If you've ever identified, completely and wholly, with Beatrice Muchadoaboutnothing's iconic line, "I would eat his heart in the marketplace," then this book is for you.

*4 stars*

Iron Widow is a young adult sci-fi reimaging of China's only female empress. We follow 17 year old Wu Zetian who enlists as a concubine-pilot all too aware of the fact that women hardly ever survive. She need revenge upon the pilot who murdered her sister and is willing to do anything to get it. When events go awry, Zetian finds herself in a precarious position of major power with major consequences.

This was a pleasant surprise. YA sci-fi and I have struggled in the past but there were a lot of elements in here that worked really well for me.

What I liked:
*Our MC. She is ruthless, fierce, and unapologetic. Zetian is solely focused on her goals and nothing (I mean nothing) will get in her way. I also love how she actively attempts to combat the internalized misogyny she has been fed since birth.
*The themes! There is so much packed in hear in regards to Zhao's themes. They are very present throughout the story, but not spoon-fed to the reader. This book will definitely make you angry with what the characters are forced to face.
*Loved the developing poly relationship. Both of the love interests have a lot of depth. I'm especially impressed because one of the relationships start pre-book and sometimes I don't find enough to root for throughout. Also, I love that their choice to be together actively explores the themes of the story.
*The mech elements were super cool, but definitely hard to conceptualize at times (again could just be a me thing).
*The ending was a wild ride, with a ton of reveals and major implications for the final book.

What I struggled with:
*The world needed a bit more development, especially regarding the gods/religious(?) elements
*I could have appreciated a bit more instruction with how the mech worked. With there being multiple types with different weaknesses I was occasionally left confused.

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao is the vicious science fiction historical retelling that captivated me from the very beginning. I couldn't put it down. This world is fantastic and infuriating. It's easy to see the parallels between this fictional world and our world, particularly the disregard for women, which we've seen throughout history. With Iron Widow, Zhao pushes back on the misogynistic treatment of women and gives readers one of the strongest female protagonists I've ever read.

Zetian is the fierce, cunning, vengeful young woman that I've been longing for. Her inner strength coupled with her intelligence and unwillingness to be crushed, silenced, or tossed aside had me cheering her on and cursing her enemies. Shimin is the misunderstood kind-hearted murderer, a gentle soul masked by a violent past. Shimin is a cautionary tale for readers, showing how the military could use not just women, but men deemed unworthy or worthless as pawns in their war. Shimin is someone they are prepared to sacrifice, especially if they can't control him. Yizhi is the high-born noble that's hopelessly bound to Zetian and later to Shimin, willing to aide them in any way he can. Watching these three slowly learn to comfort and care for each other is just delightful. Through these three characters, Zhao explores gender roles and sexuality. Zetian, Shimin, and Yizhi form a polyamorous relationship. Watching these three come together and break with the traditional heterosexual pairing was such a special experience.

Overall, Iron Widow is glorious. The world building is incredible, the characters feel real, and the giant mecha chrysalises are insanely cool! This book is fast-paced, smart, unapologetic, and vicious. I would recommend it for anyone looking for a powerful female lead, morally grey characters, giant mechas, and strong, kind-hearted young men. I absolutely cannot wait for the sequel!

3.5 stars --

Wow. This book was...ALOT.

Firstly, I have to say that IRON WIDOW really wasn't for me. I liked it less and less as the book went on, and it felt heavy and more of a shout of a book than storytelling. I likely won't continue with the series as subsequent books are released.

But, that being said, I really respect the author because this was a powerhouse of a debut. It was intense and creative, filled with incredible world-building and deep thematic elements. There was some really beautiful writing.

But overall, this book was kind of jarring for me, and it left me feeling wrung out and emotionally exhausted. An immensely impressive book, but just not to my taste.

A thank you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for the e-book in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

5 stars! Had to preorder and buy it immediately! Can't want to see what else Xiran Jay Zhao comes out with! Will definitely be an author I buy from again!

This futuristic YA novel is a very dark read, that sometimes brings to mind The Handmaid's Tale.

On another world, giant robotic transformers are piloted by young men partnered with young women - the former get the glory while the latter die very young. They fight mecha aliens beyond this world's Great Wall.

18-year-old Wu Zetian offers herself as a concubine-pilot, seeking vengeance for the death of her beloved elder sister. It turns out that she's a very rare (and feared) Iron Widow, a female pilot who can draw on male psychic power.

Will she be able to stop her society's sacrifice of girls?

First thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this book. Iron Widow is the first book in a new serie by Xiran Jay Zhao. The cover of the book is really beautiful. I had a bit of a hard time to get into it but that might be because I don't really read sci-fi books.

Zetian is 18 years old when she offer herself as a concubine-pilot. Her sister was killed and for her its the only way to get revenge, to assassinate the ace male pilot. In Huxia, the boys pair up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the mecha aliens that attack them. Often leading into the dead of the girl from the mental strain but as long as the guy live, who cares. But Zetian will have her revenge not in the way she was planning. She will kill the pilot throught the psychic link unarmed. Now people call her the Iron Widow.

Imaginative and full of fantasy but this book just wasn't for me. I think that maybe Zhao was trying to jam a little too many ideas into one book so it felt bogged down and complicated. I did appreciate the uniqueness of the story and will definitely look for Zhao's next title though

Sadly for me, for some reason this book didn’t work for me. The premise, world, elements were all great but I just couldn’t get on with the book at all.

A shame but I guess that’s how’s the cookie crumbles sometimes we all can’t love every book

Nothing but fierceness. I learned much from Iron Widow -- history, culture, and a sense of familiarity at the exhaustion and pain of the layers and roles heaped on genders throughout history. In a dystopian society where females are used as mental (and physical) concubines to pilot a war machine against planet invaders. Zeitan plans to become a concubine to get revenge for the murder of her sister and forcibly breaks her own chains to become the Iron Widow - and everything that entails. I can't wait to keep reading (if it's a series). One of the most memorable books I've read in some time and it gripped me from beginning to end. Read it in almost one sitting.

Wow, what a ride!

Wu Zetian is a girl, a daughter of a poor family on another planet, in a culture that strongly resembles traditional China. Like the women of traditional China, her feet were broken and bound when she was a child, and she is expected to kowtow to her father, brother, and eventually her husband - unless she volunteers as qi fodder for the army, as her older sister did. So begins a journey that ends in reshaping the world. I have trouble imagining how the sequel will equal this volume - but I'm waiting, impatiently, to find out!

A diverse and fantasitical novel that incorporates elements of science and magic to create a powerful read.

A book that was a goddamn powerful dose of futuristic robots, powerful strategies, and a female lead to bow down for.

A corrupt pilot system where male pilots never die, and female pilots are recruited as a sacrifice, she goes ahead with their plan but with sight set on only one thing VENGEANCE. The plan to kill the star pilot, no matter if it means her death, her heart beats for revenge. She kills him but does not die herself. Confused herself how did she not die when all the other concubine pilots do? At one point of time she was ready to face her death, but now after she has tasted what power feels like, death is not longer her wish. What she wants is to destroy this system internalized misogyny. She announces to the whole world on camera, "Welcome to your nightmare."

Like I said again, what a badass book. Superb writing style and by that I mean it won't let you go, it will hover over your head until you finish the story (personal experience), top tier story. Also the Enemies-To-Lovers, Cinnamon Roll Yizhi, my badass boy Shimin and my queen for whom I'll be on my knees and serve forever Wu Zeitan, if I had the opportunity to give more then 5 stars, I would've done so. How can I not mention the way historical elements were blended with future ones, like flowing robes of silk while powering a 80 feet tall Chrysalise robot, letting the mountain wind linger on your face while flying on your hovercraft. You can take my soul and I will not wince if this is what takes to get the sequel.

Yeah that was me being very dramatic but it's true. Anyway, I'm going to bug each of my friend to read Iron Widow, until I perish.

There are so many exciting elements to Iron Widow which made me really excited to read this. First of all, the tag line is Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid’s Tale loosely based on the first and only female Chinese Emperor. That alone made me immediately add this to my TBR. But also, it features mech pilots, fighting the patriarchy, and a polyamorous relationship.

Iron Widow started out strong and quickly hooked me into its story. Zetian can only be described as a badass. She’s hellbent on vengeance and is willing to do whatever she needs to to achieve those goals. She’s unapologetic and incredibly well-written. In fact, the strength of Iron Widow lies in the characters. Xiran Jay Zhao not only did a great job with writing her heroine, but the side characters as well are extremely fleshed out. 10/10 I would lay down my life for Li Shimin.

The plot throughout the book was very fast paced. It worked well for the first half of the story, but by the second half it only caused confusion. My biggest issue was that not much of the worldbuilding and science was not fully explained. Coupled with the fast pace, it felt like a whole lot was happening in the plot, but at the same time I couldn’t follow along.

I really loved the overall themes of feminism and the protogonist, Zetian. However, my brain started to get fatigued by the end of the book trying to figure out everything that was going on.

Huxia have been tasked with protecting the Great Wall from the Hunduns. They have created large mechs they call Chrysalises, that the use to battle the opposing Hundun mechs. These battles are broadcasted for mass entertainment. It takes two pilots to work these machines, one male and one female. The male is the stronger of the two, often resulting in the female being sacrificed during the fight. After the death of her sister, Zetian has made it her mission to become one of the concubine-pilots, and take down the man who killed her sister.

This story was pitched as “Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid's Tale in a polyamorous reimagining of China's only female emperor” which I'm not going to lie... I have not seen either of those nor do I know the story of China's only female emperor - but nonetheless, this was such a fun book. The Chinese history interwoven into this sci-fi world was a non-stop action packed thrill ride. I found the idea of qi, the individual's spirit power that powered the Chrysalises, so interesting and I wanted to know so much more about it as I continued reading. The story itself was addictive and fast-paced, and hard to put down. I became so invested in these three characters and their relationship with one another. I loved how these three played off one another so well, and how they truly rounded each other out. I loved Zetian, she was fierce, stubborn and definitely deserved her title of the Iron Widow.

I am definitely going to be picking up the second book in this duology when its released, that epilogue through me for a loop!

You know what… the most accurate analogy for this book really is Attack on Titan but it make it mecha Sci-Fi set in a dystopian era inspired by historical China. By that, I mean the vibe with how vulnerable it can be but also violent, and how the lore is made to be.

I do think the writing style could have been a tad more whimisical and nuanced because this one really is in your face with the themes it tackles. Not saying that it's bad but those are just my preferences. There is more telling rather than showing and in the end, it did bother me a bit even though I enjoyed a lot of other aspects in the book.

“He will not kill me. He does not get to make me a statistic.”


as a uni student that is endlessly tired, this flew by way too fast (in a good way). the amount of things that happened in the span of 50 pages is just crazy.

The nuances played into the plot (specifically, not in the book as a whole) were well-done in my opinion. It never felt like it was dragging or lagging at any point in terms of the plot progression. It’s fast-paced and just my vibe. I thought it was going to be all fun and games… but Xiran Jay Zhao has guts….. and you know what, we respect the grind. If you know, you know.

It does get gritty and violent so fair warning.

Zetian and the Poly Power Trio are the Kings and Queen of being morally grey. She definitely is that kind of character that you need to get used to at first because she’s so undeniably herself in every page. But after that moment passes, you realize that this, THIS is that badass female character we all needed. I could see Zetian, Shimin, and Yizhi raising debates about morals again though.

”The only utterly good people in the world are either naive or delusional.”


It’s not too heavy on the Sci-FI (don’t worry, friends) but still great on the world-building and details. It does focus more on Zetian’s journey and her own development than the romance. Which I think was a strong point of the story.

I am so IN LOVE with the “magic system” or whatever you like to call the way the technology works, it was perfectly mixed in equal parts magical and scientific. Which was what made it perfect for my taste. I say with no exaggeration that it was a lot more thought out than I expected it to be. You can really see that the author knew what she wanted to do with the world-building and it was executed effectively in my opinion. It’s safe to say that the tech system might be my favorite aspect.

”The entitled assholes of this world are sustained by girls who forgive too easily.”

I always say that dialogues can make or break a book for me and although there were lines that were smooth (like butter hehe) there were some that were just too cheesy. I feel like the character relationships could have been more flushed out or arranged to be more satisfying. Especially since the poly relationship was one of the biggest reasons I read the book, I can’t ignore it.

I do wish we got more build up towards her relationship with Yishi and Shimin before things happened but I get that, in a way, it gave way to the world-building. I just wished that there was a balance between the two and the character dynamics is the biggest reason for my lowered rating even though I enjoyed the book. You should also be aware that most of the romance doesn’t really play into it until after the half-way point. It would have been nice to see more background with the Iron Widow-Iron Demon dynamic because I really would have loved more. I do have to say….. that when it happened, it was still worth it even just for a millisecond (we are so starved of healthy Poly relationships lmao). It just makes my feelings about the ending that more all over the place and makes me both anticipate the next book and have mixed feelings about the character relationships in this one.

“Perks of refusing to play by the rules: you don’t have to choose between the boy who’d torture a man to death with you and the boy who welcomes you back with pastries.”


I just…. wow. I really did not think XJZ would actually go with that ending. I acknowledge that it objectively has its imperfections but I also do not care about them.

↣ Recommended if you want some Mecha Attack on Titan style Sci-Fi that’s a little dark and with some morally grey but vulnerable and strong characters. And a Poly Power Trio on the side. ↢

I rest my case.

— 3.5 —
⇢ content warnings// misogyny & femicide, mention of rape, violence, sexism, sexist microagressions, murder, torture, interrogation, physical and emotional abuse, alcoholism, suicidal ideation, blood and gore depiction

Iron Widow (Iron Widow #1) by Xiran Jay Zhao

Publication date: September 21, 2021
Date read: October 10, 2021



For over two centuries, Huaxia has been fighting a war with a mecha alien race called the Hundun just outside the Great Wall. Using the husks of the defeated Hundun, the humans have created Crysalises - giant mechanical suits that respond to yen users qi, and require both a male and female pilot to operate. The only problem is that males naturally have much higher qi than females, so the female “concubines” are usually inadvertently killed by the male pilots in battle. When 18-year-old Wu Zetian enlists as a concubine to one of the most well-loved pilots in Huaxia, she hopes to get her revenge for the death of her older sister. But when she kills him through the battle link, becoming an Iron Widow, she gets a taste for power that she never expected. And no matter how the establishment tries to tear her down, she has a new determination: not just to survive, but to change things for all the women of Huaxia.

This novel is inspired by the story of Empress Wu - the only female emperor in Chinese history.

First, the things I loved about this book.

I love that it feels like a mix of both historical fiction and post-apocalyptic science fiction. A misogynistic Chinese setting where foot binding and daughters being sold as concubines to help buy a wife for the sons is the world these characters live in. But there are also aliens and giant mecha-robots (think Pacific Rim) powered by psychic links and hovercrafts and drones. It’s such a fun mix that always felt like it kept the book slightly off-balance and ungrounded (but in a good way).

I loved the feminist agenda to this book. But wait, hear me out. Yes, it’s insanely obvious - it’s the whole point of this story. Women are powerful and men will only survive if they acknowledge the power of the women in their lives. But somehow this book manages to make the feminist agenda be both obvious and not heavy-handed. Might there be some hesitance from male readers? Maybe. But I thought the message was handled very well.

Second, the thing I didn’t like about the book:

The love triangle. I feel like all YA books these days need to include a love triangle. Now, I like that this author went a different way with the love triangle than most, but it still felt forced to me. I don’t want to bash the inclusion of bisexual characters and a polyamorous relationship, because obviously there is nothing wrong with either. And I liked that the author had her main character state her approval of bisexual relationships. But the statements and relationships somehow seemed forced here, like a side note to the story. I’m not sure what would have been a better resolution, other than making Yizhi a non-romantic best friend, but the whole plot line just seemed a little off to me.

The undecided:

Our main character: Wu Zetian. I actually liked her a lot. She’s strong and she knows what she wants. And when she realizes that she’s misjudged someone, she admits her mistakes. But this book falls very much into the grey zone. There is no “this character is bad and does bad things, but this character is good and does good things.” Zetian is our protagonist, but she does some highly questionable, if not outright bad, things in the name of vengeance or the greater good. She actually reminded me a lot of Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones. If you’ve never watched Game of Thrones, Daenerys is also someone who believes very strongly that she is doing the right thing, and doesn’t really care who she hurts along the way. This makes Zetian - and this whole story, really, very hard to pin down. This is going to be a series (or at least a duology), and I’m still not sure how I feel about Zetian at the end of this book, let along going forward into the next book. The one thing I do know is that I will definitely read more to find out.

Overall, I feel like this is going to be a hard book to market, but it’s one that I really enjoyed. I think males will like the mecha battles, but will the feminist agenda be a turn off? I don’t know. I hope not. Because it’s a really good story (and I love that it was inspired by a real person - if obviously in a very loose way). If you love science fiction and robot battles and like strong female characters, this is a definite must-read. If any of those appeal to you, even if all three don’t, I still recommend checking it out. It’s fun to read a fresh take on the science fiction genre and I hope this book finds its audience.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Trigger warning: sexism, murder, violence against women, torture (including water boarding), foot binding, alcohol addiction, mentions/threats of rape

Okay this is going to be one of my favorite reads for 2021, which is strange for me because I hate anything mecha wise, anime or movie much less to read about it in a book. The plot was so intriguing though I could not put it down until I was finished and then ugh to find that it was a cliffhanger drove me crazy. Lol I absolutely loved the journey though.

Many people would say this was mecha combined with Handsmaid tale and I think that’s a very accurate description. The anger I felt for Zetian was real, I still can’t believe they would treat girls like that, but of course you look through history and even still today and you can absolutely see it. I loved how badass Zetian was though and omg to see her relationship with Shimin and Yizhi made me squeal, although let’s be honest Shimin was my absolute favorite. Honestly if this would be made into a movie it would be the first mecha movie I would go see. That’s how much I loved the story.

Also seriously can book two like get published now please. 😂

I have never read a book that was so amazing and unique. Zetian joins the army in a world where aliens are battled by large metal beasts. In her world, women are second class citizens and are only valuable for the balance they bring to male pilots. Zetian has one goal in mind when she joins: revenge for the death of her sister. She gets her revenge, and it leads to a journey no one saw coming. Honestly Zetian is one of my all time favourite characters. She is angry at the men in her society and she lashes out by being unapologetically herself. It is amazing. She is also so smart, and her story is one you definitely don’t want to miss!

Xiran Jay Zhao is going to be a force to be reckoned with.

UPDATE: this was, in fact, a 5000/5 for me. Hands down now one of my favorite books of all time.
Wu Zetian is such a powerful main character. I loved her determination, her grit, and her sheer will power despite also experiencing plenty of moments of vulnerability, fear, and uncertainty in her own decisions.
The relationship dynamics between her, Shimin, and Yizhi was one of my favorite part of the whole book. In a society where there were strict paths that women (and men) are forced to take, especially in the more rural areas, it was a breath of fresh air to see all 3 characters come into their own and be able to love each other together, and in their own ways respectively. It made the teamwork throughout the story that much more exciting.
And the plot twist?! THAT PLOT TWIST?! I audibly gasped while reading those last few pages. Xiran kept our focus perfectly on the "current" problem we were determined to solve, along with the relationships, that I didn't even take the time to consider that there was ANOTHER underlying current of "wrongness" with their society and world as a whole. Absolutely amazing, and cannot wait for book 2!

I was only 10% into this eARC when I immediately went to my Kindle store to purchase my own personal ebook of this novel. I was gripped from page 1 by the main character's harrowing conditions, family hierarchy and the treatment of female family members and women within the current society. Getting a glimpse into the era where female subjugation and Chinese harems with concubines was incredibly eye opening yet equally horrifying in measure, but served it's purpose with our strong lead fighting the system at every turn. Having the tale of the only female emperor in Chinese history be adapted into a break neck sci-fi epic with a specific Pacific Rim-esque twist was everything I never knew I needed.

Just the writing alone in poignant, vibrant, yet also blunt and unforgiving in all of the right ways. I will post (edit) final review upon completion, but I needed to declare my undying love for this book before I even got to the end. Hands down going to be a solid 5/5 for me.