traditionally “masculine” and “feminine” roles and behaviours get muddled and mellowed in a gender role-critical way,

with Yizhi often taking up the sensitive, caring aspects of the relationship

while Zetian struggles with accepting help and being vulnerable because she is working so hard to be strong and powerful. I would’ve loved to have more of the

poly

relationship because the dynamic was really interesting to me and is a rare sight in popular literature in general, even more so in YA.

Unfortunately, the book grants few other characters the same kind of complexity which, in my opinion, really impedes its feminist potential. From the beginning on, Iron Widow has strong feminist themes. Not only are the misogynistic views of her society forced onto Zetian — often violently, in case of her feet even permanently disabling —, she also has a lot of explicitly feminist, critical thoughts about this system and believes. These scenes often seem very heavy-handed, and Zetian's thoughts a little too explicit and well verbalised for a woman who grew up without the concept of feminism or even female resistance. They also sometimes let Zetian fall into the “not like other girls” trap of writing strong female characters.

While most men are portrayed as misogynistic and violently oppressive, there are at least two, at best four male characters who show a more complex attitude towards the system, Zetian, and her goals of destroying it. The same cannot be said for the female characters as Zetian is apparently the only woman to ever oppose or even openly criticise the system. All other female characters appear to, at worst, submit to men and encourage Zetian to do the same (her mother and grandmother), and, at best, find their one, restricted way of retaining some power while still lacking any truly revolutionary instinct or feminist solidarity (

Qieluo, the White Tiger pilot

It might be Zetian’s lack of compassion and empathy that complicates any way the book could give other female characters and motivations more depth.

With Li Shimin, she ends up acknowledging the way the system forced him to commit murder because his memories and feelings are forced on her through their Chrysalis bond, so she can’t help but see his point of view. She does not have the same compassion for — or even interest in learning the perspective of — Xiuying, a woman victimised by the same system as Zetian and her sister, whose children’s lives are threatened. If anything, Zetian’s earlier thoughts implicitly blame her by wondering why she would even choose to have children — completely ignoring the possibility and implication of domestic violence and sexual assault which Zetian knows is prevalent in the pilot system.

This lack of empathy makes sense for a vengeful character like Zetian, who is powered by grief and rage most of the book (

including when killing Xiuying and her partner

), but it is also very frustrating from a feminist perspective because it prevents the book from exploring other female perspectives and ways of dealing with a misogynistic system. To be fair to the author though, they confirmed on Twitter that this is very much a deliberate choice and part of a character development they planned for Zetian in the sequel, Heavenly Tyrant.

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blkbltchic's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I've been wanting to read this for a very long time. I really enjoy a completed love triangle no matter how brief the moment is. Based on the epilogue I'm wondering if there will be a sequel I haven't been keeping up in that regard. I loved all of the real world cultural details that were interwoven into this fantastical sci-fi story.

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_fallinglight_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark sad 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? Yes

3.5

It was massively entertaining (and cringe at points too) and fast but at the same time you can't carry a whole book on just edgelord antics lol

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itsjayden's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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ashley_reya's review

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adventurous dark emotional sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

What a story! And what an ending!

The betrayal by Xiuying is truly a shock. Also, the tyrannical turn Zetian takes. It’s very interesting to see how her character goes from revolting against the system, working within it, and ending by completely shattering it.

Zetian, Shimin, and Yizhi all grow as people throughout this book. It was wonderful to see the character development evolve based on how they supported and encouraged each other. Allowed for different moments of vulnerability in a world that seeks to exploit that as a weakness.

I do love the throuple they became and the way Zhao navigated that conversation.

The parallels between the misogynistic reality of Huaxia and the misogynistic history/reality of many societies on Earth are very present. Zetian’s feelings and frustrations were ones I’ve known all too well. A very very interesting character. I’m excited to see where this story goes.

Also, the Heavenly Council?! What in the colonizers is going on?! Another last minute wild twist that I was not expecting. The humans being the alien invaders.

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sydneykaye's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious 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? Yes

4.75

sci-fi/fantasy reimagining of the first female emperor of China. very feminist and deals a lot with the patriarchy and violence against women

pretty good representation for a HEALTHY polyamorous relationship

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mossgoblins's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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pengintoppa's review against another edition

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adventurous tense

4.5

worldbuilding is interesting, i liked the 3 main characters. it was cool to read scifi set in china by a chinese author. some of the messaging felt a little heavy-handed.

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betanine's review

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adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

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

3.0

Iron Widow reminds me of a collegiate level Hunger Games based on peoples who would make up modern China, holding on to traditions from the past.

This is an emotional book that hits a number of cultural points throughout the book. I like books that make me think and illustrate a concept or make a point and this book does just that. This one wasn’t really for me due to the amount of anger experienced by the main character and the abuse that the main characters go through throughout the story. A number of times I thought about not finishing the book, but I was hoping for redemption after such darkness.

The theme of this book is to illustrate the abuses and pain caused by a patriarchal rule that uses control and shame to maintain their rule. Initially, the main character sees the injustice women experience. She grows to see the abuse that boys who don’t agree with the patriarchal rule experience next. She sees how someone born to a rich and influential family can have it easier, this isn’t of the hook when they are different. Finally, she sees how people can hurt others even under the threat of the patriarchal rule to hurt others they care for. The book does a good job of illustrating the difference between polyamorous people and sexual promiscuity. Whether one subscribes to that type of relationship being acceptable or not, the distinction is there to see.

This is the first of at least two and it ends with a cliffhanger ready to sitting right into the next installment. Perhaps the redemption I’m looking for will be in the next book. I don’t know that I will read it. While I am sympathetic to the perspectives, it leaves me emotionally worn out.

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neko_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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

4.75

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