Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book so that I could review it!

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year—from the moment it was announced to the cover reveal, I've been so extremely excited to read this and I was beyond happy to get the chance to read it early. And it absolutely did not disappoint in any way at all. History is woven into this novel wonderfully, enhancing the story while also encouraging readers to continue their own research if they were interested. The main protagaonist, Zetian, is delightful in every way and the romance was VERY unexpected but also very welcome, with Zhao putting a twist on the typical love triangle trope. Also, as advertised, it very much does take inspiration from Pacific Rim so fans of that will love this book.

Don't forget to look up trigger warnings before reading this book as some topics do get sensitive at times.

I was given this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a review!

This review will contain spoilers. My rating is 5 stars.

This is everything you could want from a science fiction novel inspired by China’s only female emperor- Wu Zetian.

While it takes a lot of liberties and is obviously not a true historical recounting, it is a brilliant example of the power that woman can hold, even when pushed into a box and forced into submission. Wu is constantly surpassing what anyone ever thought imaginable- even herself. I found myself just eating up every page as she conquered the world, her her own fears, and understanding her emotions and her strength.

People like myself love to read about a brutally strong female lead who breaks the mold of moral qualms, but I also love seeing how Zetian allowed herself to have emotions and saw them as strengths as well. I really enjoyed how love and gender/sex were explored through her journey. Seeing how she challenged every notion and made a new family for herself- one that actually loved and respected her as a human- was beautiful. It’s truly an awe inspiring novel full of rage and power, yet a special brand of softness. Also lgbt polyamory!? We love to see that.

The world was very immersive and interesting to me. The Chrysalis’ are somewhat unique. Though they might resemble other science fiction robots (such as Voltron), they are different in how they operate and the material they are made from. The science behind the way the seats are made for “male” and “female” pilots is as interesting as it was devastating to discover! I also had my suspicion that the planet in the novel was not Earth! The last quarter of the novel was one mind-blowing moment after another!

I’m truly hoping the ending was a set up for a sequel, and I will definitely be reading it as soon as I can if there is one!

I read this 400 page book in one sitting because above everything, it's just so much fun. The Handmaid's Tale comparison is definitely apt but the book never gets overly weighed down by the violent patriarchal structures of the fictional pilot system. Even when the main plot is fuelled by Zetian's fury at this system essentially sacrificing her sister, it stays fast-paced, action-packed and very enjoyable. If you're specifically looking for a story about vengeful women as products of violent misogyny and patriarchy, look no further because Zetian is your girl.

The Pacific Rim comparison is also incredibly accurate; this is a semi-futuristic world where mechs are controlled by dual pilots through a mental connection, but male pilots are given an unlimited amount of concubines who usually die in the process. Zetian survives and in doing so, kills the male pilot who murdered her sister. It kicks off immediately and maintains an incredibly fast pace until the end. The scenes featuring these mechs were so vivid and fun to read. Action sequences felt very epic in scale but kept down to earth by the mental link the pilots are experiencing. Zetian and Li Shimin's dynamic was so interesting in these scenes but also out of them, especially at the beginning and once Yizhi is enfolded into their relationship, I loved it even more. This book does a great job of subverting expectations character-wise and Zetian's stubbornness against Shimin's guilt and Yizhi's devotion was very compelling and I flew through the book because of it.

Their relationship was well built (I did want more scenes of them figuring it out but that's because if you know me, you know I love polyamory negotiation) and managed to stay humorous and loving even when there is so much heavy subject matter tied in. In general, I just really liked a lot the romantic scenes between all of the characters and their individual relationships. The book built really substantial dynamics between Zetian and Shimin and Zetian and Yizhi and I suppose my only complaint would be that we don't see as much depth with Shimin and Yizhi's developing relationship, but that's a result of it being a first person POV and even though it's limited in comparison, their moments still got me.

It's not 5 stars for me because I did feel like some themes were a little heavy-handed and repetitive and as much as I like a theme in a book, I prefer it to be a bit more subtle. I did feel like sometimes the book was trying to hammer home a point that had already been made several times over. It's not a knock on the book objectively because the plot and worldbuilding relies on these themes and it's just a personal preference, but I did notice it. There's also very few women in this book considering the ideas it's presenting. However, I did really like that Zetian was allowed to be angry and vengeful and there's a lot of nuance in the idea of her reclaiming her agency and enacting revenge against men. She understands that it's not a fix to the system, but the book also doesn't patronise her or the reader for wanting that catharsis.

Overall, it's just so much fun with really gut punching ideas about women and a culture that doesn't value them. Twists towards the end also open up the world for an even more exciting sequel and I think if you're anticipating this at all, you won't be disappointed. Finally: I love one man and his name is Li Shimin.

After seeing the gorgeous cover reveal for this sucker, reading the author's super secret weeb-eyes-only review, and looking through their Twitter feed and watching their sass on Youtube, I couldn't WAIT to get my hands on this book. Polyamorous mecha pilots inspired by Darling in the FRANXX written by a Yu-Gi-Oh! fan?????? yes plz give me all of it

But this didn't do it for me, unfortunately.

There is a lot of promising stuff here that's needed in the YA genre right now - raging feminist ideas, angry unapologetic female protags, throwing out the idea of a love triangle in favor of a throuple, giant fucking Digimon mechs, cyberpunk flavoring with a coating of grime and "traditional" world views to lash back against, crazy anime fight scenes. Ugh. I enjoyed the concept of what was happening - like, I guess I enjoyed the bones, but not the meat?

Even though I spent 400 pages with these characters, in this world, I feel like I still don't know them or the world they live in.

I will be eagerly looking forward to what this author creates next, because they have the ideas and concepts DOWN but the actual nuance and world-/character-building were missing for me from this one. But there was fun to be had here and OMG THE FANART FOR THIS ONE IS GOING TO BE OUT OF THIS WORLDDD.

This was one of my most expected books of 2021 and I’m not disappointed at all! I can’t think of anything I didn’t like in this book. The main character, Wu Zetian, is absolutely delightful to read, all the characters (impossible to choose any over the other, they’re all extremely interesting and fun), the romance (the bisexual polyamorous relationship I didn’t know I needed!) and the plot (mind-boggling! I’m not a plot person and I was super into it!) are all equally important and thrilling and the ending left me wanting more immediately! I could not put the book down while I read it (which is why I’m writing the review 04:00AM...). I very much recommend this book and can’t wait for whatever else Zhao publishes!

Coming into 2021, Iron Widow probably topped by ‘Highly Anticipated’ list. Between the absolutely bonkers “summary for weebs” Zhao provides, and their clear passion for Chinese history and culture through their various Twitter threads and Youtube videos, the love and passion put into Iron Widow is very clear. I have a somewhat shaky relationship with YA fantasy, so the months up to now was just me praying, ‘dear god please let me love this book’. And I’m so excited to say I ADORED this book!

As the marketing says, this book is anime as fuck. The mechas vs hundun battles are written so anime in just the best way possible. I got flashbacks to the mecha shows I used to watch, mixed in with some Deca-Dence vibes. I felt like I was reading an anime and it was just glorious.

As for the rest of the worldbuilding, I’m curious to see how it’ll be received. For me, a Chinese-American reading a book inspired by historical China, I’m familiar with the tropes and setting and my brain can easily fill in the gaps of imagination to really populate this world. For Western readers, I’d be really curious to see if the worldbuilding is considered ’empty’ or ‘confusing’ because this really does feel like it was written for an audience familiar with C-Drama setting tropes. That being said, there are so many mysteries and little clues scattered throughout the story that makes the ending sooo exciting. I’m extremely excited to see where book 2 leads. (let my gay dads fight!)

Along the lines of historical inspiration, seeing characters like Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang (actual historical figures + famous characters from Romance of the Three Kingdoms) with Zhuge’s iconic white feathered fan, and seeing Zhao’s personal take on those characters in this sci-fi world was really cool. Love that the west is slowly getting introduced to more Chinese classics. Likewise, I think every historical China inspired story is required to name drop Sun Wukong somewhere in the story and this particular rendition cracked me up because it simultaneously combines his traditional story in Journey to the West with the sheer cultural impact that story has in the millions of remakes and I loved that.

Wu Zetian my queen. I’ve talked before about how much I hate stories that are advertised with a “villanous” protagonist only to have said protag spend most of their time moaning about how they don’t want to be evil and ‘oh no I killed a guy gasp!” Wu Zetian has none of that. I think she’s now the most bloodthirsty YA protagonist I’ve had the fortune of reading and I adore her for it. Wu’s character growth, her bloodthirsty-ness fueled by that anger against the patriarchal society rigging life against the female concubine pilots, makes her one of the most compelling protagonists and determined protagonists. Bring on the corruption arc!

Like Wu, I also really adore her husband (Li Shimin) and boyfriend (Gao Yizhi). Both characters are really compellingly written, with strong determination to see their visions through (likewise, no bemoaning their past actions for a chapter. These are characters that commit.) With these usual setups with Female MC and Childhood friend boy next door Love Interest A and Edgy Dangerous Feral Boy Love interest B, I usually root for B. I was surprised to find that I actually liked A, Yizhi more. Partially because Yizhi isn’t actually that innocent cinnamon roll he first appears to be, partially because Yizhi knows he’s not a warrior, knows he’s not a mecha pilot. He’s a rich boy with too many connections and recognizes and works around those traits. Not sure if Western readers would immediately pick this up but generally in Asian media, tattoos == criminal activity. Also! There’s no competition between the love interests! No petty fights and misplaced anger, just recognition that a single person can hold love for more than one person.

Subversion, so much subversion. Iron Widow takes every popular YA trope and subvert them all. Obviously there’s the poly trio because love triangles are overrated. There’s also that traditional YA ‘big makeover scene’ that just feels different than the usual, ‘oh shit she’s pretty in a dress’ scene. Without going into spoilers, media interaction is an important aspect of this book and part of that media play is making these characters ‘likeable’ to the general public through photoshoots and interviews. As a running theme in this book, Zetian’s attitude is extremely pragmatic, rarely letting herself get caught up in the moment or in the fame and hype. That pragmatism is just so refreshing to see.

If I’m forced to say I disliked something it would be that the book rather bludgeon the reader with the social messaging. The main theme of this book is ‘man, the patriarchy kinda sucks’ and it’s not subtle. I’m generally not a fan of books that really handhold the reader with social messaging, leaving no room for interpretation. However, Zetian is a (justifiably) very angry character and Zhao very visibly translates that anger to the reader, which manages to make this approach work. It’s still not my favorite aspect, but unlike many other books that do this, it fits the character’s personality.

Overall, I rate this book a 5/5. Anime as fuck, seeped in historical Chinese influence, characters, and mythology, and one hell of a power trio! One of the best books of 2021 and I just can’t wait for the sequel

Did someone order a huge batch of morally grey? 'Cause it's here! And when I say 'morally grey,' I mean pretty dark grey!

The reader is thrown right into the action of this Chinese-inspired sci-fi, and I found that I had a bit of a hard time keeping up with all that was happening. But, as the story went on, I quickly found that I was able to start understanding better.

I rather enjoyed this book. It's definitely character-driven, which I like. Wu Zetian is clearly a very angry girl who has no qualms about doing what needs to be done to make things right, no matter the cost. She meets other characters and together they pull each other out of dark places and set out to take over the world.

The book does have queer rep, and it is refreshing to read a story that is entirely based on a non-Western culture.

The one thing that wasn't really for me was the polyamorous relationship, although it definitely didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story. I would definitely pick up the second book when it becomes available, because wow! That ending was something!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the eARC.

Xiran has created a powerful debut book, a character and plot driven story I had too much fun reading

"Welcome to your nightmare."

All that is good in fantasy, Iron Widow delivers tenfold.

I'm really not sure what I can say to urge everyone to read this. Because honestly? This is just one of those things you have to experience for yourself to understand how unbelievably mind-blowingly brilliant it is.

And with that in mind, in no particular order, here are my thoughts:

"Pacific Rim meets the Handmaid's Tale" - Someone read that and tell me there's no way you're not intrigued. I dare you.

Zetian is willing to kill anyone that gets in the way of her revenge. She will take on the patriarchy and she will do it laughing. With her take charge attitude, she won't let anyone stop her from taking over her own destiny. She's the kind of woman anyone would be lucky to have on their side.

“I’m so tired of being a girl.” - You and me both, Zetian.

The romance was sweet and fragile and heartbreaking. We don't have enough healthy polyamorous relationships in YA. Someone remedy that, please.

Give me more East Asian-inspired books. Give. Me.

I love how Xiran Zhao took key figures and setting from Chinese history and made them her own.

Xiran Zhao's writing. *chef's kiss*

THAT. ENDING.

I don't think anyone will ever be ready for what Xiran Zhao has in store for us. In this installment and the next.

"It’s as if I’ve got a cocoon shriveled too tightly around my whole being. If I had my way, I’d exist like that butterfly, giving onlookers no easy way to bind me with a simple label."

"It’s hilarious. Men want us so badly for our bodies, yet hate us so much for our minds."

"Too bad. I am exactly the kind of ice-blooded, rotten-hearted girl he fears I am. And I am fine with that. May he stay unsettled."

"When you cherish someone for how amazing they are, you don’t pluck them from their roots just to watch them wither in your hands. You help them bloom into the incredible thing they’re really meant to be."

I received an ARC via Netgalley to read and review. Quoted excerpt/s may change in the final print.

A bisexual, polyamorous book that tackles gender issues written by a nonbinary Chinese author with a lot of Chinese cultural and historical aspects was everything I didn't know I needed before times of trouble, when Xiran Jay Zhao comes to me speaking words of wisdom. Despite not having explicitly nonbinary characters (as of yet! High hopes for the second volume), there's something intrinsically... trans in the way this story was told and the reimagining of Wu Zetian, the only woman ruler in Chinese history, was portrayed. My own nonbinary identity was an important asset for my understanding and interpretation of this book, an experience I'm glad to have gone through.

"Iron Widow" is both a character driven and a plot driven story, both equally attention grabbing. The analysis on the society, Zetian's efforts to succeed in it while the whole structure she's inserted in is against her, as well as the reflections about family, where the line is drawn between good and bad when choice is an illusion, and the complexity of what's seen as redemption and corruption are groundbreaking.

As for the characters, they're all well rounded and developed, complex enough that you can't fit many of them into a box. Their morality compass is as messy and chaotic as they are, which was a delight to read, and- wow. Just wow. It took me some time to get the hang of it, something that I usually go through at the start of sci-fi and/or fantasy books (it's overwhelming to have an entire world to figure out, which makes everything, basically, kind of confusing), but I promise you it's worth it. It hasn't even been released and I already can barely wait for the next one!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Oh. My. God. This book has literally landed itself into my favorites self. 5 stars, EASILY.

As the description states, Iron Widow is a mix between Pacific Rim and the Handmaid's Tale with plenty of original contributions. It features a bisexual protagonist and a polyamorous romance (f/m/m), which is just. right up my alley, and it's done so well. I love Zetian with my whole heart – she's literally SO great and just doesn't really care about what people think! Originally driven by revenge, she then shifts to toppling down the entire system and starting fresh. And her character arc throughout the novel is just so chef's kiss. And, no spoilers, her two love interests are pretty great too, but she's the star of the show here.

I love both Pacific Rim and the Handmaid's Tale so the plot was a perfect mix of the two. The author does a brilliant job creating a world that is both new and familiar to the reader. The writing is brilliant and I could not stop reading this – I only put it down when I had to sleep and picked it up as soon as I could the next day. I really, really enjoyed this novel and can't wait for the next one. While I was sort of guessing what the ending cliffhanger might be, I didn't exactly figure out what happened until I read it with my own two eyes. How am I supposed to wait until next year for this???

5/5. Needless to say, I'll be buying a physical copy of this book when it officially comes out on September so I can display it on my shelves.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to review this book. That said, this review is based on an uncorrected proof, and details may differ from the final copy.

What I liked: Slightly angry girl goes absolutely feral and we're rooting for her. Polyamorous queer relationships, and east asian lore weaved into a futuristic scifi setting.

What could have gone better: I wish we had more of our Heroine's sister beyond "she's already dead when the book starts and inspires the protagonist to fight" especially because the trope of a woman who dies to inspire the protagonist is criticized in the book.

What I wish would be scrapped: The part of the introduction from a man's point of view. Defeats the whole point of the book and lucky it was short or I would have lost interest completely. If it was rewritten from a media or copilot or family of the copilot's perspective it would be much more gripping. There were also some stray remarks that distracted more than they developed the story, such as the etymology of the word 'wonton' in this world.

Overall, I believe the finished, polished version of this book will be five stars and will rate accordingly.

[This review is on goodreads.]

Maybe I was not the target audience, but it read a bit younger for me! I usually like these type of plots, and can understand why someone would pick this book up of course. Everyone has their own tastes, and I’m starting to understand that a little better.

Of course, I think the messages in this book are super important, and I would love to give this book another read in the future!

Thank you to Netgalley and Oni Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

the official feminist manifesto, it’s true!! it means so much to me that i got to read a science fiction book with bi rep (not to mention mcs are East Asian). this truly was a breath of fresh air; even the romance was untraditional according to our current society’s standards. AND DON’T GET ME STARTED ON THAT PLOT TWIST ?? HELLO ??

i need book 2 in my hands right now.

10000000000/5 stars!

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

That. ENDING.

THAT WAS THE CLIFFHANGER OF ALL CLIFFHANGERS.

Full disclosure, I'm not the biggest sci-fi fan, but Iron Widow has everything I loved, especially my favorite aspects from shounen anime, that it felt like such a niche read - weebs unite!

Without spoiling the plot, the characters fight in Mechas reminiscent of those from Gundam/Code Geass, but aren't sentient during piloting so it's also reminiscent of Attack on Titan (screams SASAGEYO).

The battles play out like a Dragon Ball fight, and the Chrysalis transformations reminded me of Power Rangers/Digimon.

Honestly, if you have no anime background, this will be the wildest read EVER, especially if your idea of sci-fi is "space stuff".

Iron Widow's greatest triumph is its consistency with a specific narrative: FUCK THE PATRIARCHY.

Zetian is probably my favorite female leads of all time. Many books claim to have the "down with the patriarchy" but Xiran Jay truly looked at every aspect of the patriarchy especially the way women perpetuate and enforce men and their power, and the struggle to break free from mental chains placed on your thinking from being raised in such patriarchal societies.

This book is BRUTAL. There's no sugar-coating the horrors these girls face as concubines meant for slaughter... the feet binding Zetian was subjected to by her own family...the overall injustice and inequality that women face to be kept down and beneath the feet of men.

I loved that Zetian grew as a character. That the development was gradual, that she learnt to love her boys, because fighting the patriarchy DOES NOT equate to hating men.

So yes, this is poly, and excellent poly might I add. Our characters came together so organically and at no point did I feel like the MxM pairing was fetishized by Zetian.

So let's talk guys: whew, I can't choose and why should I? Zetian didn't.

Yizhi: ugh, not me thinking he was gonna be the soft pretty scholar boy, when in reality, he was the strongest, mentally that is, incredibly self-assured and open-minded. 50% of why this poly works is because Yizhi laid down his policy at beginning: his heart has no room for jealousy.

And then there's Shimin: the beast, the brute, the convicted murderer, but who turned out to be the soft boy??? Shimin carried so much guilt, and harbored real demons and I just wanted to hug him and tell him he deserves the world, he deserves happiness.

So as a REAL LOVE TRIANGLE, these three balance well. Zetian is like Shimin in many regards, prone to violence and anger and self-doubt, and Yizhi had the world of patience to soothe Shimin, to weather Zetian.

I also honestly loved the world building. Any questions I have, I'm sure will be answered in the next book because that cliffhanger holds SO MUCH POTENTIAL.

Hands down, this is an all time favorite.
I can't believe this is a YA debut.
Anime fans, poly fans, you'll love this to pieces.

TW: mild cursing, violence, gore, attempted rape, alcoholism.

I have received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Have you ever read a book where you wished the main character would just go balls to the wall in their quest for revenge? No redemption arc, no softening towards the enemy, no mercy, only vengeance. Enter Wu Zetian, the feminist nightmare of her horrifically sexist and oppressive society’s dreams.
After volunteering as a concubine pilot to avenge the death of her older sister, Zetian discovers the extent of her inherent power, one that is vital to the war effort against the aliens that threaten her world.
I throughly enjoyed reading this book but wouldn’t say I loved it. The premise is epic and exciting but ultimately the execution fell short of impressive.
While I admired Zetian’s bravery I was frustrated that she is presented as the only female in the entire world who fights back against the patriarchy. All of her allies are male and when she tries to enlist other powerful women to her aid they aren’t interested. I would have loved to see other strong female characters teaming up with Zetian or at least a deeper exploration of why the women don’t feel they can safely rebel.
Another issue I had was that the prose was fairly juvenile at times which pulled me straight out of the story although the battle scenes were very well done.
The society itself is fascinating and I loved the historical Chinese influences woven throughout the narrative. I wish there had been more descriptions of the cities and how things worked because I felt confused about what everything looked like. I also felt like the plot meanders along without a clear destination until the last 10% of the book which is setting up for the next installment. More dedicated world-building earlier on would have been really helpful.
One of my favorite parts of this was the fantastic representation! Not only do we have a non-Western cultural backdrop but we also see diversity in relationships and individual sexuality which I greatly appreciated.
Overall I had fun reading this and feel like it was a great debut by a talented author. I look forward to reading the next one in the series!
Disclaimer: I received this ARC from @netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

16+
The hits:
Poly characters
Lots of trope reversals
The fighting robots
Character arcs
Pacing

The misses:
I wish there were less f words so I could safely shelve for younger students —sex scenes are all off page
I had a hard time visualizing the battles but that’s possibly on me and not the writing.

Wow! Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao is probably one of the most imaginative novels I have read in a while. Right off the bat, I was very intrigued by the idea of incorporating traditional Chinese elements into a futuristic setting. Admittedly, I was a little doubtful of how well these two concepts would mesh, however Zhao's skillful descriptions definitely left me wanting to see more of this world. As for the characters, Zetian's strength and independence surpasses that of many characters that fall within the same genre. Although I cannot say I agree with all of her thought processes, she did make for a very interesting character to read.

“Be their nightmare, Wu Zeitan.”
Iron Widow is one of the most fantastic sci-fi fantasies I’ve read in a long time. Our main character, Zeitan, is not just morally grey- she’s out for vengeance. This book tackles the patriarchy head on with teeth bared and claws out. The pacing of this story is fast, without a moment of lull between plot points.
Considering this book is a debut, I was floored by the merging of culture, sci-fi, and fantasy aspects. It was all incredibly well done.
Generally, I am the first one to hate a cliff-hanger of an ending. However, Zhao cleverly wrapped up the plot and set us up well for the next book. This has me highly anticipating it, while still feeling satisfied with what I got. This was hands down one of the best books I’ve read in 2021, and I can’t wait to see more from this author.
Full review July 19th, 2021

Xiran Jay Zhao chose violence and I, for once, could not be more thrilled. This is an absolutely stunning novel that weaves reimaginings of historical figures such as Wu Zeitan, China's only ruling empress, with sci-fi/space opera concepts like mech suits piloted by qi and (redacted -spoilers). Genre mashups that successfully interweave science and the mystical can be tricky to pull off but when done right, they're often spectacular. THE IRON WIDOW is spectacular.
Coming out of four years of conservatism wherein a group of men and their female allies tried to convince the rest of us that we should revert to our midcentury ways, a novel that started with rebellion and went on a rampage was just... so. Damn. Satisfying. Was I enraged for our protagonist? I was. So many times. But watching her use her mind, develop her skills, find her allies, deprogram... this may be a young adult novel, but even at 42 it made me consider my own habits and wonder if there aren't some responses I should be reframing.
My kids aren't quite ready for this one but I've ordered a copy, despite having read the ARC, for when they are. I can't wait to share it with them.
I had thought THE IRON WIDOW was going to be a one shot but the end felt... primed for a sequel. Now that I've read it, I am most definitely hoping book 2 is already in the works.