Iron Widow is described as Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid’s Tale and that’s the perfect description for this story. There’s so much that I could talk about with this one, and I’ll start by saying that this story wasn’t crafted without a long list of sensitive topics, of which I’ve included a list at the end of this review. But this novel from Xiran Jay Zhao pulled me in from the early pages and fully immersed me into the world of Huaxia.

In a world where pilots and their concubines control giant transforming robots that battle aliens, we meet teenage Zetian as she offers herself as a concubine-pilot to get revenge for her sister’s death. What comes next is as much a surprise to her as everyone else, as she’s the one who emerges from the cockpit of the robot, leaving her sister’s killer dead. After that exciting first stage of the book, it sets up a remarkable story, as Zetian is paired up with one of the strongest pilots in Huaxia, a man who has a dark past of his own.

I’m not going into more details than what the blurb explains, but I will say this is a beautiful story of love, acceptance, and fighting against gender roles that are accepted by society. I loved every second of this book. The worldbuilding was excellent, and the main three characters were so easy to love and cheer for. The characters are inspired by historical figures in Chinese history, but those characters are woven into a completely new story in an alternate universe where they’re inspired by history, but not following the same timelines. It was beautifully done, from beginning to end.

I could ramble on for a long time about this book and all the things that the author did that I loved. I loved the main trio and their relationships with each other. The layers of those relationships were genuine, honest, and healthy, and it gave me everything I wanted from them. The dynamic in the main trio is balanced beautifully, and while it doesn’t drive the plot, it’s a subplot that only adds to the story.

I can’t wait to see where this series goes in the future. After reading this ARC, I’ve preordered a physical copy for my library, and I know I’ll be keeping an eye out for future books.

Warning: This book discusses some sensitive topics that may be triggering for some readers including murder, violence, torture, physical & mental trauma, anxiety, depression, rape, abuse, and alcohol addiction.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada Books for providing me with an eARC of this book. I was hooked and had to read it as soon as I saw the tagline of "Pacific Rim meets Handmaid's Tale", my brain couldn't properly comprehend what that would entail. Iron Widow is one of those books that I even find difficult to describe because of how unique and complex it is. A YA Sci-Fi that manages to combine Chinese history, feminism, a magic system, and mecha aliens that battle giant transforming robots in a way that was completely captivating from start to finish. To top it off there's even romance, and not just any romance, a poly romance. No typical love triangle where she has to choose, you won't find that here! The only reason I gave this 4 starts instead of 5 was that I found the descriptions of battle and the world sometimes difficult to follow. I would not realize where the battle had progressed to. However, this book truly stands out for my 2021 reads and I can't wait to read the next one!

The tag line for this is Pacific Rim meets Handmaid’s Tale and I am like sign me up! 18 year old Zetian wants to take out the male pilot responsible for her sister’s death. She signs up to become a concubine pilot. Surprising everyone she doesn’t die and kills him through a psychic link earning the nickname the Iron Widow.
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This book simply left me with the reaction of wow. It’s use of Chinese history mixed in with science fiction is beautifully done and completely action packed. This would be an incredible tv series and I am definitely crossing my fingers for book two.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for giving me an ARC in exchange for a review!!

I have never really been one to read science fiction and I was a little nervous to get into this book because of that fact but I was BLOWN AWAY!

This book was very fast-paced and the plot was so well-written! There was hardly a time when I was bored and I could barely set it aside to go to sleep!

Zhao did an amazing job describing the misogyny all women in this world have been exposed to. Issues such as abuse and gender equality were addressed in such detail and I was absolutely stunned by it.

The only thing I wish was done differently was the way the other characters were written because I feel like we did not get enough of them as we should have!
Maybe that's just me and my constant adoration of characters and their influences to the plot but other than that I cannot recommend this book enough!

And I CANNOT wait to read the second book!! <3

Iron Widow is completely unputdownable. I couldn't stop reading it because the story flows so well and is packed full of action and feminist themes. Zetian is our main character and narrator, and she has you rooting for her from the first to the last page. The concept of the book was a little overwhelming the first time I read the synopsis, but once I started reading the actual book it was set up in a very comprehensible way. I think it's hard to successfully combine science fiction and fantasy, but this is a perfect example of how to do it well. The battle scenes were definitely my favorite part! I can't wait to see where the author takes us in book 2.

Buy, Borrow, or Bypass: If you like YA, sci-fi, fantasy, or any combination thereof, you need to buy this book for your shelves. Plus the cover is so vibrant! Even though I read an eARC, I know I'm going to want my own copy to reread, and it will be a wonderful addition to my book collection. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. It was not to my liking. I found the characters very disagreeable. I also do not enjoy love triangles at all, even consensual ones.

Zetian is a force to be reckoned with when she has her mind set on conquering an empire. She is set on avenging her big sister by destroying the pilot who killed her, and she is willing to sacrifice her family alongside herself to do it. Zetian's desire for justice is not only fueled by love for her older sister but also anger that women are considered disposable. Enraged with her inability to dictate her own life and the senseless sacrifices of women as concubines, she aims to bring down the patriarchy in any way possible. I was immediately drawn to Zetian and her struggle for agency.

As much as I liked Zetian, it was difficult to fully support her in her one-track endeavor, and this is where the character growth comes in, however incremental it is. Except for one man, she doesn't believe men can be different than the ones trying to control the direction of her life. Yizhi and, eventually, Shimin help expand her perspective on (certain) men. She is not immune to change, willing to broaden her views when she can see with her own eyes or someone pushes her to see the bigger picture.

Despite the amount of information and description of the mechas and how they operated with chi, I wanted to learn more about what was going on beyond the insulated world of mechas and pilots. The context and the environment appeared hazy to me as I tried to figure out how this war began and where the Hundans came from.  I was curious about the external environment. I was unsure about the government system in place, something I try to understand, especially when someone is trying to topple systems and regimes. These were some points of confusion for me, and I would have liked it fleshed out better.

As fun as the mechas are, this is Zetian's story. She shines with her hunger for power and her ruthlessness. I loved the themes here as Zetian fights against the patriarchy and the subjugation of women. It was enough to overcome what I found lacking in the story, which I hope will receive greater focus in the next book. I'll be continuing with the series because, for the most part, I like Zetian and want to see her succeed. Fans of strong female protagonists and those who enjoyed Pacific Rim, which I loved, will enjoy the novel.

I’ve been trying to write this review for a while and I kept getting stuck because I loved this book so much I didn’t know where to begin. Iron Widow is probably going to end up being my favourite book of the year, and one of my favourite books of all time.

The main character, Zetian, is definitely the highlight of this story. Zetian is such a badass, gets things done character who I absolutely adored. She is hands down one of my favorite fictional characters of all time after finishing this book. I loved that she goes after everything she wants with no regrets. One of the most satisfying parts of this book for me was watching her get her vengeance, and some things she did at the end of the book made me gasp aloud but it only made me love her all-the-more for it.

One of my favourite aspects of the book is the polyamorous representation. It's so hard to find good polyamorous rep in YA books but If you're look for more in your books, this book is definitely the one to pick up. I loved that the author turned the love triangle trope on its head and made all three characters fall for each other and I thought It was done so well. THIS is what I want to see more of in YA. I'm so sick of reading about love triangles, give me all the polyamorous rep. I liked that the relationship was developed slowly and felt real.

The plot and themes of this book are thought-provoking and powerful. At the very heart of this story, it is about a 18 year-old fighting against the patriarchy and it is a feminist book to its core. I was horrified and angry, I was cheering in triumph when all hell broke loose and Zetian got her vengeance. I liked the discussions about how Zetian was torn between letting the two boys she loves tend to her or being an independent woman and how she struggled with that while going up against the patriarchy.

This was a fantastic debut and I can't wait to see where this series goes. Iron Widow is addictive, fast-paced, action-packed, and deeply feminist and there is honestly nothing more I could want in a book. A new all time fave, for sure.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for this early review copy.

Release Date: September 21, 2021 (tomorrow!)
When I first received this arc (advanced reader copy) I was so excited. It was my very first arc and I was thrilled to begin reading. I had high expectations, and let me just say, I was not let down.
Iron Widow was the outspoken, astounding, and brutal first book in the upcoming, Iron Widow series. Written by Xiran Jay Zhao, the novel explores heavy topics along with deep, morally grey characters. Following our main character, Zetian, readers are taken on a devastating and fascinating adventure through a cruel and unfair world flipped upside down by the Iron Widow. . .
Writing: Xiran Jay Zhao writing was different than what you normally see within young adult genre. Although very fast-paced, the writing was articulate. They definitely succeeded in writing for Iron Widow.
Story: My god. MY GOD! This book absolutely demolished the patriarchy. The entire book just felt like a direct outlet into calling out misogynistic views and correcting them, all while managing for the main character to still be morally grey. It was bloody vengeance, but it was beautiful.
Speaking of the main character being morally grey, it was done phenomenally. You can clearly see how hate has devoured her whole, all while showing her brutal and strong morals. Being told from Zetian’s point of view, you root for her, while still recognizing what she has done that’s entirely wrong. Xiran Jay Zhao absolutely excelled in character building; they created concrete characters who have gradual change, it is written exceptionally.
The world of Huaxia was so complex. It was honestly very confusing for the first couple of chapters, but you grow to understand more and more of it as you go along. The world-building was so different to anything I had ever seen. The unique sci-if aspects mixing with asian mythology and culture, made the universe so so interesting.
To be honest, this book was so fast-paced, I got whiplash often. But the good kind of whiplash. Iron Widow blew me away; it was truly amazing. I, of course, gave the book 5/5 stars. I’d highly recommend anyone to pick up this book and tell me about it!
P.S: This book handles some extremely heavy topics and there are some major trigger warnings for it. Please look them up before reading to be sure the novel wouldn’t put you in harms way. Thank you!

I think I, like many others, first encountered Xiran Jay Zhao in their videos about Chinese history and the ways that it is portrayed in Western media (big fan of the Kung Fu Panda video in particular), so when I learned that they were releasing a book, I was so excited, and even more excited to see it was available on NetGalley. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint. In fact, it was probably one of my favorite reads this year.

Off the bat, I must say I'm not a huge sci-fi fan (the people who know of my Star Wars obsession shush that's barely sci-fi), but this was definitely a sci-fi based in folklore and spirituality that made it much more appealing to me as someone who is into those kinds of things. The only true critique I had of the book is that the mecha battle scenes, which should be exciting, even climactic, were often confusing and dull to me. But, I must also say I often feel that way when reading or watching other battle scenes. I just found that Zhao wrote much more compellingly their character's relationships than they did the big robot battles.

Character is a big draw for me when I read, and I loved these characters. This was very much in the realm of The Cruel Prince and The Poppy War where the characters range from morally grey to utterly detestable, but the morally grey protagonists were utterly compelling, and as we discover, so much of their morally grey behavior is inspired by the oppression they experience in the novel's world—while the behavior of the detestable characters is inspired by the power they wield and abuse. Moreover, I loved the polyamory ending. Romance wasn't the focus, but the relationships between Yizhi, Zetian, and Shimin were fascinating and my favorite part of the novel, and integrated into the plot so well. I also quite liked their relationship with Sima Yi, I'm kind of hoping he shows up in the next book, I wasn't sure whether he died or not, there was quite frankly a lot going on at the moment so...

The plot twist at the end was particularly brilliant as well for me, because, as someone invested in the monstrous and alien, I spent the whole book wondering what the hell was the Hunduns deal and generally being dissatisfied that we'd gotten so little information on them. I realized that Zetian and probably the rest of the character's ignorance was deliberate, but I was so hoping we'd get just a little crumb. And then we got a very big crumb right at the very end, and I realize now this will probably be something we learn more in the next book, which I'm very excited to read.

I cannot recommend this book enough—if anything in the blurb even remotely interests you, I guarantee you'll love this book.

This was such a fun book! It definitely has some darker moments, but I was totally here for that. The pacing was great overall - I was immediately drawn into the story, and it kept my interest the entire time.

The story is set in the future, but it's based on things from Chinese history and culture, including Empress Wu. I really liked the blend of sci-fi and fantasy elements here. We have these Chrysalis mechas that are based on Chinese mythological beings. I thought this was a really clever way to incorporate these details! The mechas are piloted by a boy/girl pair in a sort of yin yang seating situation, and they actually meld with the seats through acupuncture. We also have these 5 elements of qi that are based on traditional Chinese medicine. I always love any sort of elemental type magic, so I particularly liked this inclusion and how the dominant aspect of a particular pilot can guide certain properties of the Chrysalis.

Speaking of these mechas, there are some fabulous battles against the Hunduns (aliens)! Of course, all is not well in this world. Female pilots often die because the male pilots overpower them with mental strain while piloting. It's also a very patriarchal society, and there are some elements from Chinese history such as women's feet being bound. The book goes into graphic detail with this which was heartbreaking and horrifying to read about. The story also examines the use of media in establishing power as well. I enjoyed this, but I certainly anticipate there being consequences to this in the next book!

I really enjoyed all of the characters. Zetian sets off to avenge her sister and ends up learning more about what's really going on here. I think this was explored well, and I enjoyed seeing her fight for the truth and fight to get the word out to help female pilots (and women in general). She's a very strong character, and I loved seeing her journey. She obviously doesn't like how society has been structured with female subjugation, but she doesn't always realize that some women don't have the opportunity to take power like she does. There are some good moments where she realizes that her way isn't the best or the only way to do things and that she may be wrong about things too. She does sometimes flip flop beliefs quickly based on what people tell her, but this didn't hamper my enjoyment. It was so empowering to watch her rise up and seize power!

I also really loved her bond with Shimin and Yizhi. It was nice to see a love triangle being set up...and then avoided by just having them all get together. I don't think I've ever seen polyamory in a YA book, so this was a nice change of pace. Yizhi seems to be very sweet and protective overall. I love their friendship, and I definitely feel like there's more to him than we know. Shimin, a death row inmate, was fascinating, and I absolutely want to know more about his backstory. He's had some awful things happen to him, but I liked seeing him grow even stronger once Zetian and Yizhi enter the picture. I think they really do make each other better, even if they don't always get along.

Clearly, I absolutely loved this book and had such a blast. I did predict one of the big reveals that happens, but I'm actually very excited that I was right because I want to explore this idea. I would absolutely recommend this!

My video review can be seen on my booktube channel (around minutes 7:57-12:58 of this video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jvcmgJVMtI

I was so excited when I read the premise for this book. I thought to myself, “Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid’s Tale? I. Am. Here. For. It!”

And then I opened it up and read Xiran Jay Zhao’s author’s notes at the beginning of my ARC edition and my eyes widened in surprise at the actual premise of this wild, raw, untamed beast of a book… because I realized what this book actually is wasn’t something that could be tidied up and slotted neatly into a bookseller’s constricting summary box: it’s Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid’s Tale meets Chinese gongdou dramas meets the real-life Empress Regnant Wu (the only legitimate female sovereign China ever had) reimagined as a teenage peasant-girl (with a thirst for revenge) turned into a mecha-pilot who seethes at the patriarchy and the way in which women are automatically slotted into place from birth and never given any other options in life and decides NOPE.

Throw that all into a bottle, shake it up, open it, and what you get is the best sci-fi book I think I’ve ever read. The best book shock I’ve ever had. The most blood lust I’ve ever tasted. The best war cry I’ve ever heard. The best blood bath I’ve ever read. The biggest rallying call I’ve ever seen. The sweetest apathy that made me come apart at the seams. The most vengeful hatred I’ve witnessed sharpened to a razor’s edge.

I couldn’t stop reading. I ate through my dinner. I noted passage after passage until I was so swept away by it all I started forgetting to take notes because I was sunk too deep into this futuristic, otherworldly China where one teenage girl who has nothing to lose herself but cares fiercely and violently about so many other things, one man who loves her and is open-minded and educated enough to know that the status quo is wrong and is willing to stand beside her no matter what, and another man who never stood a chance in the world they were born in but is sick of the system. Their culture, their whole world, is built on teams of two. But, between these three people who all can see outside this paradigm, they all acknowledge and accept this world and its conventions are not who they are and it is not meant for them. They were not meant to be slotted into tidy little boxes, just like this book was not meant to be summarized into a limited character count.

This book is distributed in part by Penguin Teen, but I’m telling you: if you think this is just some YA sci-fi book, you’re abso-friggin-lutely wrong. This book is one of those books you NEED to read. It’s an IMPORTANT book. I won’t lie: It’s target audience is very obviously women in their teens and twenties, but I highly encourage women of all ages and ESPECIALLY men to read this book. Listen to the testimony of this book. Listen to its voice. Its pain. Its drive. Its passion. Its motivation. Its anger. Its thirst. Really listen to it and maybe you’ll learn some things about women you never understood before; because, believe me, I felt completely in sync with Wu Zetian every step of the way through this book.

The action scenes in this book are written beautifully and brutally at the same time. The plot is gracefully and carefully mapped out. The science is explained and makes sense when mixed in with the traditional Chinese beliefs regarding qi. The writing is impassioned, driven, and as impactful as the message of the book.

Wu Zetian’s voice, as a character, is probably the best I’ve read in years. She rings clear as a bell and as blunt as a sledgehammer, which is something so refreshing I wanted to jump in the book and volunteer to be her PA because I appreciate people who tell it like it is (and if you don’t like it too bad). Yizhi is a well-educated, strategic, well-connected, rich, sweet, badass cinnamon roll… and his love and dedication for Wu Zetian really threads through this whole book and helps quilt it together. Li Shimin is… a beautiful tragedy. Born into a world that he never stood a chance in and slotted into a system that was always going to work against him, his story is heartbreaking, but the way in which Wu Zetian and he grow to care for one another and take a stand together is glorious. And their partnership with Yizhi shows that a triangle is definitely the stronger shape.

This book does end on a cliffhanger, being as it is the first in a series, but it’s not a cliffhanger without a purpose. That’s all I can say.

In the end, what I will say is this: When I finished this book, it was midnight here in California. All over America, women are fighting for their reproductive rights because men still think they have a say in what we do with our bodies. In Afghanistan, females are back to being banned from receiving an education once more because men say so. In some parts of the world, girls too young to read this book (and some that would never be allowed to anyway) are being slotted into the places they’ll be expected to stay in for the rest of their lives because men say so. When I finished this book, somewhere in the world there was likely another child bride being taken because men say so. And I was FURIOUS. This book made me want to go out and smash the patriarchy, because Wu Zetian is right: no more.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Teen for a digital ARC of Iron Widow!

CW: gore, murder, suicide ideation, rape, domestic abuse, alcoholism, torture

HOLY SHIT THIS BOOK! I took a break from school work to start this and that break never ended. By a quarter of the way in, I knew this book was going to be 5 stars. I was absolutely hooked by the characters, the plot, and the writing.

Wu Zetian is our badass, morally gray bisexual protagonist trying to take down the patriarchy. She lives in a world where your life force, your qi, allows you to power giant mechas in battle against the alien Hunduns. I absolutely loved the incorporation of traditional Chinese medicine with the fantastical use of acupuncture to harness one’s qi in a manner particular to your dominant elemental constitution. However, powering the Chrysalis mechas requires a man and a woman, a balance of yin and yang, that typically drains the women of their life force. Only a select few women with especially strong spirits have survived their male counterparts. Zetian discovers she is one such woman, her spirit strength and pure mental willpower propelling her to the very top of the pilot rankings where she seeks to uncover the truth behind the sexist pilot system in a world dripping with misogyny.

She does so alongside her 2 bisexual love interests. And no, there is no love triangle here. They all fall for each other, ending up in a polyamorous relationship where all of their strengths shine through. The 3 main characters are all RUTHLESS in their own way and you can’t help but root for them. The development of their relationship dynamic also brought out some great conversation points about love amidst all the darker elements in the story. However, the focus really is on the systemic injustice in their world. Many of the connections to real-life issues were so poignant and Zetian lets you live out your god-complex villain arc to right these injustices. This really is the kind of book that makes you go feral, rooting for Zetian in all her anti-hero glory. I will say, this book should probably be marketed as adult, not YA. All the characters are 18+, it contains some more mature, heavy content, and it just has the feel of adult sci-fi/fantasy.

Going into this I was intrigued by the premise of a book that’s The Handmaid’s tale combined with Pacific Rim. I would say that this description is accurate, but I’m also reminded of the intense themes and Asian mythological themes of The Poppy War.

What stood out for this book was its positive depiction of a polyamorous relationship, which I have not read about or even heard about taking place in any other book. It also discussed themes of sexual assault, but I’m not in a place to judge if this was handled well.

SPOILERS
Another way this reminded me of The Poppy War was how it ended with the MC’s spiral into power infused madness. In Iron Widow I found this an interesting development juxtaposed with the sexisim that was a major theme.
END SPOILERS

Overall I liked the book but I found it to be a little slow. I would recommend this to readers who liked The Poppy War or like to read sci-fi, fantasy, or books that break barriers.

Wow, I loved this book. It is true that this book is part Pacific Rim and part Hunger Games, but it's also so much more. Zetian Yu is a woman on a mission- her sister has just been murdered by one of the celebrity pilots that controls one of the battlebots (called chrysalises). In Zetian's world of endless war, women are openly treated as inferior to men, and they basically serve as batteries for the chrysalises by aiding the pilots with their qi. The system is designed for the pilots to basically consume their concubine pilots' life forces. Zetian sets out to murder the pilot who killed her sister by becoming his concubine pilot. But when she does manage to kill him and to take control of his chrysalis, she proves that women's supposed inferiority is all a bunch of patriarchal bs. The government's only solution is to pair her up with Shimin Li, the Iron Demon, and hope that they'll die horrifically in battle. But Shimin and Yetian are stronger, especially together.
From page one, I was absolutely hooked. Yetian is so strong, and I loved her. The setup is thrilling, and the pacing moved quickly enough that we were in the action right away. Some people may balk at the polyamorous relationship between the three main characters, but it made a whole lot of sense to me that people in a society of constant war and struggle wouldn't be concerned with rules of monogamy. The twist at the end of this book made me desperate for the next book! This is the kind of book that you'll start casually reading and then you'll realize that you've been reading for hours. Can't wait for book 2!

couldn't get through it because of my fantasy slump but I'm sure its actually a good book. also disappointed to find out that this was YA with all of the nsfw artwork and sexual content that the author was using to promote this book. leads to a lot of confusion

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao was an interesting one. I have so many mixed reactions and emotions about this piece. I was already on the fence about it because of the level of science fiction I was going to be reading, but now that I've read it, I'm more puzzled than I initially thought. It's not that I didn't like the story. I just feel like this was more of a discussion piece … with the side action of Power Rangers doing Pacific Rim shit.

I liked the story because Zhao incorporated real-life practices that damage a women's worth, all for the views of beauty and honor. Foot binding was heavily mentioned throughout the story – a barbaric practice that involves breaking a young girl's feet and binding them to appear more petite for beauty. Thankfully that tradition has been banned since 1912. Honor killings are another topic I saw, and that practice is still being used today. Zhao loads us with the reality that only women and girls suffer through these customs while the men officiate what is proper and dutiful for the opposite sex.

The main character Zetian isn't going for any of that. She constantly questions why the customs must be this way and fight tooth and nail for a reprieve. As admirable and fearless as she seems, she is also very, VERY harsh. She's ruthless in her ways of thinking and heartless in her actions, even when she's trying to show that she cares. She's also selfish. She doesn't think about the consequences of her actions and what that can do to her people.

I think I followed the story pretty well up until I got to the ending. The ending almost undid every thought I had perceived of this book. I would have thrown my tablet across the room if I had insurance on it. The conclusion really threw me off.

Overall, I have no rating for Iron Widow (I'm posting ratings on here so I can clear the error message). The story didn't bring me joy, anger, or self-awareness. It gave me something to stew over. My two repetitive thoughts are what the fuck did I just read and what was the point? I think the story turned out bigger than what the author intended it to be.

I'm currently only about 1/4 through, but I wanted to get this review written. This book has such a great tone and voice. The sci-fi elements are fascinating while still holding true to historical inspiration and cultural aspects. I love that this is loosely based on an actual historic figure, and I'm also really enjoying how the story is questioning gender norms.

In Huxia, the greatest honor is to pilot a giant Chrysalis and protect their country from the invading monsters beyond the wall. A great honor for boys, that is. Their girl co-pilots often die in the battle from the mental strain of being linked together, but who cares? They’re girls. It’s how Zetian believes her sister died, and she’s determined that the pilot who murdered her will die, too. But when Zetian arrives at the wall and is strapped into the Chrysalis, something strange happens. Two people enter, and only she emerges, victorious, her sister’s murderer dead at her feet. In a moment, she’s become what the leaders of Huxia fear most: a powerful woman, or, in her case, an Iron Widow.

Men want us so badly for our bodies, yet hate us so much for our minds.

Yooooooooooo the hype you’ve been hearing about this one is realllllll!

Mechas, warriors, misogyny, a deadly war, disability rep and a bi to the third poly relationship!!!!!! Not to mention a heroine not afraid to actually kill people, and the two men who love her (and each other), because a triangle is the strongest shape.

Btw, pay attention to all of the trigger warnings (there is a complete list at the front of the book, which was very helpful): this book gets dark real fast and stays dark (which makes me curious about that R18-rated first draft).

“[Karma] sure doesn’t give a shit about people like me. Some of us were born to be used and discarded. We can’t afford to simply go along with the flow of life, because nothing in this world has been created, built or set up in our favor. If we want something, we have to push back against everything around us and take it by force.”

I loved the way Zhao thoroughly dissects and skewers misogyny and power, and how they didn’t shy away from tough topics or harsh scenes or a main character who was likable (fucking being likable), but instead created a well-realized world of haves and have-nots filled with people who are just trying to survive (and thrive, or continue to stay at or near the top) in a system that is built around keeping the have-nots down without really realizing what exactly is keeping them down.

There are the monsters across the wall as an external enemy justifying the way people live and are treated; there are the boy-pilots living in celebrity-level status (and their concubines thrown away like tissue paper); there are the people who pull the strings behind the scenes; and the people in power with all the power. There are layers to power and layers to not having power, and the ways those layers are intertwined to create Huxian society is just fascinating to read. The prejudice and misogyny is literally built from the ground up to keep women (and people misgendered as women) down, along with anyone else labeled as undesirable, and the system is formed to have the downtrodden police and maintain themselves (Zetian notes wryly that it was not her uncles or father who broke and her feet, but her grandmother and women-relatives).

I adored how Zhao retold Chinese history and legend, and spun the rise of Empress Wu Zetian into this fascinating, complex and thoroughly entertaining as hell (seriously, aside from some lulls where our intrepid heroine is locked up contemplating life, the actions does not stop when it gets going). There are nods to The Hunger Games with the girl-boy pairing and the televised fights and near-celebrity status of these child sacrifices/heroes (for the boys—the girls are literally considered to be disposable), heavy tinges of Pacific Rim in mechas fighting monsters, and a flair of Divergence (not gonna spoil that one), but these are all nods to what came before, because like the history it flirts with and remakes, Iron Widow takes all these tropes, shatters them, and smashes them together into something that’s incredibly fantastic and riveting.

This is one of the few books where I wasn’t grumpy about the literal fucking teenagers/early twenty-sometimes being named generals and colonels and other high-ranking military shit, because in this world it is actually explained and it makes sense (and Zhao acknowledges in various ways how these pilots are still quite literally children, and even though many of the boys are awful and their horrific selves are enabled in every way, they too are being exploited by the powers that be to face the Great Enemy Monster—like I said, layers in layers).

Anywho, the ways Zetian confronts and encounters the misogyny built into the basements of her world is fascinating, and while she suffers so much, watching her rise through, channeled by wrath and ruin, had me flipping pages as quickly as I could.

So what flourishes from a place like this?

Zetian, a person who has literally nothing to lose and potentially everything to gain.

And she has zero fucks to give in who dies on her way to the top (okay, maybe like, one or two fucks, but that is literally it). The world has burned her, and she’s going to burn down the world.

And that final twist at the end, omg. I thought I’d figured out what was going on, but I’d only gotten part of it right.

Regardless, I cannot wait until book 2!

“You don’t think girls are afraid?

“Girls…know how to sacrifice.”

Trigger warning (incomplete): misogyny, body mutilation, torture, murder, rape, sexual assault, assault, suicidal ideations, forced drug use

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review

This book did everything I wanted it to and then some. That's the only love triangle I will accept from now on. Thank you very much.