Wu Zetian, a small town peasant, wants to avenge her sister who was killed as a concubine pilot for army of the Chrysallis fighters. Zetian joins the army as a concubine pilot, with the goal to murder the pilot who killed her sister. As she tries to do that, she learns more about the patriarchal society ideals and the powers that be. Will Wu Zetian survive?

This book was a rollercoaster, but in the best way. It was medium-fast paced, which I like in a book, but I didn’t rush through the book because I wanted to savour it. I found that Xiran Jay Zhao’s writing style was engaging and well thought out, especially for a debut novel. This book was weird, but fun, and the characters were really interesting. If you want badass feminist take on Chinese culture with a side of giant robots fighting each other, look no further.

Thanks to Penguin Teen Canada and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. 4.5 stars rounded up.

This book was so beautiful. The Asian rep, the sci-fi world based in Chinese culture, it was just so well done. Wu Zeitan was a wonderful female protagonist. She is everything I’ve ever wanted in a female lead, strong willed and unapologetic. The plot was decently fast paced but did hit a few lulls at times. There is a ton of world building, so if that’s not your thing you may get bored. I personally enjoy a well developed world. Overall, I enjoyed this book. The diversity itself was too notch in this one.

This futuristic reimagined tale of Regnant Wu was a wild romp.

Zetian, an 18 year old girl living on the frontier, signs up to be a concubine with the single-minded goal of killing the pilot who murdered her sister. Zetian accomplishes this mission very quickly and, inadvertently, finds out she is more powerful than she has ever previously imagined. The world Zetian lives in operates on keeping women “in their place”, and they are not about to change that system no matter how much power Zetian can wield. However, they will not hesitate to set the odds against her by pairing her with Pilot Li Shimin, a violent and murderous boy.

Together Zetian and Li Shimin are coerced to join the war against the Hunduns, an invasive robot-like species that continues to attack their world. Zetian makes it her personal mission to find out the real reason girls are being oppressed and to stop more girls from being slaughtered in this war.

There’s a lot going on in this first book to a new fantasy series, but the author does a great job of presenting everything in digestible amounts of information.

According to the author, they followed in the footsteps of traditional Chinese writers and took a real historical figure (Regnant Wu), placed her in the future as a teen, and added fantasy to create this unique story.

I enjoyed all the LGBTQIA rep, disability rep, polyamory, gender discussions, and challenging the patriarchy and misogyny.

Zetian’s character is described as a bad ass, intrepid, ruthless, powerful and unforgiving youth, which is understandable given the world she inhabits, but she can come across as quite heartless and even narrow-minded at times.

The reader only gets a glimpse of this world and it is all from Zetian’s limited point of view. I am hoping that the world and its politics and the enemy “invaders” will be expanded upon in the second instalment. I noticed some similarities in this with the Stormlight Archives series by Brandon Sanderson. If you’re caught up on that series, you’ll probably notice the similarities too.

While I enjoyed this book for the most part, I wish certain aspects were explained a bit more. With all that said, I will definitely continue with the series and am excited to see where it goes.

Thank you to Penguin Teen for the arc provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Iron Widow is described as Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid's Tale with a blend of Chinese history and mecha science fiction! And if that doesn't intrigue you, then idk what will!

But omg! ZETIAN IS SO COOL!!!!! Actually, this entire book is super cool and morally gray and this book also has a polyamorous relationship!!! And that ending!!!!

Basically, everyone should at the very least, give this book a try!!

*3.5 stars
Thank you so much to netgalley and penguin random house for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Content warnings: murder, torture, mentions/threats of rape, femicide, abuse, alcohol addiction, gore, misogyny

I'm obsessed with the author's avatar videos on youtube, so when I found out they were coming out with a book this fall, I immediately added this to my tbr. This has been pitched as pacific rim meets the handmaids tale, and on that front, it definitely delivered. My biggest issue with this book is the writing. It felt very simplistic and relied a lot on telling rather than showing. It's very clear this is a debut novel, but I am excited to see the author improve in future works.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. I was definitely a little confused at first, because we really don't get much background on the enemy species they are fighting, we are essentially just told that they invaded a long time ago and they're evil. However, right around halfway through, I was hooked and invested in the plot. The main character, Zetian was ruthless, and I cannot wait to see where she goes in the sequel. Immediately after finishing, I pulled up the wikipedia article about the real empress Wu Zetian, and her history is fascinating. I also enjoyed both love interests, though I would have preferred the romance to have a little more development. The ending of this book left me shocked, and I'm definitely eagerly awaiting the sequel.

Ultimately, if you are a sci-fi lover, I would definitely recommend you pick up this book!

When I first heard about Iron Widow back when it was announced, I was intrigued immediately because a) it's sci-fi with ancient china setting and customs, and b) it has poly-amorous relationship, which is something I've never seen in YA books. This book follows Wu Zetian, who offer herself as a concubine-pilot to avenge her older sister. After she accomplished that, instead of being executed like she'd expected, she found herself being paired-up with Li Shimin, who's the strongest pilot at that time. Unfortunately, due to Shimin's status as a convict and murderer--and also Zetian's status as an Iron Widow--they didn't get fame and fortune like other pilots. Throughout the book, we get to see them slowly but surely rise through the ranks, and try to accomplish Zetian's new and bigger goal: fight the injustice faced by women, especially concubine-pilots.

The best thing from Iron Widow is definitely the plot. It's been a while since I read fast-paced book like this, so it's no surprise that I manage to finish this book in 3 days (which is fast by my standard). Truth to be told, sci-fi wasn't my favorite genre ever since I often have difficult time picturing the technology and such, but I'm happy to say that it wasn't the case with Iron Widow. Xiran manages to constantly surprise me with twists, from the beginning to the last page (which made me more excited for book 2! I can't wait!!). Combining all that with historical facts and figures made this book much more interesting.

All in all, Iron Widow is a refreshing and twisty book that combine the 'future' and the 'past'. You definitely won't want to miss this book!

I received an early copy in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada.

A woman decides to seek vengeance for her dead sister and to challenge the oppressive system through which women are sacrificed to power the mecha pilots fighting the constant alien invasion. The battles invoke a feeling of Neon Genesis Evangelion or Pacific Rim.

This propulsive and subversive story is a powerful tale of female rage and burning down the patriarchy. Each step takes the story to places unexpected yet fitting. It is an emotional roller-coaster that moves with urgency.

Sadly the battles feel rushed, almost an after thought. What should be savored, giant robots slaying alien hordes, often ends as soon as it begins. Even the final battle feels lacking despite its huge scope. Similarly, the ending moves so fast it doesn't have time to properly explore what happened.

I don't mean to suggest anyone should skip Iron Widow, unless your primary interest is in the action. Despite its shortcomings, it is a satisfying and memorable journey. There are bursts of memorable rage-filled writing. Just don't come for the giant robot battles alone.

2.5 STARS

In Huaxia, a war is fought against the Hunduns via giant transforming robots. These robots are piloted by a pair of teens (one boy, one girl), but the girl almost always ends up dead after the battle. Sapped of all their Qi, their lifeforce.

Months after her sister's death at the hands of one of these male pilots, Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot. Her family is excited she is finally conforming to society's notions of how woman should behave, but little do they know she has other plans. Zetian plans to kill the man responsible for murdering her sister. Things escalate quickly, as Zetian is thrown into battle with this pilot just hours after being chosen to be his co-pilot. During this first battle, Zetian kills him through the psychic link that connects the co-pilots in the Chrysalis. After the battle, she emerges with his dead body, immediately being coined as the Iron Widow.

To punish her, as well as try to tame her, the council pairs her up with the most imposing and deplorable male pilot, Li Shimin. No woman has ever survived a battle with Shimin, but Zetian will not be tamed so easily. Her initial mission was a success, now she must figure out why woman are being held back in the pilot seat.


I had such strong hopes for this book. I mean a strong female heroine who is trying to topple the patriarchy? SIGN ME UP! This, along with the influence of Chinese culture and inspiration from real historical figures from Chinese history made this one of my most anticipated reads of this fall. Unfortunately, the storytelling fell flat.

The first twenty percent of this book was absolute perfection. The buildup to Zetian becoming the Iron Widow and the framing of her life story really wowed me. I felt immersed in this fantasy story and really could feel the restraints on the women of this society. Then, everything was on fire. The plot jumped from storyline to storyline with no real resolution. One second the characters would be worried about x, and the next second z was happening.

The worldbuilding was nearly non-existent by this point as well. I tried my best to keep up with all the elemental qi signs (earth, fire, water, and metal) and what each person could do with that specialized sign, BUT NOTHING MADE SENSE. Zetian would explain that 'oh yes they can do a because they are a water sign!' and I would sit there thinking "Wait, what?" There needed to be more explanation into this, as well as how the qi is measured. At one point Zetian had x qi strength and then after two battles she had about fifteen times that qi strength. HOW DOES ONE GAIN QI? Is it training? Is it from battles? Make it make sense!

Another part of the book that I was intrigued to read about was the poly relationship in this book. I had noticed Xiran Jay Zhao mention in their tweets was that this book takes the boring love triangle and flips it on it's head. That's right, the love triangle is indeed a true triangle. The trio is all in love with each other and in a polyamorous relationship (FMM). I was so excited to read about this, but the relationships fell flat as well. I felt no connection between any of them. It felt as if Zhao added this as an afterthought and I think this book really would have benefitted from deeper character interactions. I needed to be shown their feelings, but they were explicitly told to the reader. There was a lot of showing, not telling in this book.

Finally, Zetian seemed to have one personality trait and that trait was "chaos"! It is absolutely amazing to see a strong woman character, but she had no depth to her. One second she's sad over her sister's death and is trying to avenge her and then once that's done, it's as if she forgot she had a sister? This happens many times throughout the book. She will be fighting one thing and then BAM! It's as if she has one focus and that is to cause chaos everywhere she can. Which again, is amazing, but give me more than one dimension to her personality!


Overall, I think this book could have been much better had it been a trilogy. This first book in the series easily could have been three with the amount of plot and lack of worldbuilding and character relationships. From there, the author could have continued onto the series, making it 4-6 books total. The epilogue of this book sets it up nicely for a second book, and while I did not enjoy this book I may be willing to give the second one a chance. This book left me with many questions and very little answers and my hope is that the writing and plot will improve in book two.


TW: In depth depictions/explanations of the process of footbinding, alcoholism, misogyny, torture, violence, sexism, suicidal thoughts, emotional abuse, physical abuse, addiction, gore, domestic abuse, medical trauma, death, and mentions of rape.

WARNING- I may have missed some TWs. Please proceed with caution.

The rage, the glorious rage!
Wu Zetian has only two people in the world that she truly cares about. When her sister is murdered, nothing will stay her hand, not even the love of her only friend Yizhi, even if that involves taming her unibrow.
Your standard revenge plot right? Wrong! Giant Chrysalis protect the fragile humans from mindless, metal Hunduns that raid the human territory in the night. The only cost? Young women like Big Sister dying by the thousands at the hands of the young male pilots to power the Chrysalis for war each time they go to battle. Only in a Balanced Pair can women survive by sharing the minds with their new husband/pilots during battle. Women are bought and sold, part sex slave/part sacrifice to the Gods as their weaker qi is harvested during battle.
Beyond all odds, Wu Zetian finds her sister's murder and kills this "hero" of the realm. Her reward is that she's paired with the strongest pilot alive, the notorious family murder, Li Shimin. It is a real race to see who is the more hated of the pair: Zetian or Shimin.
Just like everything else at the Great Wall, Shimin is not what he seems, and when Zetian barely survives an attack by a rival, Yizhi reappears. Old lover, new lover, or something else?
But a greater threat looms, and no one has ever asked why so few balanced pairs are found. Or where the Hundun are coming from. Or why the Emperor is said to one day return. Or why any of it needs to be powered with the lives of girls.
Repeat after me: the triangle is the strongest shape, and your worst nightmare is coming for her vengeance.

Wu Zetian, a young woman living in a small village, is determined to avenge her older sister's death even if it means sacrificing her own life as a concubine-pilot. When she unexpectedly survives, she sets her sights on destroying the patriarchal piloting system that allows so many young women to die.

I wasn't sure what to expect when starting Iron Widow, but I picked it up because I was in the mood for some fast-paced science fiction with a healthy dose of romance. Iron Widow delivered on that and more. Zhao's world building is engaging and full of sharp parallels to our own and the book's conclusion was so surprising it gave me a bit of whiplash (in the best way possible). Truly, I think Iron Widow is one of my favorite science fiction books of 2021 (in a close tie with Becky Chambers' The Galaxy and the Ground Within) and I'm already eagerly awaiting the second book.

I would recommend Iron Widow to folks who enjoyed R.F. Kuang's Poppy War series for the Chinese inspired setting, in depth exploration of battle strategy, or the hints of romance. The same is true for readers who enjoyed Everina Maxwell's Winter's Orbit for it's writing style, queer romance, and discussion of relationships formed under media pressure

To be truthful I expected a lot from this book… and it was even better than imagined. It was so amazing!
The love triangle was so beautiful and the best part is that Zetian (the main character) doesn’t have to decide between her two love interests. I love how confident and strong Zetian is.
It was a really great book over all. I’m would definitely read this book again and would definitely recommend reading it if you like fantasy/sci-fi books.

Thank you NetGalley for sending this arc for an honest review.

To begin with this book HAS THE DIVERSITY IM LOOKING FOR LIKE YESS BABES AS IT SHOULD. Tbh I did judge a book by its cover as much as the cover was beautiful I was worried I wasn’t going to like it cuz of the vibes I felt from it.

But I was wrong this book was BREATHTAKING. Felt like poetry to me. Fantasy just happens to be my thing and as much as I read anything else fantasy owns my soul.

The romance to me was… not so focused on but nonetheless I did enjoy it especially because I was to blinded by the MC powerful story in the book I was to blind to focus on the romance given.

3⭐️ unfortunately!

I had high hopes for this book, and it started off well, but then somewhere after the 50% mark things just went haywire off the rails! I was expecting more sci-fi and mech tech which there was some of, but overall I think the historical retellings overpowered the story.

The plot was shaping up well until it suddenly wasn’t, and I found myself asking- what is the point here? I thought this was going to be more about a pilot fighting outer forces or possibly taking control of her own fate by overthrowing a patriarchal government system, which it was sort of… until our MC got a weird power trip in the end that left me asking … what is her main motivation? What are her goals?

I loved the mech tech aspect of the world (would have liked to see more of it), the MC was alright, but I didn’t really like how the romances we’re built and sustained.

All this paired with the topsy-turvy ending left me with a dissatisfied feeling. Hopefully others enjoy this more than I did!

xx
-Christine

I LOVED this book! I am not going to lie I freaked out when i got approved and put it on the top of my TBR. The cover is stunning and this is one of those books I wish I could reread for the first time all over again. Can't wait for the next book!

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada and Netgalley for an advanced copy of Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao in exchange for an honest review!

Iron Widow was unlike any book I’ve ever read before. The rich cultural elements paired with the sci-fi elements felt so refreshing and intriguing. There was so much promise with the premise, tropes, feminist agenda, and polyamorous relationship; however, it fell a little bit flat.

Set in a male-dominated world in China, women sign up to be concubine pilots who will eventually succumb to the forces of their male partners. Women are strongly urged to do so in order to bring their family extra income, which they inevitably exchange for their lives.

My biggest issue with Iron Widow was the number of plots going on simultaneously. We go on a journey with Zetian to find her sister’s killer. At the same time, she tries to uncover the truth that upholds their patriarchal society, tries mastering her mental strength, all while becoming a piece in a political scheme to trick the masses. Not to mention the major plot twist in the epilogue-all of which left my brain feeling a bit scrambled.

The beginning of this book was written so beautifully that I found myself crying at some of the harsh truths that women faced living in this male-dominated/women-hating society, especially in regards to the bound feet. Author Xiran Jay Zhao was clearly passionate and knowledgeable about what they wrote, which made the reading experience more immersive and meaningful. Some descriptive scenes took my breath away, and I could not fly through the chapters fast enough. However, I felt that some of the character writing was a little lackluster, and, at times, some characters acted entirely out of their role. The two love interests felt like an afterthought, succumbing to various other plots trying to simultaneously fight to be at the forefront. Zetian was one of the biggest disappointments to me. She had so much potential, but most of her actions felt rash, and she very much had “not like other girls” energy, which conflicted with her overall characterization.

Overall, this world was so cool, and there is so much potential there that I genuinely believe the next book will be so much better. I'm excited to see where this goes!

Trigger warnings: torture (graphic descriptions), sexual assault, mentions of rape, sexism, bound feet, thoughts of suicide, alcohol addiction, body shaming

Wow! Pacific Rim meets the Handmaiden’s tale in this stunning debut novel from Xiran Jay Zhou. ZETIAN/SHIMIN/YIZHI CHOSE FEMINISM!!!

I think I should start off with the fact that I do recommend this book, just for the fact that I NEED a book two! This book is extremely fast paced and engaging, and I would characterize it as plot driven. I think it’s the first book I have ever read that feels both historical fantasy and science fiction-y at the same time.

There are two main things that keep me from giving this book a 5 stars, as much as I would like to:
1. I felt pulled out of the narrative because of Zetain’s inner monologue. At times I felt like she was telling me how to think explicitly and it was not necessary considering her posture when facing many of the injustices she face don’t really “change”. Everything just affirms her beliefs.
2. The tone of the book went from young YA to adult fantasy at different points of the book and it seemed confused. Considering the adult themes and situations that the characters face I think this book would have been better as an adult fantasy/sci-fi rather than a YA.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book is so awesome!

How awesome you ask? I’m a contemporary genre type reader trying to get out of a reading slump and this book got me out of it!

It’s that good! I love how adventurous, emotional, inspiring and reflective it is.

I love how the MC is willing to take risks no matter how the situation is.

I love this book so much! I love the way it was written. It’s amazing. She’s the character I want to be. I loved that she’s standing up for herself, destroying patriarchy and breaking down stereotypes. I loved the intensity of emotions, the pace of the story and how compelling it was. This is a new favorite!! I would highly recommend this book!

4.5🌟 2🌶

A huge thank you to Penguin Teen & NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

CW: abuse, violence, death, torture, attempted rape (no on page descriptions)

I can’t believe I got to read this masterpiece bc WOW that was such a ride! From start to finish, I felt so immersed in this world and I was surprised by how much I couldn’t put it down especially with how engaging the writing was and how entertaining the characters were. I loved this and this is definitely among my top faves this year!

Iron Widow was unapologetically feminist in the best ways! The main lead, Wu Zetian, was badass and just amazing! She’s strong in every sense and she was constantly self-aware of how wrongly she was being used and treated and that worked well with her ultimate goal. She also didn’t shy away from using her femininity as a source of her strength. I love that she constantly fought nail and tooth not only for her rights as a woman but for women of the present and future! She did get chaotic and aggressive at times but I like how she listened to those who around her and takes their opinion in consideration (but there’s no guarantee she’ll push through with it!)

The side characters especially Li Shimin and Yizhi were both so lovable! Getting to know them deeper and seeing their friendship with Zetian develop was just heartwarming! The polyamorous relationship they had was everything! I only ever read about throuples in NA romance novels so to see it in a Upper YA Sci-fi/Fantasy book was so refreshing! I really enjoyed the way their individual relationships progressed first then evolved to having the three of them together. Triangle really is the strongest shape!!

The concept of piloting, qi and the Chrysalis was so interesting! I realized that it was inspired by the boy-girl piloting idea from Darling in the Franxx which is just amazing, I’m intrigued to watch it soon! (I haven’t watched it but confirmed with my brother who has that the rules were similar to the ones in the book). I also really enjoyed the battle scenes, they were immersive and intense. I felt that the piloting scenes were similar to how the Paladdins in Voltron would pilot their Lions (If you haven’t watched the show, please do!) so I was having the best time reading each scene.

The Chinese elements including the history and traditions were so interesting! I’m quite familiar with stories with Chinese backgrounds (All thanks to MXTX’s works) so it was easy to have a feel of the world. Though some of the practices played well in backing up the narrative of how women are treated wrongly, the real strength women were capable of having and how they shouldn’t be underestimated.

The end really had me gasping out loud and wanting to read the next book ASAP.

Overall, this was easily one of the best books you’ll ever read this year! Xiran Jay Zhao, you are AMAZING. I highly recommend this if you love unapologetically strong feminists with not just one but TWO fascinating love interests with unforgettable stories!

Amazing. That’s what this book is. Described as cross of Pacific Rim and Handmaid’s Tale, is book is both empowering and heartbreaking. Fighting to not become a victim like countless others in the pilot/concubine world, a young woman breaks away from the man made traditions to fight her way to her own freedom and take control of her own destiny. This story was brilliant and so well written. Dark at times but necessary for the story. This is without a doubt a book that will stay with you long after you close its pages.

A huge thanks to netgalley for providing me with an advanced e-copy of this novel!

Iron Widow takes place in a world protected by strong qi-filled (a type of energy power based on the elements) pilots powering massive constructs that can be physically manipulated by qi and which are made from the dead husks of monstrous creatures roaming the planet. The world hosts a society which believe the female race to be living batteries that are to be drained. The 'sacrifice' is colored as admirable by highlighting it as necessary for the sake of their world. In enters Zetian.

The concept of this world was so original and fun, I was to express my envy over Zhao's explicit creativity. I loved the idea of the Chrysallises (the constructs powered by pilots) and the qi energy used and how everyone has a different level/amount of qi. It was fascinating. But while I loved the ideas building the foundation of this novel, I need a bit more than that to take a story to higher levels for me.

I think my lackluster reaction to this book (to my complete and unfortunate suprise) can be summed up to a lack of depth. While the ingredients were all present, the proportions were all a little light to the point of creating a sort of unseasonably dish. That's my best way to express it. Not bad at all! Decent, even! Completely edible and pleasant. But not as tasty as it COULD be. What is a single clove of garlic to an entire pot of spaghetti? What are ten chocolate chips and a half cup of sugar to a whole chocolate chip cookie recipe? That's how I felt throughout this book. The worldbuilding, the plot, the characters and their development, they all lacked a depth that would truly make me invested in the story. To me, plot didn't even feel like it had begun until the last 100 pages. The rest oddly made me reminisce on The Hunger Games and the exploitation the media in that world had on the tributes, as well as the manipulation Katniss in turn had on the media. Which can be a concise plot device, but not when that is the majority of the plot.

I think a little more time needs spent on each scene, on each interaction. Draw out the interactions between characters to grow feeling and connection between character and reader, enunciate each brutal action in a battle scene to emphasize the impact and what is at stake, draw out ruthless or gutwrenching moments for them to have maximum impact. Like I said, the ingredients are there. They just need to be seasoned.

Overall, I am battling myself between a 2.5 and 3 star rating. So not at all a bad read. The potential is THERE and I can taste it. Not to mention, the veeeery ending has me intrigued about their gods.