Picked up this title and read the beginning but realized it's not for me. I really liked the fact that many of the characters were loosely inspired by figures from Chinese history, but couldn't really get into the whole mecha aspect. Readers who were into 90s/2000s anime as kids will likely love it :)

I had a lot of fun reading this book, although I will say it was a lot darker than I was expecting. When the author described it as being similar to the Hand Maid’s tale (among other things), they really meant it. This book doesn’t pull punches and it doesn’t gloss over violence towards women. I think I assumed that as a YA it wouldn’t be as direct as it was in acknowledging elements like rape and sexual assault, but the book doesn’t shy away from calling things what they are. It doesn't actually depict any of these acts, as far as I can remember at least, but it does acknowledge that they are a part of the world. Once I adjusted my expectations, I really enjoyed the ride. I actually loved how it dug into darker themes. I particularly loved seeing the lead character’s anger. I haven’t read a character this angry in a while, and it’s been a while since I’ve seen a character use that anger this ruthlessly. There is no apologizing in the book for Wu Zeitan’s more aggressive tendencies, and the world build around her completely justifies the stakes in a way that there isn’t any need for it. I hadn’t realized how much I was craving seeing ruthless female characters in fiction.

The only criticisms I had were that while I loved the “love triangle” I thought the resolution was heavy handed in explanation. I loved that the three characters ended up together, but I think I wanted to see more of those three characters coming together. I think part of the issue was the first person perspective and part of it was the limited number of pages allowed to the book. The other thing I would have loved was more foreshadowing of the final twist in the epilogue. These critiques didn’t really dampen my experience, and I will definitely continue with the series.

Well this book was a lot! Not always enjoyable (for me) but definitely worth reading if you're into mecha battles, revenge, badass heroines, and Chinese culture/history. First of all, this is a very dark read. At times I kept asking myself "is this really YA? did I misunderstand? is this adult or new adult?" It's heavy on abuse of women and set in a society where women are only good for having babies, serving men, and being sacrificed in the mecha piloted by men. Also, the main character, Wu Zetian, had her feet forcibly bound and the author does not hold back on the details or the lasting agony that Zetian experiences as a result. There's loads of death, torture, and some of the worst characters you'll encounter in fiction (Zetian has a hit list that I very much endorse). I guess I should have paid more attention to the "like The Handmaid's Tale" than the "like Pacific Rim" part of the pitch. However, as a huge fan of Pacific Rim I was very entertained by the mecha battles. I found out in the afterword that the piloting system is more inspired by the anime Darling in the Franxx (which I haven't seen) which makes sense because Pacific Rim pilots have an equal partnership and that is certainly not the case in Iron Widow!

My favorite thing about the book is the characters. Zetian is fierce and I cheered on her victories and growing power. Her copilot, Li Shimin, the Iron Demon, is a fave. He's the epitome of the scary bad boy who is actually the Best Boy. There are precious few characters who aren't deeply warped by the misogynistic society but thankfully Zetian met two of them, and the other is her childhood friend and mega rich boy, Yizhi. I wish I had gotten more emotional development between the three characters -- it felt like they all ended up together rather quickly and then never talked about it? Most of Zetian's focus is on other things besides romance and her scenes with the boys were more about the physical than emotional. (Maybe that's just me -- I do love getting into the feels).

Overall, a fast paced, futuristic adventure filled with plot twists, danger, a dash of romance, and a big ole cliffhanger.

I loved this book! Zetian is a morally gray character. She has goals and overall good intentions but is forced to do bad things to achieve them.

The characters were all amazing. The romance was slow-burning and I loved each part of it.

The villains were frustrating but definitely served their purpose! It was hard to read about the abuse toward women at times, especially it being a futuristic setting. I understand that it added to the plot and relates to current events, but it still made me put down the book in frustration sometimes.

It was fast-paced, and there was never a dull moment! I did have trouble understanding how the Chrysalises worked, but there are explanations throughout the book.

The ending was full of twists- I was able to predict one of them, but the rest took me by surprise. It definitely ended with a cliffhanger, and I cannot wait for what comes next!

Iron Widow completely blew my away and I'm not sure I'll stop thinking about this book for a long time. This is not your usual YA fantasy book - the main characters are seriously morally grey and do not make great choices, but you root for them anyway. Set in a futuristic Chinese inspired world, young women are sold by their parents to the government to power space ships in the war against the Hunduns. Zetian willingly goes into service to avenge her sister's murder by one of the best pilots in the military.

The world-building is top notch, the characters are so well-rounded and multi-faceted, and the plot kept me guessing the whole way through the book. There were points where this book was difficult to read, so please look at trigger warnings before picking it up. I did know what I was getting into with reading it, but it is still hard to read women be treated as property. Even after all of that, this is the easiest 5 stars I've given to a book all year.

I'm here for the open relationship included in this book, which is something I haven't seen in a YA book yet but it was done so well. As the best continued I felt like the relationships were going to go that way, and I was so excited when it actually happened. The ending killed me though and I'm still not over it. I'm in desperate need of the sequel ASAP.

**Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review**

TW: depictions of sexual assault, murder, misogyny, assault, alcoholism, domestic violence

Thank you to the publisher, Penguin Teen Canada, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“You tell them they’re meant to do nothing but serve from the minute they’re born. You tell them they’re weak. You tell them they’re prey. You tell them over and over, until it’s the only truth they’re capable of living.”

The land of Huaxia has been at war with the Hunduns and mecha aliens beyond the Great Wall for many centuries and the only way to fight them are using Chrysalises, giant robots that require a boy-girl pair to activate and pilot. The girl of the pair often dies of the mental strain involved in the process, but the harshly patriarchal and misogynistic society sees them as acceptable losses. When Zetian’s sister is killed by one of the most famous male pilots, she enlists as a concubine-pilot to gain vengeance. And on the field, a shocking and unprecedented event occurs – instead of dying from the strain, she instead overpowers the male pilot through the psychic bond, killing him and taking control of the Chrysalis to return unharmed. Labelled an Iron Widow, the army is eager to silence her and pairs her up with the strongest pilot in Huaxia. But while this was initially about vengeance for Zetian, the taste of power she has gained has her seeking more and more, determined to break down the skewed pilot system and stop any more girls from being sent to their deaths.

I have been looking forward to reading Iron Widow ever since I heard of it on Penguin Teen’s top 10 list, and it did not disappoint. Absolutely gorgeous cover aside, this was such an epic read and unlike anything I’ve ever come across before. Iron Widow is inspired by Chinese history, particularly the life of Empress Wu, the first and only female Emperor of China. This is one area I know literally nothing about, but reading this book has made me so curious to know more, and as I understand it, there are several characters throughout the story inspired by real historical figures, so I imagine actually knowing the background would make it so much more intriguing a read. This is set in a well-built world and though we get quite a bit of detail, it never felt like info dumping at any point. Very important to note, there are a whole lot of content and trigger warnings for this book – take them seriously. It was nice that the author mentioned them at the beginning of the book because this story gets dark really quickly and it was good to have an idea of what to expect.

“He doesn’t own me. Nobody does. They may think they do, but no matter how they scold or threaten on beat me, they can’t really control what goes on in my head, and I think that frustrates them to no end.”

Zetian was an amazing character, fierce and determined and she refuses to be tied down by the system that suppresses girls in the name of tradition and morals. Also, she was a very, very angry young woman – totally justified, because I myself got pretty mad just reading about what that society was like – and when she finds out just how skewed the system is against girls, decides to do something about it instead of accepting the status quo as so many other women around her have. Zetian was a phenomenal protagonist, a take no prisoners kind of character, and definitely not your average fantasy heroine. She is one of those characters that will leave an impression on the reader long after the story is over. Also, can I just say, hats off to the author for taking what seemed to be headed for a very awkward love triangle and turning it into something I have never seen in YA before? I wasn’t sure it was going to work initially but it did and we really need more books like this!

There was just one tiny thing that didn’t really work for me and that was the level of detail in the battle scenes. It was described in quite a bit of detail, but here’s the thing – the mecha fights are more or less like Transformers with people inside piloting them and while it’s pretty cool, it’s not really my thing and I lost interest in the minutiae after the first two such battles. I was more interested in the reason behind the piloting system and the extremely dangerous game Zetian was playing.

Even though I sensed there was a major plot twist in the air going into those final couple of chapters, it still took me completely by surprise as it came from an angle I wasn’t expecting. The closing events of this book have completely changed the lay of the land and Zetian’s challenges are just beginning. I can’t wait to see what happens in the sequel! Iron Widow was a fantastic read and basically the book I never knew I needed. I really wish it were another 100 pages long because I just flew through this book in one sitting and it was not enough. If this book isn’t on your TBR yet, what are you waiting for? Highly, highly recommended for every fantasy and sci-fi fan out there!

I am not overstating it in the slightest when I say I'm completely obsessed with this book. I was unsure about how I would feel about this book, even though I loved the concept, but the masterful writing, the execution of an excellent idea leading to further more excellent ideas, and some stunning characters have actually made it my favorite book of the year.

From beginning to end this is a fantastic story. The blending of historical and futuristic is difficult to do well, but Zhao definitely manages it. And I won't speak on the ending in any direct terms, but I was completely blown away with the way this book ends and it made me wish I could just keep reading forever. There was not a single moment in this book where I wanted to put it down, even to sleep.

The characters in this are one of my favorite groups in fiction, because they are all distinct personalities and bring something to the story and dynamic of the group, but they are all also incredibly chaotic. We have "welcome to your nightmare" Zetia, "will absolutely murder that guy with you" Shimin, and "you can't shoot me I'm rich!" Yizhi, and they both manage to bring out the best and the worst in each other in such compelling and fun ways. Honestly, the fact that these characters have flaws and weaknesses but are either vulnerabilities that band them together or weaponized to destroy the oppressors (or both!) is so amazing to me.

And this fantastic dynamic can only be improved by one thing- a good romance. Not only does Zhao avoid lingering on a love triangle, but she integrates a healthy, loving polyamorous relationship in a way that adds warmth and love in a brutal story, and that feels completely organic. I love this romance so much, I love the interactions we get, and I love the mental images we get. I did not previously know that "2 unhinged people and the rich boy keeping them from consequences" was a dynamic I loved, but, geez, I sure do now.

The pacing in this book is great, in the way the relationship(s) build, but also in general. There is solid movement without ever feeling rushed, and always enough room to grow towards something without having to touch on every event.
And the way the world building is slowly revealed is incredibly effective. As we gain higher stakes and learn more about the characters we gain crumbs upon crumbs of this world we're in until we suddenly have a bran new understanding of where we are, and it's both jarring and completely obvious in that perfect blend that makes a reader lose their mind.

I really, genuinely, do now know how I'm supposed to wait for the sequel of this book. I immediately preordered a physical copy of this book so I could reread it over and over to tide me over, and I still kind of thing I'm not going to make it. Zhao has made characters you can't untangle yourself from and a story that will not go quietly!

Iron Widow is absolutely EPIC!!! Going into it, all I knew was it had a mix of historical Chinese setting and futuristic sci fi with a poly relationship and it delivered on every single level!!

I couldn’t put it down because the story was so gripping and the writing is absolutely beautiful. Wu Zetian, our protagonist, is incredible fierce and powerful and I adore her so much. It’s the feminist book we deserve and I enjoyed every moment. The rush I felt when they fight the misogyny and rise above the obstacles is indescribable.

The other main characters are Li Shimin, aka Iron Demon, who’s actually a cinnamon roll and deserves everything. And Gao Yizhi, Zetian’s best friend and other love interest, who is a sweetheart but also deadly.

While romance is not the focus, it is very well done and I loved how the relationship developed between all three. It’s the first time I’m reading a poly relationship in a YA and it was so refreshing!!!!

I sort of had a small suspicion about the ending but to have it confirmed and the magnitude of it really surprised me. I’m so hyped for the sequel and this one isn’t even out yet!!!!!!😭

Overall, I highly recommend it to everyone! One of my new favourites this year!!!!

*ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review

TW: Violence and abuse, footbinding, suicide ideation, discussion and references to sexual assault (though no on-page depictions), alcohol addiction, and torture

Iron Widow is the first novel in the series of the same name. It has been described as “Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid’s Tale” for the main story set-up and it definitely fits. One thing to be aware of is that there is an MFM triad for the romance. The story does not have the main character follow the usual love triangle where she must choose one and instead she has both. The two males also form their own connections with each other. Together they make a sweet polyamorous couple. If this type of relationship is not for you, then I would suggest skipping this series as it is a part of the story. For me, the relationships that formed added a heartwarming layer to an action-packed story and I could not imagine the novel without it as I love all three characters as individuals and together.

Wu Zetian is an 18-years-old frontier girl and ready to finally start her plan for revenge. Her older sister was killed three months prior during her time as a concubine pilot for Yang Guang. Before this plan takes place, the story explores Zetian’s home life and sets up the treatment of females in this time period. Even in her own family, she is disregarded in favor of her brother, Dalang. Females in this time were drowned in pig cages if they disgraced their families and they bind their feet to create a more “desirable” lotus shape. While Zetian is a very strong personality that seeks to destroy this way of life, she knows she needs to be strategic and it is not a simple matter of only speaking up. The way this novel is written makes it clear of the world that these characters live. Zetian does have an ally in Huaxia, as she has been friends with the son of the richest man, Gao Yizhi for the past three years.

Through a series of obstacles, Zetian finds herself the pilot of the Vermillion Bird, one of the Chrysalises. These mechas are war machines where the pilots control them with their minds. Female concubines are there as support for the male pilots and sometimes end up killed in the process. This is one of many elements that Zetian wishes to change. Her male pilot counterpart is 19-years-old, Li Shimin, the Iron Demon, who killed his own family when he was 16. With Zetian’s stronger personality, it is not an easy pairing and the two need to find a way to work together. Together they have high Qi and are a powerful pair. Each character is neither good nor bad and both are morally grey. This was one aspect that I loved with the characters as they did not lean too much towards right or wrong and instead straddled between them. Even Yizhi initially seemed only good, but he slowly started revealing some greyer aspects of himself.

The story is told from Zetian’s perspective so the reader follows along her journey as she navigates the complex political system and the war-filled battles. The characters around her may initially seem mysterious or more simplistic, but they become more and more complex as Zetian gets to know them. This is the case especially with Yizhi and Simin as a lot of their backstory and thoughts become more apparent as the story moves forward. At times I do wish that the story had three points of view just to get further inside their heads, but, at the same time, I do not think I would actually make the change. Zetian’s story is full of perils with added obstacles of being a female that the story would become cluttered by trying to add in one more aspect of multiple perspectives.

Overall, the author did an excellent job balancing the intense elements and the softer elements. The story goes through a lot of death, violence, and assault, yet still has moments of softer characters through the connections they form. The novel crosses many genres while not quite fully aligning with one in particular. It is historical based on the time period but mixes multiple real historical periods and figure inspirations together. It also takes a bit of science fiction and fantasy; however, if I were to place this in a book store in one place or the other, I would lean towards science fiction. It is a well-done mix of genres and I am very curious to see the direction the sequel takes. Not only do I look forward to seeing more of these genres come to life, but the ending of this novel also makes me very excited to read the next one, and 2022 cannot come fast enough!

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Penguin Teen, for the opportunity to read this enjoyable novel. The opinions expressed are completely my own.**

I absolutely ADORED this novel and I hope I can write a coherent review rather than just spewing my love for it. Marketed as "Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid's Tale," I was honestly not expecting to love this book quite as much as I did. I assumed that the commentary on gender inequality and the patriarchy would be a bit too hit-you-over-the-head, but in fact, it was incredibly nuanced and layered. The author's note at the beginning was a lovely touch, informing us of the aspects of Chinese history and culture that were woven throughout this book, while simultaneously warning us that the patriarchy is everywhere, not only modern day China.

As much as I love science fiction, I often have a hard time picturing the technology - but in this case, I had no trouble picturing the giant transforming war machines that Zetian and the others powered with their qi. Zetian, Shimin, and Yizhi are all incredibly developed and three dimensional characters - it's amazing what Zhao was able to do with the fairly limited space she had in this book. The plot was also fantastic, with truly surprising twists and turns throughout. And THAT! ENDING! I need book two NOW.

4.5 Stars

I had an amazing time with Iron Widow. This book was action packed from start to finish. It’s described as Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid’s Tales in a Chinese inspired world and that’s honestly a perfect description.

The main character was a complete badass and super intense. She doesn’t always do the ‘right’ thing or what you would expect her to do. She reminds me quite a bit of Adelina from The Young Elites series, who is one of my all-time favourite YA characters. I found a lot of the characters in this book to be very interesting and I am excited to hopefully learn more about them in the rest of the series.

The action scenes were very easy to picture, which is something that I tend to struggle with. I will say that I’m a big fan of Pacific Rim and have watched quite a few anime that have similar concepts of pilots in giant robots/creatures so this might have given me an edge.

The book went in a direction I wasn’t expecting at all which was awesome because I find that I can normally figure out a plot before it happens, so it was nice being surprised.

It was also refreshing to see how they portrayed the romance in this book. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything quite like it. I won’t go too much into detail about it because I view it as a bit of a spoiler. I will say that one relationship was a little fast for me, as in the characters went from not liking each other to liking each other very quickly but I was cheering for them so this didn’t bother me too much.

This was a book that I didn’t not know I needed in my life and I am so glad I had the chance to read this. I will 100% be continuing this series.

Thank you NetGalley for early access to this book! I began reading Iron Widow mostly blind to the plot and genre, I think I assumed it was a historical fantasy and happened to be wonderfully incorrect. Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid's Tale indeed. I would also add The Hunger Games undertones in that description also.

THIS BOOK HAS EVERYTHING. The diverse cast of characters is so lovable, the representation in this book is poignant and well done, and the giant robots were the cherry on top of a brave and wonderfully told story. Sign me up for the next book and anything else Xiran Jay Zhao writes it the future. Pick it up when it debuts on September 21, 2021.

Awesome things about this book~
*The characters are so lovable. Wu Zetian is the female lead we needed. She is brave and is able to overcome her obstacles even when she doesn't believe in herself. She is also slightly unhinged, which I love. Her partners are great too, but Zetian stole the show and I be thinking about her and the final scene for some time.
*You know when you can feel the author's love exuding from their book? This book exudes love ever time you turn the page. Everything is handled with such grace, the prose were easy to read without feeling simple.
*I love that this book take liberty with Chinese history. The author makes. it clear what and how they are borrowing and is so cool about it.
*I also felt this was a perfect gateway book for people that love fantasy and are too afraid to dip their toes in the wonderful world of science fiction. This book will have you obsessed with metal and science, just like the rest of us.

A few things that could have been better~
*There were times I forgot about the larger conflict because the world was very secondary to the character driven plot. Not a problem for most, but I'm a sucker for very detailed work integration.


Quality of Writing - 4/5
Pace - 4.5/5
Plot Development - 4.5/5
Characters - 5/5
Enjoyability - 5/5
Insightfulness - 4.5/5
Ease of Reading - 5/5

Overall - 4.75

You know when you start a book and then quickly realize that it may not be for you. This was me with this read. Pretty quickly the language of this read me had me pausing a lot. It immediately immerses you in a world with its technical language, and I was could not get past this. I do not know if the worldbuilding in this book works for me as a reader. It is very fast paced and I think could be a throughly engaging read all the way through for many readers, for me though I need more explicit world building to be immersed (and less jargon that takes me out). I could not get into the story because of this unfortunately and life is too short for books that you do not enjoy.

Zetia travels to avenge her sisters death.
Instead she avenges it and ends up becoming a powerful figure in the war.
Pacific rim meets the hand maids tale.
Love triangle but not really?
I'm really rooting for her partner not the rich guy.

This was a very interesting book! Unfortunately, I felt like the characters were very flat and didn't develop that much. The one character that developed a lot was Li Shimin! He was a very good character and I loved reading about him. But the main character.... she just consistently was a bad ass and I feel like that's slightly unrealistic. I would have rathered the author leaned more into the insanity of this girl instead of the feminist warrior.
It had some great Asian rep, polyamorous rep and disability rep!

This was honestly one of (if not THE) best books I've ever read. The world building is brilliant, the social commentary is deep and engrossing, but not too on the nose, the characters are vibrant and original, the prose is beautiful and heart-wrenching while still very much accessible. If you're looking for a book that deconstructs misogyny in an actually gender-inclusive way that's both fun and aesthetically pleasing while still driving a wedge through your heart with all the emotional resonance, I highly recommend this book!

Iron Widow had me at "Pacific Rim + Chinese historical inspiration" and only got better from there. Its setting is brutal, as are many of its characters - I think The Poppy War and She Who Became the Sun are actually better comparisons in many ways, though Iron Widow is marketed as YA (definitely on the more mature end) and the others are adult. It also reminds me of And I Darken. I appreciate that the author very specifically worked to dismantle the gender-binary aspects of the overtly gendered society and solved the potential love triangle with polyamory. Also, giant mechs and elemental magic. What's not to love?

I received an ARC from the publisher and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

Wu Zetian is one of the most intriguing historical heroines I’ve come across over the years, and so I was intrigued by the high-concept, ambitious premise of Iron Widow, which reimagines her story and broader Chinese history in general in a completely different sci-fi world. And while this mix definitely seemed like an odd one, especially with the author, Xiran Jay Zhao, having to clarify the misconceptions for themself in multiple places while promoting the book, it works.

The book is simultaneously a love letter to Chinese culture and history, with its tributes to multiple historical figures, locations, and traditions, and a story that unpacks the eternal nature of the issue of sexism and tearing down the patriarchy. She subtly critiques both the harem system of imperial China and its legacy there, as well as the ways in which patriarchy still lingers even in the more “liberated” societies, like the debate about reproductive rights that has been in the US news consistently within the last several years. The way that is conveyed through the pilot system, with women being given up as concubine-pilots, and it typically means that while they’re able to help, their male partners use up all the girls’ life forces through the psychic link, which results in their deaths.

I loved Zetian for turning the tables on the situation as revenge for what happened to her sister. I admired her for channeling her rage against this system that was against her and triumphing, in a matter that is similar in a spiritual sense, if not in deed, to her historical namesake.

And the polyamorous rep is awesome! I wasn’t sure about it at first, but I ultimately really liked it. I really liked that Zetian, Shimin (called the Iron Demon and has a dark past of his own), and the super sweet Yizhi all care about each other, without there being any jealousy. While the romance isn’t central to the story, it’s a nice component, given the more intense elements of the rest of the book.

This book is freaking awesome and epic, and absolutely recommend this to anyone who loves sci-fi or Chinese history.

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao is a stand-out, explosive debut that is sure to capture the imaginations and whet the appetites of readers searching for female revenge stories. With sci-fi being a rarer sight in the YA genre, Iron Widow takes a bold approach with its mecha anime-inspired roots along with being steeped in Chinese history.

In Huxia, boys dream of becoming ace pilots of Chrysalises, which are giant, transforming robots powered by syncing up with female concubine-pilots. It doesn’t matter that the girls die of mental strain, only that the mecha aliens beyond the Great Wall are stopped. Wu Zetian volunteers as a concubine-pilot to assassinate the male pilot who killed her older sister, only to emerge from the cockpit unscathed and with her co-pilot dead after overcoming him through their psychic link. Instead of being his One True Match and Iron Princess, Zetian is an Iron Widow, a much-feared and often silenced female pilot who can sacrifice boys instead. To subdue her, she is paired with Li Shimin, the strongest and most controversial pilot in Huxia, but she is not interested in being cowed. Instead, she plots to use Shimin and their newfound notoriety to survive attempt after attempt against her life until she can discover why the pilot system works as it does and stop more girls from being sacrificed for male dominance.

I found the overall story and plot of Iron Widow to be utterly engaging. Once I started reading, I had to force myself to take breaks and absorb what I read. Despite some of the darker subject matter, it’s also an incredibly quick read to breeze through. I’ve never read a mecha anime on paper before, but Zhao did the damn thing and did it incredibly well.

Wu Zetian was also highly enjoyable to read as a character. She starts off as such a bitter person willingly hurtling toward her own doom, so it’s fun to see what happens when she does obtain power and claws for control over her own agency. While she does adjust some of her perspective towards certain characters, she doesn’t necessarily grow much as a person but rather becomes so much worse. Redemption arc? No, hers is a corruption arc, and I’m along for the ride. Is she going to be in this more for the power moving forward? Will her idealized visions of the world and the girls in it truly matter in the end? What else will she sacrifice to achieve this shining future she envisions? Do the ends justify the means? Readers will have to wait and see.

I’m interested to see her future struggles with right and wrong and to realize how much more she’s willing to get her hands dirty. Plus—and this is a personal pro for me—I never had to read the line, “If you do this bad thing, then you’re just as bad as them,” and have Zetian agree with it, like so many other YA books would’ve had her do. An instant win, this.

Zhao’s descriptive writing is gripping as the story is told through Zetian’s eyes. How she visualizes the world around her, what the Chrysalises look like, the pilots’ elaborate spirit metal armor, the qi changes, and the fights against the Hunduns all made the novel colorful and the world-building thorough. Sci-fi elements blended seamlessly with nods to Chinese culture and vice versa.

That being said, because the descriptive writing is so strong, the dialogue is mostly subpar in comparison. At times, it was like reading two different writers composing separate parts of the book. For the most part, I couldn’t “hear” any of the characters’ voices as they spoke, and when they did, it wasn’t all that impressive. Fortunately, the majority of the book is told in description, namely through Zetian’s first-person thought processes. It’s like she’s speaking to you the whole time. Her inner voice is by far the strongest one in the book, and no one feels as fleshed out as she does, which is fine if you like her. If you don’t, you might not find Iron Widow all that enjoyable.

As for the other characters, I like some of them a lot as concepts, Yizhi especially. He is Zetian’s rich childhood friend who has secretly fallen for her for awhile. His pressed robes hide a torso covered in tattoos, he is bisexual and fiercely loyal to Zetian, and his father is essentially a corporate mob boss. But I don’t really know who he is. I don’t know what drives him, what his motivations are, how and why he fell for Zetian over anyone else, or if he has any kind of hidden agenda. The bare bones of him being a character are there, but there’s not much there filling in the space.

The same can be said for pretty much every other character with the exception of Li Shimin, and I really hope that more of the cast are developed more thoroughly in the next book. The only reason I got to know Shimin a little better is because of the mental pilot-bond Zetian forms with him. At times, she is able to experience his past memories, thoughts, and feelings as her own, and we get to know him more that way than through any conversations with him. Through these steady reveals, readers slowly learn how he came to be in his current predicament. Unfortunately, most of these revelations are a surprise only to Zetian; the writing takes too many pains to paint Shimin as the soft, broken, sad boy far too early, and I would’ve been more entertained if I had been able to believe he could be a threat to Zetian for at least a little while. Some of his character moments did shine, like during the cafeteria fight and the ending, but Zetian largely drowns him out along with the rest of the cast. Iron Widow is most assuredly Wu Zetian’s show.

In the event that established characters won’t be developed any further, then I’m holding out hope that the next book presents an actual, formidable villain opposite of Zetian (looking at you, Qin Huang) instead of just the vagueness of “the patriarchy.” I don’t know, mate. I’m just tired of books not having hot villains in them. So many protagonists (and friends) are fighting against these one-note, vague forces of evil now, and it’s getting old. Give evil a face and a name, and make it personal for the protagonist; it’s better every time.

Unfortunately, because so many of the other characters are lackluster next to Zetian, I also did not at all believe the polyamorous relationship between her, Yizhi, and Shimin. No one is more saddened by this than I am, trust me.

What’s tragic is I can see the ghost of it. I can see how the polyamory could’ve worked, even beyond developing Yizhi and Shimin more. I see how Yizhi and Zetian’s friendship—full of unspoken feelings—could have been written to form something deeper. How Zetian’s suspicions of Yizhi having an agenda (but also feelings) could’ve been true, shaking her faith in the validity of their friendship and lead to something that makes them work to rebuild trust. I see how Zetian’s hatred of all male pilots, including Shimin, for sacrificing their concubines could have led to her having equally hateful but messy attraction to Shimin. I could see how Shimin might have actually challenged her as an equal and formidable opponent, instead of being the yielding, broken, soft mess that he is. I could even see how Shimin and Yizhi might have fallen into this mutual attraction fueled by falling for the same girl and being forced to trust each other to take care of her in his own way despite their jealousy. Jealousy that might actually be something else, perhaps longing to have the other but thinking he is “taken” by Zetian.

I could see the outline of these many, many possibilities. Instead, it was rushed on all three sides with very little development, conflict, or earning it in any direction. Subverting a love triangle doesn’t really matter if you don’t put in the same work that a love triangle ultimately does. The plot needs Zetian, Yizhi, and Shimin to get along, hold hands, and fall in love, so they do. Zetian has a moment of being torn, wanting to be with Yizhi but knowing she has to work in sync with Shimin to survive. Her feelings for Yizhi might compromise that—but don’t worry, it’s okay. Yizhi basically says to her that her relationship with Shimin is none of his business, what she has with each of them is separate, and he can’t get jealous because hearts can be full of love for anyone. Which is a great sentiment, but man does it lead to boring relationships to read.

As for Shimin, he seems to just want to be with Zetian just because. She hasn’t died on him yet, and the plot demands it, so fall he does. Meanwhile, Yizhi and Shimin are attracted to each other because… no idea. At one point, they are slightly at odds if you squint, and the next they’re sleeping against each other, hands clasped as they wait beside Zetian’s hospital bed. The book does this half-assed thing where Zetian reveals that she suspected Yizhi is also attracted to men, so Shimin must be, too, and yeah, they’re together just because they’re bisexual—at least, that’s all the effort the writing made to justify it.

None of these relationships were sexy. There was no longing, no friction, no yearning, simply because there wasn’t time spent on any of it. Having a tiny snag and calling it conflict that results in development isn’t actually true. Also, calling a relationship “healthy” isn’t enough to make me invested. I mark these issues as consistent flaws I see in nearly every YA book. Even outside of standalone books, romances have to be established in the first book as quickly as possible, and it’s a letdown every time. There are no slowburns or realistic progressions, and with Iron Widow taking place over the course of a month, this was the time to exercise some restraint. If a triangle is the strongest shape, then please work on every side. Make me believe it and want to root for it to pan out in the end in spite of everything standing in its way.

It’s a shame because I wanted this polyamorous trio to be amazing. Instead, it was just kinda there, blocking the way to the action, plot, and world-building. The appearance of such a trio in Iron Widow does give me hope that polyamory will appear in other books across genres; I just hope they are written with more intrigue and nuance than this. I also hope the sequel to Iron Widow will give me something to sink my teeth into regarding this triangle. This can’t be all there is. It might be too late, though, and I have to accept that now. First books are for foundation, and it just wasn’t there for me in regards to the romance.

Finally, this is an extremely “stick it to the patriarchy” book, which comes with its own pros and cons. I wouldn’t comp it to The Handmaid’s Tale that the marketing is trying so desperately to do. It’s more like every post you’ve read on Twitter and Tumblr that introduces you to the evils of the patriarchy and the need for feminism without a single original thought. In and of itself, that’s not a bad thing since this is a book directed at teens. There are a lot of messages that young girls will benefit from reading that will help them realize something about the world around them, that will let them know someone else has experienced what they have and sees them in their struggles. However, girls will be the only ones.

While Iron Widow doesn’t take the stark “all men are evil” route that The Gilded Ones does, it does not add anything new to the conversation that I’ve been seeing in modern YA books lately. Books that want to be so feminist and pro-woman and anti-misogyny so badly that they overlook the other half of the conversation. At no point do these books, including Iron Widow, add in their message of the patriarchy hurting girls that, news flash, it also hurts boys, too. It hurts boys, here’s how, and here’s why we can all benefit from tearing it down—and that doesn’t even include those outside the gender binary.

Rather, Zetian’s internal manifesto is all about how terrible girls have it across the board from sexuality to careers to motherhood to their inherent value all because of the patriarchy. She’s completely right, and these are good talking points to have. Zhao establishing Zetian as a victim of foot binding as a way to physically symbolize all of these problems with misogyny and how they can affect women for life is a brilliant touch. However, the book’s primary focus is still the type of one-sided feminism that emphasizes women, by and large excluding men save for being the source of the problem. Feminism is for everyone, and for once, I would like to see a feminist, girl-power book remember that boys will benefit from crushing the patriarchy as well. Perhaps, though, this will be a growth point for the sequel to cover, at least a bit. Zetian’s outlook on Shimin changed once she learned more about his circumstances and perspective, so maybe the idea that boys are just as trapped in this institution will strike her more definitively in the future. Or maybe she won’t give a shit, her revenge being all that matters, and will only make exceptions for Yizhi and Shimin because they’re her boyfriends, to hell with all other boys. Only time will tell.

Iron Widow at least does show many instances of the patriarchy at work in large and small ways, from its solely sci-fi/fantasy issues to things that feel a lot more applicable to real life, like women being conditioned to take up less space. The showing not telling was a high point for me, to the point where I felt that many of Zetian’s internal musings on these topics could’ve been cut because they become repetitive and unnecessary. She doesn’t have to tell me every time how bad girls have it in her world; I can see it playing out before me, but she has to explain each instance and both her bitterness and fury about it at every turn. I fear if you cut most of this, you’d lose almost a third of the book.

Ultimately, Iron Widow stands strong as a sci-fi action novel with fantasy elements, good world-building, interesting twists, and a powerfully written main female character. Where it suffers are the little areas in between, areas that I think can be corrected and fine tuned with more authorial experience on Zhao’s part. This book has a compelling beginning that starts to drag a little around the midway point of the book. It decides to focus on the PR part—hair, makeup, fashion, establishing celebrity personalities to gain rich sponsors—we all thought was cool in The Hunger Games but which those books wisely sped through and didn’t linger on. This part took us away from the Hundun action for a while and was weak on political intrigue and relationship-building, so I was glad when it did finally wrap up because the ending was all sorts of fun and shocking.

I am very hyped for Iron Widow to come out for others to read and experience and to see where Wu Zetian’s vengeful legacy will take us next. I’m also going to keep an eye on Zhao as a writer because, despite some issues, she seems to have a lot of great ideas and room for growth to tell even bigger and better stories in the future. I’m looking forward to it.

I really enjoyed the concept and the plot of this book. It was the execution of the details that fell flat for me. I was always waiting for more information on the different kinds of qi, descriptions of the setting and the seemingly plot relevant clothing, more on the character's relationships, particularly the romantic ones. I adore Zetian and her boys, but it felt like much of their character growth and feelings for each other happed off screen. I really liked the ending. It was a little trope-y but not in the way I expected.

All in all 7.5/10