Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In the author's notes at the start of the book, she talks about how even though the story is obviously fictional, the feelings she felt while writing the story were real and true. These emotions are presented in impactful ways all throughout the novel. I felt the anger she had for the mistreatment of women in this book, and how it represents real issues happening even in today's world. I understood the rage felt by the main protagonist as she recounts memories of her sister having been mistreated and cast aside as if she were an object. I felt the moments highlighting her fractured mentality and oppressed being. And boy was I in for one hell of a ride from page one.

I was pulled in by the tagline in the summary: "Pacific Rim meets the Handmaid's Tale" - if there ever was a most accurate blurb, this is it. It delivered everything I was hoping for and more. On top of the action and gritty drama in this dystopian universe, the author underscores to the reader important issues such as misogyny, inequality between class systems, and unethical values propagated by a broken government.

One of my favorite things from this novel is the character progression. I love the transformation of our main character from a rage-fueled, desperate individual crawling towards revenge into this powerful girl feared by many (while still fueled by righteous anger her whole journey). I felt most of the characters were pretty well fleshed out and multidimentional. There's no one description to define each character. For example, Character A isn't just The Smart One; he's clever, but also sweet, devoted to those he cares about, and is always eager for new knowledge. And Character B isn't just The Brawn; he is useful in a fight but his physicality doesn't define him. This character lends his strength when his friends need help but he's also a big teddy bear on the inside who, despite having suffered many injustices in his past, can still find it in himself to put his trust in others and discover a loyal support system in them.

Another pro for this book was the action scenes; they were written well that the reader can imagine every movement and hit by these mecha creatures. The world-building was super interesting, especially when it incorporated elements of nature, qi, and traditional Chinese history as part of its universe. I also enjoyed the juxtaposition between the complex and highly technological beings that are the Chrysalis creatures, and the descriptions of naturally rich landscapes where the lower class townspeople live in huts among rice paddies and dress in simple clothing. The ending very obviously hints at a sequel so I look forward to seeing a little bit more addition to the world-building aspects.

I felt the story had just the right amount of aggression and violence; each instance of rage or violence lends purpose to the story, and fight scenes never lasted too long to become boring. Since the author already makes the comparison to Pacific Rim, I'll continue the trend and note that the action in Iron Widow ramps up similarly to PacRim's arc. Slowly first with a little background on the mechas, their purpose and pilot function, and then later on by the end the reader gets to encounter a number of different types of Chrysales and their elemental strengths. This culminates in The Big Fight at the climax of the story. The similarities are not a bad thing; the final part is written very well and kept me at the edge of my seat.

One other positive thing I want to highlight is the relationships in this novel. You can't get a good 'individuals-sharing-a-neural-link-to-pilot-a-giant-robot' story without putting an emphasis on the neural link part. Our main characters are forced to share their memories and experiences with each other every time they ride, and their interactions outside of these links really help foster the relationships into healthy, loving ones. The romance comes with the nature of the story but does not feel forced. Also, no love triangles and ridiculous miscommunication to be found here-- who needs unrequited second lead love when our protagonist can have her cake and eat it too?! I feel like my review so far has made the whole book sound like drama and grittiness overload but there's actually a good amount of funny lines in there too, as well as feelgood and cute moments with certain characters (!!!).

My main con would be that I wish the female lead had more chances to interact with other female characters, and actually have good moments with them. Sadly, she does not get a chance to develop any positive relationships with other females; rather she seems to encounter only ones who wish her harm, and mostly relies on her male counterparts to get her out of sticky situations. I hope the author can amend this issue in any future sequels because I believe it would make the message of her story much much stronger.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and appreciated all the badass action scenes featuring the female protagonist. I love that she's driven so much by revenge and when she achieves her goal, she becomes even more unhinged as she uncovers more nefarious dealings happening in the underbelly of their government. The ending was one giant nail-biting session; I couldn't put the book down once the final third arc of the story started!! There's one well-known literary work that I really want to point out for Iron Widow's similarity to it, but it will definitely give away the ending so I will have to trust that other readers will know exactly which one I have in mind once they have finished reading too. I would say this falls towards the end of the Young Adult spectrum, closer to New Adult. While some aspects of the story could be predictable, it did not detract from my overall reading experience so I didn't feel that YA tropes was an issue with this novel. Some of the characterizations for minor characters could be improved but there is plenty of opportunities to work on these issues in future sequels, which I will definitely be looking forward to reading.

Thank you to Net Galley and Penguin Random Canada for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
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"If they don't respect me just because I'm from the 'wrong' half of the population, I'm not respecting them back."
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What I liked: The tagline was honestly what caught my attention first: "Pacific Rim meets Handmaid's Tale..." I was very skeptical about that combination because I couldn't wrap my head around it, but once I started the book, I couldn't put it down! Wu Zetian, our protagonist, is a young woman in a very patriarchal, misogynistic world. But she doesn't let that stop her at any point. Heck yeah ♀️
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What I didn't like: My only issue with the plot was that her initial motivation seemed to be resolved much too quickly, which led to a bigger picture kind of conflict. I get that, but there was barely any satisfaction with it.
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But literally, other than that, MORE PLEASE.

The concept drew me in but the cover had me sorta second thought it, (I know they say don’t judge a book by its cover but I can’t help myself) but I’m glad I went through with this book. A Pacific Rim x Handmaid’s Tale mixed with feminism, it didn’t disappoint.

This book has everything you could want. A morally grey main character, an wonderful and engaging plot sprinkled with hidden themes that really have you thinking, an amazing asian-inspired world building.

Iron Widow follows a girl, Wu Zetian. Wu is a female pilot embarking on a journey to avenge her sisters murder all while trying to deal with and overcome the gender struggles placed on women. I think this book wonderfully ties in how women struggle in a world that favors men. I think the whole plot of avenging her sister really help shows that in such a wonderful way.

While Wu teams up with Li Shimin, she works on figuring out why the pilot system is so misogynistic and trying to protect other women. It’s really a great story, I feel like it covers a lot of bases you don’t see typical YA books covering, and I really like that.

This book was great, but the pacing was off on some parts. the last like 25% of the book felt there were a lot of parts just crammed in my personal opinion. The writing style wasn’t necessarily my favorite, but it was still an enjoyable story. So excited for it to hit shelves.

If you’re looking for a great YA debut, own voices, interesting and delicately out together novel, Iron Widow is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc! I absolutely loved this book! I already knew I would just based off the description, but I enjoyed it even more than I thought I would. I loved the strong female protagonist in this book, and especially her role and views on the world she lived in. There was so many important messages in this book, and it was such a powerful read. I did find it to be a lot of stuff happening at once at certain points, so it was important that I was paying my full attention as to not miss anything. There was tons of action and rarely a dull moment in this book, which I really enjoy. I enjoy fast paced books with lots of action because it helps keep me interested and engaged, and this book does that really well! I can’t wait to purchase and read this again when it is published and I recommend it to all lovers of fantasy!

A society like Ancient China.
Tributes and Fanfare like Hunger Games.
Smart, Angry, and Strategic Female like Game of Thrones.
Warfare like a Sci-Fi Transformers.

Wow.

A lot of YA fantasy novels with battles and war often pull punches. Even more often it centers on a romance and more than likely a love triangle. Iron Widow does none of those things. No punches are pulled and you haven't seen a love triangle like this one.

In a society where a good woman should be seen, not heard, and her entire existence is in service of her husband, Zetian says No. She grew up in a house where the women walked on eggshells are were regularly beat by the men when they were displeased. Her elder sister had already gone to fight the Hunduns and her qi and life were sacrificed by her family. Now it is Zetian's turn, but if she is going down, she is taking the Prince Pilot who killed Big Sister with her.

Zetian is angry and she has every right to be. She is one badass female. There are several rockstar moments that are entirely too satisfying. What a queen Xiran Jay Zhao is and Bravo to her publishing company for being brave enough to publish this masterpiece that doesn't fit any mold!

Thank you @penguinteen and @netgalley for the eARC

I like using flowery words when writing reviews but today, my words fail me as I try to quantify my adoration for Iron Widow, as I try to trap it within the confines of language and as I try to show you how much of an impact it made in me.
Meet the debut so bold and blazing because it will be unlike anything you've ever read before.

Pitched as the Pacific Rim meets the Handmaid's tale, I'm here to tell you I haven't read/watched either but I still love Iron Widow because it is solid enough to stand on it's own.
Iron Widow is set in a world where boy pilots sacrifice the lives of girl pilots to power mechas in order to fight off Hunduns.
Zhetian, our MC, signs up as a concubine pilot to avenge her older sister and in a surprising turn of events, emerges as the feared iron widow, a female pilot who is able to sacrifice the male one to power the mecha. She is the paired the strongest pilot in the military. The rest is about how Zhetian would fight this deeply patriarchal and misogynistic system and will she survive it?

The characters are amazing and the author does such a great job in subverting common tropes. ( Triangle is definitely the strongest shape)
And this is what I talk about when I say diversity. The book is simply steeped in Chinese Culture that you can't help but love it.

Almost feverdreamlike in it's wuxia ish world, you can feel Zhetian's fearless fury bleeding off each word as she fights an entire world geared against her gender.

Epic in every sense of the word, portraying the very real problems faced by women in a fantastical context, Iron Widow is a must read.
#letsreadownvoices

Iron Widow is being compared to Pacific Rim and The Handmaid's Tale. When comparing a book such as this to two very popular pieces of media, it almost always sets itself up for failure. I think that's where my problems with this book stem from. I was coming into this book, expecting something and having high expectations and the book just didn't deliver. If this book had stood on its own merit, instead of leaning on these comparisons, I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more.

The storyline changed way too many times in my opinion and I was left feeling confused as to what could realistically happen next. I wasn't rooting for our main character by the end and I felt very let down by her actions. I find it super unrealistic that in a society as oppressive as this, that there is no one standing up against these injustices. I cannot believe that our main character is the only one who is trying to fight this war on misogyny and patriarchy in this society.

I do think that the colloquial and casual language in the book made it very easy to read and I loved the inclusion of a polyamorous relationship between the three main characters. I'm intrigued to see what happens next so I'll probably be picking up the second book when it comes out.

When I heard that this book was being compared to Pacific Rim and the Handmaid’s Tale, I was immediately intrigued and knew I had to get my hands on this book. I do feel like those big comparisons did give me high expectations of the book and the book did not meet them.

I thought I had a good idea what I was letting myself into when starting the book but this book isn’t at all what I thought it would be and I don’t think the book itself knew either. It tried to be way too many things at once and couldn’t stick to a single trajectory. Instead it flip flopped from one plot line to the next, resolving them way too quickly and leaving the reader with whiplash.

There was the revenge for her sister plot line, which I thought would take up a considerable chunk of the book. It was resolved within the first few chapters. Then there’s the training plot line, the media stardom plot line, the Golden Dragon plot line and the becoming Empress plot line? They were all thrown at the reader, hoping something would stick. I thought that the Golden Dragon plot line, traipsing through the jungle, communicating with nomads, would have been a fantastic story but we only got a couple of pages of that unfortunately and it wasn’t explained or given enough time on the page to really have an impact.

This book also suffers from the ‘I’m not like other girls’ trope. I highly doubt that Zeitan is the only woman to have tried to rebel against the system. It feels a little impossible to me that she is the only one capable of thinking beyond the misogynistic system they are all stuck in. Adding an underground rebel force amongst all the subservient women would have given this book an extra layer of intrigue. Unfortunately, all the other women in this story are put down, left behind and insulted by our main character in the name of feminism and I hate it, thanks.

I do think that coming into this book expecting a Pacific Rim retelling really made it difficult to read because I kept comparing the book to Guillermo Del Toro’s optimistic mecha robot movie (with epic quotes like ‘Today we’re cancelling the apocalypse!’). The author is also very tell not show and so I felt the book lacked descriptions. I struggled picturing scenes in my head and the world building needed a lot more work in my opinion.

The relationships also developed way too quickly. I love that the author wanted to include a poly relationship in their book. It’s so underrepresented in YA literature and is definitely a fresh take on the love triangle. I just wish that the author had taken more time to build tension between the characters. The ‘will they, won’t they’ aspect is what I love most about relationships in books such as this but I just feel like it didn’t work for me at all.

I was thoroughly entertained though and read this book very quickly. I feel like the colloquial language could have been left out (words such as ugh, yeah, etc.) but other than that, I felt like the writing flowed well enough.

Overall, this was a great debut novel by an influencer I really enjoy watching online. I love the concepts and the historical inspirations for this book come through strongly and do make an impact. I am grateful that the author included a poly relationship and I’m excited to see where the second book takes us. I do wish that this book would decide what it wanted to be from the beginning because it just doesn’t feel like it had a central plot line and it left me with whiplash every time the story decided to change course.

***Spoiler warning for other readers.***

As a fan of the author from their awesome YouTube videos, gorgeous Instagram photos, and witty Twitter feed, I admit I had high expectations for their debut YA sci fic novel, Iron Widow. But the book did not enthrall me like I’d hoped.

I knew giant robots were going to be featured in the book, but I had no idea just how prominently. I’ve seen plenty of Japanese anime featuring mechs, and I’ve honestly never been a fan. I prefer a character-driven story. In this book, however, the mechs were probably the best feature. The author created an extremely complex system for how they worked, what they’re capable of doing, how they interact with humans and their enemies, etc. For me, though, it was a little too much. Even having grown up watching the original Power Rangers, I was very confused about all the form-morphing and trying to keep track of what the various element types were capable of. I think this was partly because the heroine of the story and her friends kept breaking all the rules that had been seemingly set in stone. I couldn’t keep up with all the complicated details, let alone what was normal and what was special just to them.

I generally felt like a lot of the rules kept contradicting each other. The heroine Zetian has fairly high spirit pressure but nothing terribly unique. But then suddenly she does have extremely high, special spirit pressure. I’m not sure what happened there. I didn’t really understand. Did she gain a higher level by partnering with a specific person? Did they misread her spirit pressure previously? How and why did it change? Then pilots supposedly need 10 days to recover their qi and to be ready to fight again, but repeatedly Zetian and partner Shimin are made to jump into battle with only a day or two of rest. Is it normal that they can still function to any degree? The mechanics either weren't explained plainly enough or they kept changing to the point I just remained confused from the very beginning.

I really liked the incorporation of Chinese elements into this futuristic setting, like the Great Wall and the Terracotta Army. The horrors of foot-binding was really well-described. I had heard of it before, of course, but never in such specific, gruesome details. It was so grotesque and atrocious and could have really hindered Zetian in many ways, yet it never really did, somehow. I would forget it was even a thing until she would see a woman without bound feet and feel jealous. There was a major focus on it in the beginning of the story but then it would be forgotten and suddenly Zetian would be doing something that should be impossible, like ice skating.

I found that I did not like the characters very much. There were some truly shining moments for Zetian: when she unleashes her fury and kills her first combat partner, exacting her revenge for his murder of her sister; when she tortures a man to death and films it; and at the end of the book when she murders her entire family. In those moments I felt she might be a sociopath, and that’s a unique character portrayal I could get behind. But those are just three instances out of the entire book when her personality strongly comes through. The rest of the time she was all over the map for me.

Zetian and Zetian alone seems to mind the way women are treated by her culture. She has no female role model and there is no traumatic event that propels her feminist way of thinking. Her treatment as a woman alone is certainly cause to rebel, but how can she possibly be the only woman in all of society to feel the way she does?

There are also times where the story fails to show that she is being as oppressed as she supposedly is. Women are supposed to be second-class citizens, but there are moments where Zetian plainly walks all over everyone, and they just let her. One example of this is: “I convinced Central Command to belatedly grant Shimin the King of Pilots title that he’s been deprived of for the past two years.” It’s a major part of Shimin’s character that due to his race and background he is treated as much like a slave as Zetian and women are, but she had the power to fix his life in a single sentence, with no further explanation? There are numerous moments like this where it seems like she wields a lot more power than she should.

There are also times she behaves as though she has nothing to live for and fears nothing, such as when she aims a guard’s gun at her own head and dares him to kill her; then in the next turn she’s in fear for her life or virginity, proving she does in fact care what happens to her. Which is it supposed to be? I felt she was an inconsistent character.

I liked Yizhi at first. I liked that he ignored social protocol and spent his time in the company of a pauper girl, despite being a noble himself. But it was just overly convenient the way he inserted himself into Zetian’s situation, especially when his first action in the main storyline was to magically appear just as Zetian was about to be raped. It felt ridiculous in that moment. And while it was clear in the beginning Zetian was the only person he’d ever had eyes for, when he met Shimin it seemed like a clear case of the insta-love trope. There was no buildup, they just started eyeballing each other like it was love at first sight, when they had every reason in the world to feel the opposite. Overall he seemed a calm, clear-thinking, compassionate character. I didn’t like his father but it seemed out of character that Yizhi would murder him at the end of the book.

My favorite was probably Shimin. His backstory was more interesting than anyone else’s. I really loved how Zetian kept experiencing his memories and sharing them with the reader. That was always a fun element. But he tended to fade into the background at times or turn into a mere avatar of his addiction. His drinking problem overtook his character for a large portion of the book, to the point there was basically nothing left. I did like the way the story ended for him (for now). I wasn’t expecting it, and if I were to read the next book, it would 100 percent be to see whether or not Shimin survives whatever is coming.

I was very confused about Sima Yi’s role and purpose in the story. At first he seemed to be a scientist who wanted to experiment with Zetian, but then he became a mentor or advocate for Zetian and her friends. Then he’s back to being a villain again, maybe? It bothered me every time he had a scene, because initially he seemed that he would be an adversary and then suddenly the whole group was just so chummy with him like they were all best friends, and I did not understand how that happened. I’m really confused about him. Maybe if his friendliness and helpfulness were toned down I wouldn’t have been so bewildered by his apparent apathy when Zetian and Shimin are attacked by their own at the end.

The last comment I have is that for what is supposed to be a feminist book, it was disappointing to see Zetian butting heads with literally all the other female characters in the story, from her mother to her fellow co-pilots, especially when those fights were due to jealousy over men. That’s the opposite of the kind of thing I expected to read about in this book. She was jealous that other women had not had their feet bound, they were jealous of her for her apparent superpowers, they were jealous of her because she’s hot, there was a lot of backstabbing going on between them all... Why were all the women in this book all pitted against each other? Feminism is about women lifting other women up. This book read as blatantly antifeminist in this regard.

On the whole I did not like this book. I adore the author’s other creative endeavors so I made sure to give Iron Widow its fair chance by reading it in its entirety even though I was not enjoying it. I’m glad I finished it because the ending was by far the best part, but I don’t have plans to continue the duology.

Bloodthirsty and tender, full of power and powerlessness, I could hear Wu Zetian roaring her vengeance call long after I finished this thrilling sci-fi masterpiece.

This is an EXCELLENT debut novel. Giant mech warriors! Futuristic fiction grounded in Chinese history! A young woman choosing revenge against a society that destroyed her sister!

What I adored: where a lot of novels would chicken out, Xiran Jay Zhao NEVER shies away from her character taking revenge on patriarchal monsters. Zetian doesn’t performatively fret about it afterwards. It’s an intense breath of air! 🔥

“You’ve been living a dream for long enough! Welcome to your nightmare!”

PART ONE: Excellent. 10/10.

PART TWO: Surprising!! 9/10

PART THREE: 10/10! The love triangle in this is so… (spicy? free?) better than any of the ones I grew up with. These characters are on the brink of death 24/7 why should they feel shame or choose to limit themselves? It’s nice!

PART FOUR: I am not going to spoil anything. What an ending!!!!!

Much like the mechs themselves, this book becomes more powerful and beautiful with every new layer of pressure, pain, and intensity. I RECOMMEND YOU PRE-ORDER THIS IF: you want to follow a main character living longer than they ever expected, and using the borrowed time to fearlessly test the limits of the broken world around them.

Content warning: there are Neon Genesis Evangelion levels of body horror & trauma! Just a heads up!

A big thanks to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. I pretty much devoured this one. This book was unapologetically fierce and never ceased to deliver excitement.

I find the description of Pacific Rim meets A Handmaid’s Tale to be particularly accurate; Zetian, an 18-year old girl, is sold by her own family into the government’s concubine-pilot program—A program which exploits girls as a battery to power mecha-suits. Though her story begins as very bleak, she is quick to take hold of her own destiny in ways you wouldn’t imagine.

A combination of riveting characters, engaging storytelling, cultural elements, and fascinating tech made this a very unique read. You’re constantly on your feet with a new thrill at every turn. Thumbs up to the author!

It was an amazing read. Very fast paced, I read it in one sitting. I already ordered some copy for the store and can’t wait to promote it.

Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for this eARC of Iron Widow, it will not affect my opinion/ratings.

Synopsis: In Huaxia, men who pilot the mechas (Chrysalises) always pair with women concubine pilots to fight in their wars. This is a pairing that works well if you ignore the fact that the women often die from the mental strain of the fight. Zetian enlists in the army with one goal: pair up with the general that killed her sister, and repay the favor. When she proves to have uncontrollable strength, the army pairs her with a dangerous male pilot named Li Shimin, who proves to be much more mysterious than she could have imagined. As the war wages on and her political position gains controversy, Zetian will try to find a way to end the needless sacrificing of concubine pilots, and change the world.
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Thoughts: I’m not really sure what to say with this one, it just really didn’t work for me. The setting felt very confusing, the magical elements weren’t fleshed out well enough for me, and the characters also felt very one dimensional. I was not fond of the main character at all, she was a activist for women who hated every female she encountered in the book, and she spent most of the book actually being rescued by the men around her, which seemed counterintuitive for this being called a feminist book. Iron Widow honestly took a big step back for me as far as gender role discussions, which was super disappointing because in the pitch it just sounded so appealing. I actually got stressed out while reading thinking about trying to remember what all I would want to say about it. While I love and appreciate Zhao’s content, this book didn’t work for me.

In a world devastated by monsters, humanity must persist through the use of giant mecha operating machines. Male pilots are treated like heroes, and their female pilots must serve as their concubines and often die quicker from the mental strain. Eighteen-year-old Wu Zetian volunteers to become a concubine in hopes of her avenging her sister’s murder, and she gets her wish. She kills him through the psychic link that should’ve killed her and emerged the victor. As the military becomes unnerved by her abilities, she is immediately paired with Li Shimin, a convicted murderer and the most vital male pilot in Huaxia, whose female pilots never survive a battle. Zetian refuses to count her days and uses this new position to leverage her survival and figure out why the system fails the girls before it can take any more of them away.

Any book that is inspired by Pacific Rim will always immediately capture my attention. Throw in a sci-fi world inspired by Chinese history and a love triangle that ends in a satisfying polyamorous relationship? I wasn’t even halfway through the book when I decided that Iron Widow would be epic, and Zhao does not disappoint.

What I loved the most about Iron Widow was the immense amount of passion you could feel resonating off the page. It was so much fun reading about Zetian as she grows from being a village girl to one of the most influential people in Huaxia. Revenge plots are usually a hit or miss with me, but Zetian takes it out of the ballpark. She is fueled by revenge for her elder sister, who died at the hands of one of Huaxia’s best male pilots, but her anger doesn’t stop there. Once the pilot is dead, she turns her wrath to the military of Huaxia, the ones who declared that girls were weaker than boys, their energy simply not strong enough to survive when in battle. It’s bullshit, and Zetian knows it; she’s been through too much to be told she is worth nothing and risks everything to prove she is everything.

The mechanism behind the mecha machines can be a little confusing, but Zhao’s writing is straight to the point. No messing about, and their writing abilities just illuminate the world. Personally, I would’ve loved more world-building detail but what we have is impressive and, simply put, a lot of great fun!

The characters are where Zhao and their writing really shines for me. Zetian is one big ball of anger, and justifiably so. Her anger might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I lived for it. She is unwavering in her stance, refuses to take no and the status quo as the answer to everything. From her family to the higher-up of Huaxia, she will prove to them all that their misogyny will be their downfall while she plans to re-write history for everyone the world has abandoned. Shimin was a character who grew on me. The best character comparison I could give is Altan from The Poppy War. A boy raised to be a weapon and so entirely misunderstood by everyone around him. Yizhi seems like the typical first love interest, the one who knew the protagonist first, but he’s brilliant. He uses his wealth and influence to help Zetian and Shimin navigate the upper-class societies who lean onto the pilots are a source of entertainment while they risk their lives. Polyamorous relationships are not common in Young Adult, and Zhao did a great job with their relationship. The story is very heavily invested in its remarkable fight scenes, but I would’ve loved to have seen the trio interact a lot more on the page. Knowing that the first draft of this was more Adult orientated, I can’t help but feel it’s also the one who got away. Zhao teased some pages on Twitter, and I’ve never been so jealous of anyone who got to read that early version. 😂

Nonetheless, Iron Widow was action-packed and tremendous to read. The epilogue teases an even more dangerous journey as Zetian discovers the danger isn’t just the people at the top. Pitched as Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid’s Tale, Zetain’s story is about a girl who is driven by revenge and her journey to offset her patriarchal society leads to an even more significant threat that pushes her to the limit.

I'm not usually the biggest fan of Sci-fi or historical fiction but I saw the authors post on TikTok about the poly rep in the book and decided to give it a shot. And let me say, it was absolutely worth it.

The relationship in this was everything to me. It wasn't the main focus, but the attention to building a strong bond between the three characters was so well done. I haven't seen many poly relationships in books, but this one was represented in a very respectful manner. There was never any competition with anyone, and the communication and intention between everyone was clear. This was the main reason I decided to pick up the book and it did not disappoint.

I loved the writing in this novel. It was clear and easy to understand, especially for someone like me who doesn't read much Sci-fi. I especially enjoyed this in the world building and how it managed to mesh Chinese history and these futuristic elements together. The world building in this book was immaculate. The pacing was perfect for this story, giving the right amount of time to see the characters develop and learn about them whilst also managing to keep the main plot clear and concise.

This is described as a feminist story, and rightly so. The main character, Zetian, is faced with the societal and familial obligations set by the patriarchy, especially in the beginning, but it spans throughout the novel. Instead, she decides to take none of that shit and do what needs to be done. All of this was so well connected with the historical aspects of the story. It used aspects of Chinese history, incorporating this misogyny and the fight against it within the Sci-fi elements of the story as well.

I hadn't realised that this was a series, but I'm so excited for the sequel, even though this one isn't even out yet.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada and the author for this free, digital advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
is a post-war dystopian fantasy marvel! I loved this book!

“Nobody in this world hates women in general. They just hate the ones who won’t listen. Who think they can break the rules and get away with it. “

Zetian is the second born daughter in a family that thinks a girl’s purpose is to benefit her family, even if that results in her death. Set on avenging her older sister’s death she enlists to be a pilot with the goal of assassinating the man who killed her sister. All while being linked to a male who will use her qi to add strength to his own power while piloting Chrysalises, giant transforming robots in a war beyond the Great Wall. A job that puts her at risk of certain death.

In a dystopian world where girls lives are dispensable and males are dominant , Zetian shows the male pilots and the leaders that girls are not to be underestimated. Macha, aliens, romance and a powerful female heroine make this book a must read! In this powerful book about crushing the patriarchy, Xiran Jay Zhao addresses the history of the gongdou traditions. This is a powerful book that addresses misogyny and oppression with a strong LQBTQIA+ love triangle. I honestly can not express how much I enjoyed this book

Fans of The Hunger Games and Girls of Paper and Fire will enjoy this book.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As this has a science fiction element, I wasn’t sure how much I’d like it, but decided to give it a shot anyway and I’m glad I did.

Iron Widow is a blazing example of female rage and the examination of misogyny within a young adult fantasy/science-fiction novel. Before explaining the events of the novel, it’s important to understand the premise of the world: giant mech suits that require a man and woman to pilot, where the woman acts like a battery until she dies. They must use these suits to battle invading creatures and this is just accepted within the society.
Specifically, Iron Widow follows Wu Zetian, a girl whose older sister had been killed after becoming a concubine pilot, who swears vengeance against the pilot who killed her and offers herself up as a concubine pilot to be able to kill him. But when she’s selected and becomes a concubine, she ends up killing the pilot with the psychic link and becomes known as the Iron Widow. Since pilots are a sort of celebrity, the government can’t kill or properly imprison her, so they must use her and pair her with another prisoner pilot in an attempt to keep her in check.
After this pairing, Zetian has to find her place with her new partner and is properly sucked into the world of piloting, and stardom, and the never ending war the pilots fight in, all of it a lot more than it seems.

I read this book in a single night and my first thought was I absolutely LOVED how unhinged Zetian is. She wants vengeance at any costs, she gets it, she’s brutal and ruthless and unapologetic and straightforward. Very much a morally gray or villain protagonist. She is critical and where we see her dissection of the rampant misogyny within her society. I think this is where the book shined brightest. However, I will note that due to complete lack of important female characters or friendships, there were a few “not like the other girls” vibes/moments. Ultimately I could overlook it since I loved her but I wish there were more women in this book (more specifically women with who she has positive relationships with)

I also enjoyed the romances… yes, you read that right. Plural. Poly triad! One interest felt a little more compelling and genuine than the other love interest, but I enjoyed both.

Representation was great: all non-white characters (think Chinese and Mongolian people in fantasy setting) polyamory, and the three are bisexual. Zetian is also disabled (her feet are bound and makes it extremely hard and painful for her to walk)

While the system of the mech suits and energy used were well done, I think the world-building itself was a bit lacking. Again, this can be remedied in future books.

So many moments in this had me gasping “wtf!” or giggling in delight. I couldn’t put it down. It wasn’t perfect, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly look forward to where the series goes in the future. But given the tendency for any book series with a villainess main character is having them die at the end, I’m a little nervous, not gonna lie. Please don’t do that to us, kind author.

This book is phenomenal. I had so many expectations going into Iron Widow, and it's safe to say that Xiran Jay Zhao knocked them all out of the park.
Effortlessly balancing a commentary on gender roles and sexism in cultures while developing a world that's intricate and engaging, Iron Widow is a truly remarkable book--one that is already a favorite of mine. I love stories that explore what it means to be a teenager figuring yourself out, while also having to deal with a world that's fighting against you, and I think that Zhao handled it wonderfully. The writing was fresh and modern--a result of its taking place in the future--but maintained the aura of Ancient Chinese civilization. I loved all three of the protagonists, and their chemistry with each other was unmistakable. I enjoyed the polyamorous relationship between them, and how their love triangle wasn't reduced to two men fighting over a single girl. But what really makes this book memorable is Wu Zetian. Zetian's agency is her own. She's never doing anything because people tell her to, she's doing it because that's what she wants to do. And in stories like this, it's important to have characters who show you that while the institution is horrendous, not everyone is going to ignore the problems it exerts onto society.
All in all, Iron Widow was thoroughly enjoyable and I look forward to reading more by Xiran Jay Zhao in the future.

How do I begin to put all my thoughts into this book? Iron Widow was written phenomenally with outstanding world building and heart breaking conflicts. Every chapter had a significant purpose and the pacing was nice and fast, I was fully immersed in the journey I didn't want to look away or leave the would Xiran built and submerged me into. ​

​This is a feminist novel that everyone needs to read, its a stop the patriarchy kick misogyny right where it hurts and we aren't taking no for an answer kind of book. It also shows how some men are shoved into roles they don't willingly want to take on and how it affects them and everyone around them. I love how Xiran takes the major issues and mixes it with this phenomenal world she built.

Zetian, Shimin, and Yizhi are the Poly Relationship we all need in our lives, i loved their dynamic with them and how they each had a special connection with one another. I'll be honest this was the major thing that made me want to read this book, I didn't have to pick sides because both of these men won my heart over and I understand how Zetian couldn't let either of them go. The relationship they all share is so raw and beautiful, I really couldn't help but get invested into their story and fall in love with them.

The Plot was so engaging and every aspect of the storytelling process Xiran hit out of the park, i think my favorite parts were the climax and the ending. Those last ten chapters had my head spinning, in a good way. my heart was wrenching, engage nail biting suspense, mind blowing reveals. everything was just mind blowing.

Iron Widow, is the book we all need to read in September.