5 stars

Iron Widow deserves all of the energy that we threw The Hunger Games and Divergent in the early 2010s. Its blurb, which describes the book as The Handmaid's Tale meets Pacific Rim, perfectly encapsulates the way that this book balances sci-fi action with incisive social commentary. Considering how many times that I have been let down recently by book blurbs that didn't live up to the hype, this read was so satisfying and left me hungry for the sequel.

What else can I say? Everything about this book just flowed from the worldbuilding to the characters to the romance to the action to the TWISTS! There were honestly so many points in the book where I wish I had a journal nearby so I could write down some of Zhao's prose because it really did hit that hard. I'm hoping that more people pick this up because it is so worth it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book to read early and review

3.5 stars

When something is compared to one of your favourite books, you would think that means that you are going to love it and while I really enjoyed the reading experience of this book parts of it were not love at first sight. Lets explore the things I did love about this book.

First is the way the polyamourous relationship was handled, this is the second book I have read this year with this type of relationship in it and when done wrong it can feel icky but when done right, like it is in this book OMG is it amazing. The relationship between Wu Zetian, Li Shimin and Gao Yizhi is *chef's kiss* perfection. She has two boyfriends and her boyfriends are boyfriends, and all the relationships are balanced perfectly.

The other thing I really enjoyed were the chrysalis fight sequences, however I wanted even more action. As an action movie junkie, and a Pacific Rim super fan, I wanted no holds bar full on fight scene action in this book and you do get some of that but not nearly enough for my tastes. While I did have a hard time picturing the mech's as truly mechanical, I imagined them as more of the jade warriors from Kung Fu Panda 3..... which may have led to some of my disappointment as well.

As for the things I didn't enjoy, and this first one is going to make me sound like an asshole but I cannot not put it in the review, but the constant envy of other women's unbound feet and remarks about how Wu Zetian had to totter around everywhere was a bit repetitive. The descriptions of it happening were awful and I felt immediate sympathy for her character but it kept being brought up like it was her only defining characteristic and she was so much more than her bound feet.

The other thing I didn't love was the "twist ending". I'm not sure if it was supposed to come as a surprise that the aliens were not the bad guys, the humans were but, I was kind of let down by the reveal. It seemed super obvious from the beginning of the book because really that is what humanity does, we screw over the native population living peacefully. I was more shocked by the knowledge learned about the chrysalis seats and wish that had been the twist ending. Not revealed before the final battle sequence.

I enjoyed this book enough that I am of course going to pick up the second one to see how it all ends because my interest has certainly been peaked plus I cannot wait to see what this author does in the future.

"Give me a reason to protect you. I gawk at my mother. Stop me.
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I keep going back to my Kindle and opening this book, because I'm hoping that by some miracle there will be more written. But I've devoured it like a Pilot devouring a Hundun. I'm so glad to have stumbled upon this novel because it did so much within the pages. Not only did it entertain me, so much so, that I read the book in two days (only because I had to read through the night) but because it touched on a lot of very real world issues that people, and women, are facing today. The struggle of being female in a male dominated world, specifically a world that casually sacrifices females in the name of honor drove the novel from start to finish; and with SO many twists and turns that I wasn't really expecting. I also really appreciated the way Xiran Jay Zhao shows Zetian's family dynamics. The way the father and grandfather are angry about Big Sister's lack of death pay rather than the actual loss of her life - I'm a sister too, and let me tell you, the second I read the line, "I'm going to rip his throat open in his sleep," I was onboard 100% with this novel. I was looking for revenge too.

I have so many emotions after finishing this. I had to sit and stew on it overnight before I wrote my review because I didn't want to gush over any spoilers. The world building was exquisite, from the machinations of the Chrysalis and the weaving of acupuncture and qi together to power these mega machines was really cool. The world was built around familiar icons, like the Great Wall, and so it was easy to picture where the world was unfolding and even give a better view of how large this qi-powered monoliths actually were.

Xiran Jay Zhao had me on the edge of my seat watching Zetian fight her feelings for her love interests was so relatable. The idea that as a female, you want to be an independent force not reliant on a man, battle with finding yourself needing and even wanting to team up with them was so well executed.

I'm hoping we get a sequel out ASAP, because I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. Highly recommend.

Iron Widow was an incredible, heart-wrenching, thrilling read. It’s described as Handmaid’s Tale meets Pacific Rim, but it also reminded me of Neon Genesis Evangelion, Attack on Titan, and The Hunger Games.

It’s about the survival of humanity, media and military propaganda, smashing the patriarchy, the restraints of society, and found family, all within the context of giant fighting robots in futuristic Asia. In a word: Amazing.

I do not like YA! I wanted Iron Widow to be *different*, but it is not!! Over explainy simplistic writing, female main character who is a *badass feminist* but suspiciously has zero female friends and *doesn't get along w the other girls* (????? SOMEONE HOST A FEMINISM SEMINAR FOR YA WRITERS bc my Instagram rants are NOT WORKING), lack of good world building, unnecessary romance.

Iron Widow specifically had a super cool concept, really creative, cool that the unnecessary romance bits were polyamory instead of love triangle, like it had a good foundation!

But our main character is full of feminist zeal w literally no background on why she's like that? But also full of revenge, but also doesn't like women, & spends all her energy hating men!?!

Idk y'all this one, even for YA fans, had good concept but needed more cleaning up.

SOMEONE TELL ME THE DEFINITION OF INSANITY IS DOING THE SAME THING OVER & OVER AGAIN AND EXPECTING DIFFERENT RESULTS bc ya girl still has a bunch of YA on her TBR

Friends, welcome to one of my favorite new releases of 2021. Iron Widow is such a richly developed, exciting book, and I absolutely flew through it. I couldn’t wait to read more, and it was just so so good.
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I loved all of the different aspects of this book, from the richly designed mecha systems, to the well-developed characters. Every part of the world allowed the reader to be fully immersed in the story, and Zetain is one of my favorite main characters. She was such a strong lead, and it was just a pleasure to read about it.
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I also loved the romance. It worked so well, and felt very natural.
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Iron Widow is out now, so go check it out!
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CW- alcoholism, sexual assault, domestic abuse, suicidal thoughts, misogyny, torture
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Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Zetian is a young woman in a society that worships men who pilot Chrysalis robots in the ongoing war against the Hunduns. While each male pilot must have a female partner, the women are typically sacrificed to the men’s superior energy flow each time they go into battle. Their society deems these deaths acceptable and even necessary.

After her older sister is killed in battle, Zetian vows revenge against the pilot who caused her sister’s death. However, as she carries out her plan, it’s revealed that Zetian is much stronger than most female pilots. She’s thrust into a position that, while intended to kill her, allows her to learn about her world’s secrets and attempt to change things for women in her society.

Iron Widow has been described as Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid’s Tale, and while I see the similarities, to me it felt more like Ender’s Game meets Namina Forna’s The Gilded Ones. As in Ender’s Game, the novel involves a group of young people fighting against an alien enemy. The strategists who plan and coordinate the battles are clearly much more knowledgeable about what’s going on than the pilots themselves. Throughout the novel, I suspected they were holding back a secret beyond anything Zetian anticipated as means of controlling the pilots. The position of women in society, especially their disposability, reminded me of The Gilded Ones.

The book’s combination of the sci-fi genre, Chinese history inspiration, and the fantasy elements of a magic system built on the concept of qi worked together to weave a world I found completely engrossing. The Chrysalises were really interesting, and I enjoyed the many battle scenes. I also liked the relationships between Zetian, Shimin, and Yizhi. I was pleasantly surprised with how those relationships developed throughout the story.

My only real issue with the novel was that I found Zetian to be rather blood-thirsty. She is determined to fight back against a system that continually breaks her body down in attempts to control her; however, it seems as though she’s more focused on killing those in her way than anything else. This makes her come across as extremely cold. Although she’s quite ruthless, her goals are certainly noble and her journey is highly engaging from start to finish.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Penguin Teen, and the author for access to an ARC of this novel.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy to review.

Representation: Asian-inspired SFF, MC is based on the first female empress of China, polyamorous relationship, men loving men.

Huaxia is at constant war with Hunduns, mecha aliens that lurk beyond the great walls, and they fight the aliens with Chrysalises, which require two pilots. Zetian, a 18-year-old, signs up to become a concubine-pilot, who usually are the ones to die while the male pilots burn through them. Zetian signed up because she wanted to kill the man who had murdered her sister, and she gets her wish in a way no one anticipated. She eventually gets paired with one of the strongest and most unpredictable pilots, but she's not about to back down. Not when she could burn her way through the ranks and destroy the system, preventing more girls from being sacrificed.

Rating: 5/5 There is so much that happens in this book, I wouldn't be able to cover it all without spoiling some major plot points, and I wouldn't do it justice! You can really feel Zetian's rage at this unfair system, one that is rigged in favor of the men, the overarching oppression of women and keeping them under control. She is far from the stereotype of a meek and obedient Asian woman, is a powerful woman, not afraid to take risks, but it doesn't veer into becoming the opposite stereotype. She's still human, still feels fear and has emotions, struggles with her being. This book challenges the strong binary traditions and thinking of Huaxia, and by extension, the world's. It absolutely speaks against patriarchy and strong gender roles, not allowing those to be a determinant in how Zetian lives her life, along with her lovers. There is polyamory that comes up later in the book, along with men loving men. I could go on and on, but I would prefer you go read this amazing and epic story. This is the first in a series, and I can't wait to see what Xiran Jay Zhao writes next!

Wow, this book just blew me away, right from the beginning! It was definitely one of my favorites of the past year. I’m sure a lot of people will talk about the action, but what stood out for me was how well the characters were portrayed. Science/fantasy, inspired by Chinese history but on a different world, feminism, a polyamorous love triangle, what people will do to stay in power…this book has it all. It also gets pretty dark, so you might want to check the content warnings.

This book is feminine rage on a page and I'm so here for it.

If you're looking for a dark, action-packed read about a female mech pilot trying to take down the patriarchy while burning down anyone who gets in her way, this book is 100% for you. Xetian is a fantastically fearsome character and I loved watching her journey as she went from a girl seeking single-minded revenge to a woman realizing she could dream so much bigger and dismantle an entire broken system. It's terrifying and empowering and majestic and I loved it.

And the female empowerment only continues when looking at the romance aspect of this book. No love triangles or sappy love stories here. Zhao presents us with a polyamorous trio instead and I loved it. There are so many healthy discussions in this book about love, jealousy, and compatibility and it feels like exactly what readers need to hear. This is the romantic story I wish had existed when I was a teen. It's tender and supportive and absolutely flawless.

While the characters, the worldbuilding, and the plot were completely fantastic, there were some stylistic things I struggled with in this book. There was a strange imbalance where some aspects of the world were overexplained while others were severely underexplained. There were also times where something was explained at an awkward time that caused me to be taken out of the story, which can be frustrating as an engaged reader. But I feel like these are all small complaints and ones that I'm sure will improve as Zhao becomes an even stronger writer (because don't misunderstand me - she is already so, so strong!).

Overall, a strong feminist sci-fi debut that doesn't shy away from the tough stuff, instead shining light on it through a lens of raw vengeance, eff the patriarchy vibes, and giant fighting robots. Would absolutely recommend. Cannot wait for the sequel (especially because omg that ending).

Special thanks to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for review.

This? This is a fantasy book. I'm so mad at myself for not reading my eARC sooner. IRON WIDOW grips your attention from the very first few pages and then holds onto it with an iron (ahah) first for the next 400 pages. It is bold, actioned packed, bloody, and is bound to have you at the edge of your seat and unable to put the book down.

Xiran Jay Zhao explores themes of violence, gender, sexuality, and misogyny in their book and they do it fabulously. I am in awe of their writing and sheer capabilities of bringing words to life.

Speaking of sheer capabilities, lets talk about Zetian. Cause miss girl has capabilities.. Her character and power arc is something to behold. Based on China's only female emperor, Zetian is as unhinged as her namesake and I love it.

If you're a fan of Rin from The Poppy War or Adelina from The Young Elites, Zetian is right up your alley.

Will be talking everyone's ear off about this book. Go read it. Now.

The world Wu Zeitan lives in, is a world where women are sacrificed for men to pilot mechas to fight the alien race called Hunduns. It is a constant war. When Zetian’s big sister dies while co-piloting, Wu decides to become a pilot to avenge her death. Will she succeed? The mechas are powered by the life force of the male and female pilot, with the female pilot usually ending up dead. When she is paired with Li Shimin for her copilot, she must figure out how to survive the war and get rid of the patriarchy of her world.

The story is action packed. It offers many views of the women having different experience and different ways to survive their lives. This novel is exciting, sometimes horrible to read, but still I found myself liking thee protagonist. The worldbuilding is explosive. It’s an excellent novel for anyone to read.

This book was full of action and I couldn't put it down! I loved the storyline and the chrysalis "machines". This has potential to be a great conversation starter on many levels. I will recommend to all the sci-fi/fantasy readers out there!

I love vengeance stories. I especially love Asian vengeance stories. This was a vengeance story done well. But it was not just a vengeance story, this story deals with patriarchy and misogyny and even did a trope I normally do not enjoy -polyamory very well. Our protagonist is Wu Zetian who is on a mission to avenge the death of her sister and starts something very powerful in the process. I wish I could explain it better but honestly just read it.
I am also extremely happy that this is not a trilogy but rather a duology.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Beautifully written story. Easy to get lost in. Loved the spin on Asian legend/myth/folklore as well.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves fantasy with lyrical prose.

Iron Widow has a solid premise and, unfortunately, not much else.

I wanted very badly to love this novel, as I enjoyed all of its comp titles and I like what I've seen of Xiran on twitter. But Iron Widow feels a bit like a first rough draft where the writer was just getting the general beats down and not overly paying attention to anything else such as the world building, characterization, or pacing, or even making certain the characters' dialogue doesn't sound exactly the same.

Even accounting for the fact that English isn't Xiran's first language and the differences in storytelling norms between English and Chinese, the writing simply isn't good. It's very blunt, and while maybe that was the point as the novel is entirely in Zetian's POV and she's not a subtle person, I can't be sure about that. We're given no time to really pause and reflect on certain scenes or emotions, which leaves it all feeling shallow. Even Zetian's relationship with her Big Sister, who's the entire driving force behind the events of the novel, barely gets any mention. We're told everything and shown nothing.

It really seems as if the author only had a few scenes crystal clear in their head but had no interest in building the rest of the novel around those scenes in a way that made sense. There are a few bits of the novel that really shine, while the rest are hastily put together and shoved to the side so the author could get to the stuff they actually cared about. I couldn't really tell you a thing about the worldbuilding except that it's a Chinese sci-fi world where boys and girls have to fight aliens called Hunduns, and the girls are basically batteries for the boys and die in the process of the fighting.

Which brings me to Zetian's story: I could not, in any way, believe her arc because it made no sense. Where she ends up at the end of the novel is unbelievable; at several points in the story, she should have been stopped simply because she's about as subtle as a trainwreck on a boat and, frankly, not entirely smart about her plots. Readers looking for a character who manages to play the game intelligently and with subtlety should look elsewhere, because that's very much not Zetian's style, and while I understand that's what Jay Zhao was going for, it doesn't work. At all.

In a way, I think Iron Widow would have benefited incredibly from not being a YA novel--being an adult novel focused on teenage characters instead--and having multiple POVs. Zetian is limited in a lot of ways (including physically--she has bound feet, though at times it seems like Jay Zhao forgot about that, given that it doesn't overly impact Zetian's ability to do things that much) and the middle drags because we can't see how other pieces are being moved, if they're being moved at all. Given how the novel was written, I sort of doubt it; the characters come in when they're needed, do what the plot/Zetian's characterization and arc require them to do, and then leave, as if they don't exist outside of their on-page appearances or have an impact on the world outside of them.

And now my final, biggest issue with the novel: For all that it touts itself as a feminist novel, and for all that Zetian claims she wants to save girls, neither Zetian nor the novel seem to actually like other girls that much. Zetian is a prickly person, so I get that she wouldn't get along with everyone, but the novel itself doesn't treat girls other than Zetian that well. There's a difference between your character having some internalized misogyny issues and the writing backing her up on it by having every female character she encounters either be an enemy or get killed by the end of the novel. I don't require Zetian to never have a bad word to say about other girls or for the novel not to have antagonistic relationships between them, but her scenes with other girls are so scant and overwhelmingly negative. If feminism means only One True Awesome Girl, it's not one I'm interested in.

I did like the way the mecha functions, and I like that the love triangle resolves itself into an actual poly relationship. I wish the rest of the novel had been as good as some of the scenes inside, but unfortunately, it wasn't.

I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

My Rating: 5 Stars

Wow. Wow, wow wow. This book came out of freaking nowhere and hit me like a TRUCK. I literally just finished and I’m trying to gather my wits as I write this review. This was pitched as Pacific Rim meets The Handmaids Tale, and I definitely can see and agree with the comparison. Just…wow. Maybe I should step a way for a moment because I’m honestly still shook as hell from the ending. I can genuinely see that I didn’t see it coming.

Okay, thoughts are semi-composed now and I think I can coherently write a review. First of all Zetian is the kind of MC I wish I’d been lucky enough to read as a teenager. She’s strong, fiercely loyal, and firm in her convictions. The way she grew over the course of the book was perfect because you could see how the relationships she was forming shaped her, but she stayed just as badass and determined.

This book has a polyamorous relationship and it was so incredibly well done. Honestly, once things came together, I couldn’t see the three of them interacting any other way. The way the author wrote them, they just fit.

The mix of history and futuristic sci-fi was incredibly well done, and I loved the dystopian vibes that the book provided. The mental realm and the magic was unique. It took me a while to fully grasp and I can honestly say that I think I have so much left to learn, but I never felt overwhelmed by it, instead I was curious and hungry for more information. I can’t wait to see how things progress in the next book after the whirlwind ending of this first book. Holy crap, I still can’t fully processed everything that happened.

Thank you NetGalley, author Xiran Jay Zhao and publishing companies Penguin Random House Canada and Penguin Teen for providing a copy of Iron Widow for me to review! I first heard about this book from the author on her Youtube channel and I have been looking forward to reading the book ever since her announcement. My expectations were blown away and I have raved about this book to so many of my friends after I finished. If you like sci-fi stories with strong female protagonists, feminism, queerness, and action themes then this book is for you!

The strong female protagonist that I dearly support and root for is Wu Zetian, and she is the second daughter in a strongly patriarchal and traditional Chinese family. The story starts after her older sister gets sold to the army to become a concubine-pilot for a high-level pilot called Yang Guang and her sister dies after the battle. Pilots are soldiers that drive huge robot machines called Chrysalis that are powered by the pilot (all males) and the concubine-pilot's (all females) Qi to fight enemies called Hundun. The army and all of society see concubine-pilot's as essential sacrifices for the war but Wu Zetian sees it as murder. Armed with anger and the need for vengeance, Wu Zetian joins the army as a concubine-pilot but she's not going to go down alone.

I love Wu Zetian's drive, her ability to thrive in chaos, her constant mission to fight for feminism & equality, and her growth as a worthy pilot herself. She doesn't back away from hard choices, doesn't squirm at violence and blood, and can get pretty cold-hearted when it comes to killing and torture. At the same time, she has a soft spot for protecting vulnerable girls and she is capable of romantic love with both genders (so she's not a sociopath yay).

But as much as I support Wu Zetian and her badassery, my favorite character is actually Gao Yizhi. I like his loyalty, steadfastness, and personality. His sexual fluidity was a surprise to me since we don't really know that much about him other than being told he was bi and polyamorous. I feel like the reveal was pretty sudden since the book's setting was so conservative and heteronormative. I hope to learn more about Yizhi in the next book!

Overall I really liked reading the book, I feel like the story is very unique, and I would highly recommend it! Also, I want to mention that I love the Chinese culture and themes in the book and how there were Easter Eggs throughout like mentioning Sun Wukong. It's so fun to see all the lore integrated into a modern sci-fi story. I can't wait for the second book!

Like the promo copy says, it’s like Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid’s Tale, inspired by Chinese history. There’s torture in this book and references to sexual assault. It centers on Xetian Wu, a rural girl fueled by rage and revenge. There's giant robots, murder, intrigue, and patriarchy smashing, I started reading it one evening and nearly stayed up until 2 a.m. to finish it, but convinced myself to do the sensible thing and go to sleep. But it was a close thing. Also, there’s a poly triad in it, which I was not expecting in a teen/ya novel. The one drawback is that it will clearly have a sequel or be a trilogy and there will necessarily be a wait before finding out what happens next.

I loved it. Go read it.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

You’re going to want to snap up a copy of Iron Widow, ASAP. It’s unlike any other YA SFF I’ve read before - feels like a turning point in the genre. What’s more, it’s wickedly entertaining and deliciously binge-worthy. Definitely up there in my top 5 (of 200+) reads from 2021 so far!