Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao is a science fiction, fantasy novel following Wu Zetian in a reimagining of China's first and only female emperor - not an alternate history story or a historical fantasy novel. Iron Widow is set in a world of its own that is inspired by figures in Chinese history, as said by Xiran Jay Zhao. This novel contains the best kind of love triangle you can find - one that ends up as a polyamorous relationship. This novel started off with a content warning, allowing a reader prepared for what kind of material to expect while reading.
Wu Zetian enlists as a concubine-pilot to kill the pilot responsible in the death of her older sister. She becomes the Iron Widow and ends up paired with a different pilot. In the book, there is bisexual representation, and disability representation. The latter of which is through Wu Zetian herself as she was a victim/survivor of foot binding.
While reading, I went on a journey of emotions; rage, horror, embarrassment, grief. This novel actually had a plot twist that I didn't see coming and left me shocked. Hint: it's in the epilogue.
I'll gladly read the next book if/when it gets released.

Like some other reviewers, I really wanted to love this story. I tried to read it for over a month and it just never drew me in. Right off the bat, it felt like a technical description of a bad video game and lost me. The world building and history of what was going on was non-existent! I ended up skimming and I don’t think I missed anything. I wish I hadn’t tried for a month to read it.

I wanted to love this book so bad and I am so disappointed right now. I feel like this honestly could have been such a good book if the author rewrote it a couple more times.

Iron Widow is described as Handmaid’ Tale meets Pacific Rim featuring a polyamorous relationship. And for once in a long line of YA tag lines, this is actually a pretty good description. Our main character lives in a world that has been taken over by aliens - we don’t know much more about the aliens then that - and in order to fight back and keep them at bay, male pilots use giant machines and their Qi power to use the machines and kill the aliens. And in order to make sure that the males have a perfect life they are given concubines to assist with piloting and also making sure their every need is satisfied.

My main issue with the story was the writing. It felt like a Wattpad story that I would have read years ago in which the main character is so different and special and also tortured. Our main character has a terrible life. Her family is mean to her, her sister was killed in the war (the only family member she liked), her country is forcing her to become a concubine, her feet are bound and therefore she walks with a limp, but she is also really outspoken and wants to save the women from becoming sacrifices. I hated how her whole family was so mean to her especially the women which made no sense. And I hated how every interaction she had with another female was so limited and so awful.

Overall, I enjoyed the plot of the story with the exception of the end. I found the end to be a little crazy especially the epilogue. But I thought the way that the story progressed was at a fast-pac and had quite a few twists and turns. I wish we had gotten to spend a little more time in the world that the author built and learn more about why things were the way they were or how they started using these machines.

I enjoyed the polyamorous relationship although it was mostly background. But I liked how it actually made sense and was true triangle.

I would probably not pick up the next book as I felt like the ending put the story in a weird place to continue.

The perfect combination of angry feminist reimagination of Chinese history (first Chinese female emperor? sign me up!) and mecha sci-fi. Reading this book had been an entirely new experience, with many exhilarating moments that are permeated with meaningful themes so masterfully weaved together with both traditional and modern, futuristic sensibilities. I definitely had so much fun reading this book and would gladly devour its sequel when it comes out.

This book was absolutely fantastic! I will be recommending this to so many of my customers.

I highly recommend to anyone who likes historical SFF. The author does specifically state that she was not trying to be historically accurate, but was inspired by historical figures across Chinese history. I do still think that if you like historical SFF this is a great option.

A powerful female character fighting back against the patriarchy in a way I wish I had been able to read when I was a teenager.

Even though this book is marketed as a YA title, I did not feel like it fell into the pitfalls of most YA novels. While there were some cringe romance moments, there were very few and I was only pulled out of the story once or twice. (Which is what made this book 4.5 stars instead of 5.) This story also includes a polyamorist relationship that I thought was extremely well done.

CW: rape, mentions of rape, alcoholism, general murder/gore.

I received an advanced copy of Iron Widow through Netgalley so I could share my review with you!

Content Warning: Iron Widow contains scenes of murder, violence, gore, torture, suicide ideation, domestic and parental abuse, trauma, depression, anxiety and panic attacks, footbinding, misogyny and sexism, discussion and scenes involving sexual abuse, alcohol additiction, withdrawls, torture, and death.

Zetian is out for revenge, and she doesn’t care who has to die for her to get it. The world around Zetian is structured to keep women down, ordering them into positions of subservience in a system of dual pilot war-bots. Each of these machines, called Chrysalises, requires a male and a female pilot, but their roles are anything but equal. The male pilots survive battle after battle, gaining fame and fortune from their roles on the war front, while the female concubine pilots are used as nothing more than batteries, to be discarded at the end of each battle when they’ve been burned out. After her sister lost her life to one of the most famous pilots, Zetian enlists as a concubine pilot with a single mission; she is going to kill the man that murdered her sister, even if it costs her everything.

You can get your copy of Iron Widow now from Penguin Teen!

Once every handful of months, I come across a book that I wish I could give a rating higher than five stars. Iron Widow has easily earned this title, with its amazing plot, characters, and world-building earning it six solid-gold stars! This is easily one of the strongest debut novels I’ve ever read, and I will be itching for the sequel until it comes out next year. Of all the things that made Iron Widow such an amazing read, I think that what set it apart for me was the perfect pacing of the story. There was never a moment where I was bored, yet there was still plenty of time for world-building and character development. With such high stakes, it would have been easy for the story to feel rushed, but that was never the case. And as a side note, the author’s twist on the classic love triangle trope was sheer perfection. From here on out, I will only be accepting polyamorous love triangles, because Xiran Jay Zhao has ruined me for anything else!

My Recommendation-
If you loved Gearbreakers, In the Ravenous Dark, or She Who Became the Sun, you need to pick up a copy of Iron Widow! I would especially recommend this book to readers searching for a story with a ruthless female protagonist, who is willing to do whatever it takes to get revenge!

I cannot and will not stop thinking about this book. It is one of the best books, not just of the year but ever!

I had the highest expectations going in because I’ve been following the author and seeing them talk so much about this book, I was so eager to read it because it just sounded like something fresh and unique and it was!

The way the author tackled the polyamorous relationship was so beautiful to me, I have watched and read other stuff about polygamy but I’ve never seen it be handled so beautifully. I literally had tears in my eyes. And it was done very tasteful too which was needed because it’s a YA book for teens!

The characters have my whole heart. I especially love our MC, I know she is supposed to be unlikeable but that is exactly why I love her. She is unapologetic. She is fierce. She is herself. She is a force and I think we need more characters like hers!

The ending really had me SCREAMING and I cannot wait for the next book! This is seriously one of the most amazing books I’ve read and I’ve been recommending it to everyone who will listen!

I LOVE history and I have such trouble with sci-fi, but the balance Xiran Jay Zhao strikes in this book was, for me, perfect. The creativity with which these figures in Chinese history were woven into this world with striking misogynistic systems was incredible. Though it's hard for me to weigh elements of this book against each other - it was honestly entirely well done - I must say the characters struck me the most. AND THE POLY REP??? *chef's kiss*

This story was a fast read, it definitely has a lot of similarities to Pacific Rim. I enjoyed the military and the fighting aspects. There were several times when I found the writing and the sequence of events very confusing. Also the description of the invading aliens, as well how this special metal works was not completely clear. There was a lot of action, fast paced and intense moments throughout. This world is very heartbreaking, especially for how it values women in the society. I loved the ending. There was a lot going on and I am curious as to where the story is going to head. I did enjoy this book but it did not blow me away. I would still definitely check it out.
Trigger warnings: rape, mutilation, death and abuse.
I received this advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

I absolutely adored this book!!! The world, the romance, the dark elements!! IRON Widow is one of the most compelling sci-fi fantasies I’ve read!!!!!

4.5 stars

Well, this book just throws you in and NEVER. STOPS. And wow, what a journey.

Iron Widow is billed as a Pacific Rim meets Handmaid's Tale reimagining of China's only female emperor and this description is incredibly on point. From page one, the reader is thrown into the world of Huaxia, where our main character Zetian willingly offers herself up as a concubine-pilot so that she can assassinate the male pilot who murdered her sister. What starts as a classic revenge story becomes so much more as Zetian rails against the oppressive world she lives in, where girls are treated as commodities, sacrificed to male pilots in the name of a war effort against the alien robots that plague their lands. As Zetian learns about and embraces her own powers, she is paired with Li Shimin, the strongest pilot around who is widely feared after he murdered his family. But Zetian is no longer afraid as she sets out topple the system that has oppressed girls like her for so long.

As I said above, this book is just...wow. Just non-stop action and empowerment balanced with introspective character moments that took my breath away. I do think this book was hard to read at times in the same way that reading/watching Handmaid's Tale has always been hard for me - it's tough to see women and girls trapped in a system that devalues them so extensively, so please note the content warnings here, including rape and murder. That said the moments of strength and sheer will from Zetian are so inspiring this book left me feeling amped up and ready to smash down some walls and tear down the patriarchy. Oh and the love triangle here? Literally one character says to Zetian "you'd better not be tangled up in a love triangle" to which she responds "don't you know basic geometry?...a triangle is the strongest shape" and boy howdy this book leans into that and I am here for it. Love this poly/queer rep - it's so great to see. The end of this book was mind-blowing and all I could do is nervously giggle and say "wtf?" repeatedly out loud so it's safe to say I can't wait for book 2.

I will say I found some of the language here to be anachronistic and it occasionally took me out of the story but it wasn't a huge issue as the characters and story always brought me back into it. I am also not a huge sci fi person and while I was into the story this means that my eyes did glaze over some of the world-building stuff from time to time, but again this is a minor quibble. All in all, I definitely recommend this book and cannot wait to read the next book and whatever else the author writes.

Thank you very much to the publisher and Netgalley for an e-arc!

𝟰.𝟱✰/𝟱✰
"𝘐 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 : 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯."

This book catches your attention from the very beginning. I love only a few select scifi books and pick them up rarely. So this one was quite a surprise.
Let's talk about the Mc character first ;
Zetian is a girlboss and so unapologetically herself. I loved her internal monologue and her thoughts mirrored my own at times. She's so morally grey, reckless and fierce, you can't help but root for her.

Zetian : says something
Me : HIGHLIGHT THAT RIGHT NOW!✍🏼

The other characters (also love interests) have their own attributes that makes them standout. I couldn't choose between them. They are both opposites of each other but I love them both.
This is the only love triangle I approve of.

I found it a little hard to wrap my head around all the action scenes (my brain has its picture imagination limits okay). This world is very compelling (the Chrysalises and how they work and how the elemental magic is a player in it). The ending was like a gut punch and now I cannot wait for the second book.

There are a few TWs to be aware of mentioned in the beginning of the book
Violence and torture, Thoughts of suicide,
Alcohol addiction, Conversations on sexual assault (no on page depiction)

This book was a truly stunning debut and an awesome world to dive into! The story kept me on my toes and I really enjoyed it, and the mix of culture was really interesting.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada books for this amazing e-arc.

I've officially proclaimed this book the feminist manifesto and only available for the girls and gays and anyone on the alphabet mafia.

Over the 15 years of my existence, I've probably picked one sci-fi novel ( The Selection to be exact) and I fucking ate it up. This book was amazing like friends-lover, enemies-lovers, and polyandry in a ya novel; also including diverse characters that are one of kind. I genuinely want everyone to read this book and change the expectations of ya and move on to something diverse that literally embodies inclusiveness, without the feeling of it being pushed on you.

Overall read this book or you just missing out on life experiences.

( The theme of the book is girl boss, gatekeep, gaslight)

This will be one of the best science fiction novels of the year. Wu Zetian is an unforeseen women who is found to have a strong affinity for being able to pilot a Chrysalis mecha type fighter which are normally controlled by a male pilot with female “concubine” assistant. The battle scenes are exciting and are supported by political intrigue that pushes to maintain the historical power structure in this alternate China type society. Through in a possible love triangle and I’m excited for more.

I have no words to describe how utterly compelling and addictive this YA fantasy about a girl who vows to kill the boy responsible for her sister´s death in a world where boys drain girls of their energy to pair up with giant mecha and battle against invading aliens was.



I was hooked from the first page and read this book in less than a day. This book is nonstop action with short chapters that make you fly through the book as you follow Zetian on her journey to get close to her sister´s killer only to actually end up killing him and discovering she´s an Iron Widow, a girl capable of draining men of their energy instead of the other way around. In this patriarchal misogynistic society we can't have that so she is instantly paired up with the most powerful boy who will surely kill her...except she doesn´t and she plans to overthrow the entire system.



I enjoyed her character, she wasnt extremely naïve or extremely cynical and was still trying to help women by playing into the system. We get to see her as she quickly learns not everyone is able to just shrug of societal rules and risk death or harm and how not everything is black and white when it comes to this system. In the way of development, she didn't really have any. While she did learn to not judge too quickly she was still the same angry and vengeful girl she was in the beginning, it wasnt a problem however because I liked where she is as a person. My dear Shimin... how I love that boy, his character was also very interesting and I hope to get to know even more about him. He deserves all the cabins in the woods.



The qi system and the interaction with the mechas was pretty entertaining and had me imagining the most iconic images, it was a bit hard at times but nothing too complex. There are so many things that we have yet to discover about this type of energy system that I am excited to get into its sequel! Likewise, the world itself and the combination of old and new was a breath of fresh air.



As for the romance, I was super excited because it is a poly romance in a YA fantasy and it was so cute. I really enjoyed their dynamic and need more from these 3! In the way of building that romance in a traditional way, it wasnt like that at all so I didn't really feel that romantic vibe at all more like partners so meh



Finally, the revelations and the battle scene were....wow



I highly recommend you check this book out.

If I were to describe "Iron Widow" in a few words, they would be, "perfectly imperfect". On the one hand, I drank this book up, reading it quickly once I sat down and gave it a chance. As I'm wont to do with books I find engaging, I did find myself skimming some sections to get to the resolution of the conflict. But there were so many aspects of this that SHOULDN'T have worked for me. But somehow...it still did!

With most YA, I am on here complaining about how slow the plot develops, with expositions that seem to span hundreds of pages. But "Iron Widow" drops the reader right in and resolves the inciting incident rather quickly, morphing it into a larger conflict in record time. Further into the book, I found a similar pace, with almost every issue or problem being resolved in mere pages. So for once, a faster pace DIDN'T work for me in many places. But there were definitely scenes I appreciated not having to read (e.g. anything decided by a council). That all said, I would have been upset had Zhao omitted anything from book one, saving it instead for book two in order to just describe a slow, tedious process for the sake of immersion or something.

My only other qualm that I normally don't have with YA fantasy/sci-fi was the dialogue. Because of the faster pace, as I mentioned before, I found myself speed reading a bit. Usually that means I speed through descriptions of setting or character to read the dialogue (and key scenes of course!). And usually the dialogue is enough to capture the characters' voices and seem authentic and engaging. There were scenes where the dialogue was fantastically written, but much of it was clunky and awkward in my opinion.

Despite feeling a bit less enthused about the writing style of this one, I still gave it a good rating because what makes this book good is the story. It has a lot of potential to turn into something epic in future books, and I kept thinking about these characters and their world for days after I put it down. I can nitpick and unpack why this book wasn't a "perfect" read, but nevertheless, it was thoroughly enjoyable, and I will reread to finish up the series!

Xiran Jay Zhao blends elements from Pacific Rim, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Chinese history to give Iron Widow the most compelling and engaging read.

Strong Foundation
The fact that Iron Widow is inspired by China’s only female emperor, Wu Zetian, is incredible. Now, Iron Widow is not historical fiction but instead blends history and futurism to make the story work.

There are practices in this novel, such as foot-binding that do not take place much, if at all, nowadays. Furthermore, I think it was powerful of Zhao to bring this bit of history to light because it does highlight the rampant sexism and misogyny going on in the novel.

There is no balance in power in this novel; the women are supposed to be subservient to the men. Ying and Yang, Zetian knows this but does not like it. Being a concubine-pilot costs Zetian her sister’s life, and Zetian is determined to figure out why the balance tipped so much in favor of men. Women are constantly asked to sacrifice themselves daily in giant robots to help the men win battles.

However, Zetian refuses to be fodder. Using a historically influential figure gives the story its richness and strong feminist edge to draw in the reader.

Excellent
Iron Widow is, without a doubt, engaging. Zetian is a compelling character with her resilience. She is constantly standing up to her family and against the sexism that has built their society from the beginning.

Zetian resents her family, first for crushing her feet to practice foot binding and then sacrificing her sister and herself as concubines for money.

Her entire journey begins as revenge, but her strength motivates her to do more, to be a weapon against a society that would keep women subservient and beaten down.

What I also loved alongside Zetian’s journey was the romance and friendship that blossoms between the characters. The polyamorous relationship gives the dynamics such an excellent stage for them to develop.

There is such an insurmountable amount of respect between these characters, making them a team you want to root for.

These are unforgettable characters who love one another and respect one another, keeping up the flow and momentum of the story. That is what makes them so incredible.

Final Thoughts
Iron Widow is a remarkable novel. Utilizing a strong female character with roots in history while layering in futurism allows the plot to tackle misogyny and sexism in a compelling and forthright way.

I actually started writing notes at a quarter of the way through the book. It was intense reading (and I had no idea it was 400 pages, it flew by fast!) But I still loved it. I did have my issues with the book, but it thankfully came with trigger warnings listed at the front! (I wish more authors would do this!)

Trigger Warnings: misogyny and femicide, rape mentioned, physical and emotional abuse, suicidal ideation, alcoholism, blood and gore, murder, torture, torture of a child

This is not a book for the faint hearted or those easily offended.

Wu Zitan is a girl fixing to go off to war for her family, as she has no desire to be married. She also doesn’t want to die but it’s common knowledge that girls don’t live long upon serving the men in the army. Wu Zitan is only going so that she can get vengeance for her Big Sister who was killed recently. (Unsure if this is a SPOILER) she succeeds… and falls into worse trouble.

I loved Wu Zitan’s character. She was strong willed despite shit after shit flung at her, and she still triumphed against all odds though that cliffhanger was definitely not what I saw coming. I had suspicions for something else entirely but it’s nice to be surprised. I liked that there wasn’t a love triangle. I won’t say anything because I don’t want too many spoilers. But I’m happy for how the relationship turned out. The books cliffhanger is still frustrating and I need the second book. I can’t begin to rate this highly enough but I believe it’s earned it’s rating!

My Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of the book. I definitely look forward to the sequel!

Thank you Penguin Teen, Netgalley, and Ziran Jay Zhao for sending me an eARC of Iron Widow to read and give an honest review.

"Be their nightmare."

Content Warnings:
- Violence and Abuse
- Torture
- Suicide Ideation
- Discussion & references to sexual assault (though no on-page depictions)
- Alcohol addiction

The girls of Huaxia dream of being a One True Match to a Chrysalis (giant transforming robots powered by qi that battle Hunduns, mecha aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall) pilot so they can be elevated in life and serve their country. Most often though, these females are just concubines and can't handle the mental strain; they die.
When 18-year-old, headstrong Zetian offers herself up as one of these concubines, it's to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister's death. But she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and their concubines, which no one expected, and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is then called the "Iron Widow," a feared and silenced kind of pilot simply for being female - she has more strength than the male and therefore kills THEM instead of herself.
To tame her unnerving yet high mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, a murderer, but also the strongest pilot out on the field in Huaxia. But now that Zetian knows what real power feels like, controlling a Chrysalis on her own, she will not give it up so easily. She misses no opportunities to leverage their valuableness and infamy to survive. At least, until she figures out exactly why there is unfairness towards females in their society AND can stop more girls from being sacrificed.

First of all, the characters were well-written. I loved Zetian's fire, though sometimes I thought it was a bit much and that her emotions clouded her judgment. I didn't see much character development in her - even in the beginning, she was headstrong and fiery. I didn't really feel that the other characters had much personality besides going through some trauma or being kind like Shimin and Yizhi.
Secondly, the plot was fantastic. There was a lot of action and the pacing was on point. I think the polygamous relationship was an interesting touch as I've only read one book with that once before (Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare).
Thirdly, the worldbuilding was okay. I think there was just a LOT of it in Iron Widow. In the beginning, I almost stopped reading immediately because the words didn't make any sense to me (it was a bit of an info dump with "Chrysalis", "Hunduns", etc.). The world felt very dystopian to me, but I don't think it's on Earth, so I'm not sure if it would be dystopian then. There is a lot of extra technology, so if you like sci-fi books, this is a great new release for you.
The second half was my favorite part with all of the action and the subplots. I also enjoyed the ending - it was definitely mind-blowing, although I didn't like that Zetian became "Queen". She seemed a bit crazy at the end and more totalitarian than before. I look forward to reading the sequel!