First of all, I'd like to say a gigantic thank you to Netgalley for the E-ARC of this book in exchange for a truthful review.

This book was absolutely incredible.

Xiran Jay Zhao has crafted a gorgeous and brutal world that takes hold of you and refuses to let go. Her masterful use of language, and the Chinese history that has been so beautifully woven into the story will keep you eagerly turning the page to find out what happens next, and it is absolutely worth it.

Her handling and portrayal of the misogyny was so infuriatingly real, but intermingled with that was a thoughtful discussion about taking control of your own body and your destiny, and it was a thing of beauty.

Xiran Jay Zhao took the love triangle trope and turned it into what every love triangle trope should be - a beautiful polyamorous relationship, with communication and no jealousy. The conversations about sexuailty and gender identity were handled beautifully.

The characters were complex - they had strengths, and flaws, but you still couldn't help but to fall in love with them, and root for them the entire time.

This book was mind bogglingly amazing, I am so excited to purchase a physical copy of it when it comes out, and I need book two like I need air to breathe, as the ending of Iron Widow was perfect and left me reeling. It'll be thinking about this book for a long time.

This was an unexpected and unimaginably appreciated experience that gave me literary tingles and emotional catharsis. I so badly want to wax poetic about the main character and how she may be the realest, most grounded character I've ever had the pleasure of reading about but the essay that would require is beyond my abilities.

This book is going to shock readers in September. It is going to make people uncomfortable. It is going to force people to look inward and question internal biases that maybe even they didn't realize they were holding. This novel is therapy for women like me who grew up after being told to be "more" feminine at every stage of their lives. What does that even mean? What does that mean when people can embody any combination of masculine and feminine energies and fluidly shift through those proportions based on situational needs?!

Let me just tell people why they should run, not walk, to pre-ordering this masterpiece.
- giant mechs.
- An actual love triangle that had me rooting and hooting the entire time.
- this is a villain origin story (depending on how you look at the main character of course. By the end I was shrugging and saying "same")
- Actual tears streamed down my face. Crying probability is high.
- Descriptions of scenery/various settings are so vivid! I'm a sucker for an author that can give you one sentence of description to ground you perfectly in the room with the characters and move on.
- The ending! MUCH TWIST, VERY GASP!

10/10 recommend!

Iron Widow. Wow. I can’t wait for the second one to come out! I’m so invested!!! I managed to read this one from NetGalley.
The story starts out a little slow and you have no idea of the rollercoaster you’re about to be on. There’s so many emotions that went into this book and you can absolutely feel them! You love to hate and hate to love these characters. By the end, I loved them so much!
I highly recommend Iron Widow if you are looking for a powerful female when she is told to be everything but!!

this is an amazing book, the romance is adorable and is the first true love triangle that I've ever seen, I can't wait for the next book to come out or for the next arc of the series to come. The book was full of twists and turns and easily competes with Six of crows which is one of my all time favorite books, over all a 4.90/5 stars, though I do hate how rude the main character Wu Zetian is to Li Shimin, that is my only problem with this book.

OMG! Can I just say Wu Zetian is my all time favorite warrior hero. If you want a positive female character who laughs in the face of the patriarchy and societal constructs. You have found her!!

"Shame and humiliation are self-imposed emotions, and from here on out, I choose not to feel them." This book was full of so many inspirational self reflections (quotes).

This incredible brave, kick ass human has had enough of the crap women have had to deal with and is not going to let them win.

ADD THIS BOOK TO YOUR WANT TO READ IN GOODREADS!

All the strict thinkings and societal norms of a hundred years ago (?) China with a futuristic huge Robot Chrysalis', it makes you not know exactly what year you are in, so it's an alternate universe.

Side note: I want an alternate universe with a matriarchy just for fun.

I definitely think this book is for everyone. I was so giddy over the love triangle that just popped up. Not your average love triangle.

My mind is still blown by this book and by the Epilogue holy crap wtf! I'm not sure how long it will take me to process this beautiful book! 😍😍 Oh goodness will there be more?!?!

I may have more succinct words later but I need this physical book in my library for sure!

Thank you penguin teen and net galley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

“And, in the end, isn’t that all dignity is? The boundaries and values you decide for yourself?”

This is pitched as Pacific Rim meets Chinese History and Myth and it delivers.

I don’t know where to start—this is everything, everything I want from books.

-Morally Gray female Main Character, who’s a kickass feminist but develops over time. The amount of love I have Wu Zetian is immeasurable. She’s angry and fierce. She a survivor and a victor. She is the moment.
-Polyamory. Less love triangles, more threesomes. Is the message. “Love is infinite.” You’re damn right.
-soft bois and angry bois, these Boys mean the world to me as well. They’re layered and nuanced and even though you view them through Zetian’s lenses you fall in love with them
-bisexuals.
-Giant Monster battles.
-sprinklings of historical context and sparking my urge to Wikipedia everything about the inspiration.
-nuance discussions on femininity. The feminist agenda is vocal and gruff. It’s not steered away from and sometimes it a Qi blast to the face but it never feels hollow.
-Smashing The Patriarchy.
-Twists! Seriously. TWISTY TWISTS.

Some Caveats:
-Wu Zetian is going to be a polarizing lead, you will either love her or hate her.
-This story is action heavy and can feel disjointing (hopefully the final copy will include a map and a Qi cheat sheet and some hierarchy information)

Overall, this is probably one of my favorite reads of 2021 and I’ve preordered my copy.

TW: murder, violence, torture, misogyny, mentions of sexual assault and rape, suicide ideation, alcohol addiction.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Teen for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the plot, but did not like the throuple. I think it is fine to pretend it would work out, but for teen readers I think this idea could become insidious.

Literally amazing. 10/10 stars. would read again. Literally pacific rim in china and is amazing and stressful and lovely and everyone needs to read this book and I want a 5 movie deal.

WOWWW, this was the wildest, most original story I have read in a LONGGG time. The blend of sci-fi + fantasy + historical chinese elements was A+. The world building and magic system was incredible and I was VERY INVESTED in the story.
I did want to note that there are some trigger warnings at the beginning of the book, which isn't surprising given the reference to The Handmaid's Tale in the synopsis.

You have 3 main characters:

Zetian the Iron Widow, the logical + lethal MC with a need for justice/vengeance.

Li Shimin the Iron Demon, the strongest and most controversial male pilot with a ~mysterious~ past.

Gao Yizhi, the calm and intelligent son of the most successful media mogul in Huaxia. Has a heart of gold and is a sweet, supportive cinnamon roll.

Zetian was a great MC, she was hot-blooded AND calculating -she knew exactly what her goals were and what she stood for. She did not back down or make herself small, nor did she allow herself to be manipulated. It was FANTASTIC to read her scheming, every time she learned new information or was forced into a new role she paid attention to the long term loss and gains, and readjusted her plans. The love interests Li Shimin and Gao Yizhi were also very interesting and I enjoyed both their relationships with the MC Zetian. This story is very high stakes, and that ending blew my mind. I cannot WAITTT to get my hands on the sequel. This was an extremely impressive first installment for a debut author.

3.5 stars rounded up.

According to Xiran Jay Zhao this story is "Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid's Tale in a polyamorous reimagining of China's only female emperor.”

This is a vengeance fueled, sci-fi, feminists unite, powerhouse of a story. It has a polyamorous relationship over the usual YA love triangle.

Zetian is a peasant girl who’s suffered through the death of her older sister, and painful foot binding. She has been repeated told that her looks are the only thing she has of value to her family. She graphically describes her grandmother breaking the bones in her feet at only five years old. This start to the story helps the readers understand the level of anger Zetian feels. EVERY STEP she takes is a reminder of her worth. I could feel the rage pouring off Zetian throughout the book, she has her own agenda and everyone better get out of her way.

It’s a little confusing, but there are aliens that battle humans in giant mecha-machines. These machines use qi (pronounced “chi”) energy to power them. Young men with high qi ratings are chosen to serve as the pilots for these massive fighting machines. Young women are forced to serve (usually by their families) as concubines and co-pilots...but really they are sacrificed and almost always die. Zetian is chosen as the next co-pilot to share her qi energies with the pilot she’s sworn to kill.

As much as I enjoyed the world building and set-up, the characters felt mostly flat. The only relationship that had some depth was with Yizhi. He’s from a rich family and knows he can’t be with Zetian, yet he cares for her in the only way he can. If Yizhi is the rich, pampered love interest on her left, then Li Shimin, the Iron Demon is the criminal, beast on her right. These two men perfectly balance her. I wish the relationship between Li Shimin and Zetian had been more fleshed out. I also didn’t get much in terms of emotions from Yizhi and Li Shimin. I understand this is YA novel, but there was one tiny paragraph with mention of a m/m relationship. Why do they like each other? Where are the emotions??

While this is a completed story, there a cliffhanger that will lead to the next book.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada, NetGalley, and Xiran Jay Zhao for the ARC to review!

Wow! Iron Widow grabs you with its ferocity, flings you into a historically (Chinese)-inspired futuristic world of fighter mechas piloted by paired young men and women who wield spirit energy & qi, and grabs you by the heart with a polyamorous love triangle. Add in a sustained indictment of the patriarchy that keeps girls down and a story of pure revenge, rage, and power, epic battles worthy of the big screen, and you've got an all-around wild ride. Highly recommended!

First, I would like to Xiran Jay Zhao for writing such a freaking cool novel.
Second, I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read the ARC.

I decided to read Iron Widow two days before I wrote this review, 2 DAYS! I sat down on Day 1 and read half the book without even realizing it. I could not put it down, even when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it. While I didn't care for how the twist was executed, the book really made me think in a way no other book has.

Iron Widow very much follows it's pitch and Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid's Tale. Zetian decides to avenge her sister after her sister is allegedly killed by a pilot. When Zetian finds out the truth of it, she challenges the views and beliefs of a country indoctrinated on believing women do not have nor want automony.

One of the most interesting things about this novel was the dissonance between banned practices, outdated values and modern language. Every time I saw characters speak the way I would, while in this fantastical time period mixed with technology and old practices (some are unfortunately not that old and still here, I use old to convey that they are not progressive), I was jarring and grounding. It was a reminder that the real world is not so different and the way the author conveyed that was outstanding.

The relationships between characters was done in such a cool way. The author does it in a way where they have you understand that it once again challenges the values within the book and outside as well.

Overall, this book was incredible. I was so engrossed, and so much of it was amazing. I wasn't keen on how it ended, I'm curious to see if there will be a sequel and how it will handle the new development.

I think this novel draws the reader into a truly fascinating world, and the storyline is both engaging and interesting. However, I'm a little disappointed by the characterization in this novel, in particular of the protagonist Wu Zetian. From the moment that she is introduced, Zetian is consumed with indignation and rage -- rage towards the pilot that killed her sister, indignation towards the way women are treated by family, as well as by society at large -- to the point that it is unnuanced and underdeveloped over the course of this book. Additionally, although this novel is narrated from the first person, there seems to be a fundamental lack of internal complexity on Zetian's part: the narration rarely delves into Zetian's interiority in any significant way.

Overall, this was a fun, engaging read that could have used a little more character complexity.

I was actually kind of regretful I couldn't power-through this book in one night, because I didn't expect to enjoy something so in your face "Pacific Rim meets Darling in the Franxx". It's not my preferred genre, I'm likely not the target reader, and my only anime viewing experience was the disappointing ending of Darling in the Franxx, which just soured me further about the entire mecha experience.

However, Iron Widow was in the forefront of my thoughts next day and I ended up absolutely devouring the rest of it with the exact energy that our protagonist, the darling Wu Zetian, goes feral on everyone who stands in her way. First in revenge, then in vengeance, finally in ascendance, Xiran Jay Zhao writes anger and honest emotion with more of a realistic tinge than the YA genre expects, and their protagonist isn't afraid of coming across as emotionally rough and raw. I was honestly caught breathless multiple times at how boldly vicious Zetian was, especially in matters of her heart. She's not willing to compromise in either her partners or her goals.

The book hits differently than The Handmaid's Tale comparison, since Zetian was never once taught or told her life was valuable and worthy (and suffers for her defiance while society shakes their heads). But she is so deliciously, vibrantly angry in her resistance and continues on fighting-- despite even her own family teaching Zetian that women are worthless, passive things. I absolutely can see where the Handmaid's flavor comes in.

I've never read a book so accurately and succinctly able to be summarized as "gatekeep, gaslight, and girlboss". Nor exactly read an author who, just like Zetian, takes your preconceived notations of the standard YA love triangle ("girl meets boy, girl meets another boy, girl falls in love with one of the boys, government is overthrown at some point") and dumps it all over the floor ready to be picked up with the enthusiasm of an AO3 author who just watched the season finale of their favorite TV show and thought "I can do better than this."

5/5, will be stalking Goodreads for news on book two.

This book was absolutely epic.

Xiran Jay Zhao has crafted a beautifully brutal world that will sink its claws into you and refuse to let go. She weaved Chinese history into this story so beautifully the end revelation made me scream. I can't believe you've done this to us, honestly.

The way she not only handled the misogyny but portrayed it was so infuriatingly real.
The way she talked about taking control of your own body and your destiny was a thing of beauty.

Xiran Jay Zhao took the love triangle trope and murdered it and I can't thank her enough. A love triangle becoming a polyamorous relationship is all I've ever wanted and now that I have it ill never let it go.

Her characters had strengths and flaws to spare and you could help but love the big three.

This book was so staggeringly amazing I will probably end up buying every single book Xiran Jay Zhao writes. I also wait with bated breath for book two because that ending absolutely destroyed me.

I finished this yesterday and I might have the shortest review for a book yet. Two words. FEMALE. FURY.

Also, we finally get a love triangle that's actually a love triangle and not an acute angle. And no one has to choose. Oh my.

Rating: 4.5/5

I massively enjoyed everything about this book. You cannot go wrong when you blurb a book as "Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid's Tale". READ IT!

currently trying to recover my senses from that mind-blowing epilogue phew.

wow okay, this is one of THE most entertaining books i've read in a while. the plot is fast-paced blazing full speed ahead and i enjoyed that so much, i honestly couldn't stop reading.

pitched as a reimagining of china's only female emperor - in a world ravaged by strange alien monsters that can only be defeated by giant mecha operating under an oppressive patriarchal military system that uses and discards female pilots, an 18 year old girl strives to change everything (and gets two boyfriends along the way as a treat).

wu zetian is a fantastic main character and everything i've ever wanted from unhinged morally grey protagonists - she's ruthless, brutal, rude, unapologetic of her actions, and is determined to achieve her goals no matter what it takes. she stands firmly by her own morals and values and actively questions and challenges society's norms. there's just something so cathartic about a raging female character who wants to destroy everything - needless to say, i loved her.

the worldbuilding is also really cool - it's an interesting mixture of ancient china and modern society with advanced technology and mecha, which worked pretty well for me. i loved the mecha inspired by east asian mythological creatures, it's such a fun concept. also, the battle scenes are so well-written, i could picture them all clearly - plus it felt like reading an action shounen anime which is always a bonus.

no this isn't a perfect book - i could be nitpicky and say i wish some of the side characters and relationships could've been more developed, some of the themes around patriarchy and misogyny felt a bit heavy-handed, the dialogue was a bit awkward at times - BUT none of that takes away from the fact that this is the most fun i've had reading a book in a long time.

i have to say something about the polyamorous love triangle - i do think the romance(s) could've been developed better but i still loved reading it and i want more of this in YA from now on.

overall, super solid sff YA debut and i'm already desperate for the sequel.

I was sold on this book immediately with the comparison to Pacific Rim. Add in a retelling of badass Emperess to the mix? Amazing! This is a story not for the faint of heart; it does have romance and tender moments but this is about our lead ruthlessly taking what she wants and not being held back by the men of the world. Thoroughly enjoyed this incredible debut!

I normally don't read YA books, but when I heard the premise, I knew I had to read this one. I was especially intrigued by the fact that the love triangle ends in a poly relationship.

When I first started reading, my first thought was 'oh no' because I just could not get into the prologue. The explanation regarding qi felt too info-dumpy, and I was just so uninterested. However, my opinion changed once Zetian's narration took over. I loved her voice and immediately wanted to keep reading. The worldbuilding is also much better at that point, with various aspects about Zetian's world sprinkled throughout. It made me all the more confused by the info-dumpy parts of the prologue. I think this book would be stronger without the prologue, quite frankly.

The pacing was good, and I felt like the romantic relationship was developed well (no insta-love!). Overall, I really enjoyed reading this. However, I did find myself wishing that this had been written as an adult novel instead, as I feel like that might have provided a better arena for the issues that are explored in the novel. Of course, this should be taken with a grain of salt because, like I said, I don't particularly enjoy YA books, and I don't read very many of them.

So this book is ya scifi, it’s pitched as pacific rim meets the handmaids tale. I guess I can see some handmaids tale parallels, but I will say that I don’t think the handmaids tale is a very good book and I think this does MUCH more by way of talking about gender, and misogyny, and patriarchal societies. So if I were you I’d just skip the handmaids tale and read this if that’s what you’re looking for in a book is conversations w on those. This book also combines ancient China (even some real Chinese history, like the main character Wu Zetian is based off chinas only female emperor) combined with futuristic tech, culminating in a badass scifi book that will appeal to much more than a YA audience and I think even those who don’t read scifi typically will appreciate this. The worldbuilding is exquisite.

The very introduction had me hooked.

This book has cybertech beings piloted on the inside by humans, using their life force and this system is designed knowing it will kill women but more on that later because the cyber tech beings are so fucking cool. They can change form, like all your other favorite media featuring this stuff, depending on what the situation calls for. But there’s something so unique and wonderful here with them that xiran has done, that will really leave you breathless. It is epically cool.

The main character Zetian is absolutely fucking ruthless. The government considers her disposable trash right, and she knows this, and towards the beginning of the book they think they’ve disposed of her when in fact she killed one of their prized men. So she looks at them and says “welcome to your nightmare”. She’s absolutely brutal. I would kill for her. Initially her intention is just to get revenge for her sister but then she says you know what? I kinda wanna fucking do more. I wanna burn shit to the ground. It’s a relationship between her and I where like I love her but also, I’m terrified of her and I like it.

Speaking of relationships, let’s talk about the polyamory. It is exquisite. It is divine. I ate that shit up like it was my last meal. There are three of them, zetian the iron widow, li shimin the iron demon and Yizhi who is the sweetest bean of a human. So she is with both of them and the dudes are also each other’s boyfriends. And the LOVE BETWEEN THE THREE OF THEM? The sincerity of it? If you are done with YA love triangles like I am I cannot recommend this highly enough to you. One part of the relationship is like… hate to love. And it’s exquisite. And the other two parts are just fucking wholesome, and when combined OH MY GOD I squealed while reading certain parts of it. Them all being in love with each other comes together so naturally, and it’s not made like a big deal of in a negative way they just have a few simple conversations where things are communicated and they’re all a thing. It was precious.

Yizhi is the brains of the operation, Li Shimin is the muscle, and Zetian is a glorious combination of both. I love the dynamics they all have both together and separately. And the natural build up of trust. Exquisite.

This book talks a LOT about topics like misogyny and gender roles and bodily autonomy violations and honestly I don’t think any other book does it quite like it. It’s phenomenal, and nuanced, and there’s so much depth. The author really did the work to have those conversations and they greatly succeeded.

The end of the book, no spoilers, had me clutching my chest in pain. I cannot believe how it ended and how long we have to wait for the sequel. If you like explosive endings that leave you saying WAIT WHAT and you go back and reread to make sure you read that last thing correctly, yeah, you’re gonna like this.