3.5 Stars

"You're not something to be kept or taken, and love isn't some scarce resource to battle over. Love can be infinite, as much as your heart can open."

When I heard that Iron Widow is a reimagining inspired by the only female emperor in Chinese history, I was automatically intrigued because I knew it is going to be about female empowerment - and I wasn't wrong.

A story where females are nothing but sacrifices, a story of resistance and fight against mysogyny. A fight for change, dismantling the stereotypes of the society and breaking barriers. Iron Widow was intense and action packed! It may be a futurstic meta-sciene but you can feel that it was written with heart and experience.

The Chinese culture that is presented in the whole book was thought provoking to say the least. I had to remind myself that this is fiction but I couldn't help but ask, which parts of the story were true - I ended up researching about the Chinese culture, especially about the lotus feet.

The main character, Zetian is all wild, reckless and fire and I love her unapologetic self! Her internal monologue was so extreme I couldn’t stop myself from getting awestruck and also laugh out loud, and using her own words - she’s bonkers! She experienced so much and received so little in her upbringing. I wished there was more explanation and back story of how she became who she was because her character was very compelling to read.

I loved that Xiran Jay Zhao didn't fall into the love triangle hole and instead chose polyamory in the romance department - I wish there was more!

There are plenty of heart stopping action sequences but I found some to be confusing, I've felt like my brain short circuits in some scenes and it was a little challenging to picture at times. This reminded me of The Hunger Games and I'm confident that Iron Widow would be amazing to see on the big screen.

Overall - did I enjoy it? Definitely! Would I recommend it? Yes! Did I understand it? Not completely. But I would definitely read the sequel especially with that ending! This review is based on an advanced copy and there is a huge chance that some parts have been edited to provide more clarity.

Trigger warnings:
Violence and torture
Thoughts of suicide
Profanity
Rape (not explicit)
Alcohol addiction


Thank you so much Penguin Random House Canada for providing me an advanced copy to read and review.

Described as Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid's Tale, Iron Widow is an unexpected new contender for my favorite book of 2021.
A quick rundown: In Huxia's society, the boys dream of pairing up with a female concubine to pilot giant Chrysalises (transforming robots) to battle the Hunduns ("mecha aliens") that live beyond the Great Wall and threaten their way of life. The girls of Huxia... well they consider themselves lucky if they don't die in battle from the mental strain. With the battles broadcast to every tablet in Huxian society, it is considered an honor to the families for their daughters to sacrifice themselves. 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up to the role, stunning her family. Little do they know that her only plan is to enter the army and kill the pilot responsible for her sister's death only months before. Surprising everyone, she kills him through the psychic link that pilots and concubines share in battle and emerges completely unscathed. The rumors begin flying as the cameras hurry to shut off, but not before they see Zetian in all her glory. They whisper that she is to be feared, that she only exists to power up Chrysalises, and that she is dangerous. Quickly labeled the "Iron Widow," Zetian's next partner is the infamous Li Shimin. His controversial stint as a Huxian pilot has left him with the moniker, "Iron Demon," known for his violent outbursts and ruthlessness on the battlefield. As the two begin their partnership, Zetian experiences real power for the first time. Throw in aid from her longtime friend and almost-lover Yizhi, and Zetian feels safe for the first time since her Big Sister's death. She begins to actively question the pilot system the world has grown accustomed to and passive to, and wonders if she and Li Shimin have the power to change it, all while preventing more needless deaths.
I had seen this book pop up a few times on Twitter and was intrigued, but it wasn't until I saw Xiran Jay Zhao describe it as "400 pages of female rage conducted through giant mechas designed after East Asian myth creatures, inspired by China's only female emperor" that I knew it was a must-read. When I saw NetGalley had it as an ARC, I knew it was a sign to read it. Very rarely do I find myself speechless at the end of books. Most of the time I've either processed all my feelings while reading or I've not come to terms with how much I love the story yet. This book took me for a ride and didn't let me go. As soon as I saw the sentence "Welcome to your nightmare," I knew I was done for, and I very well ran the risk of slipping into a reading slump after this. As I got further into the book, I wanted to know more, and I'm hoping for either a prequel or some time in Book 2 explaining how the world got to this point. I don't mind waiting to see the full truth because all the other aspects created such an interesting narrative. The Hunduns and the Nomads seem like super interesting groups that I would love to know the history of, and seeing how Zhao presented Li Shimin's backstory to Zetian, I know it would be done excellently. Zetian's character is compelling, from beginning to end you want to see her succeed. Even if I didn't agree with the choices she made, I understood exactly why she made them. Li Shimin broke my heart and healed it again, and Yizhi made me feel all the emotions (and curiosity about his tattoos). Can I also take a moment while talking about my love for these characters to appreciate the polyamory representation? Zhao mentions that she has received a lot of pushback for including this, but I think it was done excellently! I would have loved some more time in the book devoted to the trio's dynamic, but I am content to wait for Book 2 to have that dream filled because this book was So. Damn. Good. Zhao did the world a service by choosing polyamory over the tired love triangle trope. It is so important to have representation that doesn't feature monogamy as the default. Speaking of representation... this book features more than just relationship rep, there's also a Chinese-coded cast of characters (from multiple areas of China), Chinese representation in locations and settings, and bisexual representation in Li Shimin and Yizhi. For a debut novel, this is utterly impressive and breath-taking work. I ultimately found myself completely entranced by every page. I can see how much potential Book 2 and (hopefully) a series could have. Zhao has said that many of her characters were inspired by famous historical figures from different eras of Chinese history, and it provides a super compelling set of "Easter eggs" to try and find. Do yourself a favor and preorder this book ASAP. I know that's what I'll be doing as soon as I click "Publish."
Trigger warnings for Iron Widow: gore, murder, torture, suicidal ideation, additions, threats, and mentions of rape.
Overall rating: 5/5

Everything about this book is amazing! Iron Widow is a blending of genres and all of them are excellent and fit extremely well together. It's an amazing sci-fi adventure packed with mechas and characters inspired by historical figures which is so cool! Smashing the patriarchy with giant robots is totally something I can get behind and Xiran totally delivers that with Iron Widow! Sapphic empowered female characters is just great and it also works for the plot.

"We can't afford to simply go along with the flow of life, because nothing in this world has been created, built, or set up in our favor. If we want something, we have to push back against everything around us and take it by force."

Real rating: 3.5 / 5 stars

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada through NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book had me hooked the moment it was advertised as "Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid's Tale". I'm a pretty easy sale regardless but come on - I HAD to get this ARC, and I'm so glad I did.

Iron Widow takes place in a sort of alternative dimension China, with bits from the past and bits from a predicted future, and with war machines called Chrysalises (piloted by humans) protecting the lands from an alien-ish species called the Hundun - so, very Pacific Rim. It follows Wu Zetian, a poor rural girl, as she leaves behind an abusive home in order to find vengeance for her murdered sister and become a Chrysalis concubine for her sister's murderer - even if it means leaving the boy she loves behind. However, Zetian must murder the Chrysalis pilot before he has the chance to murder her during battle, as pilots usually use up their concubine's spirit, or qi, and leave lifeless husks behind. This is made infinitely easier when it is revealed that Zetian's spirit power is one of the strongest ever seen among the female population. Following her initial battle, Zetian is then paired with another Chrysalis pilot, who is known to be the most powerful but also the most dangerous, as he is currently in prison for murdering his entire family - and Zetian knows she was paired with him purposefully for the government to rid of her and her power.

So, of course, she decides to hone that power and exceed beyond their wildest expectations, guiding her new co-pilot to do the same.

This book was an absolute page turner. There is continuous action almost the entire way throughout this book, but it progresses in a way that makes sense for the plot. The world building was creative (when done properly), and I loved the concepts of the Chrysalises and Hundun machines. I really cheered for Zetian and her copilot, Li Shimin. Zetian is definitely someone who does and fights for whatever she believes in, including Shimin, and I respect her for it - and she's also funny as hell in some of these scenes/with her commentary. I really wish we had gotten more scenes with the other Chrysalis pilots, especially the Balanced Matches (AKA women who had been concubines but were not killed by their pilots and instead, ended up married to them to fight for as long as they both shall live), and I wish we had more scenes where Zetian enjoys friendship rather than a romantic relationship.

[This is also my first book featuring a polyamorous relationship, which definitely was a little bit of a surprise when that started unfolding (mostly because I was fully prepared for Yizhi to turn out to be some jerk/villain). I am grateful that it wasn't a tired love triangle trope, because admittedly, I'm getting a little over those - so this was a breath of fresh air. I respect that all three of the involved characters didn't settle for just one person, and that there was little to no hesitancy in this development. I also thought Zetian flashing Shimin the little triangle was a very small but sweet scene. (hide spoiler)]

There are a few reasons this book did not reach 5 stars for me:
- Zetian as a character kind of gave me whiplash. She's terrifyingly fierce one scene, and a cowering mess the next - with no real track of why. Nowhere is this more relevant than how she treats Shimin. I was shipping them the entire time, but there were a lot of microcosmic drama moments that I felt were unnecessary and didn't make sense with the plot or their relationship development. Also, I loved that she was such a feminist and had such killer lines about sexism, but sometimes it felt just like that - just a line, just a thought, without any implications.
- The world building, and subplots, were a little jerky as well. The combination of old parts of Chinese culture (like foot binding) and then switching to scenes talking about looking up things on their tablet "given to them by the gods" felt like a random combination of different eras. I think this book would have been even cooler if it was in the past, with no technology except the Chrysalis machines given by the gods because do we love a good mystery. Some of the subplots also felt random like this (view spoiler).
- The ending was way too abrupt - and not in a cliffhanger way. Many things are revealed in quick succession, with little to no explanation, and then it just kind of... ends. And while the concept of what she's introducing is enticing, it was introduced so quickly that it just felt random rather than purposeful.

This really hung out solidly between a 3 and 4 star review for me. I'm very emotionally invested in these characters and am very interested to see what happens in the second installment of this series!

Recommended for fans of: Pacific Rim, dystopian novels, polyamory romance, Chinese culture, bisexual MCs, strong female leads

I loved every word of this. I was sold the minute I heard the comps (Handmaid's Tale x Pacific Rim), Zhao did not let me down. The character development and world building were impeccable; I was just so immersed in the story. I love angry feminist characters raging against the patriarchy, robots, and political intrigue, and IRON WIDOW has it all. I love the direction the story went in and I cannot wait for book two.

Note: I was given an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

Rarely does a book come around and blow me away. Iron Widow did just that. The world building is incredible. It read like a movie in my mind. I don’t even know how to properly describe my feelings about this book. It’s strong and independent. It’s one of the best books of 2011 for sure and it lives up to all the hype. I had high hopes for this book and it did not disappoint at all. (And yes it is Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid’s Tale. Usually I have found books that are compared to other forms of media not match but this book matches.) if there was a word I could use to describe this book it is delicious. The ending is so satisfying and I cannot wait until the sequel.

ARC provided by the publisher Penguin Random House Canada through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When Wu Zetian from Iron Widow says 'Welcome to your nightmare!' I didn't think she meant it literally...


Iron Widow is the debut and first book of a duology by Xiran Jay Zhao. Marketed as "a YA Pacific Rim meets the Handmaid's Tale" Sci-Fi/Fantasy retelling of the rising of Empress Wu Zetian, the only female ruler in Chinese history, set in a war torn world where humans fight using giant magical mechas (based of East Asian myths) for survival against aliens called Hunduns.

This year alone there's been a flood of amazing books published by Asian writers, both debut and returning YA heavy hitters. One of the debuts that caught my eye is Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao. I stumbled upon this book when I saw a few tweets of the cover art and many amazing character art that has been circulating around book tweet. When the opportunity to request the ARC (Advance Reader Copy) is available I decided to do so. The summary of Iron Widow contains a lot of things that got me interested : a retelling of Wu Zetian's rising, magical mechas, East Asian myths, a world based of China, and women doing womanly things such as destroying a misogynistic society. Did the execution of the whole story meet the expectations that was presented in the summary ? Yes in a technical sense but no in overall quality. Before I dive deep into the review I would like to appreciate the amazing cover art of this book done by artwork by Ashley Mackenzie and designed by Terri Nimmo from Penguin Random House Canada. The cover looks gorgeous with the vermillion bird in the back and Zetian looking bad ass in her pilot suit emanating strong main character spirit pressure.
This is the first book and debut by a debut author of color the summary sells the book well that I have set a strong expectation for the story. What I did not expect is the utter chaos and anguish I felt while reading Iron Widow. There is a lot to unpack from reading the 400 pages book that is Iron Widow I will be as objective and brutally honest as possible.

“May our hearts beat in sync, and may our Chrysalis vanquish the Hunduns.”


For this review I'll start with the good points first. Xiran created a world with a lot of potential to expand that is filled with East Asian, mostly Chinese, cultural references and historical characters. One of the cultural references that is immediately introduced to readers is the Zetian's lotus feet. A custom that is done to young girls to raise their marriage prospect of breaking and binding their feet. The custom lead to Zetian having a life long disability as with every step she takes is excruciatingly painful. Honestly, I applause Xiran for adding this piece of Chinese culture in her book because not many people know about it. Besides the bound feet there are other Chinese references presented through the names of the characters that named after prominent Chine historical figures such as Wu Zetian, Sima Yi, Zhuge Liang, Ma Xiuying, Li Shimin, Zhu Yuanzhang, Dugu Qieluo, Yang Jian, and so on. In the story there are also legendary pilot stories based of famous Chinese mythological figure and legends one of them is about Sun Wukong or The Monkey King famously adapted in the novel Journey to the West. Personally, I will never get tired of authors of color adding in cultural references that they know to heart and grew up knowing. Xiran is known for her videos that analyze the cultural adaptations are executed in Western media whether it is right or wrong. The most famous video by Xiran is her commentary on the movie Mulan (2020) which I find insightful. Xiran included a lot of cultural references in this book that I know and probably don't know prior to reading Iron Widow and it shows how knowledgeable Xiran is when there are moments that highlights these cultures.

Then again, I don’t belong to anybody, and I never will.


Pacing wise Xiran knows how to write an addictive fast paced story that starts of running the moment you read it. For me I had a hard time putting the book down, I wanted to know what happens next chapter and the next and so on. This attention grabbing pace is noteworthy when reading Iron Widow as the book is action packed filled with many explosive mecha battle scenes that are ruthless, out of this world, and vivid. The battle scenes got me hooked on the story, I love a good colossal battle with an added edge of flare in the battle with the mecha transformations and qi blasts. The mecha system weaving the qi into the piloting system of the Chrysalises is an intriguing idea and adding a battle flare in which qi can make the Chrysalis or their attacks take on the color of the dominant element of the pilot(s). I also liked the inner subconscious of the pilots, how their minds link, and then they become in sync as one similar to Pacific Rim. I have never watched or read Handmaid's Tale so I'm not sure what the similarities are between Iron Widow and Handmaid's Tale.

“.. You insecure men, you’re afraid. You can force us into compliance, but, deep down, you know you can’t force us to truly love and respect you. And without love and respect, there will always be a seed of hatred and resistance. Growing. Festering. Waiting.”



Now on to the things that I find to be a problem for me as a reader. As reader and reviewer I lean towards character driven stories. In all the books I've read the one thing that I look for is good characterization and development. They don't need to be nice or lovable, they can be the most volatile human beings but if they have a good characterization and development it is a HUGE thumbs up. Iron Widow did not give me that. Please take this with a grain of salt because it is my personal opinion. There is no depth in the characters that got me rooting for them or attached to them. Each of them have a good base to be developed but in realization on page their characterization is a checklist of traits that is mentioned throughout the story. Even during the pivotal emotional moments it's anti-climactic. What makes it even harder for me to root for them is that everything is written from Wu Zetian's perspective, when the characters get a chance to do or say something that scene is short and is filled with long commentary from Zetian. If I have to put it in ratio it's one part character does/says something and ten parts Zetian talking about something. There is no balance in this story that makes the plot, worldbuilding, and characters adhesive. The amazing potential presented in the world building did not come through, it is not explored enough or given enough time to set the world for the characters. All readers get is takes from Zetian of how cruel, misogynistic, unfair, and devalued women are. But not WHY the world it is what it is. There is lack of context. I've read plentiful YA books and no matter how subpar the world building is they offer context to establish the world. It is as though the whole society is bad for the sake of being bad. The context IS offered later in the story but it is only relevant for certain plots point not the scope of the whole society in the world. If in the story the character is going to offer commentary for how unfair the society at least do some justice by giving us more reasoning to critique said society besides going over the same surface level points.

Shame and humiliation are self-imposed emotions, and from here on out, I choose not to feel them. Make no mistake, though. He is dead.



Wu Zetian is the only character that has in depth background, motivation, and presence in the book. Even then Wu Zetian's character is a mixture of many inconsistencies that contradicts and overlaps that it gets confusing which led to me skimming a whole chunk (~45%) of the book. One moment she's cackling on top of her lungs after killing someone the next she shrinks her personality in fear. There is no depth and balance in Zetian's character. For me I think it is a case of a character being overly written that the character gets tangled. I've read about many unhinged and blinded by vengeance characters but they have a much clearer purpose than Zetian. The escalation in Zetian's intent and purposes wasn't clear enough on page for me to believe it. The whiplash I got from Zetian is astounding, her character can bounce from one personality to the next in a heartbeat. As a reader I see a lot of potential for impressive political tension, resistance, or some form of justice by the end of the book that could be deeply explored. Wu Zetian is a prominent figure in Chinese history for being the only Empress that sat on the throne. To achieve such feats Wu Zetian had fought hard against other Empress' and consorts to be favored by the Emperor and by manipulating the situation to her advantage with sheer cunningness and grit. The Wu Zetian in Iron Widow didn't show me that. The story of Zetian didn't rise to it's full potential and fell flat. Everything is surface level about her intent, actions, motivations, and there is no complexity in her character. Zetian is neither well fleshed out or has a believable growth, everything seems to be offered to her and made available to progress the plot which made Zetian's case in growth filled with an alarming amount of holes.

This is unconventional, yet another implicit rule we’re breaking, but you know what? It works for us. And I think the three of us are done with letting this world tell us what’s okay and what isn’t.


The other characters are surface level as well even for the two main love interests. Li Shimin or Iron Demon, the nineteen year old convicted murderer and pilot of Vermillion Bird, probably has more depth than Yizhi but it was sparse and wasn't explored enough. I only feel bad for Shimin because of Zetian constant accusatory behavior and mistreatment of him. While Yizhi the rich best friend and fifth son of a media mogul, his whole characterization is established off page I don't understand his motivations besides Zetian being his "polar star". Their love triangle turned polyamorous relationship didn't make sense, though I liked that it happened I did not understand how it happened. The only hints of the relationship is Zetian having curious thoughts of how far Shimin's or Yizhi's attractions towards the same gender and a few supposedly "tender" moments.

“Be their nightmare, Wu Zetian.”


This story has a lot of potential to be great with it's imaginative Sci-Fi Chinese inspired world, complete with characters that are inspired from Chinese historical figures, the plentiful potential of the premise, the well thought out mecha system, and impressive action scenes. It is sad to say that all of this got overridden by the anti-climactic and disappointing characterization. In short Iron Widow isn't a book for me, it could be a perfect fit for it's intended target audience that are younger than me or readers that love a fast paced book filled with many bad ass character moments. Personally, I expected a fun short read but all I got is stress and infuriating anger that said I will not be continuing to duology. I still highly recommend readers to read it because there aren't many books that contain insightful cultural references and historical Chinese figures that also depicts a polyamorous relationship in YA.

The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

Iron Widow shocked me with its ruthlessness and brutality. Even with trigger warnings, a part of me was just not expecting it to be so hard-hitting, especially since it’s being marketed as YA.

That aside, this book was riveting and engrossing. Xiran Jay Zhao writes beautifully. Her voice pulls no punches, just like her main character, Zetian.

I loved this book for its representation and being so unapologetically feminist. It was just so heavy-handed and over the top that I struggled with it sometimes. Xetian felt very one-dimensional to me at times because she was so self-righteous and bent on vengeance. That being said, her attitude and feelings were empathetic given the brutal, misogynistic world she finds herself in. Pitched as Pacific Rim meets Handmaid’s Tale, this book also gave me Ender’s Game and Nausicaa Valley of the Wind vibes.

I recommend for dystopian/sci fan fans.

rep: Fantastic Chinese rep and setting, bi MCs, polyamory
tw: gore, murder, torture, mentions of rape, threats of rape, misogyny, femicide, suicide ideation, abuse, alcohol addiction

Iron Widow was an interesting book, but it wasn't for me. Fast-paced, there was always something new going on, but that meant that some things, like world building, were not given much needed attention. I also find it interesting that Wu Zetian has somewhat transformed into a feminist icon in contemporary times when she was still empress of an imperial power that sacrificed many to keep the few of the ruling class in power, so the feminist message that this book tried to convey didn't quite meet the mark for me.

I requested this book on NetGalley because I heard there was a poly relationship. My head is SPINNING from all the wild and crazy things that happen in the final stretch!!! I definitely didn’t see that twist coming at the end.

So yes, there is a poly relationship and I absolutely ADORE the chemistry these three have with each other. The boys’ dynamic alone reminds me a lot of Will’s and Jem’s from The Infernal Devices. I don’t know what I would’ve done if the MC would’ve had to choose between the two because I loved them both!!

The magic system is beyond anything I’ve ever read before. It’s just so freakin cool! I wish I could explain it better, but take my advice and read this book for yourselves. The story ends on a massive cliffhanger and I’m dying to read the sequel!!

Pacific Rim meets The Handmaids Tale with East Asian mythology inspiration, this book was amazing. The story was so fast paced, Xiran Jay Zhao did not give the reader one second to pause.
Zetian is a feminist with an agenda for vengeance and oh boy does she get it.

- loved the concept, the elements of culture and mythology, and the polyship (literally i'll die for more poly ships in media)
- the cover is also a banger, chef kiss
- the execution... not so much. which really bummd me out, i was looking forward to this one
- i'm unfortunately the type of person that values the quality of prose. in the kindest sense, the narration and the dialogue just wasn't good. the first person had the same issue a lot of "close first person" ya novels too. it felt too informal. it dragged on as well. some plot points just didn't need to be there. ie: zetian having to strip for yizhi's father.
- i skimmed the last 200 pages
- i really wanted to like this more than i did... one of the bigger disappointments this year.
- that all being said, the author themself is a delight and i'll definitely be keeping an eye on their future projects. just because the style of this book wasn't my personal preference, doesn't mean i'm black listing their work entirely.

"Redemption story, they said? There will be no redemption. It is not me who is wrong. It's everyone else."

This book has no faults. It's depiction of female rage is so utterly perfect. I love Zetian so much, she is so driven and utterly relentless in her quest. We love a boss bitch (and so do Yizhi and Shimin!) Yizhi was such a sweet boy and I loved how devoted he was to Zetian. There's something hidden about him though, I really hope we get to delve deeper into his character in the second book. Shimin is Yizhi's opposite in someways. He's rough and a killer but inside he has strong morals and is really a big softy. I really loved the discussion surrounding addiction in relation to his character, it was especially well done.

The war machine Chrysalises the pilots and concubines power were extraordinarily interesting. Though I wasn't a big follower of the show, they reminded me a bit of Digimon creatures. Each Chrysalis has a basic standard form but with more energy from the pilot and concubine they can transform to an ascended form, which is larger and more powerful. If the pilot and concubine are a balanced match they may even achieve the heroic form which always ends up looking like a humanoid warrior with the specific Chrysalis's features. The animal form to humanoid form evolution are what reminded me most of Digimon.

This book was a wild ride. I literally could not put it down and read it in a single day. The characters were compelling, the action scenes kept the book moving at a fast pace, and the ending blew me away. I have so many questions now and I need the next book in my hands! Please preorder this book you will not regret it! Not to mention that cover will look gorgeous on every bookshelf.

This book was so good! I loved the diverse representation throughout it. The author did wonderfully at painting a vivid image in my mind. I highly recommend!

Iron Widow is one of my top five-star reads of 2021, without question. Iron Widow is a futuristic story where piloting mechas is the key to survival. The mechas require a boy/girl team, but the experience typically kills the girls in the partnership. Determined to get revenge for her big sister who was killed, Zetian agrees to participate. Zetian is revealed to be an Iron Widow- she can sacrifice boys for power to pilot the mechas. As she tries to understand why the system functions in such a misogynistic way, Zetian strives to gain power and prevent more sacrifices before one of the attempts on her life succeeds.

With themes of overthrowing the patriarchy, questioning societal gender norms, and fighting for justice- Iron Widow is a truly compelling and fresh story. I absolutely loved watching Zetian question and destroy ideas about what a woman “should” do. There was also great portrayal and discussion of toxic family dynamics. Iron Widow feels bloody, visceral, and real. Zetian is a fierce and strong character- but she’s also very fun! She is a character who is so unafraid to break the rules and take big risks that it’s impossible to look away. Zetian and the book are inspired by Empress Wu, the only female emperor of China. Iron Widow also contains fantastic LGBTQ+ rep, including a poly relationship. This relationship is one of my favorite aspects of the book! No cliche love triangle here- the relationship is beautifully set up and very well done.

Iron Widow pulls no punches and is incredibly sharp. This is a fast-paced and thrilling adventure. If you enjoy mechas, morally gray characters, strong women who are determined to claw their way to power, and epic battle scenes- then you need to read Iron Widow! I can’t wait to see what happens next! Iron Widow releases on September 21, 2021. Thank you so much to Xiran Jay Zhao, Penguin Teen, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on the publication date and I will publish it on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble etc

★ This combines elements of Chinese history and mecha sci-fi in a way that I haven’t seen done before. The mechanics are still focused around qi and the four elements of life which is so well-crafted that it seems entirely plausible.

★ There were two major twists that I didn’t see coming — the book keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time. There is incredible commentary on gender stereotypes, misogyny, and there is also polyamorous representation! I was *screaming* in one scene when Zetian is basically demanded to sleep with her co-pilot and she points out how messed up it is that she is shamed into spending her whole life “pure” and then she’s supposed to flip a switch and be comfortable hyper-sexual. (S/O to anyone else who survived evangelical purity culture).

★ My one critique is that this book does an amazing job hitting on balancing the masculine and feminine in all of us and dismantling gender roles, but I still feel like we got only one side of Zetian. Her rage was delicious in the face of the patriarchy but I hope we see more facets to her as the series goes on!

An ambitious debut from Xiran Jay Zhao! Excited to see where the next book in the series goes and for future works of Zhao as well.

This was just one big powermove of a book. I read most of it in one sitting and it's definitely one of my favourite feminist books now. It's both a fun sci-fi and a really great commentary of misogyny in a very patriarchal society, and Zetian is a main character who takes no hostages, will not be shamed into submission, and will do anything to achieve her goals. This book is also polyamorous, and her love interests are both on her level of morally grey, which makes for really interesting dynamics.

Rating: 4.5 stars.

This was a breath of fresh air. If you're only going to pick up one YA fantasy book this year, it should be Iron Widow.

Iron Widow gave me Hunger Games, Pokemon, and Power Rangers vibes. The world was so creative and fascinating to learn about. There are these alien creatures called the Hunduns who are trying to attack humans. Humans use the corpses of these aliens to build these giant metal warriors to fight them. They are powered by a male-female team but the female member normally dies because she is "weaker". Our main character, Zetian, wants to challenge that and save the many girls who are dying every battle. This does end up being a really dark book (lots of murder with no remorse) so be ready for that if that's touchy for you.

I loved the character of Zetian because of her feminism. I felt like it wasn't too preachy and I kept highlighting these badass feminist quotes from the book. Zetian also kind of has a disability due to a cultural practice of foot wrapping for women to have tiny feet so she needs to walk with a cane. She also is in a wheelchair for part of the book.

I also really appreciated the polyamorous relationship featured in the book. The only other book I've read that had polyamory was Strange Grace by Tessa Gratton so it's great to see more coming out. I don't know much about that type of relationship but the way it was portrayed in this book just made it make sense. (FYI - Any sex scenes were fade-to-black, not on the page.)

My only complaint was that I sometimes struggled reading this either due to the pacing or the writing. But maybe that's just me and my lack of focus due to the pandemic.

Seriously, add this book to your reading list this year. You won't regret it!

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for providing me with an excerpt in exchange for an honest review.

I saw everyone on my Goodreads timeline hyping up this book but I didn't want to put up my expectations Too high because it never ends well. I am simply so happy that I have read this because this most definitely will be on my waitlist to read the sequel. If there were a sequel out already as well as this book, I could've easily started the sequel right after finishing this one. The characters were so wonderfully fleshed out, including all of the relationships in the book as well. It was truly so good and great being able to read a book where all the characters are able to be fleshed out 100% including their relationships as well.

The plot as well was so so wonderfully done, it most definitely focuses on misogyny and focuses that onto the characters and why they made certain decisions. As the book has been pitched as "Pacific Rim" I would say without a doubt that it has that aspect as much as the misogyny aspect is in this, it is discussed. Like I said, with character's decisions and actions, a lot of them misogyny (whether they are a part of it or have dealt with it) deals with it heavily and is truly, a very refreshing read. Also fleshing in Chinese history into the story along with one of the characters as well was also very refreshing. Refreshing to be able to know there was history that had inspired the author to make this. I really just cannot praise the plot and characters enough honestly.

I feel like I haven't said much but I really like...can't say much about this book without saying just "GO READ IT!". It's such a fantastic book and I really just could not stop myself from continuing. My words may be short and sweet but I really do promise that there is a very, very, very high chance you would love this book and will be itching for the sequel.