This was such an interesting mix of sci-fi and historically inspired themes. There was a very cool world building throughout and the story was incredibly interesting and kept my interest peaked throughout. I will forever love any book with a badass female lead, and this book definitely delivers on that!

Absolutely amazing novel. I was hooked from the first chapter until it was entirely taken aback that it was over. I’m officially a follower of this author, and will preorder anything that they release. The writing style is so refined and the world building is so unique and oftentimes complex, I find myself telling all of my friends to pick up this book, and keep an eye on upcoming works.

Femininity, polyamory, and an incredible new world.

Zhao aces all of these and more in Iron Widow. The world of Huaxia is built on misogyny and the main character, Zetian, breaks and destroys all gender and cultural norms. Her journey from being about to be killed by the Chrysalises to discovering her sexuality and working towards a better world was thoroughly enjoyable to become a part of. Watching her evolve and become at home in her own body from start to finish was truly satisfying.

Additionally, Shimin and Yizhi were written incredibly well, and their polyamory with Zeitan added so many elements, layers, and emotions to the novel. Their discussion with about jealousy was one of my favorite scenes in the whole novel: with the explanation that if Zetian loving one of them, it doesn't mean she loves the other any less. It was a beautiful moment, and from then on, all three became more themselves.

Reading Iron Widow was an emotional rollercoaster to say the least, and I am so unbelievably excited for the sequel!

One of the best books of 2021, I loved the concept and I can’t wait to see what comes next from this author!

This book is so amazing! I absolutely loved zetians badassness and the amazing plot! But I gave it 4 stars because there were someone aspects of it that I did like, for example it was sometimes hard to keep up with the pacing of the book, but other than that, it was so great! That ending had me screaming in my pillows at 3 am.

At the ARC-level this book was amazing, and so I can only imagine the polish of the final book. Not only is this a high-concept sci-fi written by a woman of color, but the craft to back it up results in a flawless execution. It could be my love for Code Geass, a popular mecha-anime, that’s biasing my opinion, but I found the story outside the mechas the most impactful. Wu Zetian embodies the angst and suffering of 4th-wave feminists post-#metoo era. There is no kindling of hatred at her oppression; she is the equivalent of a fiery, vengeful goddess razing down the men that seek to exploit her and womankind.

What I will say is that at almost 400 pages, the book does have some issues of neglecting certain plots until they becomes relevant again. I did find myself questioning why certain characters and scenes were included until reading further into the book and coming across their returns. There was also some dialogue in the most casual settings that came across as too cringe-y and anachronistic. But if those are my only nitpicks, then this book truly has my admiration.

DNA at 45%

I really wanted to love this book. The premise, which promised a “blend of Chinese history and mecha science fiction” sounded really intriguing and promising. I felt that the pacing was kinda off, sometimes it felt fast other times it felt slow. I also get like the author was trying to do too many things at once. Also, the romance was really underwhelming for me, I just didn't understand it. I SOO upset about this because I was so excited to read this. I might try this again in a couple of months but I'm not sure.

From beginning to end this book was absolutely everything! It is definitely one of the best books I read in 2021. The story was so original. The writing was perfect. The characters were badass. I absolutely loved the relationship between Zetian, Li and Gao, but I definitely have a soft spot in my heart for Li. The bad boy who isn’t a bad boy at all *swoon*. Seriously though, if you haven’t read this book yet you are missing out on something extraordinary!

When this book was available on Netgalley as “read now” for 24 hours, I went after it so fast. I WANTED this book. An Asian-inspired fantasy story with a powerful and ambitious woman and a main polyamorous relationship?? SIGN. ME. UP.

This book was everything I expected. While its world is quite different from our reality, the concepts that it showed hit close to home. Especially on patriarchy, “women know how to sacrifice and hence we ask for more”, cruel ambition, and more. The world showed how patriarchy is entrenched into every part of the society’s system.

I loved Zetian. My vicious and ambitious girl. She wants to crush every person who goes against her and who put women down. The way revenge fuels her ambition and pushes her to get more and more? Love it.

This book broke the regular love triangle by making it a polyamorous relationship. When it finally happened, I was like “YES. GET IT.” The author took the trope where one guy is sweet and the other is dangerous and said “why not both of them?” Love it.

While the book was awesome, it wasn’t perfect. I have 2 complaints. One, it wasn’t friendly to beginners to the mecha genre. I have no idea about the genre so it took me a while to understand the concept. Second, it was fully plot-driven, which is always a no in my book.

But hey, it was great. I’m eagerly waiting for book 2. Especially after the twist at the end.

This book had a lot going on, but it had good pacing and the twist at the end was INSANE - I can't wait to get the next book and learn more.⁠ 😱

I loved that the main character was a morally grey/anti-hero/villain protagonist and even though she's a total badass she's not put on a pedestal as this shining beacon of what is right in the world. The patriarchy of her world definitely has it coming, but Zetian is more vigilante than hero and she doesn't care who she has to step on to get what she wants.

There were only two minor things that I could complain about. The first was that it took a little bit to get into - it takes a lot of inspiration from mecha anime and the very beginning felt like a not great novelization of an anime... it was really easy to visualize but something about the translation into novel form was a little odd to read (probably a me thing).

The second thing was the romance. I loved that she chose to upend the stereotypical love triangle in favor of a polyamorous romance. BUT I felt like parts of the relationship weren't as fleshed out as others and one part of it felt more forced than natural.

Overall a really fun, quick-paced read! Definitely recommend!

I put off reading this for so long because I was worried it would be really complicated and confusing as it's nothing like I've ever read before. And I am so annoyed with myself for that!! It was not confusing at all and I found everything related to the world and the mecha system to be really well articulated and easy to follow. The history of the world is given in little digestible nuggets and did not feel overwhelming in the way that some high fantasy/sci-fi can.

This book is compulsively readable and so funny and so poignant. Zetian is a freaking badass and I can't decide if I want to be her or be with her. She's unapologetically herself in a world designed to keep women down. It's both inspiring and enraging as heck. She's stubborn and full of spite and rage and honestly you love to see it.

Everything about this book is absolute perfection and you are doing yourself a disservice by reading this review instead of reading the actual book.

URL: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3987191292?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

OH! MY! GOD!

[Minor spoilers ahead]

This book was an absolute rollercoaster of a book, full of the most unexpected, epic twists and turns. When I first heard of it--when the deal was announced over two years ago--I knew I HAD to read it. I'm obsessed with anything that has mechas in it, and it was pitched as "Handmaid's Tale" meets "Pacific Rim."

"Welcome to your nightmare!"

I am totally obsessed with the unhinged power thruple at the center of this book, because why have one murder boyfriends when you can have TWO!?

The book takes place in a re-imagined ancient China wherein girls are repeated killed in the "pairings" needed to pilot Chrysalises, giant animal-shaped mechas the gods have created to fight off hunduns, creatures that have jeopardized the Great Wall protecting human civilization. When her older sister dies in one of these pairings, Xetian promises to avenge her murderer by offering herself as a concubine pilot in one of these pairings. What she discovers when she becomes a pilot is far worse than anything she could've imagined--and so she sets off to burn down the whole damn system.

Oh, and does she. *dreamy sigh*

The book seethes with anti-patriarchal rage, and it reminds us so much of how girls--and their bodies--are subjugated to physical and emotional violence. It mirrors much of what we see even today, that's nearly painful.

The heroin is gutsy, but still complex--she feels guilt, fear, grief, anxiety, agony, as much as she craves and enacts power, in justified and violent ways. Xetian isn't perfect, but goddamn is she admirable in her ruthlessness. And oh my GOD, I love Yizhi and Limin so much--they're nuanced, balanced, and complex portrayals of masculinity that breaks the mold of what we "typically" expect from boys, and yet they're both so lovable in their own ways ("here I made you buns after you murdered your abuser! So proud of you!")

The worldbuilding is incredibly detailed, infusing cultural and historical details from ancient China, as well as boasting a stunningly awesome Chrysalis piloting system that made me, a mecha fan girl, giddy af.

This book is as fun as it is brutal, and I would recommend to anyone who loves a fresh take on science fiction. It defies everything I expected in the best possible way. And the ending! *clutches my chest* THE ENDING!!! I was breathless.

I can't wait for the sequel!!!!

Oh wow, where to begin with this one. This book was a wild ride from start to finish. I really enjoyed how much the magic system and technology took center stage over other areas. There was also a polyamorous relationship that I really enjoyed seeing since they’re pretty rare in fantasy (and basically in every genre). The reason I ended up giving this four stars instead of five was that I felt the ending was a little too rushed. In the last ten pages, so much happened all at once that I felt the story could have used some help with pacing. I also wish the magic/technology system was explained a little more since it felt confusing sometimes, especially during the fight scenes and for a story that revolves around giant robots fighting aliens, the fight scenes were one of the things I was most excited for but ended being a little disappointed by. Regardless, the plot was fast-paced and entertaining and I can’t wait to see what the sequel will be like. Based on the ending, I feel like we are going to get so much more from this world and I’m so excited to read it.

4/5

Rating 3.5

This was disappointing. The world building is underexplained and kind of confusing. I liked the three main characters, but I wish that the relationship between them had a slower build up. It wasn't bad though. Overall, this book is quick and entertaining, which is more than I can say for a lot of the books I've been reading lately.

You guys. This book!

I loved this book. I had high expectations for it and I was not disappointed. While the book didn't exceed those expectations, it did meet them and I was quite happy. I feel like the best way to describe that feeling is that this book was exactly what I expected it to be (and what I wanted). The majority of my expectations did come from hearing so many people raving about it online and, I have to say, I think this book could be raved about even more.

So, right off the bat, my favorite part of this book was the characters. I, personally, am a character-driven reader. A plot can be amazing but if the characters aren't written well then I tend not to enjoy it as much. But a 4-star plot could still lead to a 5-star rating if the characters are on point. This book had great characters.

My favorite was, of course, the main character Zetian. She is just...amazing. She's badass, she's angry, she's fierce but she's also at a huge disadvantage in this patriarchal world. I found her to be such a great character to read from and I cannot wait for more of her in the next book. It was also refreshing to read about a badass female character who does the wrong things because she's been pushed to the edge. I think the phrase that best describes my feelings about her are "I support women's rights...but more importantly, I support women's wrongs." Zetian, my murderous baby <3 Also, Li Shimin and Yizhi were so well written and I am very attached to this trio.

Now, there's two love interests and one of my favorite parts of the book was that it flipped the traditional love triangle on its head and gave a poly romance to us. Now, this was heavily in the marketing and promotion for this book and I was incredibly excited. I've been reading reverse harem and poly romances in indie books for years now and I've always hoped it would become more mainstream. I will say, I did expect more of a focus on the romance from how talked about it was. I think the next book is set up to further explore this and hopefully have more of it developed on page.

The world was very intriguing. It's based off of precolonial China but does stand as its own fantasy/sci-fi world. There is a bit of world building to decipher but it was easy to learn. I don't read much sci-fi so this world and the way the battles were fought were brand new to me. It was really refreshing and exciting to read a story like this with technology and magic combining themselves.

The writing style was perfect for me. I've been digging myself out of a reading slump and highly descriptive or verbose writing has been a struggle. This book and the way it was written was perfect for my brain. The pacing and writing had me reading hundreds of pages without even realizing. Combined with the plot and characters, this book definitely fits into the category of "books that made me forget I was reading."

Overall, this book was amazing. It was queer, it centered a polyamorous romance, it was full of feminist themes and issues, and it was just amazing. It really highlighted the difficulty in dismantling systems of oppression and how deeply ingrained in people they can be. It was dark and painful but also full of passion and, dare I say, hope. I cannot wait to see where the sequel takes us and, once again, I stan Zetian and her murderous desires.

Please be aware that, although it is YA, this book deals with a lot of difficult topics and themes. Remember to prioritize your mental health first and foremost. Content and trigger warnings include: murder & death, torture, forced body modifications, abuse, violence, sacrifices, misogyny/sexism, alcoholism, depression, anxiety & panic attacks, themes of colonization, talk of sexual assault, and more. Please read responsibly.

This was a fantastic and fresh book unlike any I have read before.

When strong-willed, morally grey Zetian decides to become a concubine-pilot in order to assassinate the man responsible for her sister's death, no one can stop her, She lives in a war torn world where men use women as concubine-pilots for their mental strength during battle. While these men emerge as heroes, their women co-pilots die and are replaced by the next female concubine-pilot. With all the anger and hurt that runs in her veins, Zetian has had enough and will stop at nothing to seek her revenge, even if it means turning into a villain herself. Polyamorous love affairs, battles between robotic Chrysalises and terrifying aliens, and a female lead who refuses to play nice- Iron Widow is a must read.

Iron Widow was an interesting approach to the fantasy genre. Set in modern day China, pilots and their concubines power large fighting devices to overpower and defeat the aliens attempting to invade their land. However, one concubine, enlisting after the death of her sister, threatens to challenge the pilot system, and the lives of the pilots themselves.
Iron Widow did a great job at diving into characters before building the world. However, I was often very confused at first regarding the overall story. I think finding a balance between the important character building that was done with building a littel more information regarding the world.
However, I did appreciate how faced paced this story was! It kept me on the edge of my seat and I did not want to put it down. The ending set up wonderfully for a next installment, which I look forward to!

I’m not sure there is words for how much I actually liked this book! I still find myself thinking about it months later. This felt very different than a lot of ya fantasy. I loved the complex layers of Wu Zetian, I loved how unapologetic she was for doing what she thought was right. The world building was fantastic and the characters were so interesting. I am so excited that there will be a second book coming in 2022!

☆☆☆☆,5 /5
(english review below)

L’autrice nous emmène dans un univers complexe et dense, entre technologie et énergies psychiques, où la femme doit se battre afin de faire valoir son existence.
¤
Les frontières d’Huaxia sont défendues par les Chrysalides, gigantesques machines pilotées par les énergies psychiques combinées d’un homme et de sa concubine. Hélas ! Les combats sont violents, et si les hommes en réchappent, les femmes sont presque toujours sacrifiées.
Malgré cela, Zetian s’engage dans l’armée. Son objectif ? Venger sa sœur en tuant le pilote responsable de sa mort.
Sortie victorieuse de l’affrontement grâce à sa force psychique exceptionnelle, Zetian devient alors Veuve de Fer et rejoint l’élite des combattants. Elle sera dès lors associée à Li Shimin, le pilote le plus dangereux et controversé d’Huaxia.
Bien décidée à rester en vie, Zetian compte profiter de son nouveau statut pour lutter contre le système patriarcal qui régit la société. Elle s’en fait la promesse : dorénavant, les jeunes femmes ne seront plus sacrifiées…
¤
C’est un texte engagé qui m’a beaucoup plu.
Dès les premières pages, l’autrice ébranle son lecteur en nous plongeant dans un monde où la femme est destinée à être sacrifiée, considérée comme inférieure à l’homme. On va aborder le thème du féminisme, du sexisme, de la discrimination. Si je ne me suis pas tant identifiée à la totalité de l’injustice vécue par Zetian et les femmes dans le territoire d’Huaxia car je ne suis pas autant victime de sexisme, je n’ai pas pu m’empêcher d’être touchée et de me sentir révoltée par ce que les femmes vivent dans ce roman, par la manière dont elles sont considérées. Les mots choisis par l’autrice dans la narration sont forts, percutants et même la personnalité de Zetian est mordante.
Dans ce roman, l’autrice a construit un univers assez dense dans lequel j’ai été, au début, perdue. On se retrouvait avec des robots combattants, une guerre avec des aliens, des énergies psychiques liées aux éléments… Dans les premiers chapitres, cela faisait beaucoup d’informations. Cela dit, au fur et à mesure, l’histoire se faisait de plus en plus limpides dans mon esprit et l’intrigue était entraînante. J’ai beaucoup apprécié ce mélange entre science-fiction et fantasy ainsi que les inspirations cherchées dans l’Histoire, plus particulièrement dans l’histoire de l’unique impératrice de Chine, Wu Zetian.
Il s’est passé tellement de choses dans ce roman ! Je ne me suis pas ennuyée une seule seconde. Zetian est un personnage qui m’a chamboulée par ses convictions et sa détermination à changer le monde dans lequel elle vit. Les personnages qui gravitaient autour d’elle ne pouvaient pas rester indifférents et moi non plus. Les scènes d’action étaient bien écrites, très visuelles car je n’ai pas eu de difficultés à imaginer ces fameuses machines utilisées pour combattre et les instants pendant lesquels les personnages usaient de leurs énergies psychiques.
Franchement, c’est une lecture que j’ai beaucoup aimée et que j’ai adorée. Il y a un message fort sur la place de la femme dans le monde. L’autrice a écrit un texte engagé, féministe et dans lequel il y a aussi la représentation de romance polyamoureuse -qui ne prend pas de place dans l’histoire, car il doit avoir 5 moments romantiques sur les 400 pages du roman (pour vous dire que j’ai particulièrement apprécié cette romance discrète) !

Je vous recommande cette lecture chaudement.
D’ailleurs, vous n’avez aucune excuse pour ne pas lire ce roman car, en plus d’être disponible en anglais, il a été récemment traduit en français par @lamartiniere.jfiction !
Moi, j’attends la suite avec impatience !

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ENGLISH REVIEW:

The author takes us into a complex and dense universe, between technology and psychic energies, where women must fight in order to assert their existence.
¤
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.
¤
It’s an engaging text that I really liked.
From the first pages, the author shakes her reader by plunging us into a world where women are destined to be sacrificed, considered inferior to men. We will tackle the theme of feminism, sexism and discrimination. If I didn’t identify so much with the totality of the injustice experienced by Zetian and the women in Huaxia because I’m not so much a victim of sexism, I couldn’t help but be touched and to feel revolted by what the women live in this story, by the way in which they are regarded. The words chosen by the author in the narration are strong, punchy, and even Zetian's personality is biting.
In this book, the author has constructed a rather dense universe in which I was, at the beginning, lost. We ended up with fighting robots, a war against aliens, psychic energies linked to the elements… In the first chapters, that was a lot of information. Having said that, as the story unfolded more and more clearly in my mind, the plot was catchy. I really appreciated this mix of science fiction and fantasy as well as the inspirations sought in history, especially in the story of the only Empress of China, Wu Zetian.
So much has happened in this story! I wasn't bored for a single second. Zetian is a character who overwhelmed me with her beliefs and her determination to change the world in which she lives. The characters who revolved around her could not remain indifferent and neither could I. The action scenes were well written, very visual as I had no difficulty imagining those famous machines used in combat and the moments in which the characters used their psychic energies.
Honestly, this is a reading that I adored. There’s a strong message about the place of women in the world. The author has written an engaged and feminist text in which there’s also the representation of polyamorous romance -which does not take up a place in the story, because it must have 5 romantic moments on the 400 pages of the book (so I can tell you that I especially enjoyed this low-key romance)!

I highly recommend this reading.
Besides, you have no excuse not to read this book because, in addition to being available in English, it was recently translated into French by @ lamartiniere.jfiction!
I’m really excited for the sequel!

Lacking in more ways than one. It was entertaining at some parts, but the author has a lot of room for growth and it feels like this novel was published a bit prematurely, should have given the author some more time to hone her craft because some parts read like a first draft. Good ideas, execution could use work.