Honestly, a ride. This book might have done a mediocre job explaining some of the magic and worldbuilding, but the writing was so fun and the events so exciting that I really didn't mind being ??? for a lot of the book -- that's also a taste thing!

I was rooting for Zeitan the entire time, even when she was mean and cruel and vicious. I enjoyed this female character kicking ass in a world that was straight up not made for her to do so. There are a lot of binarisms here, and i tend to shy away from premises that establish Fundamental Differences between men and women, but as this is based on some ancient Chinese history, I'm not totally surprised by the binaryness of the setup. Lots of Male vs Female, Yin and Yang imagery. However, challenging these roles is a core part of the book, and while some of the sexism can be a little much at times, the book does succeed in addressing, challenging, and even fighting against a lot of the issues of the binary within its premise.

Definitely a lot of inspiration taken from media like Neon Genisis Evangelion and danmei books, so if that's your style you'll dig Iron Widow. Definitely touches on topics on the mature end of YA - concubines, dead consorts, near-rape, sexual assault, murder, etc, all kind of accepted without a lot of nuance. Not a big deal, but definitely something to note. Overall, a fun read, not a challenging one.

Wow. I don't really know what I expected from this book, but it absolutely blew any expectations I had out of the water. It was so interesting and well done, and I CANNOT wait for the conclusion.

Oh my god, I cannot believe how much I absolutely adore this book. From beginning to end, I was completely in love with the setting, the characters, everything. I never wanted the story to end, but all good things.
When this book comes out in September, I will buy it so fast. And then I’ll be waiting impatiently for the sequel.

Iron Widow is a fiercely feminist novel. It melds Chinese history/mythology with gender issues that are prevalent in contemporary times. This book explores gender, sexuality, power, and vengenance. It is cruel through and through. The content is not sexually explicit but certainly implies sexual activity. Violence is consistent and uncensored. The book is heavy -- be prepared for a vindictiveness that is rare in this genre, as blood revenge is the character's driving force.

Got an advance copy but DNF'd, I really like the premise, but the writing style wasn't working for me. Pity as I enjoy the author's Twitter threads.

In Huaxia, the boys dream of piloting giant robots, called Chrysalises, while girls are dragged along to act as concubines and often die in the process. Eighteen-year-old Zetian decides to volunteer as a concubine-pilot for one purpose only: to kill the pilot who killed her older sister. What she doesn’t expect is to still live after carrying out her vengeance, but when she does so, she is labeled an “Iron Widow” and feared by others.

There were so many parts I loved about this book! I loved the plot itself, but even more than that I loved Zetian. She’s a strong female character who knows what she wants, and I love to see that! This is told from her perspective, and while I don’t always like first person narratives, this POV was perfect for the book. I was also glad to see a book with two love interests but no love triangles—how refreshing!

I recommend to anyone who loves fantasy and wants an enticing new read.

This was really good, especially as a Star Wars and Pacific Rim fan! I really enjoyed the historical Chinese elements. I loved this, and if you like any sci-fi franchise, you’re sure to love this book!

4 Stars

Arc received from Netgalley for an honest review.

Iron Widow was like nothing I've read before. Not only does it have giant mecha robots and a kickass main character, it also had a lot of elements that I was surprised to read about and enjoy.

My Opinions:

Our main character Zetian can be hard to like at times. I find her to be an almost morally grey character due to her thought process and choices throughout the book. I really enjoyed that aspect of her though, because I find myself having similar feelings within my life and to my own family. Considering the environment she grew up in, I don't find it surprising that she grew up having to react the way she does.

The topic of sexism and misogyny in this book was well done but difficult to read at times. There were a lot of hints to how men and woman are treated in real life, so despite it being set in a fictional world, you see the aspects of reality interwoven throughout the book which only effected me as a reader more.

The romance in this was also a nice surprise. I wasn't aware going into it that there was a polyamorous relationship, but this didn't take away from me, in fact I actually preferred it. Even with some backlash possibly coming from this choice, I'm happy that the author kept it in and stuck to her guns because I hate love triangles with a passion, I tend to always choose the character the protagonist doesn't end up choosing, so I was thrilled to see them all together.

With that said, the romance isn't flushed out completely, a part of that probably stemming from the amount of time they had together. It didn't feel incredibly unrealistic, but it wasn't a smooth transition. It felt a little quick but at the same time I still found myself really cheering them on and hope to see more of them together in the future.

The ending made me want to pick the next book up right away. I'm not sure how I'm going to wait for it but I'm undoubtedly going to be waiting excitedly when it comes out.

Read this book if you enjoy; Sci-Fi, giant fighting robots, romance, strong female main characters, and awesomeness.

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao is one of those books you cannot stop thinking about even after you finish reading it. Everything from the world-building to the characterisation is perfect and to the T. Wu Zetian, my favourite femme fatale, is a character you can't help but love. Her drive and motivation forces you to root for her.

The plot is well driven and thought out. It flows really well and I can't wait to read the sequel.

Wow, talk about a book with a slow start that ends explosively. For the first 30% of this, I was interested, but not hooked. The middle just kept getting better, and the ending is what made this a 5 star read.

My favorite thing about this is definitely our main character. Zetian was such a powerful character, and I loved her transformation from beginning to end. She was the perfect morally grey character, and I can't wait to watch her journey continue. Plus, she had some of the most powerful quotes ever, which never hurts.

The romance never completely sold me, but I loved every character individually. Honestly, I shipped Yizhi and Shimin together more than either of them with Zetian, but that just kept things interesting. I do love that this book strayed away from a love triangle and just created a thrupple, it was a nice change.

Finally, I loved the world! It was a bit vague at the beginning, but the twist at the ending explained everything. I was a bit worried I wouldn't like this since I'm not usually a fan of robot-type reads, but this defied every expectation I had.

If you haven't read this, you don't know what you're missing. With a power thrupple, a full cast of morally-grey characters, and the twistiest ending, there's nothing here I wouldn't recommend.

Thanks to Xiran Jay Zhao and Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

I've gone from one debut to another, had huge expectations for both, and yet wow what a different experience has been had. I'm actually | | close to rounding up and giving this the full five star treatment, to be honest. It's so close to that feeling. And wow has it been a long time since I've felt that.

<i>How do you take the fight out of half the population and render them willing slaves? You tell them they are meant to do nothing but serve from the minute they are born. You tell them they're weak. You tell them they're prey. You tell them over and over, until it's the only truth they're capable of living.</i>

You've probably seen the pitch by now : THE HANDMAID'S TALE meets <i>Pacific Rim</i> and I think that's actually a great vibe to have going into this because it lives upto it so well. But there's also a lot more going on than just that so don't worry. Much awaits you.

<i>Men want us so badly for our bodies, yet hate us so much for our minds.</i>

But before you even get to the story the author has a fabulous note to explain their inspiration, their themes, and more. It did such a great job setting the tone for this story and even though I'm very spoiler averse (not that there were any) I really appreciated the insight.

"<i>[..] nothing in this world has been created, built, or set up in our favour. If we want something, we have to push back against everything around us and take it by force.</i>"

Maybe I should actually talk about the book though? As with many favourites, though, sometimes that's hard to do. Because even though this book isn't subtle about its themes, there is still nuance to explore, evolutions to witness, and a few little surprises that didn't exactly surprise me but I was delighted to see play out.. only to then be actually surprised by something. Which maybe happened once or twice. I was digging it.

<i>Love cannot save me. I choose vengeance.</i>

As for the romance, well. I don't know if it counts as a spoiler but for those who haven't yet seen the reveal, and want to experience that on page, I won't say anything. It isn't hard to search out if you're curious though! That said, I would've liked some of it to be a little better developed but.. well, again, saying more would be a spoiler.

Rarely, no matter how much I love a book, do I feel the desire to flip back to the beginning and immediately reread. But IRON WIDOW makes me want to do so. I'm sure there were things I missed because I d e v o u r e d this in one sitting but I will save my reread until book two comes out. Which, like.. can that be now? Please?

<i>[..] he's trying to worm into my mind and shackle me down with morals, so he can feel more comfortable about my existence. Too bad. I am exactly the kind of ice-blooded, rotten-hearted girl he fears I am. And I am fine with that.</i>

If you want to read a down with the patriarchy story that is less "girl power!" and more "I am sick of this shit"; who streaks right past shades of grey and fully embraces the dark; who claws her way out of the pain, literal and figurative, of existence to fight, every day, and challenge everything she's been brought up to believe; in a world where pilots are both celebrity and saviour as they battle aliens.. and I mean, I could go on. I haven't even touched on Li Shimin who, besides Zetian, stole my heart.

Preorder this book, request this book, beg you library to buy it. Do whatever you can to read this book.

4.5 stars

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with this arc.
This book????) was so good!! I loved every second of it. The way the world works is so different to anything I’ve read before. It was old yet new at the same time and I loved that about this book. Definitely a favorite and needs to be read by all!!

This is an amazing book! I really need to processo my thoughts and feelings to write a proper review. I

THIS WAS SO GOOD. Fast-paced, immersive, furious. (Fast and furious?... I'll show myself out.)

First of all, the protagonist, Wu Zetian: She's great. It's so rare to find a character who just says what she thinks ALL THE TIME, even (especially!) when it's extremely confrontational. Zetian is honestly a little unhinged, but that's what makes her so fun to read. There's nothing flat about her, no blanks that the reader needs to fill in. She's all there, 100% of the time.

The science fantasy world is great, too. (I am counting things like the gods as fantasy elements, but I'm not sure if that's wholly accurate, since I can't tell how much of the worldbuilding is based on real religion, and I don't necessarily want to count religious elements as fantasy.) The Chinese elements, the mechas, the video-game-like element of spirit energy and qi types all blend together surprisingly seamlessly. I was a little wary, thinking that the world would require a lot of exposition, but once you're through the prologue the novel dives right in, and I was never confused or lost.

The pacing is breakneck, and the plot is engaging pretty much all the way through. There were a few stretches that didn't hold my interest as tightly as the rest of the novel, and the last 50 pages or so I thought actually moved a little too fast, but none of that interfered with my enjoyment. I also loved the poly twist on a love triangle! (Not marking that as a spoiler because the author has been very open about it.)

I am a little surprised this is being marketed as a YA novel. In the author's note, Zhao wrote that the first draft was apparently far too dark to be YA, and this still doesn't really feel like a YA novel to me. Sure, the characters are teenagers, but you could kick them all up to age 25 and I think their personalities would still hold. They don't feel or act especially young to me; indeed, when it comes to relationships and expressing their feelings, they're extremely mature, and their concerns don't feel like teenage concerns. If it weren't for the marketing, I would have pegged this as an adult science-fantasy novel.

But no matter what marketing category it's slotted into, I enjoyed this novel very much and I'm excited for the sequel!

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

Iron Widow is a book with no "good guys," just the people upholding oppressive systems of power and the people fighting to survive and change them. That being said, I was pretty fully on board with every violent and murderous urge of Wu Zetian's, our protagonist. I loved both the political action plot and intertwining romance subplot. The critique of patriarchal systems was great to see. Watching the poly relationship develop was so much fun and all 3 characters fit together so well. This book is very intense and violent but I truly enjoyed every word and cannot wait to get my hands on the sequel one day.

It has been a long time since I have read a book this brilliant. Iron Widow is a reimagining of Wu Zetian-China's first and only lone Empress-in what feels very much like a mecha anime turned into a novel. Fans of Handmaid's Tale and Pacific Rim will both adore this story-which isn't something I'd ever thought I'd say before.

Not only does Iron Widow have a take-no-shit, incredible female protagonist, incredible pacing, character depth, plot twists galore, and of course mechas-it is also an incredibly amazing portrayal of polyamory which is so incredibly rare in writing, and even more so in YA.

This book tackles gender in a very head-on way. There's no room for subtlety in this action-packed scifi as Zetian plows her way through the metaphorical (and some physical) shackles of her society. Her rage powers her through fight after fight of physical, verbal, and mental conflicts.

While sometimes the dialogue seemed a bit choppy-the story flowed so beautifully that I had trouble putting the book down at all. It was absolutely gripping and as the plot moved forward I just couldn't tear myself away.
My only other complaint would be that I'm not quite sure what the hundun or chrysalis look like. We're given descriptors but not a description if that makes sense. This could be intentional and didn't bother me greatly, but I do hope to learn more about them in possible sequels (please let there be a sequel).

I do want to thank Xiran Jay Zhao-as a polyamorous woman it is very refreshing to see polyam portrayed in a natural and positive way. I cried more about their relationships than I did about anything else because I was absolutely elated to have that representation.

First things first, I love Wu Zetian. There is a special place in my heart for morally grey characters, and she is no exception. Zetian takes so much anger at the patriarchy and the way it consistently pushes down women and acts against it. She isn't kind, she refuses the roles that men push her into and it is very cathartic to watch her fight against it. There are scenes where you read how she changes her own thought pattern to not allow men to continue to hold her back or shame her, and it is incredible to feel as if you are there with her, fighting alongside her. Yes this may be a fantasy setting, but the prominence of the patriarchy is very real in today's society, and being able to experience Zetian's defiance when it isn't always possible to act in defiance of what is expected of women in society makes her even more wonderful to read. I love how Zetian follows through on her plans, she doesn't back down for the sake of anyone else, she truly is an incredible character.

There are two other central characters in the novel, Yizhi and Shimin. Both are interesting characters who hold their own alongside the strong presence of Zetian, but the most important thing for me was how well all three of them communicate. Personally, I hate it when charcters refuse to talk maturely to their partners, whether it be about an event or feelings for another characters (love triangles can become very annoying), but these three don't fall into that trap. They have those conversations (when ready in terms of character growth and relations) with maturity and respect, and it was so satisfying to see characters that love and trust each other implicitly.

Conceptually, the plot sounds amazing, but if anything it undersells how good the plot of the novel is. Qi, and giant robot-style machines, and the dismantling of an old and oppressive system is my new favourite combination. I do have one slight critique, personally I would have enjoyed an extra conversation about the way in which Zetian's primary and secondary qi manifests, rather than just being told that it had happened but never being shown or told much about how that was discovered. The Hunduns and the way in which parts of their consciousness can be heard by pilots is a very interesting concept which I hope to see explored in a sequel (and I really hope that there's a sequel!!) The action is fast paced and exciting, it leaves you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next, and of course, a good plot twist that left me shocked and in awe.

One of my most hyped books of this year, to be honest - The very first time I heard about the concept of "Iron Widow" I knew I needed to read this. And I was right, I had such fun with this debut! It isn't perfect and I did have some issues with it, but overall it's just an unapologetically feminist, queer, exciting, action-filled quick read that combines Pacific Rim style war machines with Chinese culture and mythology.

"Iron Widow" tells the story of Wu Zetian, a young girl that volunteers to become the concubine of the pilot of one of said big war machines, knowing full well that it'll be her death just like it has been a death sentence for most of the girls that came before her. But she has to, because that particular pilot killed her big sister - so she might die, yes, but she's gonna take him with her. That does sound like a pretty standard fantasy story, but it's told in such a unique and fascinating way that the tropiness of it doesn't matter.

"Iron Widow" is most of all a feminist story. A story about female rage, revenge, power - all in the face of a society that doesn't see any worth in the female gender beyond what it can do to serve men. It's an angry book that doesn't mince words, that allows its central woman to be brutal, that lets her be violent . Wu Zetian is a fascinating protagonist not just because of her unapologetic fight to save girls and take revenge on the men who wronged them, but because she is an unusual protagonist to begin with. Her lotus feet cripple her movement so she has to use a wheelchair when she's not piloting her chrysalis, and while she does suffer from what was done to her feet by the society she grew up in she never lets it get in the way of her getting what she wants. Her two love interests are mostly well-rounded characters, too, although I admit I did find Li Shimin a lot more interesting, mostly because Yizhi's characterization is pretty... inconsistent throughout the book. I'm not sure I could tell you exactly who he is.
The romance is awesome insofar that it is a polyamorous mfm relationship with all three of them falling for each other. I honestly can't remember reading any healthy poly relationships in ya fantasy like, ever. There is generally a lot of queerness and gender discussion, which I liked a lot. I do have to say, though, that the romance has so much potential that the book never really lived up to. Mostly because of the lack of actual deep character moments between them. It all happens pretty fast, especially the relationship between the two boys. This romance could have been absolutely epic but in the end, it's sadly a little shallow. I need more chemistry, more interaction, more actual romance.

The story is interesting and very dense. It doesn't let you breathe for a single second - and I actually consider this a flaw to some degree. There are no quiet moments to get to know the characters better, there is always action, always something happening. Sometimes it reads like a movie script more than it does a novel, as if the author tried to write down what they saw on the big screen. Thus, everything seems kind of superficial, lacking the depth necessary to really make me care about most of what was happening. The writing is good but also pretty simple and kind of hectic, the world-building rough and lacking detailed descriptions and the lushness to make this world feel really alive. It does read a bit like a pacific rim fanfiction, sometimes. There is a lot of tell-don't-show going on, entire pages in which there are several characters talking with each other but it's only referenced as indirect speech á la "and then x said that we have to do this and y explained that this thing is happening because of reason z". Instead of, you know, actual dialogues. I'm sure this was a conscious choice but the author but it does come of as lazy writing, skimming over details to get the plot moving. No time to waste, here's a monster attack! I couldn't always follow what was going on, either, because there is just.... a lot happening very quickly, and then another thing is added to it, and another, and another.

The epilogue though - the epilogue is really forking epic. It makes me want to immediately pick up the sequel because DAMN! The plot of the book is generally very straightforward without a whole lot of surprising twists and turns, so the epilogue really hit me out of the blue. I love it. I want to know more.

So in conclusion, this is a really entertaining quick read with a cool protagonist and chock full of important themes. It never really tackles them in a deep or profound way, deciding to stay on the surface level in favor of more action scenes. Xiran Jay Zhao is a talented writer and their book shows just how much fun they had writing it, but there is room for improvement. Still, an absolute recommendation - a wild ride for sure.

10 seconds review:
A hankering for Chinese influenced anime Pacific Rim series? Queer polyamory romance? An enraged female MC vying at tearing apart the system's treatment of its female citizens? Grab this book!

Longer review:
"You've been living a dream for long enough!" I yell at the camera between bursts of maniacal laughter, raising my arms, "Welcome to your nightmare!" With that passage, you know exactly what kind of a ride you are in.

Wu Zetian, the main character, seeks for revenge after the murder of her older sister at the hand of the system that grooms its female citizens to accept their fates to benefit the other half of the population. Dowry, foot binding, abuse, the list goes on, and ultimately death after piloting Chrysalis with their perfectly intact male partner is accepted as the norm. Huaxia is in a war against the Hunduns, invaders that appeared 2000 years ago, the only weapon they have against the Hunduns is Chrysalis. A group of mechas that take the names and the shapes from Chinese mythical beasts like Nine Tailed Fox and the Vermillion Bird. Any mecha fan will have a blast reading mechas fighting, transforming, and power levels.

After enacting revenge for her Big Sister, Zetian finds out there is more to be done to completely achieve her goal to tear apart the system of Huaxia. Despite people being horrified at her for breaking out of societal expectations, she keeps going, society pressures and moral be damned. One big part of Zetian’s journey is the growing relationships with her male copilot Shimin and her friend Yizhi. The author Xiran Jay Zhao manages to make the progress feel organic without making it awkward and resorting to poor tropes that usually occur in love triangles.


I grew up watching Macross, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and countless more mecha anime. This book ticked so many things I love about those mecha anime. It is refreshing to see those ideas being in a novel format. Having a queer love triangle is a cherry on top because many anime suffers by zeroing on monogamy het relationships with the audience following the male end of the relationship. I am excited to see what Zhao have in store for the sequel and her writing career.

This is gonna be a ride, so get strapped in.

First of all, thank you so much to Penguin Teen Canada for sending me an eARC of this book (my first ARC ever)!

The cover and description of this book gripped me from the first time I saw it - “Pacific Rim meets The Handmaids Tale”. But this book bought so much more than I was ever expecting, and I’m still kind of coming to terms with it.

For someone who’s “read” list predominantly consists of Romance and Fantasy - this book was nothing like I’ve ever read before. Iron Widow is inspired by the only female emperor in Chinese history; Empress Wu. It’s an action packed, gender role smashing sci-fi take on Chinese history/culture and customs.

Zhao’s descriptions are immaculate, and I could visualize what was happening so vividly - will a little booster from Pacific Rim visuals I remember ngl. I did find that Zhao’s voice often differed when writing dialogue/the MC’s inner thoughts compared to when she was world building. This threw me off a little, and I found my reading pace stalled. I was able to get on track easily, but it was something I noticed numerous times. The world building seemed so eloquent, and in one or two places I just felt that the dialogue didn’t reach the same level.

Much of this story surround the concept of Gender, and rampant misogyny in society (specifically and historically - Chinese society). The concept of Gender is deconstructed so intrinsically, and Zhao causes you to reconsider things on a personal level. Like, as I read this book and the MC (frequently) questioned the idea of gender, the patriarchy and monogamy, I found myself asking similar questions about my own personal experiences. It was eye opening in a way I didn’t expect it to be.

Writing this review, in my notes app, as I try to figure out how I feel about this book, I honestly forgot that it was a YA Novel. The themes explored and discussed are so advanced and appropriate for our current lives - the exploration of sexuality, relationships, self value and gender are exactly what YA novels should be championing.

Even if you don’t typically read Sci-Fi - read this. Iron Widow is out on September 21, 2021!