Her characters are out of the age range I'm interested in, but I do like the fact that this book exists. It was a much needed breath of fresh air for YA Fantasy.
Considering this was Xiran's first book, it was really solid. I hadn't enjoyed a YA book since The Hunger Games, but i had a great time with this and am looking forward to the sequel. "I don't wanna be in this girl's head, she mad and sad". 😂 Yep, that feels right. I also really like Xiran's RUclips content, and the fact that they even do RUclips at all because they were so miffed about the Mulan remake they did an hours long deep dive on all the Chinese things it got wrong.
This is a very balanced and even-keeled review. I love your ability to get to the bottom of why you don't like something in a book. I remember really liking this book when I first read it, and being really interested in the character relationships and how they developed (something about it felt fresh in YA).
Commenting before I forget but I am so excited to watch this one! Edit. Honestly I loved this review and I loved this book. One of the things I loved the most is that the mc is a woman who is allowed to be pure angry and it's not shied away from or mitigated. She is furious and angry and out for revenge, and women aren't really allowed to feel this or express it often. It was very hard to read but I felt it was needed
I really enjoy this review! I enjoyed the book and will probably read the next one, but I do feel like the worldbuilding could have been fleshed out a lot more as well as the characters. I felt like Zetian's feelings for Li Shimin were incredibly rushed so their love for each other didn't feel believeable to me. I could see the author trying to put thoughts into Zetian's head early on saying things like, "I hate him, but he also makes me feel some type of way..." but I just felt like it didn't work the way they intended it to. I also felt like we were moving so fast and changing locations so often that I was getting whiplash. If you asked me to describe the ice skating scene, I genuinely cannot explain it to you because I was SO lost. But I did really like the unapologetic rage Zetian's character had and the fact that she wouldn't take shit from everyone. I really wish she kept that energy towards her family, but I can also understand that deep desire to be accepted. But, they treated her like GARBAGE, so I was rooting that karma would hit them lol **SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THE END OF THE BOOK** and I was lowkey celebrating when they finally died
I find the concept of "good book but didn't particularly enjoy reading it" both interesting and frustrating. One book I have that relationship with is A Kind of Spark. It's about an autistic girl who is struggling in a school system that doesn't understand or accommodate her, and her determination to find out more about the history of "witches" in her town and to honor those who are seen as "different" by her town and society. The whole time I was reading it, I was like "yeah, okay, being autistic sucks. I know! I've been there! I don't want to read about this girl having autistic meltdowns and being verbally/emotionally abused by her school!!" It's important for books like this to exist, but it was a STRUGGLE for me to get through.
That book sounds frustrating just based on your description. I will probably end up talking about a lot of books I have this sort of relationship with. Thank you for watching 🙏🏽
I had no clue this was Darling in the Franxx, especially with that Iron Widow concept, now I'm actually interested in a YA novel, maybe it'll give us the ending Franxx never could.
I really anticipated the book and as much as I love it, it is a read that leaves me heated, and I'm literally tired when I finish lol. And having read a memoir of a woman who mostly had her feet bound before she got to stop, it was painful to imagine.
I appreciate your honest and unique reviews! It took a bit of time for me to realize certain books are ok to dnf over discomfort - I started the Poppy War after so many recommendations and it started to get so heavy I found myself feeling guilty for not wanting to finish it. I’ve finally let it go, realizing it’s just not for me and, even if I can handle dark themes in certain contexts, if I feel it growing too dark it’s ok to not go forward. It doesn’t mean it isn’t worth it for some readers, but no matter how good the book is it’s still just story being told and there’s no wrong done putting it down. I’ll still recommend it to those I know usually read in that genre.
I'm here because of the algorithm and I gotta say your review has convinced me to give iron widow a try. Since you mentioned you wanted suggestions I'd recommend Dreadnought by April Daniels as something that's overall a little happier.
I really appreciate this kindnof review! I used to really read/watch a lot of media that really distressed me because i thought i had to just put up with it. But then i realized that all this sad stuff was making me actually feel sad. Its important to think about how something makes you feel/see things as an aspect of what you take away from it. I love seeing a review that presented that in a clear way. Also really glad to see Xiran's books being covered after enjoying her social media presence for so long!
i had a blast with iron widow! i was on a RIDE the entire time and i agree that i never knew where it was going to go. i've also never seen pacific rim (I KNOW i've been meaning to for years) so i only had anime via friend osmosis to compare it to. personally, i usually prefer third person in general so i think the first person made me disconnect a little bc i was Too Much in her head, but it didn't bother me nearly as much as it does in other books. i've been following xiran jay zhao on youtube for a while, so it was fun to read what they'd been working on. it is very intense though! i forgot how dark it got. there are some books where i've got to separate the things it accomplished vs. my personal enjoyment and i can totally see this being one of those for you. congrats on your sobriety journey btw :)
I appreciate this review. I think the prose was little simplistic for me and it felt extremely unsubtle with unrealistic dialogue. In many ways it was very much a telling book rather than a showing book. But at the same time I can see how the fast paced, very direct and blunt style would appeal to some people. I don't know that I'd say it's particularly well written for my tastes, but I can see why so many people found it engaging and enjoyable. Xiran Jay Zhao is pronounced like She-ran Jay Zhow. Zh as in the same way the s in pleasure, leisure, or vision is pronounced and ow as in how you say ow when you get hurt.
I _very_ much agree with your opinion about love triangles---being that there is an obvious main couple with another person tacked on. I really enjoy when I'm honestly unable to tell who the endgame love interest is.
It's bothered me for a while that triangles were more like corners. That being said as someone writing their own triangle, it's not easy weaving everything together and trying to make the characters natural.
You hope bad things happen to them? My guy. The MC let her family get executed didn't she? Because she felt they were going to hold her back and they didn't accept who she was becoming right at the end. In the big finale bit when they take the chrysalis into the city
@@dontfretreadbooks oh lol fair enough. They kind of moved on from it pretty quickly it only got a brief mention really because it was very near the end.
I wonder if people who praise this stupid book are just afraid to say voice their real opinion because the author is a prominent youtube/booktok personality. In no universe do I want to believe that someone can read something this bad and enjoy it... The truth is this book is badly written, it's horrible plot-wise and pacing. I'm not even going to touch character building because it's also garbage. Everything about it makes me fuming mad. The idea that any publisher would read this and think that it was okay to publish it makes me very very sad.
I voiced my real opinion(s) in this review. I don’t really care if the author is a prominent creator on RUclips or tiktok. I thought the premise was cool and I’m probably gonna read the sequel when it comes out. You don’t have to believe that but that’s the truth.
@@dontfretreadbooks Yes, I absolutely don't believe that this is an honest opinion. No way you read "Fourth wing" and didn't like it for the reasons you didn't like it (which are valid and on point) and then turn around read this and enjoy it. This book is horribly misandrist and misogynistic in how it treats every woman who isn't the MC, in ways that are, to put it mildly - disgusting, even if you put aside how badly it's written and how much it doesn't make sense. But people would still praise it or skim over their opinions because of how popular the author is on RUclips and how much popularity they have.
![ATEEZ(에이티즈) - [GOLDEN HOUR : Part.2] Preview](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/X4PfgRPBUVo/mqdefault.jpg)
Her characters are out of the age range I'm interested in, but I do like the fact that this book exists. It was a much needed breath of fresh air for YA Fantasy.
Considering this was Xiran's first book, it was really solid. I hadn't enjoyed a YA book since The Hunger Games, but i had a great time with this and am looking forward to the sequel.
"I don't wanna be in this girl's head, she mad and sad". 😂 Yep, that feels right.
I also really like Xiran's RUclips content, and the fact that they even do RUclips at all because they were so miffed about the Mulan remake they did an hours long deep dive on all the Chinese things it got wrong.
This is a very balanced and even-keeled review. I love your ability to get to the bottom of why you don't like something in a book. I remember really liking this book when I first read it, and being really interested in the character relationships and how they developed (something about it felt fresh in YA).
Yeah as hard as this was to read I will likely read the sequel because I’d love to know how things play out.
Commenting before I forget but I am so excited to watch this one!
Edit. Honestly I loved this review and I loved this book. One of the things I loved the most is that the mc is a woman who is allowed to be pure angry and it's not shied away from or mitigated. She is furious and angry and out for revenge, and women aren't really allowed to feel this or express it often. It was very hard to read but I felt it was needed
I agree! The unapologetic rage is part of what makes this book a breath of fresh air.
I really enjoy this review! I enjoyed the book and will probably read the next one, but I do feel like the worldbuilding could have been fleshed out a lot more as well as the characters. I felt like Zetian's feelings for Li Shimin were incredibly rushed so their love for each other didn't feel believeable to me. I could see the author trying to put thoughts into Zetian's head early on saying things like, "I hate him, but he also makes me feel some type of way..." but I just felt like it didn't work the way they intended it to. I also felt like we were moving so fast and changing locations so often that I was getting whiplash. If you asked me to describe the ice skating scene, I genuinely cannot explain it to you because I was SO lost. But I did really like the unapologetic rage Zetian's character had and the fact that she wouldn't take shit from everyone. I really wish she kept that energy towards her family, but I can also understand that deep desire to be accepted. But, they treated her like GARBAGE, so I was rooting that karma would hit them lol **SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THE END OF THE BOOK** and I was lowkey celebrating when they finally died
I find the concept of "good book but didn't particularly enjoy reading it" both interesting and frustrating.
One book I have that relationship with is A Kind of Spark. It's about an autistic girl who is struggling in a school system that doesn't understand or accommodate her, and her determination to find out more about the history of "witches" in her town and to honor those who are seen as "different" by her town and society.
The whole time I was reading it, I was like "yeah, okay, being autistic sucks. I know! I've been there! I don't want to read about this girl having autistic meltdowns and being verbally/emotionally abused by her school!!"
It's important for books like this to exist, but it was a STRUGGLE for me to get through.
That book sounds frustrating just based on your description. I will probably end up talking about a lot of books I have this sort of relationship with. Thank you for watching 🙏🏽
I had no clue this was Darling in the Franxx, especially with that Iron Widow concept, now I'm actually interested in a YA novel, maybe it'll give us the ending Franxx never could.
That's what Xiran says they were trying to do in the afterword
I really anticipated the book and as much as I love it, it is a read that leaves me heated, and I'm literally tired when I finish lol. And having read a memoir of a woman who mostly had her feet bound before she got to stop, it was painful to imagine.
I appreciate your honest and unique reviews! It took a bit of time for me to realize certain books are ok to dnf over discomfort - I started the Poppy War after so many recommendations and it started to get so heavy I found myself feeling guilty for not wanting to finish it. I’ve finally let it go, realizing it’s just not for me and, even if I can handle dark themes in certain contexts, if I feel it growing too dark it’s ok to not go forward. It doesn’t mean it isn’t worth it for some readers, but no matter how good the book is it’s still just story being told and there’s no wrong done putting it down. I’ll still recommend it to those I know usually read in that genre.
I'm here because of the algorithm and I gotta say your review has convinced me to give iron widow a try. Since you mentioned you wanted suggestions I'd recommend Dreadnought by April Daniels as something that's overall a little happier.
Iron widow is really great the sequel comes out in a few months
I really appreciate this kindnof review! I used to really read/watch a lot of media that really distressed me because i thought i had to just put up with it. But then i realized that all this sad stuff was making me actually feel sad. Its important to think about how something makes you feel/see things as an aspect of what you take away from it. I love seeing a review that presented that in a clear way.
Also really glad to see Xiran's books being covered after enjoying her social media presence for so long!
I absolutely enjoyed iron widow it's so great I'm totally will be reading the sequel once it comes out
I have the book, but I haven't read it yet. 🙈
I'm in. Good reviews. Good voice. Good face. Good concept. Women dominate book tube and it's refreshing to hear your perspective.
i had a blast with iron widow! i was on a RIDE the entire time and i agree that i never knew where it was going to go. i've also never seen pacific rim (I KNOW i've been meaning to for years) so i only had anime via friend osmosis to compare it to. personally, i usually prefer third person in general so i think the first person made me disconnect a little bc i was Too Much in her head, but it didn't bother me nearly as much as it does in other books.
i've been following xiran jay zhao on youtube for a while, so it was fun to read what they'd been working on. it is very intense though! i forgot how dark it got. there are some books where i've got to separate the things it accomplished vs. my personal enjoyment and i can totally see this being one of those for you. congrats on your sobriety journey btw :)
i think you should review your favorite book that you mentioned here. i didn't catch the name but the MC sounds right up my alley
I think I will!
I appreciate this review. I think the prose was little simplistic for me and it felt extremely unsubtle with unrealistic dialogue. In many ways it was very much a telling book rather than a showing book. But at the same time I can see how the fast paced, very direct and blunt style would appeal to some people. I don't know that I'd say it's particularly well written for my tastes, but I can see why so many people found it engaging and enjoyable.
Xiran Jay Zhao is pronounced like She-ran Jay Zhow. Zh as in the same way the s in pleasure, leisure, or vision is pronounced and ow as in how you say ow when you get hurt.
Was hoping you would review this one after you mentioned it in your last video!
Maybe something by Jemisin? Like the City we became
I _very_ much agree with your opinion about love triangles---being that there is an obvious main couple with another person tacked on. I really enjoy when I'm honestly unable to tell who the endgame love interest is.
It's bothered me for a while that triangles were more like corners. That being said as someone writing their own triangle, it's not easy weaving everything together and trying to make the characters natural.
You hope bad things happen to them? My guy. The MC let her family get executed didn't she? Because she felt they were going to hold her back and they didn't accept who she was becoming right at the end. In the big finale bit when they take the chrysalis into the city
I dunno might’ve missed that detail. Was reading it on a plane and some mf kept falling asleep on my shoulder so I was a little distracted my guy.
@@dontfretreadbooks oh lol fair enough. They kind of moved on from it pretty quickly it only got a brief mention really because it was very near the end.
I wonder if people who praise this stupid book are just afraid to say voice their real opinion because the author is a prominent youtube/booktok personality. In no universe do I want to believe that someone can read something this bad and enjoy it... The truth is this book is badly written, it's horrible plot-wise and pacing. I'm not even going to touch character building because it's also garbage. Everything about it makes me fuming mad. The idea that any publisher would read this and think that it was okay to publish it makes me very very sad.
I voiced my real opinion(s) in this review. I don’t really care if the author is a prominent creator on RUclips or tiktok. I thought the premise was cool and I’m probably gonna read the sequel when it comes out. You don’t have to believe that but that’s the truth.
@@dontfretreadbooks Yes, I absolutely don't believe that this is an honest opinion. No way you read "Fourth wing" and didn't like it for the reasons you didn't like it (which are valid and on point) and then turn around read this and enjoy it. This book is horribly misandrist and misogynistic in how it treats every woman who isn't the MC, in ways that are, to put it mildly - disgusting, even if you put aside how badly it's written and how much it doesn't make sense. But people would still praise it or skim over their opinions because of how popular the author is on RUclips and how much popularity they have.
@ina7238 I hope you find a book reviewer who’s opinions you can trust and find more enjoyable.
@@ina7238 ok byeeeeeeeee
@@jrrh1337 ✌