What an absolutely WILD RIDE. It was a brutal, revenge driven story and I was hooked to every word. Zetian is an unlikeable character that you still end up rooting for? I can't even explain it. Iron Widow is a super engaging, scifi blended read that doesn't shy away from the discussion of important topics. A must read of 2021.

I was really looking forward to this book, as I've watched Xiran Jay Zhao's videos on YouTube and think they're great, and that they have a really interesting way of describing Chinese culture. So naturally I was very excited when I saw that it was available. But in the end, I have very mixed feelings about this book, much more so than I expected, and I'm not really sure whether it fulfilled everything I was expecting of it.
Firstly, the good things: this is a rich and detailed world, based on a fusion of Imperial China with a futuristic technological world where humanity fights to maintain control of its territories through the use of giant mecha-tanks, fueled by a pair of spirit pilots. A reimagining of the story of Wu Zetian, China's only female emperor, is a powerful and interesting character, railing against the sexist and patriarchal structures of her society, and fighting back in every way she can. Devastated by the death of her older sister, sacrificed to a male pilot of a Chrysalis, Wu Zetian volunteers at the very beginning of the book to become a concubine-pilot as well, ready to use that opportunity to murder the man who took her sister's life. But the way she achieves this end is unexpected - in her first battle against the Hunduns, the alien race struggling against humanity to claim the territory of Huaxia, Zetian overpowers her male pilot, killing him, and emerging unscathed from the battle. She's then paired with Li Shimin, one of the most powerful and feared pilots, killer of his brothers and father, and so dangerous he's kept muzzled outside of battle. In the mean time, her childhood friend Gao Yizhi is devastated to learn of her intention to sacrifice herself (knowing that the penalty for murder of a pilot is death) and takes advantage of his privileged position to assist in any way he can. The relationship between the three main characters is really interesting, as Zetian looks at both her first love and her new love, and the three of them find that the triangle is the strongest shape. Finally, Zetian had her feet bound, and uses a wheelchair or walks with a cane, so some disability rep is always interesting. The contrast of Zetian's limited physical mobility against the sheer power and freedom of piloting the chrysalis is also powerful - making the critique of the practice of footbinding for lotus feet even more stark.
But there was also a lot that I didn't like, or found frustrating about this book. Even though I've just praised the disability rep, for highlighting footbinding as a form of disability, I quickly got frustrated with how it was presented in the narrative. Zetian had her feet bound when she was a small child, but her inner monologue is filled with frustration about it, and she's constantly furious at the limitations that the patriarchy places on her mobility. This fury spins out into fury more generally about the role of women and girls and their limited power and prestige - most aptly demonstrated in the sacrifice of concubine-pilots in every battle, as their qi is overpowered by that of the pilots, killing them. As the book progresses, the sexism inherent in this system is laid bare, and Zetian becomes more furious as every page turns. What I found difficult to accept or believe, however, is that Zetian starts the book furious. And there's no real catalyst for what makes her furious. She just starts off as an angry feminist.
Now don't get me wrong - I'm an angry feminist. But I'm an angry feminist standing on the shoulders of generations of angry feminists before me, with the benefit of a wealth of education, information, and struggles informing my rage. Zetian seems to have come to this conclusion on her own, with no catalyst, and no obvious reason for why she was able to so completely shrug off generations of social conditioning. Her disgust for the patriarchal society she lives in resonates with modern feminist rage, but for that reason it jars, because I cannot see where it comes from. Perhaps that's me being dumb, and Xiran Jay Zhao is much cleverer than I give them credit for, and there is a backstory of a feminist awakening that I simply glossed over. But I spent much of the book bewildered as to why or how Zetian started off so angry. Throughout the book, there were plenty of things that fueled that rage - women with unbound feat, reveals about spirit power and the yin yang arrangement of pilot seats - but while any of those could have been an awakening, we never saw Zetian's, and that lack of a trigger point for how she shrugged off the prevailing societal norms really baffled me.
As well as that, I though that the relationships between Zetian, Li Shimin, and Gao Yizhi was somewhat underdeveloped. While I applaud the author for resolving a would-be love triangle in an interesting way, there was very little that made me actually believe that this relationship was stable, loving, and would justify the degrees of vengeance that Zetian displays in the latter parts of the book.
Besides that, I felt that this book dragged somewhat. The blurb tells us that Zetian kills her first pilot, but this doesn't happen until about a quarter of the way through the book. I found myself putting it down and being reluctant to pick it up again, despite overall interest in the plot progression. There were some excellent twists and turns in this story, and definitely artistry in the reimagining of Wu Zetian and her rise to power as the Emperor of China, but there were definite weaknesses in this too, leading me to consider it a quite middle-of-the-road experience.

“Despite the endless horrors that we’ve both been through, I really am grateful that we survived to meet each other.”

***

How do you write a review when everything is simply perfect?! This book, and especially Zetian, stole my heart completely.

Zetian is a girl who has been taught she is not worth and that she has been born to please and serve. Her life, being a woman, is not as important as a male and it is normal that she should sacrifice herself in order to let a male pilot thrive.

But her power is simply too strong to be contained and as long as she understands it, she also realizes that everything she has been told is a lie and that her desires matter, even if they bring her to unconventional choices!
Society shouldn’t really condemn people who do not conform, it’s right to find our own happiness, in our own way, as long as it doesn’t harm anyone else!

If you want a tame female main character, choose another book because Zetian is fierce and she doesn’t stop! Yet it is really sweet to see how she can recognize the people who really love her and give them the world.

It’s not really a fight between males and females (as feminism is not saying that women should rule and men should serve) it’s just a way to recognize each person’s value beyond their sex… and this thought is really inspiring.

The world is futuristic and very well created, even if I found the end a little bit rushed. Nonetheless I loved the writing style and all Zetian’s thoughts and reflections. I am really excited to see what the next book will bring and super ready to continue this adventure.

This book really blew me away. I loved the relationships between our three main characters and how they all support each other in a world that always expects something of them. I couldn't believe that ending, it makes me need the next one right now! The writing was beautiful and I love how honest Zetian is, she's not there to be what others want her to be, she's there to be herself and of course, be their nightmare.

Monster girls here to rip out your hearts with their teeth unapologetically and have complex, interesting queer relationships and rivalries. I am ~*obsessed*~

When I first heard about this book I couldn’t believe my ears. It sounded like everything I could want from a book.
To summarise what arguments convinced me this will be the most amazing book:
- badass female protagonist fighting the patriarchy!
- Science-Fiction and fantasy!
- Pilots!
- Poly love triangle!
- Based on the Chinese history and mythology!
Ever since hearing about it I couldn’t wait for it to come out and thanks to NetGalley I was able to read it a little earlier. Thank you!
I’m now thinking about buying a physical copy because this book blew me away, deserves all the support and I just want this gorgeous book to have a place on my bookshelf.

The characters:
Oh my, the characters. I love them so much.
Zetian is one of the most badass protagonists I’ve read about in a while. She’s ruthless, fierce and yet, through all her brutality, she has heart. The stark contrast of her love for her boys, and he rage against the system and ferocity of her will to fight it was stunning.

Shimin just kept on giving. Layer after layer was revealed and through Zetian’s rather biased eyes it was so interesting to get to know him. He has my heart and honestly I just want to give him a hug and never let go. He’s so loveable and yet so strong. Calling him impressive doesn’t even start to say it all.

And of course Yizhi. I want to call him a ruthless puppy. He feels so different to Shimin and Zetian, giving it a breath of fresh air and yet he fitted perfectly. His presence was so comfortable. He just radiates calmness which the fire of Zetian needed. And yet he’s everything but innocent or shy. That man got a power of his own and I love him for it.

The three of them make a perfect and balanced team. They just feel right together and all their character moments were so beautiful, I didn’t want to let them go.

The plot:
This story is so good! The world building is fantastic. It’s so rich and detailed! I have such a strong sense of how this world is put together and even though new revelations did change the world quite a bit, it never fell apart. It just painted an even more detailed picture that wrapped itself around a thrilling plot.
This didn’t let me go! A perfect balance of character moments, reflection, setting something up and pure action. I was rooting for Zetian all the way through, cheering her on to destroy the absolutely horrendous and disgusting sexist society she lives in.

Conclusion:
This book lived up to all my expectations and created a beautiful world that I don’t want to leave. Without a doubt, 5 out of 5 stars.
And now I can’t wait for the second one!

What I was looking for: The cover caught my interest and the blurb got me hooked.

What I liked: Nearly everything. Even the (quite drastic) physical and mental violence, difficult themes and unapologetic ruthlessness of the characters. This is certainly a book where I do not see myself in the main character but feel inspired by her to some extent. Also, several tropes are being turned on their head which is a very welcome change.

What I did not like: My only complaint is that it is marked to YA while I think it would be a great adult novel (unfortunately, SFF novels with female protagonists (especially if written by a woman) are so often marketed as YA even if they are not).

Conclusion: This is by no means a light and easy book: In violence and ruthlessness, the closest would be The Hunger Games, though I find Iron Widow to be much more raw and angry. This is certainly something to keep in mind before reading or gifting this book. Nevertheless, I love it and cannot wait for the second book.

Iron Widow jumps straight into Zetian’s quest to avenge her sister’s death. In Zetian’s world, women are either sold off as brides or sacrificed as human batteries to the male pilots who power giant robots with their life force (or qi). When her sister dies in service as one of these concubine-pilots, Zetian follows in her footsteps, intent on killing the man responsible for her death.

The same day Zetian joins the military, the alien Hunduns mount a surprise attack on the border of Huaxia. Zetian is dragged into co-piloting the Chrysalis in an emergency mission, thinking her plan is ruined. But she’s shocked to find that her spirit pressure exceeds that of the legendary pilot Yang Guang, and she battles him for mental control of his Chrysalis, draining his qi and killing him in the process.

Finding herself in an unprecedented position, Zetian fights fiercely to forge a path for herself in a world determined to keep women silent and servile.

‘It’s hilarious. Men want us so badly for our bodies, yet hate us so much for our minds.’

Zetian is metal AF in Iron Widow, relentlessly railing against the shocking treatment of women across Huaxia, which is the primary driver of the story. In a character arc inspired by the rise of Empress Wu Zetian–the only female leader in Imperial China’s history–we see Zetian rise to power through grit and sometimes cruelty.

‘We can live for more. We can live for justice. Change. Vengeance. Power’

At times, there was a little too much over-explanation as part of Zetian’s internal dialogue which made her come across as immature. That said, I still believed in her cause.

Hands down my favourite thing about Iron Widow is the spiritual mechanics of the Chyrysalises and the alien Hundens that they fight. If anything, I could have done with more mecha battle scenes! I’m no anime expert, but this story reminded me of Neon Genesis: Evangelion or Knights of Sidonia, but with the weird bug things from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. In their acknowledgements, Zhao does mention that Darling in the Franxx provided them with a lot of ideas for the story.

My only problem with the Hunden side of things is that the Hundens themselves didn’t seem to present much of a threat. I didn’t believe they would still be advancing into human territory after thousands of years. But still, the sheer novelty of a book that reads like an anime film kept me engaged throughout the story.

Beyond this, the worldbuilding is a little light in Iron Widow and the plot is relatively straightforward, but there are some exciting events towards the end that have me feeling looking forward to the next instalment. The brief, cryptic references to the gods in the sky make me think that something big is about to kick off!

Many thanks to the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review!

Trigger warnings: Physical abuse/mutilation, threat of rape/reference to rape, murder, death of family

This is one of the most captivating and fresh new takes on a fantasy story I have read in a long time. The feminist voice spoke strong and, through it, an interesting and powerful female character was born. I am excited to see that the author wants to continue into this fantasy world & I will be waiting excitedly for the next adventure!

TL;DR

LOVED. Got a lot of time for this little gem.

Polyamorous triangle wielding qì-powered mech suits take down the patriarchy.

Honestly, if that didn’t get your attention then we’re a little bit screwed.

I don’t like doing this but I feel it’s the only way I can describe shit right now – if you were to smush Handmaids Tale with Pacific Rim and sprinkle it with The Hunger Games, you’d get Iron Widow. And that, my dearest pals, creates quite the read. Here’s what you’re in for:

✨ Inspired by China’s only women emperor – Wu Zeitan
✨ FUCKING MECH SUITS
✨ Patriarchy smashing
✨ Polyamous relationships that will bring a big ol’ grin to your face

Zeitan has one hell of a rough life so far and she’s only 18. Living on the wrong side of the poverty wall, Zeitan lives at the end of her family’s abusive ways enduring her father’s wrath and her grandmother cruelty in form of Lotus Feet (Googling and watching videos about this at 1am is not recommended) all whilst trying to stay alive. On top of that, her sister has been recruited into the war against the Hunduns. Like most women who get sold by their families, she didn’t survive.

The main reason for her death? The mech suits require both a male and female pilot (Ying and Yang) for balance except it’s anything but. The only way they can work successfully is to sacrifice a women’s qì (or life force) and very, very few break through to see the light of day again.

On a path of revenge, Zeitan quickly discovered she’s more powerful than most of the men who surround her and that she can break this cycle.


This is an absolutely WILD story and I’m quite frankly here for it. The story will enrage you to your very core and whilst that makes Zeitan an understandable angry character, I totally fell for her and her fuck-this-noise way of smashing the dumb systems of a patriarchal world.

By the time I got to the end, I had forgotten this was a sci-fi book and then got slapped in the face with a twisty-twist I did not see coming. Cannot wait for the second book.

Iron Widow is out 7th October 2021 and you should hook it right into your veins.

Writing a coherent review for this book is a struggle, because it has so many tropes and concepts I personally love, including a murdery vengeful female main character, celebrity mecha pilots, and sci-fi fantasy that incorporates elements of real world culture and history.

Inspired by the only female emperor in Chinese history, Zetian is full of fire and rage - understandably so in a setting where male pilots of giant magical mecha sacrifice girls and get treated like Hunger-Games-style celebrities. I loved following her as she realised her power, but I also really appreciated her more vulnerable moments too, and overall I really loved her as a protagonist.

Seeing Zetian navigate this world, which blends fantasy, sci-fi and Chinese historical elements, kept me on my toes the whole way through. It’s fast-paced and exciting with characters you can’t help but root for (love triangle who?? Not in my favourite YA book of 2021!!). While this is an absolute rollercoaster of 400 pages, I would have happily devoured 600 pages of it and I CANNOT WAIT to see how this world and these characters develop in the next book of this duology.

Thank you so much to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this eARC. I loved so much I had to order the physical copy,

A wonderful awe inspiring adventure that will shock and surprise you right from page 1. Thrills and spills that will keep you hooked from page 1.

‘“You’ve been living a dream for long enough!” I yell at the cameras between bursts of maniacal laughter, raising my arms. “Welcome to your nightmare!”’

CW: Death/Violence/War/Attempted rape/Mutilation/;Alcoholism/Torture

Choosing to pick up Iron Widow was one of my best recent decisions. It contained so many things I love to read about - without me even realising they were included (tbh I picked it up for the pretty cover).
Zetian is a fantastic main character. She’s intense and fierce and unapologetic. I love how driven she is to get to her goals and that it doesn’t matter who gets in the way. I’m really looking forward to seeing her ambition develop. She was the perfect catalyst for a discussion of feminist expectations in a world not designed for them.
The other main characters in this are so interesting too - I love particularly how they all interact together too (read: two boyfriends who are both each other’s boyfriends).
I think the setting was amazing. I thought it was really well developed and loved the history to the world. I liked how real-life Chinese history was twisted into this brand new dystopian world.
The plot was thrilling. I didn’t realise I was in a bit of a reading slump, but it was the first book in ages that I caught myself wanting to keep reading. The ending, that final chapter, hurt and I just want more… like now.

Iron Widow is a sci-fi YA novel inspired by pre-colonial China. This book is full of female rage and I am 100% here for it.

Full video review on my channel: https://youtu.be/-KAsF7XH_Kc

This is a staggering bold debut that grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go. Zetian's rage and fire fuel the story and you cannot help but root for her in this epic world where the odds are forever stacked against her. She is a force to be reckoned with, and with the revelations in the final few pages leaving me gasping, I cannot wait to continue her story.

This was an e-arc copy from NetGalley and the publisher, Penguin Teen.

I was so excited for this one, it was sold to me as a Chinese history inspired fantasy, but sadly I didn’t love it…

I found that it was always either very angry and violent or boring with not a lot going on, which got very repetitive in the end :(

The anger was understandable, and the feminist streak powering it was great, I just wish we had seen more variety!

I really enjoyed the coldness of Zetian our main character, very refreshing for a YA book BUT she was very rarely shown in another light which made it a bit 2 dimensional

The world building wasn’t particularly clear, which after reading the epilogue kinda makes sense, but it made for confusing reading

I thought the disability rep and the polyamorous rep were great, a different thing to see in a YA novel, although I never found the romance super believable

I will definitely read the sequel but sadly the book wasn’t as much my cup of tea as I had hoped!

3 stars

Review coming to my Instagram 18/09/21 :)

Just. Wow. Thank you so much @Rocktheboatnews for sending me a proof of @XiranJayZhao's YA: Iron Widow! It is totally gripping, to the very last page. They've created amazing & brutal characters, blending Chinese history & legend with mecha sci-fi. Publishes 7th Oct in the UK https://t.co/V4xVX77OkK

This book had a cool concept, a good cover, and is written by someone whose twitter content I greatly enjoy, but the book was a bit... Meh.

It felt like a lot of one dimensional writing and character work with glittering moments sprinkled throughout. Paragraphs or pages that I fell into, but then would be ripped right back out of and I'd once again feel like I was reading more to be done with the book than anything else.

It could simply be the whole debut book is a baseline for an author's future work and quite honestly, I really hope so.

I'll be looking at more of Xiran Jay Zhao's work in the future to see where her work takes her

Firstly, I would like to thank Oneworld Publications/ Rock the Boat and NetGalley for an e-Arc of this title.

Trigger Warning: violence, abuse, discussion of sexual assault, alcohol addiction, torture and suicide ideation.

I am known for picking up books without properly reading the synopsis either due to its hype or my interest in the author's previous work. For this book, I had followed Xiran Jay Zhao's YouTube channel watching their in-depth analysis of Asian and Asian inspired film and TV picking out truthful and accurate representations and identifying whitewashing or harmful depictions. When they mention, they had a book coming out based loosely on a historical Chinese empress - I was intrigued.

However, my investigation into the rest of the storyline stoped there. Despite being stated as Pacific Rim meets Handmaid's Tale - prior to beginning to read the book... I had completely forgotten it was scifi.

But that is the joy of going into a book blind.

Despite being taken off guard, the book quickly works to establish this new world and character and the scifi elements to help ground the audience. My previous experience with scifi books being held down by length descriptions and long-winded explanations did not surface in this book. Instead, the author eased me in as a reader into this world of towering animal machines who run on qi and their formidable counterparts.

While being cited as Chinese inspired, the world heavily pulls on Chinese traditions and practises. The characters and locations all have traditional Chinese names and the book heavily explores qi - the different elements of qi, how it functions and can be used.

The book also focuses heavily on traditional male and female representation and ideology. The world is built on the inequality between male and female and the subjugation of females within a family and even within the "military" world. Female are seen as secondary, passive and expendable. However, the book looks to challenge this outdated perception, creating a character who active fights back and dismantles this perception.

While other books and media have looked to capture a similar dynamic it tends to be handled in a more subdued manner with the characters aim of creating as little fuss as possible but highlighting to the world this flaw that is then readily accepted and corrected.

However, this book holds no bar. Our main character will go above and beyond to ensure the world sees her for who she really is, in all her glory and ability without holding back no matter who is in her way. There is no apology for her deathly display, no resistance in her capture of power. This book takes a new look at how far someone will go to ensure they are never subservient to anyone ever again.

This creates an ambiguously moral character and as a reader, you question your support of their actions while also siding with their justifications. You are conflicted but still root for our main character. And ultimately, this is what makes this book amazing.

A definite recommendation for anyone looking for a book that fights the patriarchy head-on, an equally weighted polyamorous relationship and a hankering to rewatch Pacific Rim.

Iron Widow is an exceptional book. This is an interrogative, imaginative and endlessly interesting retelling that combines a personal story of revenge with an epic sci-fi world.

I absolutely loved Zhao’s writing. This felt like an incredibly strong debut novel, with the writing flowing so well and completely enveloping me in this creative and immersive world. I’m not always the biggest sci-fi fan, but Zhao has converted me. The entire concept of the mechs was really fascinating. In particular, I loved how it was used to explore the themes of identity, control over sexuality and the disposability of female lives. At every turn, stereotypes are oppressively enforced and used to dictate every action. The marginalisation of women and the pervasive idea of their silence allows them to be seen as lesser and therefore far more expendable. It asks the cost of heroism and celebrity in this patriarchal society.

The characters feel really fleshed out and vivid, with glimpses into their backstories and motivations that allowed for a more layered portrayal. In particular, Zetian was a fascinating protagonist to follow along. Initially, it was interesting to explore her single minded vision of revenge at all costs and how it becomes more complex than that. She is merciless and willing to sacrifice everything to change the system. Her relationships with people allow for more nuance to gradually creep in, though there is still plenty of bloody action. Ultimately, her quest is still brutal and laser focused. This all leads to an incredible ending that had me craving the next book. I can’t help it, I just love morally gray stories that really dig into your heart.

Iron Widow is a cutting story of vengeance at all costs that strikes back against the patriarchy. This is a firecracker of a book that I cannot wait to discuss with more people.