4 stars *may change

This must have been my most anticipated release of 2021 by far.

If you had told me two years ago that I would be able to read a polyam futuristic fantasy with a badass female protagonist based on a real person, I would have probably said "I don't read, why are you telling me this?" But that's beside the point, because I do totally read now and, man, did I need this.

Beside it being an interesting concept, the way XJZ discussed feminist issues, gender, and sexuality were all so nuanced and well-done. I don't particularly enjoy e-books because they strain my eyes too much, but I still found myself eating this book up in two sittings (I fell asleep in between but that's on me). The characters aren't two-dimensional objects with no personalities. It's like you really want to cheer them on.

Speaking of characters, iudybsjnaidhfuebjnijhuefnjkiqjkajbre LI SHIMIN my beloved. Him, Yizhi, and Zetian are so ? I just love their dynamic and the fact that this is a literal love triangle for once instead of just two lines pointing at one person. Finally, someone who understands shapes.

My only serious gripe is that the end was kind of a nonstop bang after bang and resolved itself (can you call it resolving if technically it left off on a cliffhanger for the next book?) a bit too quickly. Maybe if it had been stretched out a bit more it would have felt more fluid. That being said, it's still a really solid read I couldn't recommend more.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an advanced reader's copy.

Book: Iron Widow
Author: Xiran Jay Zhao
Rating: 5 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Penguin Teen, for sending me an ARC.

While Rule of Wolves may have dominated the first half of 2021 YA fantasy releases, Iron Widow deserves to rule the second half. This one deserves the awards and to become a best seller. It’s unlike anything on the marker right now and that’s what made it stand out to me. I’m even thinking about picking up a finished copy for myself and that’s something I never do whenever I get an ARC. I’ve reviewed over a hundred ARCs and have only ever bought two finished copies. That is saying something.

When I first started reading, I was intrigued, then the more I got into it, I was like “woah, now this getting good.” The mixture of science fiction and fantasy elements are just wow. I love the idea of boys and girls having this magical ability to supposedly balance each other out and to power these robots that battle aliens. Now, stop and think? Have you ever read something like that? No. A lot of the power the boys and girls have comes from elemental magic, which is so cool. The use of the Chinese magic system adds another touch as well. We have the yin-yang balance that is the soul of the magic. Now, the different is that the boys kill the girls in order to defeat these aliens. Society is okay with this because, after all, it’s just a daughter they are killing, not a son.

This brings up some discussion and I think that’s what the author wanted. Throughout the whole book, we see how much boys are more valued by society than girls and how girls are forced into this role. No one really questions it and expects the girls to just be okay with it. It is kind of a play on of our own society today. No, don’t try to deny it. All you have to do is look around. We still live in a world where our daughters are often pushed into fitting a certain role and anyone who tries to break out of that role is seen as a trouble maker. Whereas the boys can do pretty much whatever they want, because of the whole “boys will be boys.” By having this in a YA book, maybe it will get people talking and seeing just what they are doing. A lot of people will probably not like how deeply the book goes into all of this, but I liked it. By having this aspect of society included in the book, it made our main characters actions make a lot of sense.

I really enjoyed Zetian’s character. She is not one to take whatever society throws at her laying down. Her quest starts out as a revenge story: to kill the pilot who killed her sister. We see how her family treats her sister’s death. It was to save their country and it was a good death. It wasn’t murder in their eyes-if thought the male pilot did kill her. Her family expects Zetian to volunteer to go through what her sister did. However, they wouldn’t dare expect their son to do so. She does go and manages to avenge her sister’s death. Of course, because she killed a boy and a beloved one at that, she is now seen as a trouble maker-even though she did save all of their lives and had just done what the boys had been doing all long. This sets off a stream of events that are designed to break her and to mold her into what society wants to see. She doesn’t and, instead, becomes something more powerful than what they had even seen before. She isn’t afraid to speak her mind and go after what she wants. She wants to be free and doesn’t want to compromise for anything. She is the type of girl that so many people wish they could be if they were handled what she was. No matter how many times society tries to break her, she gets back up and keeps going. She isn’t afraid and wants to make them see that what they are doing to girls is wrong. I guess that what I’m getting at is she’s the kind of character I look for in books.

The writing is amazing. It took me a little bit to actually figure out the world and whatnot, because your hand is not held at all. However, once I got used to it, I could see what an amazing writer Xiran is. Her action sequences are like something out of a movie. The way she presents a battle, it makes you feel like you are actually in the pilot seat with the characters. She also handles the day to day bits really well too. When the characters interact with each other, you can see the careful thought and attention that was put into each interaction. It is very clear that everything was well thought out and that every little detail means something.

Now, I didn’t realize there was some people upset about the poly-relationship. I didn’t even know this book was poly until I got more into it. If that bothers, you then, just don’t read the book. I am glad thought that Xiran went there. I really did think we were going to get a typical YA love triangle and that our main character would have to chose between two boys. This allows her to pick both and for them to pick each other. It’s something different and I really liked it. I am so glad that Xiran didn’t give in and kept it in the book.

While this is YA, it is on the upper end of YA. Our characters are eighteen plus, there’s rape, alcohol abuse, and a lot of violence. I’m just putting that out there. I don’t think this one would be suitable for younger YA readers.

Anyway, if you couldn’t tell, I really enjoyed this one and am looking forward to book two. Penguin, if you need reviewers for the second book, hit me up please….

Iron Widow comes out on September 21, 2021.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/Vk4tKDw_3E8

I really don't know how to feel about this book. I wanted to love it but it just wasn't there for me. I did love the poly rep but Zetian's relationship with her boys felt rushed and base level.

Zetian herself started her story as a revenge plot but then all of a sudden is the only feminist on the planet? After years of being raised in a patriarchy this felt rushed also, it was just BOOM I'm a feminist now and I will destroy everything in my path.

There was one particular line in the book along the lines of "how can I be a strong woman if I have to rely on a man" and this really did not sit right with me. There is nothing weak about admitting you need help from someone (regardless of gender) and feminism is meant to be equality for all, if you need help from a man who cares? You're still strong.

I loved the twist ending which is enough for me to want to read a sequel and I did love the world building and culture. I loved the overall discussions around misogyny, reclaiming your body, I wish there was more around toxic masculinity. There's just something about Zetian that is just very surface level and some of the dialogue felt very juvenile

I'd still recommend it as it was still a fun read and had some really great moments

I received this Book as an ARC and here is my review. This story is a wild and crazy rollercoaster ride and I enjoyed it! The characters are flawed and interesting. This story includes fantasy and outrageous antics. It also has many twists and be sure to stay until the ending!

I finished this a few days ago, but I know it's gonna be one of those books that I just can't stop thinking about. For one thing, the premise sounds crazy: how can you combine Pacific Rim, The Handmaid's Tale, and Chinese history in one story? To my delight, the book went far beyond my expectations. It combines unique and detailed worldbuilding with the kind of badass yet empathetic characters that I adore. In some ways, Wu Zetian reminds me of Fang Runin from The Poppy War by RF Kuang, a book I also loved. They are both angry and do questionable things, but you understand that they want to make the world a better place. Major points aside, I am excited to see where this little romance goes. This may be my favorite book I've read this year, so between now and book 2, I'll be recommending Iron Widow to everyone I know.

GIRL POWER!!! That's what my happy, feminist heart was screaming for hours after I finished this novel. My brother caught a telling video of me screaming, "I JUST WANT TO DESTROY THE PATRIARCHY" and while I am not normally fond of shouting, it felt good to just take up space after reading this story about women stepping up and owning their own rights to exist.

This book was like nothing I've ever read before. It was so beautiful and enchanting in so many ways, and so heart breaking and tragic in others. The world was so rich and lush, but even though so much was going on, I wasn't ever lost (maybe a bit confused at times, but never so much that I couldn't follow what was happening). The twists and turns this book took threw me in the best possible way. I saw some of them coming, but definitely not all of them, and they were all still enjoyable and thrilling.

This book was also just so ... like, healthy? Which is really uncommon to see in YA Fantasy/Sci-Fi, tbh. The society was so messed up and toxic and awful (which /is/ common), but Zetian was just ... so amazing. She stood up for herself. She didn't take crap from anybody. She thought about things in a way that defied what society had tried so hard to drill into her; that she was a human being worthy of love, that she took up space and deserved that space, that she shouldn't be ashamed of her own body, that she existed for more than just to serve men. There's so much more we can learn from Zetian, but her capacity for strength and love was unlike any I have read in fiction, especially YA. This is such a great book for high schoolers to read, so they can see real people loving each other in healthy ways, devoid of the drama that so often dominates this audience of literature.

Not that there wasn't any drama. Shimin was kinda hard to figure out, but give him time. Normally bad-boy tropes make me roll my eyes, but Shimin was just so raw and wretched. He has my whole heart. As for Yizhi, I loved him from the beginning. After the opening chapters, I was worried he wouldn't come back to the story, but I shouldn't have worried.

I've never read a story with a polyamorous relationship, either. It's been drilled into me that that sort of relationship paradigm is /wrong/, and it's something I've only in the past few years or so begun to take another look at and consider in my no longer conservative brain. This book took an approach to it that I'd never really considered, and cast it in a light that's so /human/. Yizhi's philosophy on love, and then the conversations they had about it ... they were the words that I'd known I believed in, but hadn't been able to articulate. I appreciate Zhao so much for bringing this story into the YA market. This is something a lot of people still feel very strongly opposed to, and I have a feeling she'll get some heat over it. But in words similar to how Yizhi put it, why spend precious time trying to restrict love instead of encouraging it to flourish everywhere it can?

This book is about love, and change, and standing up for yourself and your rights. It's also about so much more, but you'll just have to wait until September so you can go find out for yourself!

Probably best YA fantasy of 2021...

“There’s no such a thing as karma. Or if it does exist, it sure doesn’t give a shit about people like me. Some of us were born to be used and discarded. 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.”

I was expecting something completely different, after I’ve read the annotation first. This book surprised me in a good way. I would like to highlight, that despite the fact of this book being fairly unique in the way the whole world is build, it also stresses out some very important moments of the physical/mental trauma, gender inequality (it’s not men shaming, like many feministic book authors like to do, it actually highlights both gender issues in society that have their own ways, is judging and full with stereotypes), addiction issues.

Chrysalises are giant transforming robots, and all boys around the province want to be paired with the girl to create undestroyable power. Pair is selected by the qi power, which each human possesses. Girls though... They get sacrificed and most of the times they die.

Zetian has a purpose in life. Revenge her eldest sister's death. To do so, she has to become concubine of the Chrysalises pilot. During the battle, she overpowers him and destroys the pilot, she is marked as an Iron Widow.

As her punishment, she gets paired with the Iron Demon, the wickedest of the pilots, who has killed so many. Both of them will have to work things out, in order to destroy Alien forces behind the Great Wall. But what if behind all mighty power, hides a broken soul? Zetian will also have to decide where, her heart belongs, love triangle is waiting.

Good book. Highly recommend for reading!

Thank you Penguin Teen and Netgalley for ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

Iron Widow is absolutely one of my favourite books of the year, and maybe ever. Inspired by Chinese history, Pacific Rim, & feminist rage - this book was breathtaking, & brilliant, taking you along at a breakneck pace.

Smart, and simmering with the rage, and grief, and frustration of being a woman in a world that is dead set to work against you, this book was powerful, ferocious, & unapologetic in the best way… As was our Main Character™️ Zeitan.

There is so much I loved about this book - from its twists and turns that literally made me gasp 😱 out loud; to the compelling, thoughtfully written, multi-faceted characters, & the ways in which they related to each other. It felt like this book was written FOR ME, that’s how much i adored it.

Brutal & fantastical in the best of ways, this is a must read!

I was absolutely blown away by this debut novel. It is spectacular. From start to finish I was enthralled. Before I even began the story proper, I was impressed by the foreword from the author and the following page that contained excellent trigger warnings. A sort of cyberpunk harem tale, this story does a fantastic job of combining ancient culture, future technology, and ever-present systemic misogyny to tell the tale of a woman who rises from within to try and destroy the system. I cannot wait to read the second book in this duology and look forward to reading anything else Xiran Jay Zhao deems to bless us readers with. Cannot recommend this highly enough. Despite the book being the start of a series, it stands alone pretty well and knowing that there is only one more book planned relieves me of the worry I had that there would be a depressing middle set-up book for the trilogy. Can't wait to see how Zetian pushes through her next challenges.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley.

Um, so when is the next one out. I loved this from start to finish. The whole concept is different from what I've been reading recently and it played out well. I love that the main character's main objective in joining the army was completed like 20% of the way into the story and then she just kind of runs with what happens afterwards.

Pros
The main character is easily relatable with the amount of rage she feels against the system that keeps her down. The story also flowed very nicely. And the main character gets two love interests that she doesn't have to choose between (thank you for the polyam rep).

Cons
The ending. I am not okay. I need to know what happens next. Literally finished the book and my first words were "mother fucker." I didn't have too many things that I disliked about the book. The middle was a little slow, but I think the beginning and the ending make up for it.

Are you a fan of giant robots, alternate history and young people who wake up to choose violence every morning? How about a polyamorous triangle? Xiran Jay Zhao’s Iron Widow is one hundred percent up your alley. She brings her audience an epic story of one young woman’s journey to becoming the most powerful Chrysalis pilot in Huaxia. She rages against the societal chains placed on her for simply being born female. Nearly everyone around her constantly makes the mistake of underestimating her and she proves just how bad of an idea that is.
Zetian, an eighteen year old from a poor frontier province, dreams of vengeance—it's practically the first thing we learn about her. She plans on entering the army as a concubine pilot—women who aid male pilots control mecha suits called Chrysalises—and killing the man who murdered her sister. Her family is atrocious to her, showing her just how little her existence means to them in the face of military compensation when Zetian eventually meets the same end as her sister. Even Yizhi, a young upper class boy who loves her, cannot convince her to back down.
In her first official battle against the Hunduns she succeeds in her goal to murder the man who murdered her sister. In doing so she becomes known as an iron widow, a woman who sacrifices her own male pilot. Once her new status is cemented, Zetian earns a target on her back even after being paired with Li Shimin; his own status as the Iron Demon may have protected her a little bit, but Zetian quickly realizes that it’s her death that many other pilots are calling for. Especially when their combined qi levels turn astronomical.
Zetian is a spitting viper against most advice until Yizhi enters her life again and it’s with his help that she begins to understand Li Shimin—just as she becomes curious of the two young men’s intrigue in each other. While becoming Li Shimin’s True Match, the three realize that it takes them all to create a cohesive bond. Shimin and Zetian could only pilot the Vermillion Bird once the three of them connected.
I love Zetian. Her views on female subjugation and the skewed power dynamic between male and female pilots are paramount to her character. Girls are dying after every battle because the male pilots use them like batteries and she plans to stop it, but each battle she enters there’s a high chance of another girl dying. Other than Zetian’s attitude and her initial unwillingness to work with Li Shimin, the army has no reason to get rid of her—her power levels are triple what typical male pilots manage. She wants to gain so much influence that the need for human batteries becomes a thing of the past. Zetian has absolutely no problem imposing violence to obtain that goal and there's a lot of violence.
I have never been a big fan of mecha sci-fi or fantasy—no specific reason, I was just never drawn to it. I watched a lot of Gundam Wing as a kid and that was one thing, but it generally stopped there. Iron Widow is one of, if not my favorite, book I’ve read this year and I could see myself reaching further into the mecha subgenres. The battle scenes; the descriptions of both Hundun and Chrysalis alike; nothing let me down. I was constantly tugged along by a breathless excitement that I haven’t felt in months and months of reading books in 2021. Iron Widow hasn’t even been officially released yet and I’m already calling for the sequel and I genuinely cannot wait for the whole series, however long it may be.

This book is everything I could ask for. The story, the plot, the characters and the world-building.
Read this if you like:
1) Chinese representation along with LGBTQ+ representation
2) Assassination for vengeance
3) An own voices novel
4) Polyamory instead of a love triangle

I want the second book in tis series right now, the ending was honestly mind-blowing!

Unflinching, Iron Widow is a story with sharp edges, ready and willing to draw blood one page at a time. This book will sink it’s teeth in deep and wont’ let you go. Not even at its end.

Iron Widow is exceptional. A rare gem of a book that will take you on a roller coaster ride. It is equal parts brutal as it is empowering.

I haven’t come across a sci-fi book that cements feminist ideas so staunchly. You can see it in every page, written in indelible ink. Where Zetain wants more than vengeance. She wants to reshape the fabric of society, thread by thread. Where women are no longer subjected to rigid patriarchal standards.

Xiran Jay Zhao’s writing and story is cinematic. It’s richly imagined and brutally crafted. With characters who are unyielding in their actions and uncompromising in their beliefs. I was hooked from start to finish, my face glued to my e-reader all the way into the dark of night. Making this page turning epic thrilling story a must read.

With an unapologetic heroine, Zetian will become your next favorite badass character who is out for revenge and will burn the world to ashes in order to obtain her ultimate goal.

And the ending!!!

I need the second book.

Don’t wait… Pre-order this book now.

September can’t come soon enough.

Happy Reading ̴ Cece

In the centuries since the Hunduns invaded Earth, humanity has progressed and regressed in equal parts. On one hand, they now have battle mechs capable of taking down the alien scourge when powered by pairs of teenagers. On the other hand, girls are so egregiously devalued that they are given as sex slaves to male pilots and expected to die in combat. Wu Zetian volunteers to become a concubine to avenge her murdered sister, little suspecting that her bloody quest for vengeance will uncover all the festering lies at the heart of her society. Bonus: it totally upends the tired YA dystopia love triangle.

3.5/5

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao is a book unlike anything other that I’ve ever read. Set in a futuristic world, the story draws heavily on ancient Chinese tradition and customs, most notably caste, foot binding, and treatment of females. The Author’s Note at the beginning helped to give some context and illuminate the significance of some of the book’s passages and lines. The note is followed by a brief but thorough list of trigger warnings. Iron Widow is certainly not a book for the faint of heart. With a length of about 400 pages, it’s completely expected that the book may have some slow sections. At the beginning, I felt as though everything was moving fast, and yet I was nowhere close to the actual climax and action of the book. The first 2/3 of the book was a five-star rating for me, unfortunately, several factors nearing the end brought down that rating somewhat significantly.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and was able to appreciate it for what it was. Iron Widow was definitely outside my comfort zone for genres and topics, but I am glad I read it.

“He should be the Iron King, and I should be the Iron Queen. Yet Iron Demon and Iron Widow is all they’ll let us be.”

LIKES
I tend to veer away from sci-fi novels, but the second I learned why the book was called “Iron Widow,” I was sold. Wu Zetian is a kickass female protagonist. She had a clear goal of revenge (which she accomplished fairly quickly) and then turned her gaze and efforts to a much higher calling. I loved how she never failed to stand up and advocate for what she believed in, even when it put her life at risk. It was quite honestly inspiring. This book was so much depth to it, that I constantly found myself highlighting sentences and whole paragraphs. As mentioned before, there are several trigger warnings and the book deals with some heavy topics. I found myself cringing and wincing at the descriptions of foot binding. As the author herself stated—Iron Widow is “both a celebration of my favorite aspects of my culture and a critique of its worst beliefs…” Even through the fictional setting, I believe I was able to learn more about Chinese traditions than I had known before.

The first half of the book I found myself taking breaks, but the second half I was unable to put down. There are a few different subplots that keeping the pacing fast and pushed readers to engage fully with the story. Zhao has a way of being able to craft intricate worlds and plots. I was thoroughly impressed with the originality of the story, and also was able to appreciate how the author was inspired by the Empress Wu from the Tang Dynasty.

DISLIKES
The setting of Iron Widow was incredibly complex. Sometimes it would make sense, but other times I would be either confused or bored with the amount of detail that I glossed over some of it. The author does not hesitate to use words to describe every scene, action, and emotion. Due to the format of the ARC, I was also left confused as to what scenes were “real” versus which ones were memories or dreams. Another aspect I rather disliked was the romance subplot. I appreciate romance in many different forms, but this love triangle was a bit too extreme for me. I often thought Wu Zetian had more chemistry with Li Shimin, but her draws to Yizhi did not seem natural for the most part. I honestly felt as if the romance actually subtracted from the brilliance of the novel, as it would have made much more sense for the trio to remain close friends. The pacing for those relationships was off, and often times the reader is left with questions about each character’s integrity and backstory.

Finally, the main reason for docking the rating was the ending. So much happened in the end that it felt as though it went by in a blur. I definitely did not see it coming, and was rather shocked by what went down. I am fully for female empowerment, but Wu Zetian was a bit too unhinged for me. I liked some of the revelations the ending brought, but others ended up opening so many more problems. In most cases, this would be find, but I started to distance myself from the characters in the end, so I doubt I will be reading the sequel. As with any review, this is my personal opinion and others may feel quite differently about the ending.

One of my most anticipated reads of the year. I feel blessed to have received an ARC of this novel. And let me say now, I am not disappointed! I want to make clear I adored everything about this book. But I want to spoil as little as possible for other readers. But this story is so fresh, and brings the flavor of a different culture into the YA scene. Zhao's debut book is something a lot of people need to read. How it authentically and proudly flaunts its heritage feels like something to celebrate- because there's always rom for more diversity in this genre.

A brutal, fast-paced revenge story created on the framework of the life of China's sole woman emperor. In a dystopian world that is always at war, the fight is conducted by teens in mechas, each powered by a boy--the pilot--and a girl--his concubine--who must merge their spirit forces together. But Zetian, a volunteer concubine, kills her pilot and upends the entire system, discovering long-hidden truths and conspiracies, and, though guile and torture and violence rises to the status of Emperor. The premise is interesting, and the author has created a clear cut-away showing how sleeping to the top and killing your rivals and enemies can be a viable solution, if your goal is to take over the world. But I personally didn't enjoy it. The torture was a step too far for me, even if it has historical precedence in the model the author uses, and the constant belief in violence as a solution wears very thin. I'm sure other readers, though, will devour this and want more, and that's kind of a shame.

This book had an interesting premise, although the majority of it was gleaned from Pacific Rim and Handmaid's Tale. I felt like this book lacked a lot of originality and the author was piggy backing off of two successful story premises already. It was a bit disappointing for me as a reader to have the story set with a Chinese background and the main character represent pretty American ideals and to laugh at the collectivist culture being projected in the book. While the culture was portrayed negatively the female protagonist did nothing to correct it into the collectivist society of community and support that is the infrastructure of many Asian countries' communities. Although I did appreciate the incorporation of Chinese tradition, the binding of the feet and the nine tail fox, this book was still felt very much an American portrayal of Chinese culture. It would've been different if not every character was Chinese and it was a conglomeration of societies with a dominate Asian presences, but that was not the case (although it would make more sense with the ending).

The main female character was very difficult to pin down. As the reader, I felt the author could not decide what she wanted to do with her. I would get Katniss Everdeen vibes or Danerys Targarian, but a lot of it was ranting, anger, and venting. She often placed men into the same box of one minded thinking she complained that society did to women, even when the two dominating male characters and her lovers were the complete opposite of her ideals. By the end she takes on the mad queen (empress) character, but it was in the last 5% of the book mirroring Danerys dissent into madness triggered by losing the last of her family/love. She is even on a dragon destroying the King's Landing of Huaxia.

The redeeming factor of this book is the two male protagonist, the futuristic/progressive premise, and the last two pages that offered an original twist to the story that will actually have me return for a second book in hopes of seeing the authors fresh ideas. The author has the writing style, narration, and beautiful descriptions, but I expect more originality and character development from the next book, especially for the female character, or I won't return for the third. Women can be powerful without being angry.

Thank you to Penguin House and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

CWs: (may contain out of context spoilers) child abuse, sexual abuse/violence, misogyny, medical trauma, body horror, gore/death, mental health

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

4 stars

Iron Widow is a fast-paced, young adult science fiction novel which expertly combines fun and complex, important discussions.

In terms of genre, one standout feature of Iron Widow for me was how the author incorporated aspects of science fiction into the book. While the genre remained evident, the - very interesting! - technology introduced never detracted from the plot, characters, or themes of the story. This would be a great entry point to the genre for someone interested in getting into science fiction, particularly for an avid YA reader. As well, I appreciated that while the author introduced a lot of exciting sci-fi elements in this first book, there is still room to expand and build on the world for the remainder of the series, which I think is extremely important in the interest of preserving the quality of a series overall and in future books. I am especially interested in the world's history ​and I look forward to uncovering more of the mysteries behind its founding and background in future entries.

The main characters were also superb. Our protagonist, Wu Zetian, was definitely the standout for me. I loved that she is unapologetically complex and morally grey - she is fighting to survive in a world that seems determined to destroy her, and determined to protect herself and her interests, no matter what. The author did an amazing job in crafting such a driven, ambitious, unapologetic character. I also appreciated that she was disabled, and how the author portrayed her disability. While Zetian is clearly impacted by her disability (and it does not magically go away when it is inconvenient), she also is determined for her life to be more than her disability. I don't have a physical disability, like Zetian, but I am chronically ill, and I immensely appreciate such nuanced portrayals of disabled characters. Li Shimin and Gao Yizhi are also both incredible characters, and Shimin especially was so, so unexpectedly funny. As well, the two boys subverted the classic YA love interest tropes they initially seemed to convey - I'm going to say how or why, in the interest of avoiding spoilers! The author hit a home run with their three central characters. That being said, the book centres around Wu Zetian and her story, resulting in a thought-provoking character examination with a focus on morality and (warranted) rage over oppression, and as a consequence, she was by far the most nuanced character in the book. As well, Zetian's narrative voice was ridiculously entertaining to read - I'm not always the biggest fan of first person, particularly when it is also in present tense, but I didn't have any issues with this book, and I credit that to the author's craft in constructing Zetian's internal voice.

I also would be remiss if I didn't commend this book for its excellent discussions around misogyny and gender. While the author was clearly not afraid to delve into these deep and difficult discussions, I felt they did so in a way which was very nuanced and approachable for YA readers. I think the author also did a very good job at setting up these themes to be examined further in the next book(s) of the series. While their exploration of gender relations and expectations in this book was thorough and strong, there is (naturally) a lot of different discussions to be had surrounding those themes, and the author set themself up in a way where they could absolutely expand on what they covered in book one, as well as introducing new branches of these themes, in later books very successfully, in my opinion.

As well, I really enjoyed the book's world-building and the author's choice to use the historical Chinese Empress Wu Zetian as an inspiration for the main character and her plot arc (note: this is not a historical retelling), but I would encourage potential readers to refer to the reviews of readers of East Asian and particularly Chinese ethnicity for their perspective on this aspect of the book.

I have a few small critiques, which is why this book is four stars for me, and not the full five stars. At times I wish the pace was slightly slower, so we got to explore more of the characters and relationships between characters in greater depth. The characters presented were instantly likeable (or despicable), and the author did a really good job of creating and conveying distinct personalities for them, despite some of them not having much page time. However, with a little bit of a slower pace, I think the author may have been able to go even deeper, which, in my opinion, would also have resulted in the book's climax having greater emotional stakes for the readers. I especially wish Zetian had spent more time interacting with the other female characters, especially as some of the themes of this book are so centered around misogyny. Some additional perspectives from the other women in the book about the oppression they faced would have made the thematic content even stronger. I also would have liked a bit more time to develop the romances in the book.

Spoiler alert: I’m not going to spoil this book any more than the author has on social media, but if you’d prefer not to know what happens at all, please come back when you’ve finished Iron Widow!

Here is everything I knew about Iron Widow when I requested it from NetGalley: It’s a reimagining of the rise of the only female Chinese emperor written by the person who made those Mulan videos. I expected historical fiction, political intrigue, and maybe some family drama.

Iron Widow is nothing like I expected. If I had to write an elevator pitch, I’d say it’s a dark mecha anime with an MFM throuple that makes only minor concessions to YA conventions. There’s a makeover, a love triangle, and a homecoming, but there’s also so much violence The Hunger Games looks like a game of touch football.

It also isn’t a retelling in the sense I imagined. It isn’t set in ancient China, but rather a non-earth sci-fi world inspired by the culture and geography of ancient China. In this world, all girls are raised as sacrifices. They’re sold to wealthy husbands or to the army. Either way, their lives are cruel and rigidly confined by both their patriarchal society and their own internalized misogyny.

Wu Zetian’s older sister was sold to the army, where male pilots use girls as fuel sources to power their giant mechs in battle against the mechanical aliens beyond the Great Wall. Girls often die in battle, but Zetian’s sister didn’t even make it that far. Her pilot strangled her to death.

To her parents’ relief, Zetian finally agrees to join the army, but she doesn’t intend to die in battle either. She plans to kill her sister’s murderer. She knows she and her entire family will be executed as a result, and she believes she’s prepared to die for her vengeance.

However, before she can act, the pilot takes Zetian into battle with him, and two unexpected things happen. First, the pilot dies in her place. Second, Zetian discovers she wants to live.

It reads like a wildly creative AU for some mecha anime I’ve never seen. (Confession: I have never seen any mecha anime.) Partially because of, you know, all the mechs, but mostly because there is so much here that I’ve only really seen in places where writers don’t have to contend with publishing gatekeepers. In a YA novel!

The MFM throuple is a fun subversion of the love triangle trope. While I’m more invested in the enemies-to-lovers pairing than the others, I was impressed by how clearly Zhao handled them all. They felt inevitable. All four of the relationships (each character with each of the others, and then all three characters together) had ample on-screen development time, including the relationship between the non-POV characters.

I had no choice but to love Zetian, who is angry, bisexual, and traumatized. That’s everything I want in a protagonist. She even gets some shit from other characters about her weight, though the cover model is thin and it’s hard to tell if Zetian is intended to be read as fat or if this is just another example of the patriarchal scrutiny she lives under.

I also loved the plot structure, which reminded me a bit of Six of Crows. Pop writing advice says that protagonists have to fail and fail and fail again until they succeed. Each challenge they fail raises the stakes, until they’re in an impossible position with the entire universe depending on them, and only then can they succeed.

Only, it’s actually much more fun to read about protagonists succeeding occasionally. In both Iron Widow and Six of Crows, we have characters who are smart and clever and good at what they do. They encounter obstacles, strategize, and then overcome those obstacles in ways that both raise the stakes and move the plot forward. Often, Zetian succeeds in ways that only end up getting her into more trouble, but at least we get to see that she truly is remarkable, instead of just being told how Special she is.

This is also my only real complaint: Zetian is Special in a way that I feel somewhat undermines Iron Widow’s feminist themes. I have no problem with Zetian spontaneously deciding to resist her patriarchal upbringing, which seems like a matter of self-preservation more than anything. I also don’t mind how much internalized misogyny influences Zetian’s perception of other women. My problem is how the narrative reinforces Zetian’s perception.

Without venturing too far into spoiler territory, other women in Iron Widow essentially fall into 3 categories: tragic victims, catty bitches, and the tragic-victim-catty-bitch Venn diagram overlap of victims who eagerly sacrifice other women.

Zetian does occasionally think about how there have to be other girls who are as remarkable as she is, and sometimes she’ll mentally challenge her internalized misogyny. I interpret that to mean later books in will contain more nuanced female characters. I’m still disappointed by their absence in Iron Widow, but I think Zhao has done enough to merit optimism for the rest of the series.