This post-apocalyptic mecha fantasy from author Xiran Jay Zhao is a magnificent roller coaster of feminism and self-acceptance.

Zetian is the fierce, angry, bloodthirsty feminist icon we all deserve. Her rage is inspiring and guttural; a collective scream of female oppression over the years. This science fiction book pulls from the author's Chinese heritage, making it that much richer of a story. The world building is set up well, and makes you eagerly await the next book in the series, especially after the shocking cliff-hanger.

I love all the relationships in the book- if you are expecting a love triangle, think again! Zetian will not play by anyone's rules, and will enjoy her life on her terms. I can't wait to see what she does next.

Holy. Crap. This book was so good. The world building was unique and inspired. I loved how they used the martial arts style of Bagua (the one that the Air Benders use in ATLA and LOK) The chrysalis system was so cool, I loved the way it worked and how everything came together. The ending will leave you reeling begging for more. I need the second book ASAP. This book can be described as Gundam + Handmaids Tale with a dash of Star Wars and ATLA. This book absolutely blew my mind. I devoured it. I cannot wait for more from this author. This is going to be one of my favourite series.

I've never been a particular fan of the inexperienced-yet-all-powerful-teen-hero trope. Zetian was unbelievable as a character and seemed to exist to give the reader speeches. There's no character development or explanation for how she developed her beliefs. I couldn't finish.

Thank you to the publisher for the early copy via netgalley!

I'm obsessed with this book. This is the absolute best book I've read in a LONG time. I am absolutely obsessed. Pacific Rim meets THE Handmaid's Tale? Yes. 1000000% YES! There is so much great going for this book. There's great action scenes, there is a girl trying to take down the patriarchy, there's polyamory instead of a love triangle. There's history mixed with futuristic sci-fi. Seriously, you need to read this book if it isn't already on your radar ADD IT.

This book is an action packed look at what makes a person worthy or able to change the world. In between sweeping battles and clever dialouge you'll find a timely commentary on gender, race, and how our society deems some people more important than others.

It took a moment to figure out the world building and really settle into the story. But once I did I enjoyed where this book and these characters took me.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Immediately I'm going to say this. If you're an adult reader who can't accept that a teenager is going to act like a teenager, this book may not be for you. If you can accept that a teenager is going to act like a teenager PLUS at least empathize that a traumatized teenager is going to act a certain way, then okay you can read this.

I will admit that I had to repeatedly remind myself that Zetian is a teenager with a single-minded focus to get revenge on the whole system. It's a dash of "I'm not like other things" idea that gets narratively knocked down when it hits a pitch.

I know the romance isn't supposed to be everything but it felt slightly underdeveloped. I wish there was more to develop everything.

I got to the end of the book thinking, "Okay, I can dig this. I'll read the next one." Within the last few pages that feeling became "I NEED THE NEXT BOOK NOW. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!?!?! OH MY GOD." I hope you get the same feeling, too.

Thank you to Netgalley for the e-ARC.

In this, we follow Zetian on a quest of revenge, though that is only the beginning of her story. Her sister was previously sent off to be a concubine pilot. The robots, or Chrysalises, in this story are kind of like giant robots that are usually an animal in form, think turtles, dragons, etc.
They must be powered by a male and a female pair of similiar qi power levels, and usually the female dies if the male is the more powerful of the pair. The way that society is set up, this as seen as negligible consequence.

Zetian leaves her home and offers herself up as a pilot so that she can avenge the male pilot who killed her sister.
That's all I want to say on plot because I went into it mostly blind and think it's even better that way.

Zetian is absolutely RUTHLESS. She takes what she wants and doesn't take any shit.
I really enjoyed her character, though sometimes she could feel just a bit overbearing, there were also more tender moments where she realized that not everyone's situation is the same, and she needs to empathize with others. I also really enjoyed seeing the feminism in this, which was only aided by Zetian being a badass throughout the entire book.

I adored Yizhi and Shimin, and this book does seem to touch briefly on the concept of a polyamorous relationship. The plot was good and I was invested mainly in the characters, and less in the politics of the world, though the author did a great job of making it all make sense at the end. They're someone I would like to keep up with as they publish more books!

I'm excited for the sequel of this to come out as well. I would recommend it as a upper YA/new adult title, as there are quite a handful of trigger warnings, dark themes, and graphic scenes.

I was a huge fan of the characters in this book. I like my characters with personality and Zetian, Shimin and Yizhi had plenty of that. As I was reading, I could feel Zetian coming to life on the page and I thought she was fantastic. She had personality, she had opinions and she had goals she was determined to accomplish. From the first chapter, that was obvious. She was pretty much uncompromising when it came to trying to achieve what she was aiming to achieve. At the same time, she was written in such a way that she didn't feel hard to relate to. It was very easy for me to empathize with the situation she found herself in and the struggles she faced. Shimin and Yizhi are slightly different stories. While they each had distinct and great personalities, it wasn't until a little further into the book that the reader gets to see that for themselves. The story is told from Zetian's POV, so it makes sense that, as she gets to know them better, the reader does as well. All in all, this novel had a fantastic main cast of complex and nuanced characters.

The society, setting and overall world is inspired by Chinese culture and some of the characters' names are taken from Chinese history. I loved the representation and the way the author used those elements to create her own world for the story. The story captures the somewhat terrifying world you'd imagine when you hear the elevator pitch for this book. Most importantly, this story is exciting. The battle scenes between the Chrysalises and the aliens are epic and action-packed. Past a point, I was unable to put this book down because I needed to know what happened next. The maneuvering and political intrigue happening as Zetian and Shimin gain more recognition was also very compelling and I was invested in seeing how they used it to further their goals. The climax of the story was thrilling, heart-breaking and exciting all at once. And the last scene of the book, meant to get the reader excited for the sequel, blew me away.

Overall, I liked the writing for this story. Xiran Jay Zhao's writing style felt very unique and she did an excellent job of crafting this wonderful, exciting, intense story. It's possible that not every reader will like her style, she has a very clear voice as an author that some might not connect with. The descriptions were great, the pacing of the story was good and I liked almost everything about the writing. There were a few passages that read like a debut novel, but I was impressed by the book as a whole.

Iron Widow (Iron Widow, #1)
by Xiran Jay Zhao
This is a great story of self growth, and over coming odds. The book looks at how a young girl can not only find resolution to the old hurts, and inspiration into the future. The battle between an invasive alien species and humanity has many changes on society. The reestablishment is not always fair in times of war. This book looks not only on ideas of the future, but resolving some of the wrongs of the past. Its a great conversation starter on understanding past practices that have found disfavor, and understanding the next step into the future.

I really enjoyed this! I wasn't sure what to expect, but I'd been hearing a ton about it, so I was very excited to get a copy to review!

I really loved the MC, I loved the world, I love the way everything unfolded. I loved how feminist it was, and how there wasn't really a typical love triangle that you see in YA books,, but a consensual love triangle where... everyone was into each other.

I can't wait for the next book!

I went into this book with high expectations and it definitely did not disappoint at all. Normally with fantasy books the first 20% seem to drag on forever for me but this surprised me it was a pretty easy read from the start the world building was amazing and I loved the characters and the plot so much

Thank you so much for an early copy in exchange for an honest review. Going in I was pretty nervous since I didn't realize it was more of a sci-fi type fantasy but oh my god did this book exceed my expectations and much more.

After getting through the initial world building, I could not put this book down. There was always something going on, the pacing was incredible, it knew when to slow the pacing for world building and speed it up for thise amazing action packed sequences. Also, I loved the social commentary in this book. Normally most fantasy books take a very linear perspective on oppression and misogyny, but not in this novel.

Absolutely fantastic, perfect for fans of the poppy war if they are looking for a young adult fantasy.

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.