I had very low expectations going into this because I've been hurt many times before but it ended up impressing me and I cant wait for the next book. I wish it didn’t take me so long to pick this one up!

Zetian is the female YA bad ass character I’ve been looking for, for so long. It's been awhile since we've seen one, at least in my opinion. I loved her and her strength and how she really stood up for her beliefs and the ones she loves. She wasn’t afraid to speak her mind and was even willing to die. The characters felt real too and the world building was well done.

I will admit some of this was a little confusing to follow but I loved how action packed it is, this book does not slow down. 4.5 but rounding to 5 stars - definitely well deserved and especially for a debut! I'm terrible at reviewing books I enjoyed so thanks so much to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book!

A story that is a mixture of Chinese history and lore as well as Sci fi ,mixed with a bit of romance , that blends into a story that is hard to put down. And if your into the movies or TV shows like Pacific Rim,then this might be for you .As for main the character she's strong-willed to the point she's not afraid too stand up and fight for what she believes in, even though it could mean her death .

I didn't feel like the characters or world was developed at all. This seemed like a misandrist who needed to vent their frustration and chose a book to do so. I also found numerous inconsistencies within the book that I found irritating.

My Thoughts:
This novel has a polyamorous love triangle, a strong-willed girl who wants to change the gender inequity in her society, a superstar Chrysalis pilot who kills his concubine pilots without remorse, aliens, mechanical sci fi machines, Chinese historical characters, an Emperor pilot that has been asleep for two hundred years under the enemy hive. Add to that Game of Thrones style killings and you have an exciting ride with Zetian, historically the only female Emperor of China, now set on avenging her sister and destroying the misogyny in Huaxia. I am beyond thrilled at all of the minority-led sci fi and fantasy coming out. Send more!

Spoiler alert - this book is a wild ride that will end with no conclusion as well as no set date for book #2. If that is a game changer, then wait on starting this book until the next book comes out. Instead read other strong willed female sci fi/dystopia like Divergent, or Hunger Games. At least readers can devour and conclude the series.

From the Publisher:
The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the mecha aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall. It doesn't matter that the girls often die from the mental strain.

When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it's to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister's death. But she gets her vengeance in a way nobody expected—she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is labeled an Iron Widow, a much-feared and much-silenced kind of female pilot who can sacrifice boys to power up Chrysalises instead.​

To tame her unnerving yet invaluable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest and most controversial male pilot in Huaxia​. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will miss no opportunity to leverage their combined might and infamy to survive attempt after attempt on her life, until she can figure out exactly why the pilot system works in its misogynist way—and stop more girls from being sacrificed.

I objectively can acknowledge all of the aspects that have made this book successful so far - an interesting sci-fi premise, characters inspired by chinese history, the visibility/representation, and prominent feminist themes. The best way i can describe my feelings is this is too edgy for me personally.

I kept putting this book on the back burner, and now that I've read it I really don't know why. Talk about a total surprise! Not only is this book well written but the story line is so unique. I truly never thought I'd be reading something that merges history, culture, sci fi, fantasy, and power dynamics so well. If you like reading about strong powerful women this book is definitely for you!

Let me just start with what a wonderful book this truly is. I am so excited to have finally got around to it and it has really taken the book community by storm.

Xiran has a talent of sucking you right into the story. You have no time to prepare and that actually carries throughout the whole thing. There were twists and turns, action, drama, etc. & they just kept coming at you.
I really enjoyed the culture, beliefs and atmosphere. I was a tad confused at times, but it was never hard to understand - just needed to get my brain on straight.
Amazing build on relationships, friendships, and enemies. I just think the continuation will be even better.

All of this is high praise so let me just say that the missing star is because I felt like the end was the reveal then BOOM BAM so fast and it was over. One thing also seemed to convenient like I don't mind going for a bit more of a journey.

so many people told me to read iron widow and they were so right... yet i didn't listen to them for months lol. i had an e-arc and never got around to it before publication but i read it this month and it was such a good book!! i loved the writing style from the start of the book, i don't really know how to explain it but it was amazing, and surprising (in a good way!) considering it's the author's debut too. it was such an interesting world to learn about. i loved wu zetian as a main character and her personality. i love zetian, shimin, and yizhi's love for each other (and also the polyamory rep). i loved seeing them destroy dumb gender roles. so basically i absolutely loved everything! i also really want to learn more about the real wu zetian now! also the ending?? i need more rn please
also the author is an amazing person and i can't wait to read more of their work!

This book was an amazing mash-up of mecha, power dynamics, and political intrigue. The main character was delightfully feral, the love interests were appealing in their own ways, and the twist at the end came out of nowhere. I am dying for the sequel!

What a sucker punch of a debut!! IRON WIDOW was the actual epitome of badass, original, & girlbossing-straight-into-the-sun. The adrenaline rush I had while reading this book gave me such a high and honestly was an exhilarating ride from beginning to end; I absolutely cannot WAIT for the sequel!!

I got about halfway though before DNFing this book, unfortunately - although I wouldn't say it was bad. The characters were interesting and well-developped, but I had a hard time getting into the story, and just gave up when I realized I wasn't enjoying it. Fans of Pacific Rim might have way more fun than me with this story, though, so give it a chance !

Thanks to NetGalley & Penguin Random House Canada for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

With giant mecha fighting bots powered by a male/female pair, the drama kicks off with the protagonist mourning her sister who was killed in a giant mecha fight. Problem is, women voluntarily join the mecha fights knowing they have a very high chance of dying. The sister creates an undying hatred for her sister's killer and works her way through the system to be able to kill him and avenge her sister in the process.

There were some missing elements--like the fact that the protagonist was sad about the sister but we never really learned anything about the sister. It didn't seem like the protagonist *loved* the sister either, maybe she wanted an excuse for Murder. That would make sense and be up her alley anyway, ha. This book will definitely not appeal to everyone because the protagonist is pretty...mean by all accounts. Pretty much all the characters save for two are horrible people, the mecha fighting is sad knowing a girl dies each time, etc. Dark story. I loved it!

I will say that it's weird it's marketed as "feminist" but all the women in this book are awful people. I mean, so are the men, but it's not like the main character is aiming to save women entirely--she is out for justice and blood. The women have their understandable reasons for coping and the protagonist hates it, which is fair. I wouldn't really say the story is feminist in its positivity and overpowering injustice--it's more like a revenge story and the protagonist wages war on misogyny as a whole. It's still a really interesting perspective and different to see which was very entertaining as a book. I'd like to keep reading more books in this series!

Unfortunately, I couldn't get into this one at all. I feel like it might have been a case of wrong place and wrong time, so I might give it another chance later on, but I just couldn't be bothered with it. My mind kept getting distracted, and I'm not sure if it's my fault or the book's. The premise sounded amazing, though.

I ended up DNFingg this about 100 pages in. I really was not a fan of this book and I know that a lot of people have greatly enjoyed this but I am not one of them. I found the character to be whiny and underdeveloped in regards to her motivations

even though the writing is not something i like, the action sequences, the characters and the feminist message make me fall in love w this book. i can see myself rereading this every year.

This was my most anticipated book of the year and it did not disappoint. It took me a a few chapters to get into it, but once the story got going I could not put it down. It was amazing and I loved the characters.
Zetian is one of my favorite characters ever.
The whole story was interesting and written in a way that I could not put the book down once it got going.

Iron Widow was a fantastic read. Perfect for anyone who loves strong female main characters. The characters and world building were both fantastic. This is such a rich blend of mythology and science fiction.

Zetian is a fierce female that doesn’t let anything stand in her way to getting what she wants. In this world women are viewed as subservient to men and exist only to serve them. This is why Zetian is viewed as a problem, because she doesn’t want to conform. She wants to make her own way. When the book starts off she has her heart closed off to others, but I loved seeing her grow as the book progressed.

I love the Chrysalises too. Giant robots that can transform into different forms are pretty cool. Plus I like that they each take the shape of a different animal. Kind of reminds me of Power Rangers in a way.

All I can say is that I hope this book has a sequel, because the epilogue gave us an awesome plot twist. I need more of this world, and I need it now. I would highly recommend this book to anyone wanting something a little different than your usual YA Fantasy or Sci-fi book.

Thank you so much for allowing me to receive an ARC of this book to review.

Let me start off by saying that this was one of the best books I read in 2021! I could not put it down and I was constantly engaged throughout!

Firstly the plot of this book was very well done! I thought it flowed very well and that the pacing of the book kept me engaged as there was always something happening. The twists in the ending were very well done as I did not see any of them coming! And they genuinely shocked me as they happened. I also really loved the world building of this book, as it not only focused on magical aspects but also the mindset and politics of the people.

Secondly, the characters were also very well done. I loved Zetian's strong resolve and will power! Her motivations were well developed and I loved how even though her motivations changed as the story progressed she still held on to her goal of saving future girls from being concubine pilots. Her blind rage also beautifully acts a character flaw as she sees many things one dimensionally (ie. Li Shemin's lack of care for all the dead concubine pilots), and it is satisfying to see her thought process change as she gains more perspective and stops viewing the world through a black and white lens. I really liked Li Shemin as well, and loved how alcohol abuse and withdrawal was portrayed in such a raw way. I also liked that his "crime" was defending a girl who was being assaulted. Which helps show that even though he's part of the reason so many girls are dying, he still himself has strong morals. Lastly, I LOVED Yizhi! He was my favourite character because he was too supportive and had both Zetian and Li Shemin's back throughout the novel! He is the glue that hold the relationship together in my opinion.

Lastly, I loved that this book explored a polyamorous relationship rather than the overdone love triangle. It brought a freshness to this book, and I really liked how the relationship between the 3 MCs grew and become strong. It is important to have representation of all kind in books and this is the first book I read where a polyamorous relationship is being portrayed in a positive light. So I am happy that teens will have a chance to read about a good polyamorous relationship through this novel.

My only criticism of this book is that the magic system isn't explained very well. Ie. there are different types of chrysalises and handguns and one can be more than one type and weak to another etc. I wished there was a section in the end of the book to explain each class, type and strength & weakness for Chrysalises and Hunduns.

Overall I would give this book 5/5 stars as I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!

I've uploaded a review to my instagram page, and will be posting a review on good reads as well as on TikTok shortly!

Wow!
Teenager, Wu Zetian, is mourning her sister and bristling against the constraints and expectations of proper behavior for girls. Over the course of a few months, she learns to wield the weapons of a terrifying war, weapons that only boys can control, or so everyone is told. She fights for the salvation of the young girls who are sacrificed to make the weapons work. And she learns to use a misogynistic society against itself.
Through a series of unexpected twists, Wu Zetian learns resilience, and to recognize that things (or people) are not always what they seem.

This book completely blew me away. It is full of strong, fully realized three dimensional characters whose problems make you root for them and whose strength allows the reader to connect with them. The world is vibrant, and complicated, full of real-world politics that frustrate you and make you cheer every triumph of the main character.