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!

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

Everyone else go home, I have a new favourite book.

I’m not kidding when I say that this— in it’s pre-published state, even— is probably one of the best books I’ve ever read. From the execution, the characterization, the plot, the writing, the concept, the inspiration, the romance, even the fucking author (who has a brilliant goodreads post about her choice to include a front-running polyamorous relationship in the book, as well as notes about Iron Widow in general.), I have been positively blown away. You could literally probably knock me over with a feather right now.

To start, as a Chinese person, this book means a lot to me on a superficial level. It’s inspired by Chinese history, mythology, and culture, and reading it felt validating in a lot of ways, even though it was by no means a totally accurate representation of China/Chinese culture at any point. It was just really nice to see a fantasy/sci fi world inspired by China and Chinese history. And on that level, the worldbuilding was fantastic. I felt truly transported the whole time I was reading, even though I have a tendency when I’m going through books really fast to skim over certain parts. It was immersive and intriguing, and I loved every minute of it.

The characters and plot sort of go hand in hand here, because Zhao has created a plot that relies very heavily on Zetian and her own personal experiences, motivations, and beliefs. Trust me when I say that literally no one else would do things the way she does, and that creates space for my absolute favourite type of book: well-written science fiction that’s character driven. Literally a heaven on earth for me. And what makes it even better is that both the plot and the characters, I can totally jam with. Which, like, never happens. Seriously, this is an anomaly. And yet, I think I’d like the plot (techy magic feminism combined with high stakes and Chinese mythology/lore) and the characters (fully fleshed one-of-a-kind queer magic outcasts) on their own. So, put them together, and I am in love. Which is exactly what I am. I shit you not, this has seriously thrown me for a loop, because, I repeat: THIS. NEVER. HAPPENS. Can it get any better than one (1) badass bitch, one (1) traumatized warrior, and one (1) soft-hearted strategist joining forces in lovemaking AND fighting to usurp a misogynistic, oppressive government while fighting in a war??? I! Think! Not!!!!

(On the topic of the characters, ohmygod I am so intensely in love with Zetian. She could step on me and not only would I thank her, but I’d devote my whole life to her. Frankly I’m considering doing it anyway. She hits that line of morally grey so fucking well, and not only is it incredibly relatable, but it’s also fucking hot. And super realistic and important to the plot, so kudos to Zhao, but, like. FUCKING HOT!!!)

The romance, I will never stop screaming about. This is the first poly relationship I’ve seen on-page between main characters that’s healthy, well-written, full of chemistry, and unapologetically queer. I’d shake Zhao’s hand for a job well done if I could see it through my tears.

Twisty, suspenseful, action-packed, rickety and fun, this book is literally everything you could ever ask for and more (including that freaking awesome cover). I’m literally begging you: read it. Buy it. Support this author and her incredible work. I’m certain that it’s only a higher reach from here, and I cannot wait to read this book in hardcover and see what comes next.

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!

Okay, I need to preface this by saying I enthusiastically requested this arc because Xiran is one of my all-time favorite influencers. Her commentary, videos, etc, I love them. But this book is bad.

TLDR:

-Feminist story
- Alt love triangle (MFM poly it seems?)
- Scifi/alt-history
- Chinese history inspired
- Big robots
- Bisexual rep

Back to the book itself, the tagline is Pacific Rim meets Handmaid's Tale (It does rely a lot on Pacific Rim) Zetian is a young girl who offers herself up to pair with a mech pilot after her sister is killed in battle ( a normal occurrence, as girls are more or less used as sacrifices in these battles to power the robots) She intends on getting her revenge.

If I could describe this book in any way, it would be blunt and thoughtless.

Zetian seems to be the only unyielding feminist in this world (and we have no idea why or how she developed such a relentless and strong belief system) She always has some strong, feminist thing to say, and is rarely afraid to speak up.

They are fighting against aliens, but most of the time this conflict isn't really explained, nor is the technology used to fight them.

Zetian's journey is like BOOM revenge BOOM i'm there BOOM I'm actually more mentally strong than anyone else here. The romance happens quickly and explosively. It's all very cliff notes. We don't really get time to marinade in the world- to understand it or the people who live in it. It's a lot of showing and not telling. We know the policies of the world are abusive to women, but the biggest conversations we have about it are "someone says something sexist, and Zetian responds with a cool, feminist thought". There isn't really a lot of world-building. There isn't a lot of character building unless someone gets a monologue where they explain their entire motivations.

The writing is also very surface level. It reminded me a lot of my own prose as a teenager. Here is a passage that really illustrates this:

"Sometimes, I've wondered if Yizhi's attractions extended beyond girls. We never dared stray into topics like this during our forest liaisons for fear of admitting there was tension between us, but I've wondered because of the way he would talk about certain male celebrities. Thinks like this are a very common topic of gossip back in my village, but honestly, I've been transfixed by pictures of women myself. "

The prose for the most part is very simple and almost feels like a teenager's diary.

So I've given the book some business. I do want to praise it for having a cool idea for the romance in terms of poly rep. I did not like Zetian's relationships with either love interest and felt that they were rushed, but the whole idea of poly romance is still extremely rare, and very exciting and daring on the part of Xiran Jay Zhao.

I could tell she put a lot of heart into this book, and I really try to be honest when I review things. I do hope it finds success so she will make a ton of money, but I was very surprised with how many more objective issues I had with the book itself.

I would recommend this for people who really liked Pacific Rim, folks who love all books with queer rep, and anyone who wants a Chinese inspired world

I honestly loved the characters in this book from Zetian to Shimin and (most of) the rest . Zetian is unapologetically herself which is something a lot of female main characters get railed for but I will not let anyone slander her. The talks about misogyny, body autonomy, and everything else that is wrong with just continuing with a patriarchal culture without question was absolutely amazing. The characters really carried this book. The fact that they just got rid of the love triangle trope by having it become a poly relationship was awesome(the triangle is the strongest shape).

My one biggest complaint was that the plot. The end seemed a bit cliché, especially for a sci-fi. Overall , the book felt more focused on the characters rather than continuing the story on. There was also a lot of info dumping at the beginning which I had a bit of trouble getting through but I also acknowledge I'm South Asian so I don't know much about East Asian culture(I did love learning about it! It was just a lot at once).


Overall, I don't think this is a book to miss! I cannot wait for the sequel.