Thanks to #Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for providing me a digital ARC of #IronWidow in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, AHHHAHHAHAHAHAH.

Ok, now that that is out of the way. Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao is a fantastic read. As a reader, I tend to prefer lighter and fluffier reads, but I have always loved books based on ancient history (or normal history) with a twist, so discovering this book, I decided to give it a go, and it was so worth it.

Wu Zetian, Li Shimin, and Gao Yizhi would not let me stop reading. They are all fantastic characters, and their romantic relationship is *chef's kiss.* These characters and their relationship with one another are amazing and everything I desire in my romance novels but can never seem to find, so finding them has been a breath of fresh air. I would not consider this a romance novel though. It is pure SciFi and I love it for being that.

While the characters are what kept me, the world build is superb as well. With the giant mech and the aliens they are fighting, that build to a fantastic twist that makes me hungry for more.

I will say there are parts of it that made it hard for me to read in its depictions of how society and people in power abuse those they consider lesser, be it someone of a different race or gender than the ruling class. Despite how hard it was for me to read, I could not put it down and recommend this novel to anyone interested in science fiction and giant mech.

Xiran Jay Zhao, your debut novel, has this Librarians's seal of approval!

This book is so angry and so ready to crush the patriarchy under one giant robot boot and I'm extremely here for it. Like an angry feminist Neon Genesis Evangelion, or the Echo Wife with more giant robots. Wu Zetian is a deliciously vicious protagonist who is done taking shit from the world. She's going to take what she wants and burn anyone who dares to get in her way.

As for romance, this is an antidote to the endemic young adult love triangle. Zetian has two love interests and doesn't need to choose between them. Triangles are, after all, the strongest shape.