When a novel gets compared to Pacific Rim and the Handmaid’s Tale, my expectations for said novel automatically skyrocket. Iron Widow delivered the vengeful, feminist, patriarchy smashing novel 16 year old me would have died to read, and adult me loved every minute of.

Hands down, Wu Zetian was my favourite part of this novel. In the past when I have been promised an angry, unrepentant girl lead, I have been disappointed. This was definitely not the case with Zetian. Her furious ambition and drive resonated with me, and as the novel progresses, you get to see more of the tender (if not soft) parts of her as well. She takes absolutely no crap and I love her for it. Li Shimin and Gao Yizhi were great as well, as the secondary characters we saw the most of.

The worldbuilding and plot were solid, and despite a few blips in the pacing and direction, well executed. A heads up: this universe is heavily entrenched in misogyny and other trauma. I’m normally quite particular about misogyny as a conflict device, especially in speculative fiction (it’s one of the main reasons I will DNF a book), but to me the misogyny and oppressive systems were challenged enough by the main characters to make the trauma worth it.

While Iron Widow shouldn’t be considered a romance—it’s quite dark and focuses heavily on the sci-fantasy elements—I also appreciated the open inclusion of a polyamorous romance. This is one the first traditionally published novels I’ve read (and maybe the first YA one at all) that normalizes poly relationships as opposed to a love triangle.

The premise of this novel is quite binary, and one of my only critiques was the lack of gender diversity beyond the stereotypical man/woman split. I would have also loved to see Wu Zetian form a strong and healthy friendship with another girl, but I’m holding out hope for the next book.

Overall, Iron Widow grabbed me and didn’t let me go. Despite some minor critiques, I devoured this book and love the world and premise Xiran Jay Zhao has put into the world. I will be eagerly awaiting the next entry in the series.

Thank you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the scifi polyam young adult book you have been waiting for! From thought-provoking paragraphs to intricate world-building to characters with layer upon layer of complexities to a dazzling romance between three people, readers will surely find this one as a refreshing read in the genre.

Zetian is every bit the heroine in most young adult fiction we have all read at first until she is tested again and again in this magnetic debut from Xiran Jay Zhao. It has themes akin to those in mecha-anime that I find compelling and intriguing. Things get more exciting once the other two characters were introduced. It's pretty fast-paced from there on and packed with action. The plot, characters, and writing really made this stunning debut a delight. I could not put it down. Lovers of the scifi will find this a step into the usual scenarios present in this genre.

The pitch for the regular person on the street is that this is “a Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid’s Tale reimagining of the rise of the only female emperor in Chinese history”. And even though that spoke to me, what spoke to me louder was the alternate pitch the author put out: it is more like the anime DARLING in the FRANXX but with a story based in the gongdou genre (Chinese palatial harem tales like the hit C-drama Story of Yanxi Palace), both of which I am more familiar with than I care to admit.

Iron Widow is the first eARC I have ever requested. I actually opened a NetGalley account for it and I did it precisely because I felt the same as the author. I believe there is a lot of potential to the boy-girl pilot system introduced in DARLING in the FRANXX which can be used as an interesting device to explore concepts of gender and sexuality—a potential that I felt the show did not live up to and I was absolutely not a fan of how the female pilots are basically oriented on all fours in front of the male pilot, who is seated and would “steer” the woman by the hips (yes, like that). I am also a total sucker for magical world-building which ties intimately to the themes of the story, like Steven Universe‘s Fusion which fuses two or more characters and the resulting individual is a representation of their relationship and the combination of their strengths (a concept which is itself a reworking of gattai or 合体 from Dragonball).

But, if we are to step away from all the pop culture that Iron Widow draws generously from, I’ll describe it as a story about giant qi-powered transforming robots called Chrysalises which are controlled by the power of heterosexual spooning, and humanity uses these machines to defend themselves in a war against the invasion of a sentient species of wonton (okay, it’s the other way around—wontons are actually possibly named after the alien Hunduns). Human society in this world is a patriarchal hellhole for women and if The Handmaid’s Tale is the Judeo-Christian version of that, Iron Widow is the Chinese cultural edition. There are so many misogynistic things said about women in this book that is still being said to Chinese girls and women today! I am a Chinese dude, but I’ve heard them within earshot often enough and I have no doubt that Ms Zhou is absolutely drawing from personal experience here.

Wu Zetian is a teenage girl who is being sold to the army as a “concubine-pilot” and is one of the countless girls who will pilot a Chrysalis along with one of the celebrity male pilots (who accrue fame as battles are livestreamed across the nation). She is being paired with Yang Guang, who she believes murdered her older sister who enlisted before her. The thing is, female pilots are often sacrificed in the piloting process for power and girls rarely survive the ordeal so the female sex is literally grist for the war mill, aside from basically serving as sex slaves for male pilots in their private harems. Zetian had specifically wanted to join up so she could avenge her sister, hopefully before she can be used up in a fight.

It may not be to everyone’s taste but I find Zetian to be a very compelling main character who displays plenty of agency in her thoughts and actions. You can’t rightly call her a good person either as she commits some pretty morally questionable acts throughout the book. It is, however, incredibly exhilarating to read how she handles everything the world throws at her, standing up against impossible challenges as she does everything she can to survive. Everything she learns about the system becomes her ammunition to subvert or destroy it. She reminds me very much of the protagonist of another book I read recently: Baru Cormorant from Seth Dickinson’s The Traitor Baru Cormorant. They are both involved in socially unacceptable romantic relationships. They are both trying to dismantle a massive bureaucratic power structure from within. They are both forced to commit atrocities in service of their own ends.

I absolutely love the way that the author incorporates so much Chinese historical and mythic references in Iron Widow. The qi-based magic system is drawn directly from Five Phases (五行) which consists of the elements of wood, fire, earth, metal and water, and the Chrysalises are based on Chinese mythological creatures like the the Nine-Tailed Fox and the Headless Warrior (it’s wild—look up “Xingtian” who was beheaded but continues to fight using his nipples as eyes and his navel as a mouth), and the four Auspicious Beasts such as the Vermilion Bird, the White Tiger, the Black Tortoise, and the Yellow Dragon. Practically all the characters have names taken from historical figures and reads like a who’s who of Chinese history, even though they only share a passing thematic resemblance to their namesakes. One of them, a club bouncer called Yuchi Jingde, made me laugh because he shares a name with a Tang dynasty general who is worshiped today as a door god.

There are also multiple allusions to Chinese cultural/historical practices which are familiar to me through years of soaking them up in Chinese and Hong Kong period dramas like the idea of nine familial exterminations (株连九族) where one’s immediate and extended family is executed for serious crimes like treason. There is also the ancient practice of drowning adulterous couples in pig-cages which functions as a sort of informal method of honour killing in Iron Widow for disgraced women. These are not modern pig-cages mind you, but a sort of tiny restrictive bamboo basket that is only big enough to hold one pig or a pair of adulterers. I grew up eating pig biscuits during Mid-Autumn Festival which usually come in their own little individual pig-cages made of bamboo or plastic. Ms Zhou also mentioned “fried dough sticks” or Chinese crullers in Iron Widow but she didn’t mention their cultural significance—they are also called “oil-fried devils” in Cantonese because they are suppose to represent a traitorous historical couple and we’ve been symbolically deep frying them in hot oil for hundreds of years now. Yeah, we Chinese have some pretty hardcore snacks.

A choice Ms Zhou made that I like very much is in highlighting the horrendous outmoded Chinese practice of foot binding where girls’ feet are deliberately broken and bound into deformed “lotus feet” as a sign of status and beauty, but often leave the women suffering lifelong disability. Even though the practice did not exist in the real Wu Zetian’s time, the teenage Wu Zetian of this book underwent this process and the descriptions of her feet in the book is not pretty: three of her toes had fallen off and they exude a festering odour hidden by her bindings and perfumed shoes. The book absolutely does not shy away from showing how it hobbled her, and causes her constant pain much like what the original Hans Christian Andersen Little Mermaid experiences with her newfound feet, which was described as feeling like “walking on sharp knives”. In response to criticism of unrealistic hyperbole, Margaret Atwood often remarked that every horrendous thing that happened to women in The Handmaid’s Tale have already happened before or are happening now, and Ms Zhou can absolutely make the same boast with Iron Widow. It may be hard to believe, but Chinese women really went through all this shit (except dying to power up giant mechas, maybe).

Now the author is pretty upfront about this so this isn’t a spoiler: I am all for how Ms Zhou deals with the perennial YA love triangle trope. Wu Zetian is placed in a position to choose between two hot boys and she simply remarked “a triangle is the strongest shape”. Maybe some YA fans are into the push and pull of triangular romances but I am just glad this did not become a source of angst and drama that drag on for pages and pages. I like how vividly the author imagines most of the action sequences as well, and if they ever adapt this book into a visual medium (like an anime), I’ll watch the shit out of it.

Iron Widow is an absolutely fun read which I completed in just two days, and it is an impressive work for a debut. I was reading the last 3rd deep into the night because I simply could not put it down. That being said, I think there is a tendency for Ms Zhou to tell rather than show, and to overload certain parts with exposition. I can see that it comes from a barely restrained eagerness to show off her world and her research—which I actually enjoy but they sometimes mess with the pacing. The middle part feels a little flabby but final bits absolutely made up for that. While I understand the idea of social and media engagement is a huge theme in YA fiction (and in Chinese culture) today, its inclusion in Iron Widow isn’t saying anything new that The Hunger Games didn’t already say more than a decade ago. And I think Ms Zhou did a great job setting up every twist and revelation ahead of time, but sometimes she did too good a job of it that I feel a bit impatient waiting for the text to catch up to what I already worked out myself. Other than Wu Zetian, Li Shimin and Yizhi, there isn’t a lot of depth to all the other characters so I find it a little hard to feel anything about their actions (even the two lover boys feel a little too perfect sometimes). As a very, very minor nitpick, I also feel like Iron Widow could have differentiated itself from its source of inspiration more. It is a little on the nose to have the Chrysalises have bestial Standard forms which would ascend to their humanoid Heroic forms, much like the FRANXX mechas, while also making allusions to the one-eyed, one-winged jian (鶼) as a metaphor for pair bonding.

Iron Widow is a power fantasy in the best way possible. It is an absolute cry of frustration at how our society is organised and how echoes of its strictures in the name of tradition still reverberates in this modern day and age, and it is written with the sincere wish that one girl who is strong and determined enough, who is placed in the right place at the right time, can claw her way to the top and set it all on fire. If Zetian shares anything with her historical namesake, it’s in her utter defiance of the odds. I am hooked and I look forward to the sequel which I hope won’t be too long a wait. I want to see if the author would explore the piloting system outside of heterosexual and cisgender paradigms. I want to learn more about what the gods are really about behind the scene. I want to know when the Azure Dragon is going to show up because its absence in this book is conspicuous ay eff. But most of all, I want to see what Wu Zetian is going to fuck up next because she is one bad bitch and every morning she wakes up, she chooses violence.

P.S. The book comes out on 21st September 2021.

As I'm writing this, I'm coming off the euphoria that was Iron Widow. With immaculate pacing, we're quickly introduced to a world in which girls are used as tools to support their male counterparts and to our protagonist. I love how Zetian's initial goal to achieve revenge transforms into one to tear down the entire system, and how the politics of this world are integrated into the story.

I never felt like there was heavy exposition thrown at me, which would've weighed down the story and there's so much potential for expansive world building. Most of all, I love our protagonist so much. She's multifaceted in ways women are, harsh and fiery but also tender and, at the core of her, a good person. I especially appreciate how her ruthlessness was tempered, but that there were no super (for lack of bette words right now) preachy moments about empathizing with those who would rather maintain the patriarchal system they live in then do anything else.

Shimin, the pilot who becomes Zetian's partner, was such a surprise to me. I expected more of a one-note character at first, but he's also a complicated and good guy who's potential to live a better life were ruined because he refused to look the other way. The push and pull of his relationship with Zetian was a delight to read and I was so invested in them understanding and helping one another.

Last but not least, Yizhi rounds off our trio. He's exactly what you want him to be but has an unexpected side we haven't quite cracked yet. His love for Zetian and affection are perfectly done, but he's more than that and more than a love rival. I don't have much else to write about in his case other than...he truly is a good boy.

I couldn't love the whole book because the last third kind of threw me off in terms of plot, but it's still an incredibly fun and fascinating read.

I've been waiting for this book since the moment I first heard about it, and it did NOT disappoint. The plot is relatively straightforward at first, Zetian enlists as a concubine pilot in order to kill the pilot that killed her sister. She arrives, succeeds in killing the pilot, and is now dealing with the fallout. Along the way she finds allies in Yizhi, a rich boy she knows, and Shimin, the pilot she's paired with. There's also an alien element that plays out in a way I was not expecting. What I loved most was the main trio of characters, and Zetian in particular. Zetian is a lot of things, she's angry, vengeful, cunning, and uncompromising in these traits even as the world tries to vilify her for it. She's a wonderfully written character and I look forward to seeing how her character evolves in future books. Which is hopefully coming soon, because after that cliffhanger I really need to know what comes next.

All of the fun and excitement of a mecha anime with none of the baggage, IRON WIDOW is a wild ride that sucked me in from the first page. Between the characters, the non-stop action, and the real-world commentary, I could not put it down!!

I wanted to like this book. I found that the synopsis and prologue were intriguing, but I lost interesting reading the first chapter. The writing was good but for some reason the first chapter lost the tone and intensity of the prologue. I only made it two more chapters. I feel like the ideas were too similar to the Steel Crow Saga.

GORGEOUS COVER AND A BEAUTIFULLY DONE BOOK!
I love all the characters especially Shimin. I like their relationship but the way Tian-Shimin and Shimin-Yizhi develop their feelings towards each other is not natural at all. Anyway this still a pretty good debut book. I can't wait for the finale and the cliffhanger ending tho...I hope for more explanation after the bloody epilogue. I hope Shimin's still alive!

i have not been utterly consumed by a book in a while. i cannot stop thinking about this one. about the characters. about how attached i am to them.

"iron widow" is the fantasy book i've been waiting for. it's so easy to loose yourself in this story, because it's so well crafted. the characters are so so well-written that's impossible not to fall in love with them. don't get me wrong, they're not /good/ characters by any means. they do awful stuff.

i loved the way the MC rebelled against what society expected her to be. i loved how she chose to be cruel and fight for what she deserved. it's a story that needs to be told. women are still looked down upon just because they had the misfortune of being born one. stories like this one are important.

i loved the romance. it's an actul love triangle. as in poly relationship. and it's so cute pls. grumpy × soft × grumpy. they're very loveable.

the plot was amazing. it's perfect if you like anime because it's very similar to those mecha animes. i loved the idea of chrysalises and them being piloted by humans.

do yourself a favour and pick this book up when it's out because it's GOOD.

thank you to netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I want to started off by talking about how badass this cover is. 🔥 right? This book started a little rocky for me, I had a bit of a hard time keeping up with the setting details at first, but once I got into it, I was enjoying it, but then it took this weird turn of becoming a little Hunger Games-ish where the two main characters were going on a promo tour? Like I felt like I lost the storyline there, but then we came back around and the final parts were pretty awesome. Zetian is a POWERFUL QUEEN, love her and how she doesn’t take any bullshit. GIRL POWER ALL OVER THIS BOOK PLZ. I loved how there wasn’t a typical YA love triangle between her, Li Shimin and Yizhi and it was really beautiful how their relationship grew. That ending was like 😱 no nonsense, and I am excited to see what happens in the next book! I actually thought this book could have benefited from different points of view, with the different chapters for each of the three characters. I think I would have connected to Shimin and Yizhi more? But I know Zetian is the main focus, so I get why it’s all from her POV.

This book is described as Pacific Rim meets Handmaid’s Tale, like I said I think I’d throw it’s a little Hunger Games in there too. It’s dark as hell, with a little dark humor and a little romance thrown in. It’s a recommend from me!

Keep an eye out for this one in September 2021! 💕🔥

📣POLY COUPLE📣POLY COUPLE📣POLY COUPLE📣POLY COUPLE📣
Hey guess what?
✵•.¸,✵°✵.｡.✰ 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖’𝕤 𝕒 𝕡𝕠𝕝𝕪 𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕡𝕝𝕖✰.｡.✵°✵,¸.•✵

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an arc in exchange for an honest review!

I think I have a new favorite book and I’m buying this as soon as it comes out.

I’m ashamed to admit I’d never heard of Wu Zetian and if you haven’t either I’m begging you to find out who she is and then read this because she was an absolute legend.

Anyway on on to the book
If you couldn’t tell there is a healthy polyamorous couple in this book. There’s no jealousy and they all love each other equally (and not in the way parents say they love all their kids equally but really have a favorite)
We got friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, and (sort of) rivals to lovers, so we’ve covered all the bases of good love tropes. If you disagree I’ll hit you with this book so hard you’ll be seeing patriarchy smashing for weeks.

The main character was stubborn at the beginning but not cruel. However she was repeatedly put in positions that forced her to become hard and cruel and ruthless.
Making her country better for the women. That was her main goal the entire book and she didn’t let anything get in the way of that. She was willing to change herself into someone people would be forced to listen to because it was worth it to her if she could make things better.

I can’t express how much I loved the love interests. We have a good boy and a bad boy and I would die for them. One is willing to torture a man to death with her and the other will make them cookies afterwards.

The world building is based on Chinese history and the author took that and made it into an epic fantasy world that is so intricate and complex I would read a history book about it. Just give me the timelines of battles and monarchs reigns. I promise I will read and love the entire thing.

If I haven’t gotten that idea across, I loved it.
tl:dr^^^

I feel like before I say anything else about this book, I’d be remiss not to address the fact this book is just pure crack. I could not get enough of it, and I can’t believe that I now have to wait over a year for more!

Upon reading the synopsis, I was enamored and unsure how the author would pull it all off. While reading, I was still just as enamored and questioning just how they were doing this. Because this book was so intriguing, so gripping, so freaking good, and I was absolutely amazed with the tale they wove within the page count.

My big three criteria that I like to spend time reviewing are: world, characters, and relationships, and on all three fronts I was so utterly impressed. The writing flow and dialogue were also so addicting, crisp, and clear to follow. I read an unfinished review copy, but I never got confused, even in places where the paragraph structure was a bit off. It’s absolutely brilliant.

This book tackles feminism in such a unique and vital way. It made me so furious at times, and so empowered at others. I love these characters with my whole heart, they made me laugh and cry, and I can’t wait to read about them again in book two. I 1000% recommend picking this one up upon its September release!

What a wonderfully intriguing and creative tale, especially for the author’s debut!!! The plot was completely unique and well executed, it kept me captivated from start to finish! The characters were likable and relatable and I had no trouble rooting for them the whole time!

Iron Widow is an explosive novel debut in set East Asian myths and history.

I loved Zetian — truly an inspiration for vicious, unapologetic, morally grey female characters. The way misogyny, sexism, sexuality and the patriarchy was spoken about was amazing. The idea behind this novel is so incredibly creative. I do wish that the main poly relationship was explored because I can't quite feel their connection. I can't for the next book.

It is hard to believe that this is the authors debut novel. It is outstanding and brilliant!
The world building to this book is mind-blowing, a science fiction novel inspired by ancient China with a world containing politics, giant robots, feminism and amazing polyamorous romance.

Zetian, Li Shimin and Gao Yizhi I loved all of them, the three of them have such a powerful polyamorous relationship. Unconditional love is always at the forefront of their relationship and of this story.

Zetian is wonderful heroine whom I appreciate from the beginning to the end of this novel. She's courageous, and while she can be somewhat impulsive, her instincts are keen and she always stays
true to her belief system.

It's just a perfect blend of action, memorable characters, vividly-imagined setting and I genuinely cannot emphasize enough how much I am DYING for the next installment of this series.

Big thanks to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly don't know where to start with this review. Iron Widow has a lot going for it!

Iron Widow has sci-fi elements reminiscent of Pacific Rim, a dash of Chinese myths, and the three main characters (including our narrator) are based on Chinese historical figures. AND that's just the tip of the iceberg. This book also changes the typical love triangle into a poly relationship (MFM). Also our narrator is a strong female lead. And the entire setting is inspired by East Asia.

I thought this book was so cool! (Also I'm now a member of Xiran Jay Zhao's unofficial fan club) Zetian, Yizhi, and Li Shimin were great! Also their relationship dynamic was neat! Also, I think they're all my favorite characters? I actually couldn't pick just one!

All in all, I really enjoyed this! (yes, it is a little darker and there's a lot of sexism, violence, etc. due to the setting) And now I want to learn more about the history that loosely inspired this :) And I really need book 2 in my life now...

Many thanks to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for this eARC. I really appreciated the opportunity to read this!

5 stars

I really enjoyed this! What a crazy ride, wow! I was wildly intrigued by the premise of this book, but I really did not expect the way it would smash right past my expectations. I'm hardly sure where to start. For one thing this book is just from start to finish an absolute howl of rage against misogyny and I was here for it. But despite that overarching scene it's definitely not limited to only that.

There was absolutely fascinating world building here, deep, in-depth and really well conveyed. I am utterly in awe and wildly intrigued and I was even before the conclusion thickened the plot. The Chrysalises are a fascinating concept, and the entire system clearly had so much thought put into the way it worked and felt, all of the sequences around battle and combat were extremely visceral. Really gorgeous prose.

The plot was wonderfully paced, it never dragged, never slowed down or lulled too much, something was always happening and it sucked me in so very hard and really didn't let go. But good as the plot was it would have been nothing without the characters.

The characters were beautifully realized. Zetian is just absolutely ferocious, and she manages for me to toe the line of being completely relatable while sometimes being a little horrifying. I loved it. Shimin and Yizhi are both likeable and fascinating in their own ways and the ways those characters were explored and conveyed were done beautifully. With regards to their relationship I was absolutely here for the way it worked. Please more of this and less of the anguished girl having -choose-. Let everybody choose each other more often.

So much happened in this. I have no real idea how long this book was because it moved so fast that it really did feel like reading an epic action movie. It didn't feel long in the best possible way and yet so much happened. This was a really great reminder of just how good YA can be. I thoroughly enjoyed it and let it eat most of my day.

I really can't think of a lot negative to say about it. This is a heavy book, I am not sure I'd suggest it for younger readers because there's a lot in it that's heavy and dark, but for older readers there's some really good food for thought here. In fact my one minor quibble is the fact that there's apparently going to be a sequel and the sequel is not out yet so I have to -wait- to see what happens next. Sign me up to read the next one as soon as I can.

3.5 stars

(I am an OwnVoices reviewer)

Iron Widow is good, messy fun. While I had some issues with the lack of depth of the world and characters at first, the pure entertainment and humor I got overall after reading Iron Widow made those concerns a complete non-issue for me.

It's been a long time since I've had such a blast reading YA from a 1st person POV. The author's humor and personality bleed through the virtual pages, and that's not a bad thing. The biggest thing Iron Widow has going for it is the impact of the personality of Xiran's Wu Zetian. She is unapologetic and never tries to justify herself or try to convince the audience that she's actually a hero. She's doing everything to save her own hide and while a lot of the things she does can be interpreted as villainous, Zetian never falls into this hero/villain black-and-white dichotomy that we often see. In fact, I love that this is lampshaded in the chapters involving the media and Gao Qiu - that really the hero/villain dichotomy is just storytelling and not a reflection of the true Zetian. The main character is fully aware of how bad her actions are, and yet the book let's the audience decide how to perceive Zetian on our own terms - whether you like her or hate her. This can be best summed up in the following quote: "There will be no redemption. It is not me who is wrong. It's everyone else."

As for Li Shimin and Gao Yizhi, I love them both. I love that there's a poly triangle going on between them and Wu Zetian. I only wish the Shimin x Yizhi part of the triangle weren't so insta-lovey. Given how fast the pacing in this book is, it's not surprising there wasn't a lot of room to breathe for any of the romantic relationships between the main 3.

Iron Widow is at its best when Wu Zetian proclaims that it's time to m-m-m-m-murder misogynists (yes, that's a Yu-gi-oh reference because I know the author loves YGO). The weak points can be easily ignored if you treat this book as something of a popcorn flick. I think this book is best enjoyed as a fun ride, but I think for those who are looking for something deeper or more literary this might fall short in the character and worldbuilding department. Overall, I enjoyed Iron Widow for what it is. It's not trying to be historically accurate or deep. It's trying to be a fun mecha anime/Chinese history-inspired hybrid mess as a vehicle for Asian girl rage and I am here for it.

On a final note, reading the author's note at the beginning of the book made me very emotional because Xiran states something that resonates with me. "I hope to counter the narrative that Asian girls are meant to be meek, pleasing, and submissive." They nail it right on the head that it is a NARRATIVE, not reality. We've been angry all along whether people acknowledge it or not, and I feel Iron Widow is a perfect manifestation of a lot of those feelings on (virtual) paper. So thank you Xiran for writing this. I'm glad this book exists.

Vengeance, Adventure, and Chinese history! Anyone who hasn't should probably go ahead and mark this book on your "to read" list! Iron widow is a sci-fi futuristic story inspired by China and Chinese cultural aspects. I had liked the idea of getting rid of the whole jealous love triangle trope, by having all three of the love interests falling in love with each other!
This book is inspired by China's only female ruler (Wu Zetian). There are also Chinese myths wrapped in! The book follows our main character who takes her place as a concubine to attempt to murder her sister's killer. The futuristic aspects brought something new and favorable. I had loved the idea of the plot and I know others will too. The writing was amazing. The book is filled with just the right amount of action in each chapter. Touchy topics (for some) were well describe in this book. Iron Widow is original and capturing. The romance was written well and was definitely not dull. The characters especially, our leading character was amazing, feisty, and well-developed. I honestly just adored this book! I can't wait till the sequels out.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: murder, death, torture, misogyny, abuse, mentions of rape.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me have an e-copy of this book.
eARC provided by Netgalley
All thoughts expressed are mine.
EXPECTED RELEASE DATE: September 21, 2021
REVIEWED 5/5/2021 & 5/6/2021

Big thank you to #NetGalley and #PenguinRandomHouseCanada for an ARC of Iron Widow to read and review.

I had seen some buzz about this upcoming book and the premise really drew me in. Mechs, check. Science Fiction meets Asian History, check. A female protagonist hell bent on overthrowing a patriarchal society, check! Wu Zetian is a young girl determined to avenge her sister’s death by offering herself up as a concubine-pilot in the service of the very pilot responsible. Her revenge comes very early in the book, earning her monicker, Iron Widow, but her story does not end here. She raises through the ranks both forging relationships and unlocking powers she did not expect.

I love this concept, it brought Gundam Wing/Attack on Titan vibes and I have to say, Xiran Jay Zhao did not disappoint when it came to the Mechs. The principals of the technology are well explained and accessible to readers. I actually would have loved a deeper dive into the science behind the mechs but perhaps Zhao is saving some of the mysteries for potential future books!

The reader will understand right from the beginning that gender inequality is a very pervasive theme. These are very real issues that have transcended time (and space) and Zhao also seamlessly combines both historical and present women’s rights issues in her world. Knowing that Wu Zetian was based on the first (and only) Empress made me root for her all the more. I would also love to highlight that Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi are in this novel and as a big fan of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Provinces) I gasped with delight.

Both Gao Yizhi and Li Shimin are delightful characters with their own unique and different backstories and how their paths intertwine with that of Zetian. I also enjoyed that the romance in this book was not what you usually find in the YA genre (in my experience, it’s an area I’m gradually reading more of!). Zhao wrote a polyamorous relationship and it was a pleasure to read characters who all love one another irregardless of societal norms or pressures.

Pick up this book when it comes out and give it a read, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with this creative retelling!