It has taken me a whole day to be able to write a review for this book because I had to process it, I LOVED it so much.

This book follows Zetian who offers herself up as a concubine pilot to murder the ace male pilot responsible for her sister's death. She does the unexpected and does kill him using the psychic link used to pilot the chrysalises.

After this, she's labelled the iron widow a much-feared pilot who can sacrifice the male pilots to power up the chrysalises. She is paired with Li Shimin, the most controversial and lost feared pilot ever. Now that Zetian has tasted power shell for everything she can to save these other girls even with the entire system working against her.

There is not a single thing I did not enjoy about this book. The characters themselves were incredible, fleshed out and complicated. I empathised with them in ways I didn't expect and as they learn more about themselves and each other I learnt more about them as though meeting them myself.

Before reading it, romance wasn't something I thought made sense in this book but good it does here so very much, it brings a new layer to these characters and enables you to find out more about them.

The world and plot themselves were easy to understand and very compelling, the world-building was complex but not in a way that it took over all other elements of the book.

Overall, it was incredible, showing the extremes of emotions and just how far people are willing to go to achieve something. I truly enjoyed myself, there were moments when I was sitting up having to put the book down just to process. I've already preordered this and I would urge everyone to do the same.

Quality Rating: Four Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Four Stars

Iron Widow was so, so much fun. It's marketed as Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid's Tale (I would say more Hunger Games), but honestly just the summary is enough to instantly sell it: a reimagining of the only Empress of China where massive metal creatures shaped as mythological beasts are piloted to fight invading hoards of aliens. But the corruption behind the scenes is more of a threat than the doom that approaches them from outside their walls.

I will admit that there are times when the book falls into cheesiness and might be slightly overdone, but it's such a cool way to explore Chinese cultural and mythological elements in both a historical and modern way that any little things that don't land perfectly are irrelevant. I love how and how rich the cultural influences were and how well the Chinese elements that might not be as well-known in the West were explained without info-dumping.

I also need to write about Zeitan herself, who is an utterly fantastic heroine. I'm going to parallel it to The Poppy War for the sole purpose of citing complex, questionable women who are humanised and that we are able to have empathy for. Also, shout out to the polyamorous relationship; I've never really seen it used before and quite honestly I'm not that familiar with it, but it was great.

It's so hard to articulate the modern contradictions for identifying as something and recognising (and accepting) the negative background and aspects of it, but Zhao does it. There are historically negative associations with being a woman; it doesn't mean femininity is bad. There are parts of Chinese culture that have hurt its people (one example criticised in this book is traditional foot-binding); that doesn't mean there aren't aspects that should be celebrated. Zhao fluently communicates that paradox, and it's genuinely moving and liberating.

Even aside from the politics, Iron Widow is just fun and exciting and engaging. If you also haven't seen Zhao's videos on Asian cultural influences in popular culture including Mulan, Avatar: The Last Airbender and Kung Fu Panda, then I highly recommend them. Her skill at picking up apart existing storytelling works is just as strong - if not rivalled - by her skill at creating her own.

𝑯𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑰𝒓𝒐𝒏 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑰𝒓𝒐𝒏 𝑸𝒖𝒆𝒆𝒏.

𝒀𝒆𝒕 𝑰𝒓𝒐𝒏 𝑫𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰𝒓𝒐𝒏 𝑾𝒊𝒅𝒐𝒘 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚’𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒖𝒔 𝒃𝒆.

Mulan meets Pacific Rim in this fantastic debut novel.


This had a really strong start. The prologue reeled me in straight away and I was hooked till the end.

Iron widow is about Huaxia; a land ravaged by the aliens that are repelled by males that pilot Chrysalises. They harness their Qi and in conjunction with a female pilot, they mentally merge with giant transforming to battle. However the link between the pilots ALWAYS kills the female.

Our MC is Zetian, who enlists as a pilot concubine in order to kill the pilot that murdered her sister. Z is a bonafide feminist hating her existence in this highly Misogynistic world she’s been born into. When she finally gets paired to the decorated pilot, she uses the mind link to kill him with no regrets. Now labelled the Iron Widow she discovers she may not be the first girl to use the link in reverse and sets forth to discover why the existence of female pilots is such a taboo and figure out why the army and society in general treats women so poorly.

Zetian is a complete badass. She unapologetically breaks the norm of her society and doesn’t let her own disabilities (such as her bound feet) stop her from pursuing what she truly wants.

Li Shimin is the armies best pilot. But as a murdered of the worst kind with a vile reputation to match he has none of the glory or status that comes with being a pilot of his renown.

Yizhi is privileged. Born into one of the richest families in the province, he and Zetian have secretly been friends for years. After a failed attempt to stop Zetain from listing he ends up following her to the Great Wall in order to protect her as best he can.

From the actual plot to the characters to the writing this was all pretty great. Gripping from the very first page I binge read 75% of it in one sitting. Only my stinging eyes dragged me away and i finished the rest first thing the next day (thank god for weekends). The twist at the end tho *chefs kiss* I did not see that coming and I couldn’t love it more.

It was a beautifully imagined tale, and to my utter horror it’s not even out yet so I have a depressingly long time to wait for the sequel.

TW: implied rape, alcoholism, implied domestic abuse, actual domestic abuse.

Thank you Netgalley, Xiran Jay Zhao and Rock the Boat for providing me with an Earl to review.

‘long live iron widow.’

iron widow has easily just become one of my favourite books of all time.

it’s an incredible read of pain, perseverance, power and obliterating the patriarchy and i loved every single second. it was that kind of read where your heart just raced and raced all the way through as the action didn’t cease, it just built and built.

here’s me trying to articulate just how much i loved it.

firstly, the world is insane. the pacific rim meets the handmaid’s tale comparison is scarily spot on and it made for a brilliant world. that, combined with medieval chinese cultural practices meshed with dystopian technology sounded jarring at first but xiran jay zhao really knew how to make it feel like they were meant to be together.

secondly, everyone give it up for wu zeitan, the love of my life. i loved every single thing about this man-murdering, incredible violent, polyamorous pilot and her willingness to stick to what she believes. she doesn’t allow herself to be influenced or deterred by others and i loved that about her.

also, the romance was just perfect. it was definitely a subplot compared to wu zeitan’s journey to power which i loved. with both soft and angsty poly love interests, they worked so perfectly together and the balance they provided to each other was just *chef’s kiss*.

basically, i’d give my right hand to be able to read this for the first time again. it’s angsty, action packed and i was addicted to every page. i cannot wait until i see wu zeitan again. read. this. BOOK.

thank you so much to netgalley for providing me with an e-arc for a review!

What originally hooked me was the polyamorous aspect. This is the second YA/NA book that I have read with polyamory instead of a love triangle.
I loved all the main characters. My only complaint is that I wanted to see more - I wanted the book to be longer and see the interactions between Shimin, Zetian, and Yizhi.
If you enjoy fast-paced sci-fi books where the toxic patriarchy becomes dismantled and badass main characters who let no one govern them, then Iron Widow is the book for you.

2.5 stars
Unfortunately this book did not work for me. I was super excited and entertained for the first 40% of the book but then it went down hill.
I loved the historical setting and the introduction of some of the older customs like bound feet in woman. An age where woman are things to be sold and used like in historical China but then we have mecha like wars going on with what appears to be an iPad turning up in the story!
Such a feminist take on pacific Rim. I really enjoy the premise of the mecha, pairing of pilots etc but her attitude!! She seems to be the only feminist in the entire world!

What didn’t work for me is that It’s kinda exhausting she is so angry all the time. Determined to kill and take from men but when she’s paired with a murder she gets disgusted. She’s a murderer herself!! Don’t know where her feminist spirit comes from when she was brought out so suppressed. She did not bow down to anyone. It made no sense.

Then there’s the the triangle relationship between MFM. Her relationship development with the other two males was done so clumsy.

There are some strong messages throughout this but such as breaking boundaries etc. Unfortunately it did not work for me as I found there wasn’t enough world building and the main character very annoying.

I read this as an e-Arc from Netgalley. All opinions in this review are my own.

Firstly, I must extend my grateful thanks to OneWorld Publications and NetGalley for providing me with the e-arc of Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

I must advise before I start my review that I gave little to no experience of Chinese pop culture, entertainment, drama or history and I suspect that with this knowledge my experience of this book would have been significantly heightened.

However, despite this I must state clearly and loudly, Iron Widow is truly astounding. It is that rare gem of a book that takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions and experience. It will punch you in the stomach, no holds barred with the brutality, misogyny and sheer violence, but then will touch you with such tenderness and beauty, that your breath is stolen away.

I read a lot of Sci Fi and Fantasy books, but this book with its overt and explicit feminist views and demand for equality has flown to the top of the few staunchly feminist reads I have been fortunate enough to experience.

Zetian, the protagonist of the story is truly a serious badass! She has been downtrodden her whole life, brought up to believe that women are inferior, disposable, merely on her planet to serve the needs of men. But the death of her big sister that she believes to have been murder changes everything. Zetian follows her parents wish and volunteers as a pilot concubine to gain vengeance on her sister’s murderer, but she soon finds vengeance is not enough. Zetian must fight to reshape society, restore balance, rights and ultimately self-control to women and destroy the patriarchal society that has dominated them for so long.

Be warned, whilst this book is rich in colour, intensity, action and adventure, it is truly uncompromising with regards to violence, including attempted rape. None of which are included purely to colour the story.

I was totally hooked on this book from page one and am already itching to read book two! Dammit that ending was sooooo good!

Wow
I have just finished reading this and i need .minute to just think about what just happened!!! What a fast paced, action packed book. To start with, I got Mulan vibes but it quickly changed to a Poppy War type fantasy. It's in a league of its own though. You definitely have to concentrate whilst reading.

About 20% in i got a bit lost but no worries, at 40% i was back on track! I loved the characters, especially Zetian. I also thought Yizhi was perfection.

A must read, i can't confirm how good of a representation it was, but it read like it was culturally appropriate, if that makes sense!!

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was just a wild ride from the start to the finish (and what even was that finale???). I read the first half and was a bit confused tho over the world building and how the culture, lore and historical setting of the place was. But the more you read from the book, the more Zhao also reveals how things are. And when I reached that 70% page mark, I couldn't put the book down for one second. I had to know what was going to happen!

The unique plot of this book is was makes is so special. It tackles a lot of subjects, such a as feminism, gender discussion, culture differences and basic human rights. The main character was such a delight to read from, even tho I sometimes wanted to scream for some of her decisions. She was not always likeable, which I prefer in my main characters. It's a YA historical fiction fantasy sci-fi novel, so you can except some angsty love. I do often don't like the type of love that was about to happen in this book, but it blew me away over how the author totally swept me under my feet and took me on such a love story and almost also MADE ME CRY!? I like never cry to books.

This was unlike everything I've ever read and I can't wait to read the sequel whenever that comes out - I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!

Thank you netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. i loved this book:i loved the characters, world and plot. i am giving this 5/5 stars

Iron Widow is a quick and gripping read - it started off very strongly, though I felt less engaged for the last third. I was completely won back around by the epilogue, however (what a game-changer) and I'm now very keen to read the next in the series. I would have liked to have seen the relationships better developed - there's time as the series progresses to flesh the characters out a bit more, but even Zetian felt slightly limited in her motivations. That said, Iron Widow has such a great premise to start with, and with the additions from the epilogue, I'm very intrigued about where this is going.
3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.
Thanks to Oneworld Publications and Netgalley for the ARC.

4.5 stars

Iron Widow follows the story of Zetian, who becomes infamous as an "Iron Widow" after killing her male pilot in a system which usually kills the female pilot, as the nation battles against alien invaders in mechanical chrysalis made up of two pilots (one male and one female) requiring one pilot to supply the other with power, often resulting in one dying. Zetian is then thrust into a world of backstabbing politics, fame and must forge her own path and not let her story be silenced whilst investigating why the female pilots are dying. With influences from historical chinese figures and classic sci-fi, this is an incredibly enjoyable story full of amazing characters, empowering themes and mysterious magic.

My favourite thing about Iron Widow was absolutely the characters. I love all 3 of the main characters so so much. First up we have Zetian, an absolutely feral bitch who is ready to fuck up the patrichary. She is very ambitious and ruthless and does not let societies demands affect who she is. She is also a character who isn't afraid to own up to certain mistakes and take some responsilblity for choices she has made that have potentially led to less than ideal situations, which I really appreciated as a character trait. Also in the immortal words of Tammie tries to read "I like muderous bitches" which pretty much sums up Zetians character.

We also have Yizhi, Zetians childhood friend, who is a soft boi genius and is very sweet but also not afraid to go after what he wants. And finally we have Li Shimin who is a famous criminal and murderor but also a very powerful pilot but is also THE MOST PRECIOUS BEAN EVER AND MUST BE PROTECTED AT ALL COSTS. I thought the book really stepped up once he came into the picture, and he was such a fascinating and tragic character. I also liked the discussion of his alcoholism, finding out how it came to be was heartbreaking and discussion of how it is an illness and not Shimins fault.

The relationship between these three is ICONIC. It is such a satisfying love triangle and it may or may not end up in polyamory ;). But in all seriousness I really loved the discussions around jealously, and just because society expects monagamy doesn't mean that you cannot love two people (or more) at once - there is lots of love to go around and everyone has their own special unique place in the heart. They really forge their own path and every interaction I was sqeauling with cuteness haha.

I enjoyed the feminist themes in the book, especially around bodily autonomy and the system fundamentally being set up against women. Zetian is very much a character who challenges the societal norms and doesn't take no for an answer. I thought there was also an interesting discussion around women competing and disliking each other, Zetian feels torn because she is trying to fight for womens rights but at the same time some of the female characters are not always on her side or kind to her - I appreciated this nuance of how often a systemic prejudice can lead to infighting rather than teaming up to take down the oppressor. I also liked the exploration of the different kinds and levels of privilege that exist and recognising that you can have advantages in some areas but face opression/discrimination in others.

The plot of the book I also really enjoyed, especially the ending. It wasn't a paticulary unique plot but the characters made it so enjoyable and seeing their choices really shape the direction of events helped keep the book moving. I'm very exicited for book 2 - the ending is perfectly satisfying for the book whilst also some shocking revelations set up perfectly for the next book. It also features a favourite trope of mine and I can't wait to see more of a certain character in the next book.

This is not a perfect book by any means, but I had so much fun while reading that I didn't really mind - however if I had to be nitpicky I would have liked there to be a bit more world building and exploration of some of the nuances of the politics, but I appreciate this is a YA book and therefore they tend to be shorter and more fast paced so I think ultimately the book sets out what it meant to achieve - it's just personal preferance.

<b>In conclusion I would highly reccomend Iron Widow, its a fun, fast paced, feminist sci-fi which will keep you super engaged with some amazing morally grey characters (who now have a special place in my heart uwu) and will have you ready to take down the patrichary.</b>

I received a free copy of this on netgalley. Thanks to the publisher for this arc. I follow xiran on twitter and was really interested to see the kind of book she had written.

Read with caution: I don't know how much of what bugged me was a feature of ya as a category and how much was more universal. I don't read enough ya to be confident of that distinction.

Lots of things I liked : the love triangle trope being turned into a functioning poly relationship. The retelling of Empress Wu and the colourful mechas. The twist reveal at the very end. The realities of bound feet.

Things that knocked down the rating for me: the writing felt rough, like a first draft that hadn't been polished. It was functional but clunky and repetitive, and not evocative. I don't know if that's a stylistic thing but I have also read very beautifully written ya books so I don't feel I should give a book a pass on craft just because of its age category.

The mc also struggled with nothing. She was just effortlessly good at everything she tried and endlessly better than everyone else, in a way that was linear without tension or suspense. Some folks will enjoy this and find it empowering. But it fell flat for me.

I would like to have seen more positive women characters, too. The not-like-the-other-girls vibe wasn't quite working for me.

Simply the easiest 5 stars I've given this year.

From the moment I first heard about this book from the author's tweet last year (I think?) I knew I wanted to read it simply for the poly rep which I'm always interested in reading more about. I didn't know anything specific about the novel except that it's a reimagining of China's only female emperor which was enough to catch my attention. I never expected to love it so much, and I especially didn't expect to give it 5 stars this quickly.

I knew this would be a great read from the first page and I was not disappointed.

I am at a loss for words. It's so rare for me to read books that perfectly fit everything I like: a great plot and a good balance of character development and story progression, good action scenes, an immensely strong female character who challenges the society she lives in and thinks outside the box, who has also found like-minded people in her partners and simply an easy to read writing style.

I absolutely adored this book and find it a bit hard to write about it without saying the words "I loved it" in every other sentence, but it is the truth.

I don't even know where to start. There are so many things I can talk about, so many topics that can be discussed... (Defo check CWs and TWs!!!)

Wu Zetian is the type of person that thinks outside of the box and doesn't confrom to the society she's grown up in. Even though it's hard for her to speak out and act out, since the society in the book is very much strictly patriarchal, she still does it. We can see her trying to get out of the mould her world has put her in and refusing to be bound by the expectations of others. I loved that. I loved seeing how no matter the challenges, no matter what others would say or do to her, she would still be herself and be strong. I loved reading about her journey and she's a character I enjoyed being in the mind of.

Yizhi is simply a cinnamon roll that must be protected but he's also very much able to take care of himself it seems. I loved reading about him and I can't wait to learn more about him. Since Zetian has already known him for years when the book start, as the reader, we don't get that much information about him and I can't wait for that to change.

Li Shimin is another character we need to protect, especially after everything he's been through. I loved reading about him through Zetian's perspective, slowly seeing her change her mind about him after discovering the truth behind what he's been through. I really liked the way it's written because she meets him while already having a bunch of prejudice about him due to the way she was brought up, so she doesn't believe men can be different from what she knows. Personally, I would've loved to see a bit more from him, but this was enough for now.

What's more, while the romance isn't the main theme of the book, it's there and while I can't speak for how well-developed it is, because I simply didn't care in this case, I really did enjoy it. My favourite thing is probably Shimin and Yizhi's scenes where it was shown how attarcted they were to each other because it was so cute, but my most favourite scene would probably be when all three of them embraced. I really loved this.

Do keep in mind that despite this being YA, it actually tends to get really dark real quick. This books explores various themes like domestic abuse, alchoholism, outright sexism and others.
Wu Zetian, Yizhi and Li Shimin don't just fight to save their planet from the Hunduns, they also fight for their right to live. While I did see the main big twist coming because I've actually read at least 2 novels with the same twist, I loved it anyway. I wasn't surprised by any of the revelations, but this didn't take away from my enjoyment.

I could probably write more about the plot and dive deeper into the themes explored, but I believe that it would be better if you go into it knowing as little as possible.

If you aren't a big fan of mecha, like me, I'd say to give Iron Widow a chance anyway because it's amazing and it deserves all the stars in the world.

There is a quote from the late great Sir Terry Pratchett that suggests that the source of any sin, and the beginning of any evil starts with treating people as things (Carpe Jugulum if you feel like missing him all over again. While reading Xiran Jay Zhao's extraordinary debut novel, half of my mind kept focussing on the truth of this blazing throughout Iron Widow. In Zhao's world, daughters are practically worthless, suitable only to be sold off to whatever husband will take them, or sent to the military to be concubine-pilots for the celebrated male war heroes on the frontlines of an endless war. And by concubine-pilots, that basically means prostitutes/ FREAKING BATTERIES to be used, sucked dry of theri qi until it kills them and then discarded.
Of course, the other half of my mind was absolutely, hysterically, gleefully celebrating a feminist, queer, defy the patriarchy, be the monster, tear it all down, future fantasy china mecha adventure that will remind you of the best parts of Pacific Rim, your favourite anime series, and that moment in Lord of the Rings where Eowyn tears of her helmet and takes down the Witch King with that incredible "I am no man". Now, if this doesn't immediately make you push the buy now button or start knocking on the door to your local (hopefully independent) bookstore to pre-order whilst simultaneously booking the release date off as a holiday, well, there's more.
How about a healthy, considerate, gentle, genuine totally bi poly relationship between our badass Iron Widow main character and the two men in her life. I mean, if you are the aforementioned badass babe, and you find yourself there with a scary, tortured, barbarian with a cinnamon roll heart and a gentle, sophisticated, lordling willing to defy his powerful and disgustingly wealthy father and the entirety of the military elite.....why choose?
However, enough from me, time to go mark the date in your calendar as Iron Widow day.
And it's only book one......

You're Welcome

(Just don't blame me for the cliffhanger ending)

Yes, yes, yes!! I am so happy to have read this book, I was so lucky to get the e-arc.

Such badass and interesting characters and such a good storyline, my only negative is that this book wasn't bigger so I could have read it for longer. I am off to find a special edition now!

Did anyone else get some strong Girls of Paper and Fire vibes from the way the girls in this world were treated? Once again, this is not a story where the girl falls in love with the powerful man who killed her big sister, even if there is a love triangle within these pages that ends up polyamorous.

The story opens with Yang Guang's callousness in the prologue, but don't worry, he doesn't last for long.

I want to write a whole letter to the author of this novel asking her 'How Dare You' with how much she made me love her characters and then constantly put them into danger. Also to the publishing industry for making me need to wait a year until the next one is out. I honestly don't know how I'm going to wait. This is the best book I have read this year.

Zetian is kickass and ruthless in her plan when we meet her after her Big Sister has been killed. She has only one plan and that is the murder of the person who did it. She doesn't care if that will fall back on her family; they never treated her all that well anyway. There is a lot in the way of culturally accurate sexism and abuse that was just awful to read for a Western reader to whom a lot of information may be quite new.

Before she goes away from her family and town, we meet the gorgeous Yizhi who is a rich boy that for some reason has taken a liking to Zetian. They are childhood friends anyway, and desperation from him not to have her sacrifice her life in vengeance for her sister has him asking her to marry him on the chance that it might not make her leave.

It doesn't work.

Eventually, we meet Li Shimin who is a host unto himself. He seems really scary to begin with, but it's pretty quick that we realise that this is the opinion other people have of him and doesn't necessarily resemble the truth. In fact, some of Li Shimin's backstory is heartbreaking and may be triggering with regards to addiction.

The three of these characters are my babies and I will absolutely stand against anyone who says that there is any fault in either story telling or characters in this story.

Hello and welcome to this review of one of my favourite 2021 releases. Is Zetian one of my favourite protagonists of all time? Yes!!! But not only that, Iron Widow has a fast-paced, gripping plot that held my attention from start to finish in one of the strongest ways. I am blown away by how fantastic every element of this book is – it is a masterful use of first person present tense, which I usually strongly dislike, the characters are just perfect and the story is a complete banger. Please read this when it releases in September, you will not be disappointed.

Iron Widow follows Zetian, a girl who’s strong character immediately flies off the page and carries this book through its opening chapters. She offers herself up as a concubine pilot in a world that values men, with the aim of killing the pilot that killed her sister. Zetian takes no prisoners, she is fierce, she speaks her mind, she is cold and calculating. But she also has love in her heart, and a miraculous softer side given the world she has grown up in. After killing the murder, the strategists don’t know what to do with their new Iron Widow, a girl who can use boys to pilot rather than vice versa. She is paired with the strongest pilot of all, Shimin, a boy who murdered his family and is treated like a prisoner.

The other boy in Zetian’s life is Yizhi, a rich guy from the city who she has been hanging out with for a while now. To begin with, Zetian doesn’t let boys distract her from her goals but between Yizhi and Shimin, she has two who see the real her and don’t shy away. It’s no secret that this book is poly and I am here for it – it totally made sense in the story, these three characters have one of the most perfect dynamics and I couldn’t ask for more in the romance department.

I have to say it, I am obsessed with Zetian’s directness in a world where women are forced to be submissive. The plot is driven by her decisions and it’s a huge hit because of it. Her approach to everything is just no cares left to give, except for the people she loves. It makes for the most interesting of stories, and that’s not to mention the shocking but not that shocking on reflection twists at the end. I also really enjoyed both Shimin and Yizhi as love interests, they are both complimentary in different ways and have their own tragic backstories. These boys show that there is more to people than what you see and Zetian goes on a journey to realise that.

The world-building is very much drop a reader in it and let them figure it out, but Xiran Jay Zhao does a wonderful job of explaining some complex human-machine teaming style ‘magic’ in a simple way. It never took me out of the story which I am very grateful. Add to that the in-built misogyny that Zetian is trying to prove and it really is a frustrating story that inspires rage at injustice and inequality.

I could honestly talk about this book forever but I feel like readers should pick it up and experience it for themselves. I really don’t know how I’m going to wait for the next book because the ending is immense and sets up a follow-up that has the potential to be just as brilliant if not more so, expanding the world to include more and growing Zetian’s character. Overall, this is an absolute banger of a book that I can’t wait to read again before the sequel comes out.

4.75/5 ⭐

Iron Widow is speculative sci-fi at its best - absolutely bonkers, stunningly brutal and unabashedly bad*ss - and I adored every minute of harrowing, heart-rending mayhem it brought. The mesmerizing blend of mecha, myth and borrowed history it bases itself upon on makes for a sensational stage to take a stand on the mores and morals of heritage, and Iron Widow stands out for its serried and merciless brandishing of words and weapons against the systemic misogyny and male hegemony that buttresses Huaxia's status quo.

The brilliant matches of its magnetic mains and the harmonious bonds that burn meteorically bright between them are all the more strikingly believable because of the slow stripping of barriers and the sentimental breakthroughs that Zhao sprinkles through the story's advancement and its anarchic avalanches of action, and the mercurial movements of bridges being built and broken down between Zetian, Shimin and Yizhi (not to mention their malignant family members, the antagonistic pilots they find as their peers, their mercenary pit bosses and the bloodthirsty broader public that strong-arms them into putting on a polarizing show) only bolster the fealty you'll swear to this book's monstrously heroic and and supportively polyamorous focal ménage. I'm already anxiously awaiting the follow-up!

Thank you to NetGalley and Oneworld Publications for kindly passing on this ARC! 💫

“But I have no faith in love. Love cannot save me.
I choose vengeance.”


Xiran Jay Zhao has written an ambitious debut novel that should definitely appeal to Pacific Rim & The Hunger Games fans. Iron Widow is likely one of the most creative books that I've read this year (which is saying something given that atm my read count atm is at 150+) as it presents readers with a unique blend of genres and concepts: fantasy and sci-fi elements are incorporated in a dystopian yet recognizably historical Chinese-inspired setting.

“It takes a monster to slay a monster.”


Way back when I used to be quite a fan of mecha anime (fyi my faves were: macross, code geass & eureka 7) so I was rather looking forward to seeing this subgenre translated into book form. The robots in this novel are called Chrysalises and operated by a psychically linked male/female duo in order to fend off aliens called Hunduns. The male fighters are celebrities, their fights broadcasted to the whole of Huaxia. The female fighters, 'concubines', often do not survive these battles, as the boys more or less use them as their own energy bars. The way the girl fighters are treated definitely brought to mind the tributes from The Hunger Games. They are sacrificed without any care or regard, their certain death is deemed necessary for the ‘greater good', an honour even.

“If we want something, we have to push back against everything around us and take it by force.”


Our narrator, Zetian, has grown up in this extremely misogynistic world. She has been mistreated by her family her whole life, her feet were broken and bound at a young age, and she basically has no freedoms whatsoever. When her older sister dies after being forced into becoming a ‘concubine' Zetian seeks revenge. She wants to kill the male pilot responsible for her death.
Zetian does indeed succeed but in doing so reveals to the world just how powerful she is. After earning the title of ‘Iron Widow' she’s paired with Li Shimin, 'Iron Demon', a male pilot with a dangerous reputation. Forced into working together Zetian and her new partner discover more about their abilities and the Chrysalises themselves.

The story is very action-driven and has an ‘edgy' feel to it that will definitely appeal to many other readers. While I did enjoy the author’s take on mecha, their take on Yin/Yang, as well as the issues & relaties they touch upon (because of her bound feet our mc’s has difficulties walking and often experiences pain in her feet), I would be lying if I said that I enjoyed this novel.
This is one of those rare cases where I genuinely feel shitty for not liking a book as much as I wanted to (the last time it happened was with lindsay ellis' axiom's end).
Because I really love the author’s content on youtube I am not too happy about critiquing their debut novel so I will just list the things that prevented me from liking their book without going into that detail and without spoiling anything for anyone. Also, I feel the need to say (or write) that I don't want to dissuade anyone from reading this book. I wish the author the best and I do think that they have the potential of becoming a really good writer. They are definitely creative and throughout their novel there are some visually stunning scenes that attest to this (this is the kind of book that should be adapted to the ‘big screen’).

But, alas, here are the things that did not work for me:
the writing felt simplistic and certain words/expressions (‘ugh’, ‘duh’, ‘wow’, ‘yup’) pulled me out of the story; quite a few phrases had this ‘edgy YA' tone to them that didn't really do it for me either; personally, I would have preferred it if the story had implemented multiple povs or at least had been told through a 3rd person perspective as Zetian's inner monologue struck me as extremely simple and the constant questions she asks herself got grating, fast, (“what's happening? how did i get here? who am i?" “how could i have forgotten him? what does he mean to me?" ); I would have loved more detailed descriptions about the characters' surroundings or their different environments (and maybe less about their clothes/hair styles); I also think that the world-building would have benefitted from being more firmly established earlier on...we get some crucial lore way too late in the narrative & quite a few aspects remain unexplored; the romance (something i was rather looking forward to) also did nothing for me...the relationship between the boys seemed rushed and it struck me as...I don't know, I just would have believe in their relationship more if we’d been given their perspectives (their relationship to mc also was kind of meh); while the story was certainly fast-paced my interest waned early on in the story (there were a lot of repetitive and not-so-clear-cut sequences); all of the characters would have benefitted from some more depth; last, but not least, Zetian...I hoped she would be someone a la Zhu from She Who Became the Sun or like Lada Dracul from the And I Darken series (ruthless, knows what they want, may not be 'physically strong' but they are certainly intelligent)...but Zetian was low-key stupid and annoying, she had this vague OP/Chosen One/Not Like Other Girls quality to her that I find really offputting...also, for all her talk of girls supporting girls, the majority of the interactions that she has with other women (there are very fewn) gave me girls-hating-girls vibes (she has one token female friend).

There are a few other things that I didn't like but I won't go into them. I think this novel has a lot of heart and I'm sure that over time the author will hone their writing skills.
If you want to read this novel I recommend you give it a shot regardless of my review because I’ve been known to have shitty opinions.