3.5 stars rounded up.

According to Xiran Jay Zhao this story is "Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid's Tale in a polyamorous reimagining of China's only female emperor.”

This is a vengeance fueled, sci-fi, feminists unite, powerhouse of a story. It has a polyamorous relationship over the usual YA love triangle.

Zetian is a peasant girl who’s suffered through the death of her older sister, and painful foot binding. She has been repeated told that her looks are the only thing she has of value to her family. She graphically describes her grandmother breaking the bones in her feet at only five years old. This start to the story helps the readers understand the level of anger Zetian feels. EVERY STEP she takes is a reminder of her worth. I could feel the rage pouring off Zetian throughout the book, she has her own agenda and everyone better get out of her way.

It’s a little confusing, but there are aliens that battle humans in giant mecha-machines. These machines use qi (pronounced “chi”) energy to power them. Young men with high qi ratings are chosen to serve as the pilots for these massive fighting machines. Young women are forced to serve (usually by their families) as concubines and co-pilots...but really they are sacrificed and almost always die. Zetian is chosen as the next co-pilot to share her qi energies with the pilot she’s sworn to kill.

As much as I enjoyed the world building and set-up, the characters felt mostly flat. The only relationship that had some depth was with Yizhi. He’s from a rich family and knows he can’t be with Zetian, yet he cares for her in the only way he can. If Yizhi is the rich, pampered love interest on her left, then Li Shimin, the Iron Demon is the criminal, beast on her right. These two men perfectly balance her. I wish the relationship between Li Shimin and Zetian had been more fleshed out. I also didn’t get much in terms of emotions from Yizhi and Li Shimin. I understand this is YA novel, but there was one tiny paragraph with mention of a m/m relationship. Why do they like each other? Where are the emotions??

While this is a completed story, there a cliffhanger that will lead to the next book.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada, NetGalley, and Xiran Jay Zhao for the ARC to review!

Wow! Iron Widow grabs you with its ferocity, flings you into a historically (Chinese)-inspired futuristic world of fighter mechas piloted by paired young men and women who wield spirit energy & qi, and grabs you by the heart with a polyamorous love triangle. Add in a sustained indictment of the patriarchy that keeps girls down and a story of pure revenge, rage, and power, epic battles worthy of the big screen, and you've got an all-around wild ride. Highly recommended!

First, I would like to Xiran Jay Zhao for writing such a freaking cool novel.
Second, I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read the ARC.

I decided to read Iron Widow two days before I wrote this review, 2 DAYS! I sat down on Day 1 and read half the book without even realizing it. I could not put it down, even when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it. While I didn't care for how the twist was executed, the book really made me think in a way no other book has.

Iron Widow very much follows it's pitch and Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid's Tale. Zetian decides to avenge her sister after her sister is allegedly killed by a pilot. When Zetian finds out the truth of it, she challenges the views and beliefs of a country indoctrinated on believing women do not have nor want automony.

One of the most interesting things about this novel was the dissonance between banned practices, outdated values and modern language. Every time I saw characters speak the way I would, while in this fantastical time period mixed with technology and old practices (some are unfortunately not that old and still here, I use old to convey that they are not progressive), I was jarring and grounding. It was a reminder that the real world is not so different and the way the author conveyed that was outstanding.

The relationships between characters was done in such a cool way. The author does it in a way where they have you understand that it once again challenges the values within the book and outside as well.

Overall, this book was incredible. I was so engrossed, and so much of it was amazing. I wasn't keen on how it ended, I'm curious to see if there will be a sequel and how it will handle the new development.

I think this novel draws the reader into a truly fascinating world, and the storyline is both engaging and interesting. However, I'm a little disappointed by the characterization in this novel, in particular of the protagonist Wu Zetian. From the moment that she is introduced, Zetian is consumed with indignation and rage -- rage towards the pilot that killed her sister, indignation towards the way women are treated by family, as well as by society at large -- to the point that it is unnuanced and underdeveloped over the course of this book. Additionally, although this novel is narrated from the first person, there seems to be a fundamental lack of internal complexity on Zetian's part: the narration rarely delves into Zetian's interiority in any significant way.

Overall, this was a fun, engaging read that could have used a little more character complexity.

I was actually kind of regretful I couldn't power-through this book in one night, because I didn't expect to enjoy something so in your face "Pacific Rim meets Darling in the Franxx". It's not my preferred genre, I'm likely not the target reader, and my only anime viewing experience was the disappointing ending of Darling in the Franxx, which just soured me further about the entire mecha experience.

However, Iron Widow was in the forefront of my thoughts next day and I ended up absolutely devouring the rest of it with the exact energy that our protagonist, the darling Wu Zetian, goes feral on everyone who stands in her way. First in revenge, then in vengeance, finally in ascendance, Xiran Jay Zhao writes anger and honest emotion with more of a realistic tinge than the YA genre expects, and their protagonist isn't afraid of coming across as emotionally rough and raw. I was honestly caught breathless multiple times at how boldly vicious Zetian was, especially in matters of her heart. She's not willing to compromise in either her partners or her goals.

The book hits differently than The Handmaid's Tale comparison, since Zetian was never once taught or told her life was valuable and worthy (and suffers for her defiance while society shakes their heads). But she is so deliciously, vibrantly angry in her resistance and continues on fighting-- despite even her own family teaching Zetian that women are worthless, passive things. I absolutely can see where the Handmaid's flavor comes in.

I've never read a book so accurately and succinctly able to be summarized as "gatekeep, gaslight, and girlboss". Nor exactly read an author who, just like Zetian, takes your preconceived notations of the standard YA love triangle ("girl meets boy, girl meets another boy, girl falls in love with one of the boys, government is overthrown at some point") and dumps it all over the floor ready to be picked up with the enthusiasm of an AO3 author who just watched the season finale of their favorite TV show and thought "I can do better than this."

5/5, will be stalking Goodreads for news on book two.

This book was absolutely epic.

Xiran Jay Zhao has crafted a beautifully brutal world that will sink its claws into you and refuse to let go. She weaved Chinese history into this story so beautifully the end revelation made me scream. I can't believe you've done this to us, honestly.

The way she not only handled the misogyny but portrayed it was so infuriatingly real.
The way she talked about taking control of your own body and your destiny was a thing of beauty.

Xiran Jay Zhao took the love triangle trope and murdered it and I can't thank her enough. A love triangle becoming a polyamorous relationship is all I've ever wanted and now that I have it ill never let it go.

Her characters had strengths and flaws to spare and you could help but love the big three.

This book was so staggeringly amazing I will probably end up buying every single book Xiran Jay Zhao writes. I also wait with bated breath for book two because that ending absolutely destroyed me.

I finished this yesterday and I might have the shortest review for a book yet. Two words. FEMALE. FURY.

Also, we finally get a love triangle that's actually a love triangle and not an acute angle. And no one has to choose. Oh my.

Rating: 4.5/5

I massively enjoyed everything about this book. You cannot go wrong when you blurb a book as "Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid's Tale". READ IT!

currently trying to recover my senses from that mind-blowing epilogue phew.

wow okay, this is one of THE most entertaining books i've read in a while. the plot is fast-paced blazing full speed ahead and i enjoyed that so much, i honestly couldn't stop reading.

pitched as a reimagining of china's only female emperor - in a world ravaged by strange alien monsters that can only be defeated by giant mecha operating under an oppressive patriarchal military system that uses and discards female pilots, an 18 year old girl strives to change everything (and gets two boyfriends along the way as a treat).

wu zetian is a fantastic main character and everything i've ever wanted from unhinged morally grey protagonists - she's ruthless, brutal, rude, unapologetic of her actions, and is determined to achieve her goals no matter what it takes. she stands firmly by her own morals and values and actively questions and challenges society's norms. there's just something so cathartic about a raging female character who wants to destroy everything - needless to say, i loved her.

the worldbuilding is also really cool - it's an interesting mixture of ancient china and modern society with advanced technology and mecha, which worked pretty well for me. i loved the mecha inspired by east asian mythological creatures, it's such a fun concept. also, the battle scenes are so well-written, i could picture them all clearly - plus it felt like reading an action shounen anime which is always a bonus.

no this isn't a perfect book - i could be nitpicky and say i wish some of the side characters and relationships could've been more developed, some of the themes around patriarchy and misogyny felt a bit heavy-handed, the dialogue was a bit awkward at times - BUT none of that takes away from the fact that this is the most fun i've had reading a book in a long time.

i have to say something about the polyamorous love triangle - i do think the romance(s) could've been developed better but i still loved reading it and i want more of this in YA from now on.

overall, super solid sff YA debut and i'm already desperate for the sequel.

I finished it in a day.
AND I LOVED IT.

PLOT
Zetian volunteers to be a co-pilot in a giant mech suit after her big sister dies (having been a pilot herself) and she vows to avenge her sister's death and crush anyone and anything in her path. It was fast-paced and ended on a cliffhanger (beware the dreaded cliffhanger!)

CHARACTERS
Zetian was fully fleshed and strong-willed. She definitely had her teenage moments though. This is a YA book after all and characters are only human. I didn't expect to love Yizhi as much as I did and the tide turned for me when he ran with Zetian and said "You can't kill me, I'm rich!" Shimin was a bit angsty but I liked him too. Reading through other reviews, I can see what they were saying about the relationships developing too fast/or not developing enough to have the characters be together but I didn't mind it. This was no insta-love which I hate. The characters are in an MML relationship triangle. Many of the characters reminded me nostalgically of the Chinese historical dramas I used to watch and love.

WORLDBUILDING
Was present but the book focused on the characters and the action. Do I think it would have been cool for more worldbuilding? Yeah. Do I care because I found the book so great? No.

WRITING
Really quickly to address the other reviews on here. I happened to like the simple writing. It wasn't even simple I would say. It just doesn't come with the flowery nonsense you find in some fantasies and I loved it.

I was sold on this book immediately with the comparison to Pacific Rim. Add in a retelling of badass Emperess to the mix? Amazing! This is a story not for the faint of heart; it does have romance and tender moments but this is about our lead ruthlessly taking what she wants and not being held back by the men of the world. Thoroughly enjoyed this incredible debut!

I normally don't read YA books, but when I heard the premise, I knew I had to read this one. I was especially intrigued by the fact that the love triangle ends in a poly relationship.

When I first started reading, my first thought was 'oh no' because I just could not get into the prologue. The explanation regarding qi felt too info-dumpy, and I was just so uninterested. However, my opinion changed once Zetian's narration took over. I loved her voice and immediately wanted to keep reading. The worldbuilding is also much better at that point, with various aspects about Zetian's world sprinkled throughout. It made me all the more confused by the info-dumpy parts of the prologue. I think this book would be stronger without the prologue, quite frankly.

The pacing was good, and I felt like the romantic relationship was developed well (no insta-love!). Overall, I really enjoyed reading this. However, I did find myself wishing that this had been written as an adult novel instead, as I feel like that might have provided a better arena for the issues that are explored in the novel. Of course, this should be taken with a grain of salt because, like I said, I don't particularly enjoy YA books, and I don't read very many of them.

So this book is ya scifi, it’s pitched as pacific rim meets the handmaids tale. I guess I can see some handmaids tale parallels, but I will say that I don’t think the handmaids tale is a very good book and I think this does MUCH more by way of talking about gender, and misogyny, and patriarchal societies. So if I were you I’d just skip the handmaids tale and read this if that’s what you’re looking for in a book is conversations w on those. This book also combines ancient China (even some real Chinese history, like the main character Wu Zetian is based off chinas only female emperor) combined with futuristic tech, culminating in a badass scifi book that will appeal to much more than a YA audience and I think even those who don’t read scifi typically will appreciate this. The worldbuilding is exquisite.

The very introduction had me hooked.

This book has cybertech beings piloted on the inside by humans, using their life force and this system is designed knowing it will kill women but more on that later because the cyber tech beings are so fucking cool. They can change form, like all your other favorite media featuring this stuff, depending on what the situation calls for. But there’s something so unique and wonderful here with them that xiran has done, that will really leave you breathless. It is epically cool.

The main character Zetian is absolutely fucking ruthless. The government considers her disposable trash right, and she knows this, and towards the beginning of the book they think they’ve disposed of her when in fact she killed one of their prized men. So she looks at them and says “welcome to your nightmare”. She’s absolutely brutal. I would kill for her. Initially her intention is just to get revenge for her sister but then she says you know what? I kinda wanna fucking do more. I wanna burn shit to the ground. It’s a relationship between her and I where like I love her but also, I’m terrified of her and I like it.

Speaking of relationships, let’s talk about the polyamory. It is exquisite. It is divine. I ate that shit up like it was my last meal. There are three of them, zetian the iron widow, li shimin the iron demon and Yizhi who is the sweetest bean of a human. So she is with both of them and the dudes are also each other’s boyfriends. And the LOVE BETWEEN THE THREE OF THEM? The sincerity of it? If you are done with YA love triangles like I am I cannot recommend this highly enough to you. One part of the relationship is like… hate to love. And it’s exquisite. And the other two parts are just fucking wholesome, and when combined OH MY GOD I squealed while reading certain parts of it. Them all being in love with each other comes together so naturally, and it’s not made like a big deal of in a negative way they just have a few simple conversations where things are communicated and they’re all a thing. It was precious.

Yizhi is the brains of the operation, Li Shimin is the muscle, and Zetian is a glorious combination of both. I love the dynamics they all have both together and separately. And the natural build up of trust. Exquisite.

This book talks a LOT about topics like misogyny and gender roles and bodily autonomy violations and honestly I don’t think any other book does it quite like it. It’s phenomenal, and nuanced, and there’s so much depth. The author really did the work to have those conversations and they greatly succeeded.

The end of the book, no spoilers, had me clutching my chest in pain. I cannot believe how it ended and how long we have to wait for the sequel. If you like explosive endings that leave you saying WAIT WHAT and you go back and reread to make sure you read that last thing correctly, yeah, you’re gonna like this.

I received an advance copy from Penguin via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

When I heard about this as "Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid's Tale", I was intrigued. When I saw the cover, I got excited.

This book is going to be catnip for a lot of readers. Wu Zetian has been her family's burden, forced into whatever the men of her life think she should be, often assisted by the women in her family as well. After her sister was sacrificed to the war against the Hundun, Zetian made the choice to enlist as well, applying to be a concubine to the male pilots of the Chrysalises, giant mechanical/magical beasts that fight the invading Hundun forces. The role of concubine is almost guaranteed death, as the male pilots use the concubine's life force to support the Chrysalis in battle. The rare concubine matches her pilot's power, making them a Balanced Match and saving her life. Zetian knows there will be death in her future, but if she can, she wants to kill the pilot who killed her sister as well.

When she is forced to pair with the Iron Demon, a pilot notorious for murdering his family, she assumes that death may come for her outside of the cockpit instead of inside of it. But as the Zetian and her pilot realize the other isn't who they seem, they begin to seek out the secrets of the army, in the hopes of finding the truth behind the need for concubines. And what they find could upend their entire world.

This is SO much fun to read-- Zetian is bold, but carries the trauma of the generations of women before her. She is slow to warm to people, but when she does, amazing things happen. The world is a mix of Tang dynasty China, Pacific Rim's Jaegers, and the proscribed roles of The Handmaid's Tale. While I felt like Zetian is a bit of a The Very Special Chosen One, it didn't detract from my enjoyment. This is going to take Booktok by STORM when it comes out.

If you’re looking for a book with a strong female protagonist, polyamory, and inspiration from Chinese culture, you will absolutely love Iron Widow. I read this book in one sitting I can’t wait for the rest of this series to come out! It did take me a while to get used to the writing style, but once I did I couldn’t put this book down. This was one of my most anticipated fantasy books of 2021 and I was not let down!

I've been excited about Iron Widow since its announcement, but I don't think I was prepared for how much I'd love it. I was in more for the vengeful main character who ends up killing her sister's murderer than the mecha and the dystopia, but the book is so cinematic and action packed, I couldn't put it down. It reminded me of reading the Hunger Games for the first time, because it's that fast-paced, tightly-plotted, and addictive.

The world-building is not as expansive as I thought it would be, but the limited POV and later revelations make that choice understandable, as is the more unsubtly sexist aspects of this society. I could have used fewer on the nose explanations of why something was misogynistic, but I'm also not the target audience for the book, and have to take into consideration how much knowledge about gender I've accrued since I was the target audience for this book.

I can't believe I have to wait until 2022 for the sequel. That was so stupid of me to read this book early, now I have to wait even longer.

Looking for a book with a badass main character? Female empowerment? Tearing down the patriarchy? Inspired by Chinese culture? Polyamory? Battles and fantasy? This is the book for you! This book was such a breath of fresh air, and I am so thankful that I got to read it ahead of it's release. I'm only rating it down a star because it was such a unique world, I sometimes had a hard time understanding descriptions. Definitely check this book out when it releases in September!

One of the top fantasy books of the decade, Xiran Jay Zhao crafts an intricate beautiful world with larger than life characters that will stay in your hearts forever. Zhao is a amazing writer with words that can cut like a knife it’ll be interesting to see how their upcoming middle-grade series and future series flourish under their pen, truly an author to watch this decade and the next

Zeitan is the no holds barred feminist hero we need. This book subverts a number of tropes aggressively. Polyamory in place of a love triangle, strength and harshness in place of kindness and softness. I really enjoyed this book, and yes if you enjoyed Pacific Rim, and are looking for women to break free of their traditional gender roles this is a great read. I did read an ARC of this book, so I imagine some things will be fixed, but some of the writing is clumsy, and it did take me a bit to get into the story. Once I got into the groove of the style though I flew through it in a day. I will be interested to see where the sequel goes!

I really enjoy the author's Youtube rants about various media, so when this book came up at NetGalley I jumped for it.

I spent all yesterday reading when I ought to have been working.

There are certain periods of history that seem, for whatever reason, to bring out amazing personalities in a cluster. The early Tang Dynasty is one of these. Li Shinin and Wu Zetian, cases in point. Xiran Jay Zhao has taken them, and certain aspects of Chinese history (not confined to the Tang) and jumped everything into a post apocalyptic future in which mecha are the center of the fighting force, against the alien invaders, the Hundun. The Chinese gods of mythology seem to be in Heaven (up there), occasionally handing off goodies . . .

There were elements that at first made me look askance: there are some tropes that have become standard in YA publishing these days: first person present tense; the Dread Love Triangle (two hot guys, one bad, one good, plus one angry, destructive heroine). When I saw that the gods are up in heaven occasionally negotiating, I thought, here we go again with the gods-are-really-an-AI trope.

BUT! In this story, it all works. The central relationship had me whooping with glee. The introduction of the gods, along with a twist that I did not see coming, also had me whooping with glee.

This version of Li Shimin is a nineteen year old pilot, post Xuanwu Gate (changed up here, but in essence the same outcome), which results in him being treated like a prisoner when he is not serving as the best mecha pilot in the land. Wu Zetian is his new co-pilot, as women keep dying. Mecha need a female and a male pilot to balance the yin and yang aspects of qi, the power source. Wu Zetian had a secret boyfriend, whom she had to hide lest her family literally kill her for betraying her "purity"--oh, all the nastier aspects of the treatment of women through Chinese history are here, and Wu Zetian rages against them all.

So we've got personality conflicts while a war is running, and beneath it all, the misogynistic cultural substrate. Xiran Jay Zhao jacks the tension line to the max in a way that kept me glued to the pages. I would have liked to see a bit more complexity in our lead males especially, but on the other hand, this is the first book in a series, and I fully expect depth and complexity is coming.

The pacing is absolutely breakneck, the villains are deliciously horrible, the worldbuilding is just. So. Cool. And the tongue-in-cheek additions, like titles of popular novels, or the fact that Sun Wukong was a mecha pilot, had me snickering, the humor breaking the mounting tension in a delightful way.

Xian Jay Zhao is a qilin talent. I can hardly wait for the next volume in this story.

This book was an interesting mix of futuristic sci-fi with historical inspiration. Loved that the main character was a strong, powerful, and interesting female.