4.5 star

I received an eARC copy of this and wanted to make sure I got it read before it was released next month. I have to admit I didn't know much about this one going in but I loved it! I ended up tearing through the pages of this one. It was different than my usual reads this year in many ways. There was a lot of action, some great emotional points and an interesting plot. There is definitely some potential trigger warnings in this though from physical/emotional abuse, violence and possible some LBGT if that bothers some.



***** Spoilers *****

Reading through the story of Wu Zetian was great! Seeing her as a young teen struggling with anger of how she and other women are treated and then the loss of her big sister was gripping to me! See what she sets her heart and mind to do and achieving those goals was great. Some of the secondary characters such as the Iron Demon and Young Master of the Storm and the relationship between the three of them was interesting, entertaining and exciting! Even the introduction to Emperor Qin Zheng was great! Lastly, the end of the book was a bit shocking but was a great surprise and I can't wait to see where things go from here in this series and from the author!

An exciting, fast paced, feminist story, with so much action, memorable characters, and awesome tech! I really enjoyed it!

Please, immediately add this book to your TBR and pre-order all the copies you can get your hands on. If you are looking for a wild ride of a book that stands out from the rest - this is one you need to add to your collection! Marketed as Pacific Rim x The Handmaid’s Tale, Iron Widow lives up to every ounce of what is promised with those comps. It is rich in historical Chinese stories with a healthy dose of sci-fi and fantasy elements giving it a fresh twist. With its wild sci-fi elements and kick-butt attitude and actions of the cast of characters, it read like a manga/anime - but with a strong female lead which we absolutely adored. While lots of readers may shy away from sci-fi we cannot stress enough how wonderful this book is and one that you should absolutely give a chance no matter your preconceived opinions of the genre.

Iron Widow is based in a dystopian land called Huaxia that mixes elements of feudal China with futuristic elements. In this world, humans fight mecha aliens by powering Chrysalises, giant robots made from husks of aliens. Male and female pilots are required to be paired to control the Chrysalises and are paired up by “spirit pressure” which is a system to measure how mentally strong a person is. While the system claims they try to pair men and women equally to make a balanced match, most of the time the female pilots die during the fight. Yes, while male pilots receive the glory, female pilots, known as concubine pilots, receive death sentences as they are drained of their life force.

Zetian is one of these concubine pilots, a title that is seen as a great honor and a way for females to serve their misogynistic society. However, Zetian refuses to just be another sacrifice, another faceless woman used as mental fodder for male pilots. In fact, she is determined to bring down the male pilot who killed her sister. She succeeds, killing her male co-pilot mid-fight and takes control of the Chrysalis on her own, only she does not die herself. When she emerges, she is labeled an Iron Widow, a female pilot able to sacrifice men - something feared by society.

Because they are not quite sure what to do with Zetian as Iron Widows are so rare, they pair her with a new partner Li Shimin who is the strongest class pilot currently serving. He’s also the most controversial as he has a dark past and is widely known for slaughtering his family. Although their partnership starts off rocky, they quickly learn how to leverage their infamy and strength to try and take down the system that’s built them up and turned them into the weapons they are.

At its core, Iron Widow is a badass, feminist revenge story. While readers may not be able to personally relate to the cultures described, most can relate in at least a small way to the treatment women receive at the hands of society. Women of all cultures are subject to misogyny, treated as objects, and like they are “less” than men - and it’s simply not true. This book felt like a love letter to anyone who’s been oppressed by their society’s structure. Although Iron Widow’s influences are historical and imagined, it feels all too relevant for today’s struggles as well.

Zetian is a calculating and lethal character single-minded focused on her task. For readers who love “villainous” main characters who do not shy away from conflict, she is everything you could ask for. Every move and every thought Zetian has is unflinchingly scheming a way she can achieve her goal of bringing society to its knees.

Li Shimin is on the surface very similar to Zetian, forced to serve in a system he abhors. Their partnership and common goals feel very natural given their background and providing Zetian with a strong ally of the opposite sex worked well to balance Zetian’s understandable hatred for most men in power.

On the opposite end of the character spectrum, we have Gao Yizhi, a friend of Zetian’s prior to her enlisting with the army. His characteristics are very much opposite of both Zetian and Shimin and could be described as loyal, trusting, intelligent, and somewhat soft (in a good way).

One of the things that stands out in this book, is the fact that it includes a polyamorous couple. Personally, this is the first YA book we’ve read with polyamorous representation and it was great to see it! Since Iron Widow breaks many molds, it seems like a natural inclusion to also stretch boundaries and social norms with the romance as well.

We believe a sign of a good book is how long you continue to think about it and pine after a re-read. Well, we are a month out from our initial read and are still thinking about the book almost daily. Iron Widow has truly become a favorite book of all time and we can’t wait to read more of Ziran Jay Zhao’s books in the future!

I am a huge fan of East Asian retellings and culture in general so I knew I wanted to read this story. It is a feminist retelling of the only female emperor in Chinese history. The book was very thought provoking and definitely a side of the culture that I did not expect exactly. There were tough themes that may be hard for some to read... and a couple trigger warnings (rape/sexual assault, torture, suicide, rape/sexual assault, addiction).

The main character was FIERCE and definitely intriguing. She is a character that young girls (and boys) can look up to. And, this is one of the first books I have read where there is a polyamorous relationship. I am glad that the author stuck to her guns and went this direction rather than telling a story she did not want to.

In the end, this was a good book... did I understand everything? Not exactly! Will I continue the series? Maybe... But it was enjoyable, thought provoking, very quotable, and I think readers appreciate the representation!

Hecken Mecha Chrysalises and almighty unseen gods of this story, Iron Widow is simultaneously the darkest and sweetest book I've ever read. With really dark lows and truly sickening sweet highs, Xiran Jay Zhao's Iron Widow is exactly how she describes it in the acknowledgements: almost too dark for a YA novel. With promises that the original was R18 rated, I'm curious to see the first draft.

Zetian is tired. Tired of fighting both physicals and mental battles thrown onto women from the day they are born. She does everything she can growing up to avoid the additional barriers given to the women of Huaxia: she lets her eyebrows grow long, lets her body look unshapely, and fights strongly to avoid her feet being bound. But when her Big Sister dies, she comes to realize that the only future she has isn't a pleasant one. Zetian takes the attitude she's told to hide, the feelings she's told to smother, and the strength she must never show to the only place she can: serving as a concubine for a pilot. She knows this is a role that ends only in death, but to seek revenge on the murder of her sister, she'll go as far as she needs to go.

She survives her first placing, something no one (even herself) expects, landing her a placement with a pilot who may or may not have murdered his whole family. But Zetian refuses to give up until everyone who choose to make women feel smaller than they really are is gone, destroyed, ruined, She won't rest until the world she lives in is one safe from both Hunduns and misogynists.

And so we get this beauty of a novel that is simultaneously an anime, Pacific Rim, and the most feminist caring novel you'll ever read. It's unapologetically that way, embracing and exceeding the thin edges of just how dark YA is allowed to be, but with a level of care that an expert writer could barely manage by Xiran Jay Zhao does. I am counting down the days until the sequel comes out and deeply wish it was now. I know this book will rarely be on my shelf in the classroom as I'm still questioning how so much content fit into less than 400 pages.

I think I'm going to file this one under "not for me." I think the lore that Zhao pulls from is interesting. I also think it is an fascinating (if not trendy) idea to take the story of a folklore hero and put them into a sci-fi setting. I'm just not especially into the "cut-throat princess" archetype or the "revenging hero" archetype. I'm not sure I'm fully convinced by Zhao's voice yet but this is still her debut novel.

If I could give this book more than 5 stars, I would without hesitation. I am obsessed with every single aspect of this book and need everyone to pre-order it and read it. Not only do we get access to super cool things like mecha battles, romance, in general badassery, but we get to touch on so many important topics such as feminism, discussions on gender & inequalities within, poly rep and more. I found myself researching the historical figures the characters were based on and the historical practices talked about in the story.

Though I cannot begin to know what Zetian feels like when it comes to the type of unbringing she has, I was able to relate to aspects of how she is treated as a woman and the general bullshit that we deal with every day and accept as natural. I was angry with her when she asked questions on why women are treated differently, I fumed alongside her when people talked about her like she was an object with no say on her future, I felt the rage of today’s legislation on how our bodies are treated all around the world as Zetian fought for everything she stood for. Also, every character within this story was so multifaceted and had so much depth. They came from different backgrounds and somehow found common ground to work together. I can’t wait to get to know them all more in the future.

As a weeb- this book warmed my anime/manga loving heart. It was somehow able to combine the vibes of Attack on Titan, Neon Genesis, Darling in the Franxx with Jujutsu Kaisen and still make sense as a whole while being a completely unique story of its own. BRAVO. There are so many quotes I highlighted throughout this book and the pace was phenomenal. I was at the edge of my seat throughout the entire book and was left dying for the next book. I can safely say this is one of my favorite books of all time and I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. The author has automatically become an auto-buy for me and they are definitely an author to watch!

This book was very engaging, with a solid plot and an insanely cool concept, however, it fell short on the characters, relationships, and writing style. My favourite aspects of the book were the engaging and fast-paced plot-line that kept me interested in the story throughout the book and the really amazing concept of Chinese mythology and culture mixed in with sci-fi Pacific-Rim-style elements. I was, however, disappointed on a few fronts. One main thing was that the characters felt forced; Wu Zetian didn't read like a very intelligent or strong character, but I could see that's what the author wants us to think. Her character would have lengthy monologues about feminism, fighting the Hunduns, etc., but all the character development was done through telling rather than showing. One thing that irked me was how Zetian somehow knew how to solve every obstacle either immediately or after a few moments. She somehow is naturally a feminist despite living in a patriarchal society and we get zero context as to how she became this way. It seems that the author wants us to believe that she is born as a feminist or is naturally strong-willed so she automatically became a feminist, which is a very one-dimensional and poor representation of a woman living in a patriarchal society. It would have been really interesting to see her development throughout the book or at least get context as to how her beliefs developed. Moreover, even when put into brand new situations such as when she's in someone else's mind, she somehow knows exactly what to do. This makes for very bland character development and forced characterization. Other characters such as Li Shimin and Yinzhi also suffered from a lack of depth. The depth that was there was mostly done via Zetian telling us rather than it being revealed to us. This goes to my second point on character relationships. The romance was a really cool concept (I love the idea of a poly triangle), but it fell flat for me because it was essentially insta-love. None of the characters had any chemistry and I had no idea when or how Li Shimin fell in love with Zetian. It was lacking in any element that made me root for them. The relationships between Zetian and other characters were also immensely disappointing. For a book that has feminism as one of the major themes, this book had very few other well-developed female characters or any interesting female relationships. The women in Zetian's family held internalized misogyny, however it was a very one-dimensional portrayal of women in patriarchal societies as the mother and grandmother had no personality nor any meaningful relationship with Zetian. it would have been awesome to see how Zetian's relationship with her mother and grandmother would have developed in a way where she loved them but resented them, but there was no nuance in her relationships with them. She simply resented them and cut them off. Overall, it was obvious that the author was trying to add depth to the characters, but she ultimately failed in doing so as they all felt one-dimensional and forced.

Lastly, the writing style is what threw me off the most. It was more fitting for a middle-grade novel as it seemed hastily done. Three things: 1) It was all tell instead of show, 2) most of the writing was just step-by-step plot details ("I went to the watchtower, I talked to Li Shimin, then we did this, and then we did that") with bursts of random lengthy monologues about feminism interspersed in between, and 3) it read as very childish most of the time.

Overall, I would recommend this to someone as a light and fun read as the plot was great and the concept was really cool, but the execution was a bit lacking.

Reviews Posted
Goodreads: Aug. 18, 2021
Storygraph: Aug. 18, 2021
TikTok @meghanlew_: Aug. 18, 2021

Okay I went into this book knowing very little about it, and wow I was definitely blown away. I am definitely not a science fiction person, bu this reads more like a fantasy. And the writing had a very poetic feel to it, which really pulled me into the world. The pacing of the book was super fast, which kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time.

I really loved the main character and her growth through out the book. I was literally screaming in my room every time she dismantled the patriarchy a little more. The more the book went on the more I wanted her to win and come out on top. But besides her the rest of the characters fell flat and I couldn’t connect or get myself to care about their journeys. I also had a hard time finding chemistry with the main character and anyone else.

The plot was so much fun, seriously I just wanted more, I wish the book had been longer. Don’t get me wrong I predicted a lot of what was going to happen, but I didn’t care cause the world and the writing were so enthralling. I found it hard to put the book down, or to leave the world behind.

Reading any book that is based off of Chinese culture makes my heart race. Growing up I never read a book with a main character that looked like me, or a read about a world that reflected mine. And I think Iron Widow does a great job of showing the good and especially the ugly that comes from Chinese culture and the misogyny that many girls have faced.

I don't remember what the tweet said that made me run to Netgalley and request an ARC, but I'm glad I did! Plus, the twist at the end surprised me!

Iron Widow features a strong female protagonist chafing against the strictures of her society. These kinds of stories usually annoy me a bit, because they rarely examine the ways that patriarchal institutions convince women to oppress each other, and instead just focus on how men are evil and most women just don't understand the problem. Not so with this one! Instead, Zhao presents a character, Zetian, who discovers the ways she herself has internalized oppression while also fighting the larger patriarchal structures that keep women passive.

Based on Chinese history, but with a fun science fiction element, Iron Widow is the story of humanity at war with aliens, known as Hundun, fighting with large mecha/robot-like weapons to keep the Hundun beyond the Great Wall. The universe in this book is full of well-developed science and interesting set pieces, alongside what might be considered magic in other settings. Each Chrysalis (these weapons) takes two pilots, one male and one female. That may sound annoyingly like biological determinism, and we find out in the end that it is! It was arbitrarily decided based on sexist ideas about gender. The female pilots often die in the process, because they are seen as disposable and willing to sacrifice themselves while men are strong and brave.

Zetian isn't a character who is extraordinary where others aren't (another trope I kinda hate) -- instead she finds the ways that women's potential is always dampened and used against them. There have been other powerful women pilots, but they are quickly "dealt with" so that men remain in control. There have been other Iron Widows before her (women who took control of the Chrysalis and killed the male pilots).

Iron Widow also includes three bisexual main characters, which might be a record.

I think this book would be great for everyone. It gave me pretty strong Tamsyn Muir vibes, so definitely check it out if you like the Locked Tomb series. If you like hard sf, strong women, male hunks of various types, and Asian settings, I think you will really like this book!

wow.

iron widow is a merciless, rage-fueled, and absolutely addictive science fiction debut that reimagines the rise of china’s only female emperor, wu zetian, against the backdrop of a world devastated by the aliens that invaded the planet millennia ago. huaxia is defended only by its great wall and the boy-girl pairs of pilots operating chrysalises—giant mecha—beyond it.

the male pilots become celebrities.

the concubine-pilots die from the mental strain, to be replaced by others in a never-ending supply of disposable girls.

but when zetian murders the male pilot responsible for her sister’s death through the psychic link that typically kills the girls, she is revealed to be a rare iron widow. suddenly too valuable to dispose of, she is paired with the military’s most powerful pilot, li shimin, in an attempt to control her and capitalize on her potential—but now that she has tasted power, she isn’t willing to let it go.

this book is just so entertaining. it’s fast-paced and action-packed, with a ruthless, scheming “chosen one” fighting back against an oppressively patriarchal society and one of the best cliffhangers i’ve come across this year. it reminded me of the hunger games, specifically regarding the fleeting celebrity of the pilots/tributes and the role of media as both a tool and a weapon, but iron widow’s focus is on themes of misogyny and patriarchy. they’re rooted through every aspect of zetian’s society; the male pilots draining their concubines in battle is simply a microcosm of all of huaxia.

i adored zetian from the very first chapter and i couldn’t help rooting for her, but i have to admit that i didn’t really care about her love interests, li shimin and gao yizhi. i liked the idea of the three of them and i’m curious to see it explored in the sequel, but the relationships all felt very underdeveloped—possibly because shimin and yizhi themselves didn’t have much development. this was an issue with many of the characters, if i’m being honest. i was really looking forward to seeing a variety of historical figures reimagined in this setting, but very few stood out.

there are a few other issues i noticed—the world-building felt awkward at times and the handling of certain themes was a little heavy-handed—but i enjoyed this book so much that i would drop everything to get my hands on the sequel right this minute.

iron widow is an amazing debut. pitched as pacific rim meets the handmaid’s tale, it would also be perfect for fans of the hunger games, well-written battle scenes (battles usually bore me to tears), and really neat robots.

I, probably like a lot of readers, discovered Xiran Jay Zhao due to her infamous Twitter thread analyzing Mulan. When she announced she was publishing a book, I knew I would read it. Iron Widow was a delightful read. Readers who are already familiar with the story of China's only empress, Wu Zetian, will see how she inspired Iron Widow's main character. And readers who aren't will want to read up on the empress after finishing this story.

The world building here was excellent, as well as the character development. I was emotionally attached to all three of our leads and enjoyed their interactions and growing bonds. And as always, I am thrilled by the queer rep in upcoming ya and adult novels, and Iron Widow was no exception.

The ending leaves space for a sequel, and I will absolutely be reading it.

DNF @ 27%

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC of Iron Widow through NetGalley in exchange for a review.

I loved the premise, the whole idea behind the book, and the idea of a strong female character who isn’t afraid to kill or push past boundaries. The writing was good and the descriptions were phenomenal. What really got on my nerves, however, was the main character. She’s excruciatingly annoying and honestly makes this unreadable. She’s perfect, everything goes perfectly for her on the first try, somehow she knows everything, she’s “not like most girls,” and her first-person POV reads like a poorly-written 2013 YA novel with “like,” “literally,” “can’t even” and other placeholder words thrown in every five sentences. It feels so out of place in this type of book. I wanted to like this so badly but I knew if I forced myself to finish it I’d probably get in a reading slump.

interesting characters, great plot, slightly slow at times but overall loved this book!!! definitely worth the hype, can’t wait for more from this author!

The main character, Wu Zetian, who was inspired by the only Chinese Emperor in history is full of rage and anger
fueled by the misogynist system holding women back. As a character she pulled the reader in and made you feel
how unjust the society is. Her unrelenting emotional and mental strength is what makes you want to root for her
although she wants to leave a bloody path in the wake of her vengeance. Her need for survival goes a long way which is shown in her partnership with Li Shimin, the strongest pilot in Huaxia. The world that was created by the author is mesmerizing and being able to follow along with the characters in the Chrysalises while they are battling was a great experience. I was able to imagine what these giant transforming robots looked like during battles because of the writing. Overall this book is such a great masterpiece that I will sell and talk about for as long as I can.

this book is gonna go places. if it does t blow up i will be severely disappointed. the writing was phenomenal

OVERALL:
In Huaxia, Chrysalises are piloted by males and females. The females’ qi is there to counterbalance the intensity of the male qi, which is needed for the Chrysalis to transform into robots. These robots fight mechanical aliens.

Enter Zetian, a female who is desperate to get away from her family, and eager to exact revenge on the pilot who killed her sister. And…she does.

After this she is linked with the strongest pilot (who is also a murderer—but has super high qi).

This is where things get fuzzy to me. It feels like an action book, where we need to figure why the Hunduns are attacking and how to finish them. But there’s a huge section just about Zetian, Li Shimin, and Yizhi being the capital…and nothing happens.

I suppose as a relationship story there is some progression, but it still feels a little flat at times.

And the book definitely feels historical, though it is clearly sci-fi. Language is very current, with words like “weird” and “hey” and other colloquial terms. That threw me off. I don’t know why I just could not adapt to this casual language in the book, but it bothered me.

In the end, the beginning fighting was frequent and fast, and I had trouble keeping up with that was going on, but then it slowed to a crawl for about 25% of the book. And then picked back up but went in a different direction…It just felt choppy to me.

15 SECOND “WHAT’S THIS ABOUT”:
Think Pacific Rim where male pilots need female concubines to combine their qi to be successful at fighting the Hunduns (I.e. bad guys). Include in heavy Handmaid’s Tale vibes with some serious misogyny, a poly relationship with two other males, and a woman who is ready to take down the entire system, and kill anything in her way to gain power she’s never seen, and welcome to Iron Widow.

FAVORITE PART:
The poly relationship is fantastic! I loved this rep, and was excited to see it in a YA book.

And down with the patriarchy—yes! Normally, I’m not rooting for people to be killed, but every time Zetian said shew as going to come back and annihilate a man later in the future (and did for some), I was like, fuck yeah!

ARC provided by Netgalley

3/5 Stars

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an early copy of this book. This in no way influences my thoughts or opinions.

This book started out so strong. It was everything it advertised to be: an epic sci-fi fantasy with influences of Chinese history and Pacific Rim. There were intense battles and a strong female character dedicated to taking down the patriarchy. It even fulfilled the promise to ditch the typical YA love triangle.

The first half was so good. I truly thought I had found my new favorite of the year. I was so ready to recommend this to everyone and anyone at work. It was intense and raw and didn't shy away from the failings of society. It also made me laugh out loud in places. I really liked the characters and their interactions really warmed my heart.

But then that second half kicked in and it just lost a lot of its fire, in my opinion. It was a lot of setup and background and political intrigue, which was a drastic change in pace with that explosive beginning. Then the ending really felt like a lot all thrown together. It wasn't written badly but it was still a lot to be expected to process and accept as realistic in this context.

The Quick Cut: An 18 year old girl gets more than she expected when she signs up to be a concubine pilot to get revenge against the male pilot who killed her.

A Real Review:
Thank you to Penguin Teen for providing the ARC for an honest review.

Revenge is something everyone may think at one point they want, but it doesn't always turn out the way you want. In many cases, revenge may do nothing but continue your pain that you are holding onto. For Zetian, she discovers that getting revenge for the death of her own sister brings out a power she didn't know she had in this fantasy novel.

Zetian lives in a world where women are considered at best second class. While the men get excited at the prospect of flying a Chrysalis with a female pilot, the women end up forced into it knowing that it will cost them their lives eventually. When Zetian turns 18, she finally gets the opportunity to do what she's wanted to for years: she signs up to be a concubine pilot so she can get revenge on the man who killed her older sister. It all goes accordingly to plan.... except she ends up killing the pilot through the psychic link between the male and female pilots. This unexpected death causes Zetian to be labeled an Iron Widow: a powerful female pilot with the ability to sacrifice male pilots to power up the Chrysalises.They pair her up with the strongest pilot, one who is also quite controversial. Will their pairing be a match made in heaven? Or the beginning of Zetian's demise?

The concept for this book sounded very intriguing from the outset, but as I started reading I found myself frustrated. If you're looking for a story that is very driving and action oriented, this book will be a great fit for you. If you're looking for a story with strong worldbuilding that truly envelops the reader in a different world, you're going to be frustrated like me. I also have to put some major trigger warnings out there on this story since it talks about abuse and misogyny on a disturbing, culturally approved level. I would highly advise anyone on the younger end of the young adult reader scale not to pick this one up because it does delve into some very dark areas material wise.

While the story itself focuses mostly around Zetian, the basic plot around the reimagined world here is that aliens are attacking the planet and the Chrysalises are the way they fight off these aliens. I get that the focus is on the female character and the waves that she creates being who she is, but for worldbuilding purposes the author should have set the story better. Other than the fact that aliens attack, there really isn't much more backstory given. Why did they start attacking? What do they look like? Anything about how they discovered this planet and their purpose would have been nice to be discovered at any point in the plotline. It made what the author created environment wise feel a bit paper thin and those types of details are important to me when I'm reading.

Zetian herself lives in what can only be called a horror show of a society. Women are not only considered lower than men, but they are routinely sacrificed for the betterment of others. When questioned about it, the extremely sexist excuse of "that's what they are there for" is given. I could never imagine living in a society where one gender is so blithely underappreciated and abused. Not only does Zetian try to not let it get her down, but she fights against that viewpoint on every level. Her ability to stand up for what is right and be unafraid of the consequences is something that makes you root for her as a character. Seeing how she defends herself makes you want to see her change lives.

A story with a powerful leading character, but with a flimsy worldbuilding experience.

My rating: 3 out of 5

5/5 stars. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

On starting Iron Widow, I had extremely high expectations — it was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021, and seeing that friends of mine had enjoyed it only amplified that — and in the end, Iron Widow managed to completely exceed them.

Before starting, I was concerned that due to the nature of the themes of Iron Widow that it would be a slow read, perhaps one that was draining for the reader, but Iron Widow managed to be gripping and extremely entertaining, whilst also dealing with heavy and important topics. The plot is fast-paced and, honestly, I couldn't put the book down. The world created in Iron Widow is simply unlike anything I've ever read; taking any preconceived notions I had of what a Chinese-inspired historical fantasy would be and reimagining them further, creating something original and extremely interesting to read.

The characters in Iron Widow were, simply put, also excellent. Wu Zetian is an extremely strong female lead, the kind we need to see more of in YA literature. She's morally grey and unapologetic for her actions, and as a reader I was rooting for her throughout the book. She's angry, and rightfully so, and overall very well developed by the end of the novel. Along with Wu Zetian, I loved reading about the side characters in this novel, more specifically Zetian's tw0 boyfriends, and I was extremely invested in her relationships with the two of them throughout the book. I also loved that instead of conforming to the classic YA love triangle format, this book included a leading polyamorous relationship, something I'd love to see more of in YA.

Content warnings: gore, abuse, murder, torture, mentions and threats of rape, misogyny, femicide, suicide ideation, alcohol addiction.