This was quite an adventure! I love the feminist themes, the bled of history with this future world, the triangle that formed, and now I need the sequel.

4.5 stars rounding up. Wow wow wow. Now I see why this is nominated for a best book of 2021 on goodreads! This book was everything. Our character questioned backwards gendered norms, we had a to-die-for “villain”, so many epic scenes. I just devoured this book. Will definitely be picking up book 2.

If we can just insert every stunned reaction gif RIGHT HERE, that would be my face at the end of this book. This left me stunned at the utter C H A O S (and gloriousness) of that epilogue and I NEED BOOK 2.

This book is an absolutely WILD ride and it just got my adrenaline pumping?? Like, you all know that moment in Catching Fire where Peeta says, “if it weren’t for the baby” and it’s pandemonium??? THIS BOOK IS LIKE THAT MOMENT. OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

Why did I take so long to read this book??? I’ve only heard good things and knew it had a polyam relationship, and something to do with giant transforming mechas based on China’s first (and only) female empress. The page count of this book was intimidating to me, but I had NOTHING to fear. I read this book in less than a day because I couldn’t put this down. It ensnared me in the best way, and now I am emotionally undone.

Content notes include graphic descriptions of foot binding, attempted sexual assault, mentions of rape, misogyny, murder, deaths, violence, blackmail, a waterboarding scene, alcoholism and scenes of withdrawal, and mentions of organ harvesting.

This book is told from Wu Zetian’s POV. She has only ever lived in the countryside and when her sister was sold to operate alongside a boy in a mecha called a Chrysalis and winded up being killed, Zetian has vowed to avenge her big sister. This plan means leaving behind the rich boy, Yizhi who she thinks she could’ve loved, and condemning her remaining family to death. Her family never did anything for her anyways but give her pain and misery, and Yizhi and her are miles away in their social classes to ever make it work, so leaving that all behind on what is basically a suicide mission wasn’t too hard for her.

But when she gets paired up with the boy who killed her sister and she actually winds up killing said boy? Everything changes.

I think the most important consequence of her actions is that she meets Li Shimin. He is deadly by all accounts but it turns out he has a very soft heart and I LOVE HIM??? Thankfully, I knew going into this book that this is going to be a polyam relationship so no conflicted feelings whether Zetian will choose Yizhi or Shimin when she can clearly have BOTH (and they can have each other).

This book deserves the hype. It is FANTASTIC. Listen, I don’t know anything really about the comps used to sell this book - I still haven’t seen Pacific Rim or Handsmaid’s Tale. But what I DO know is that this book gives off heavy Evangelion, Gundam, and even some .hack//SIGN vibes sprinkled with ancient Chinese history, but set in a fantastical future.

I think the weirdest thing to wrap my head around in this book is the dichotomy of having real Chinese figures and places inspired by ancient China but the setting is futuristic in its use of mechas and technology? It’s strange and I couldn’t really tell you what all was happening in some scenes, but I just went with it. This book is sometimes just vibes. And that’s okay.

I loved that this story got to stick to the traditional Chinese naming conventions where you’re saying the last name, then the first name. I feel like Western books can be weird about this but I’m so happy this convention was kept for this book!

The moment when Zetian decides to drop Li Shimin’s surname and JUST calls him Shimin??? Like they’re FRIENDS NOW? If y’all could’ve heard my scream at that very pivotal moment. Will readers catch that significance? Probably not a lot will. But it’s big! Contrast that with the fact that Zetian has called Yizhi simply “Yizhi” this entire time and the only time she calls him Gao Yizhi with his surname was to yell at him??? The power she holds over these two is unrivaled (and they love it).

However, I will say that keeping the English translation like “Big Sister” in the book comes across as a little awkward to read when I just know the correct Mandarin words are jiejie and that IS used some of the time. I did find the mixing and matching of the English versus the Mandarin at different points in the story to be very inconsistent throughout the book. That’s really my only complaint.

There is a lot of unnerving things that happen in this book, but I think the most visceral to me is the foot binding. It’s quite detailed and we see how this is something Zetian has lived with her whole life. I think this part of the book hits harder for me personally because it’s something my ancestors would definitely had to go through? My grandmother lived in a more ~liberal~ family, my mom says, and managed to not undergo this in the early 1900s as a child, but further back in the line, there’s definitely women who did. So, this part of the book was a lot. Especially since I wasn’t expecting it.

Zetian is disabled. Because of the foot binding, she has a very hard time walking. At the beginning of the book she had a cane. But when that was lost, she had to deal with the pain and walking on her own. We do see her get a wheelchair later on this book. I think the fact that she can walk pain free in the dream-like realm when she operates a Chrysalis can be something that’s addictive because what happened to her feet is not something that can be undone or ever cured. It’s something she lives with, and to be free from pain for even a little bit is something I can see her wanting to hold on to as long as she can, by whatever means necessary.

What I liked about this book is that this is based on the actual Wu Zetian. Loosely. But the real Wu Zetian’s life is a wild ride. And just borrowing a sliver of that would already be SO MUCH to write about. Add in the Chrysalis, and there’s no end to the action-packed scenes.

This book does explore gender identity a little bit? More so at the beginning of the book than the end. I think it’s interesting how this is weaved into the storyline and we see how Zetian views herself and bucks “tradition” with not only her words but her actions throughout the book. The one time she does try to conform, despite even her presumed enemy telling her not to, winds up biting her hard.

There’s really still so much I want to say, but I don’t know how when all I want to do is scream about how great this book is!!! I love Zetian. I love Yizhi. I love Shimin. Everyone else?? I guess we’ll just have to see. I trust nobody else.

Iron Widow is one of my favorite books this year, if not my all time favorite!! This book gives me LIFE and book 2 can’t come fast enough!

Eighteen-year-old Zetian signs herself up as a concubine-pilot to avenge her older sister’s death. Girls are paired with pilots, who use their qi power to power their machines and fight the aliens beyond the Great Wall, and the girls are sacrificed for their power. In Zetian’s first battle, where she is paired up with the boy who killed her sister, she surprises everyone when she survives the battle but the pilot doesn’t. Zetian is more powerful than they expected, so she’s paired up with the dangerous Li Shimin, one of the most powerful pilots they have. Now that Zetian has some power, she wants to figure out the reason behind this misogynistic situation to save girls from being sacrificed.

This book definitely lived up to the hype. It was action packed and exciting. The beginning was a little predictable, when Zetian achieved what she set out to do as a concubine-pilot immediately. Soon after avenging her sister’s death, the story picked up and had some surprising twists.

Gender was a major theme in this story. Zetian lived in a misogynistic society where the lives of girls weren’t valued. Girls were sent to the battlefield to be sacrificed during alien battles. However, when Zetian gained some power, with having a high qi rating and having avenged her sister’s death, she was prepared to prevent girls from being sacrificed in the future.

Iron Widow is an amazing fantasy debut!

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Don't you just love it when one of your most anticipated reads turns out even better than your expectations? Because Iron Widow is that for me. Thrilling from start to finish, and by start I mean right from the author's note.

This book was wild. I loved how fast paced the story was and how dark it is. I can’t reccomend this enough!

I’ve seen a lot of mixed reviews about this book, and unfortunately I didn’t enjoy it. I didn’t like the world it was set in: everything was confusing and I had a hard time getting attached to the characters. However, this is the first YA book I’ve encountered that deals with polyamory, and I think it’s really great that YA publishing has come this far. Iron Widow wasn’t for me, but I know a lot of readers are going to love it.

Iron Widow is excellent. Very well-written with fascinating, sympathetic characters and a unique and absorbing plot.
Based on the real historical figure of an ancient Chinese empress, it is grounded in the traditional Chinese lack of status or rights for women. However, this SF story takes place in the future and the young girl involved is definitly not your typical meek and obedient female. The story of her rebellion, revenge and ultimate victory, with all its startling revelations and strong push for female empowerment is absorbing. I highly recommend it!


Posted on Goodreads and Amazon.com - Thanks for letting me read and review this book!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of ‘Iron Widow’ by Xiran Jay Zhao. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

Seriously. Thank you so much for letting me read this book! It’s definitely my top favorite release for 2021. I read this physically alongside the audiobook which helped with pronunciations as well as seeing the spellings of names and places. I’ve been feeling a bit burnt out on YA and this is exactly the kind of new and compelling book I’ve been waiting for. Reading this made me remember why I love reading. I’m looking forward to rereading this before the next book comes out.

5/5 stars

From start to finish this book had me hooked! I absolutely loved the unique narrative and the cast of compelling characters. I would definitely recommend this to fans of fantasy and epic tales.

This book was incredible. The characters and world building were just phenomenal, I simply was rooting for every last character. I cannot wait to read more from this author; they have truly outdone themselves. I need MORE after that ending!!!

This book. THIS FREAKING BOOK Y’ALL. It’s been two months since I finished it - which took me ages because I was mildly intimidated by it because it was so hyped up and what if I didn’t like it?

Oh I liked it. It lived up to the hype and exceeded it. Honestly not a day goes by that I don’t think about this book at least once. Constantly just in the back of my mind.

Firstly this book is marketed as “Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid’s Tale” and if you go to read it (which you should 100% do) heed that warning! This book is heavy - it’s brutal and dark. It’s full feminine rage in one completely twisted tale. Briefly this contains mentions and scenes of: murder, torture, rape, misogyny, mental illness and many other hard topics. This isn’t a light read but god it’s just so good that none of it stops you.

The reason none of that stops you - the violence and the pain? The characters who are going through it - the main three in particular. Starting with one of my new favorite characters of all time - Zetian, our main character. The girl who set out to avenge her sister and now is in a position to possibly completely topple the misogynistic system that has been killing women off like they’re nothing but replaceable tools for so long. She’s wild and the embodiment of an anti-heroine. She knows the power she holds and uses every ounce of it to destroy that which wants to see her fail. I could honestly go on and on about her because I love her that much.

But, I have to talk about her support system - and that’s truly what they are. Shining and Yizhi. Two men who love her and support her in every step of her mission. Li Shimin - a murderous pilot and Gao Yizhi - a wealthy intellectual. Polar opposites who come together in their joint admiration for Wu Zetian. Love them and adore them and the end of the book HAS ME STRESSED to say the least.

Also, the three of them getting together? A beautiful representation of a polyamorous relationship? No obnoxious love triangle to distract us from the violence and mayhem the three of them leave behind them? Made the book even better. Made them even better - made them stronger.

The last bit of this book were absolutely wild and unhinged. I basically read the whole ending with my face just stuck in a permanently shocked expression. I know I screamed. I’ve sat on this review for months because my brain was very much just in shambles(sorry NetGalley).

I cannot recommend this enough. Yes it has a cliffhanger and yes I will be internally screaming until the next book is out. But - pick it up. Read it and feel the rage. I also just want more people to scream about this book with.

This book is unlike anything I've read before or would have ever thought to read. Xiran Jay Zhao's TikTok is a work of art and I was so enamoured with her videos that it convinced me to pick up her debut novel.

It's basically Pacific Rim, but angrier and defiantly feminist. There are a lot of manga/anime overtones, 70% of which was lost on me.
I did love how brutal and visceral and utterly furious the writing was. You felt every moment of Zetian's pain, which made the softer moments all the more poignant.

I finished this and then immediately started listening to the audiobook. A science fiction re-imagining of historical Chinese figures that reads simultaneously like a fantasy adventure story and no piece of YA literature I have ever read. In a futuristic world overrun by giant alien beetle-like creatures called Hunduns, Zetian signs up to become one of many concubines of a Chrysalis pilot -- one of the few boys who have a high enough spirit pressure to pilot the giant mecha warriors forged from the spirit metal of the fallen Hunduns. Most concubine pilots are not strong enough to withstand the spirit pressure of their partners and die in battle, but Zeitian -- filled with rage at her older sister's murder -- overpowers her pilot in battle and kills him instead, becoming known as an Iron Widow. When she is subsequently paired with the Li Shimin, the Iron Demon, a prisoner pilot with exceedingly high spirit pressure who serves as punishment for killing his father and brothers, they miraculously both come out of battle alive -- a balanced match. Forced together, Zetian and Shimin try to learn how to work together, joined by Zetian's friend and crush Yizhi, who helps them bond and discover the triad's true strength. There is so much good in this story that it is hard to list it all -- scathing and unyielding criticism of misogynistic gender roles, a "love triangle" that actually turns into a healthy consensual supportive polyamorous relationship, a corrupt and mysterious government, are-they-actually-evil aliens, giant mecha robots...I could not put it down. And want to read it a third time. Brutal and nonstop while also containing moments of tenderness, with a twist at the end that will have readers immediately wanting more. Just wow.

Iron Widow is my new favorite young adult book. Once I started reading it I could not put it down. There were so many unexpected twists and turns. The last few pages left me in utter shock. The characters were amazing. Zetian was everything I wanted in a strong female character. I was so excited to see a subtle nod to polyamory in this book. My biggest and only disappointment is having to wait on the sequel.

Whew. This book was a RIDE. I honestly don't know that I understood what was happening at every point (especially during the fight scenes) but did I care? Absolutely not. I was INVESTED. I loved this characters and this world and the writing and I am dying for the next book and Answers. Obsessed.

This book says that it's feminist yet the MC judges every women she sees and only depends on men. She is also way too cruel and lacks nuance.

Ummmmm…..WHAT?!

For the first half of this book I was a bit wary, because if you know my reading habits at all you all know I’m not a Sci-fi person….like at all. So finding a Sci-fi book I actually like is really difficult, but let me tell y’all about Iron Widow, because WOW.

I really enjoy this book! It’s a clash of Pacific Rim and Chinese Mythology, and was a whirlwind of a time. I’m a big history person, so I love reading books that make me want to scroll through Wikipedia for hours on end to try and read about all the historical influences of a book. And do you ever read a book and just FEEL the history that went into it??? I’m not very familiar with Chinese mythology/history, but I could just feel it in the pages. The time and care that went into this book and making it right, that is something I appreciate.

Can we also talk about how good it feels when the book lives up to the cover?? *chef’s kiss*

And the ending…..wasn’t expecting THAT lol

I knew from the very beginning this book was different from anything I've read before. The fast-paced plot drew me in automatically, and it gave me the feeling of perhaps finding for the first time something that reminded me of watching my favorite anime as a child, but more fierce and for older young adults.
I truly love this book and I think Xiran Jay Zhao is now one of my automatic buy authors.

This is one of the best books I’ve read all year. I can already tell you this review won’t do it justice, because I’m still a little at a loss of how to fully express how much I loved it. It deserves all the stars.

If you loved Pacific Rim, or really any anime with mecha, look no further than Iron Widow. Honestly, I never would have thought a book with mechs as one of the primary aspects of the story could be pulled off so seamlessly, they just feel like something that only works for the screen, but Xiran Jay Zhao pulled it off!

Zetian is, by far, one of my favorite protagonists I’ve encountered in a book this year. She’s a force to be reckoned with on her own but together with Li Shimin and Gao Yizhi, they’re unstable. Also, on that more. POLYAMORY! I’ve been screaming that I would love to see more polyamory in books, beyond adult romance, and this book delivered.

This is an action packed story about a girl who isn’t going to just sit down and follow the status quo. I can’t wait to see what comes next!