Book: Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
Read From: 21st December - 30th December 2021
Rating: 4/5 stars
Summary: The boys of Huaxia dream of the celebrity status that comes with piloting Chrysalises - giant transforming robots that battle the aliens beyond the Great Wall. Their female co-pilots are expected to serve as concubines and sacrifice their lives. When Zetian volunteers as a concubine-pilot, her plan is to assassinate the male pilot responsible for her sister’s death. But when she emerges from the cockpit unscathed after her first battle, she is declared an Iron Widow - the most feared pilot of all. Now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she sets her sights on bigger things. The time has come to stop more girls from being sacrificed.
I had THE BEST time reading this book. I was very apprehensive about picking it up because I’d heard such amazing things and I was scared I wouldn’t like it but... WOW! Easily my favourite book of December, which was such a fabulous way to round off the year with it being my final book of 2021. I don’t even know where to begin with this review, so we are going to take it step by step.
The world building was impeccable! It wasn’t the easiest to get my head around at first, particularly because of the futuristic elements mixed in with the historical elements, but I think that it paid off so well in the end and really enjoyed how the two were blended. I also loved the concept of the chrysalises, it gave off very similar vibes to Gearbreakers which I read back in November and really enjoyed. There was just the right amount of detail - it wasn’t underdeveloped, nor was it needless waffle. This world and everything in it was so vividly imagined, it’s the kind of book you can easily get lost in.
The plot… I’m such a sucker for the whole ‘taking down the oppressive system’ trope (which is definitely not its actual name, but you know exactly what I’m referring to). Iron Widow takes this trope to new levels. I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s an overdone plot, but I think it’s easy to get bored of when you’re reading these kind of books over and over again. But in this book it was done so well and is definitely a stand out for me!
I really enjoyed all of the main characters in this book. Wu Zetian was obviously the star of the show, but if I’m being picky I would have loved to see a little more explanation of where her strong feminist stance came from. I obviously loved how this was depicted on the page, but when considering that she was the only girl in her village with this outlook it would have been nice to see where it stemmed from (although props to her either way, for breaking out of the indoctrination cycle in the first place)! I also loved Yizhi and I found Shimin so easy to love once we started to get to know him. It was also so refreshing to see a polyamorous relationship at play here too, and I really appreciated how this unique take on a fantasy romance didn't overshadow the plot in any way either. It was an amazing sub-plot in its own right that worked so well ALONGSIDE the story, rather than being forced in as an addition. All of the characters balanced each other out really well (in more ways than one, if you know you know) and I definitely won’t be forgetting about them anytime soon!
The way Iron Widow ended definitely sent me reeling but it’s made me all the more excited for the sequel and I can’t wait to see the direction this story takes. This was such a strong debut so to consider that Zhao’s writing will only get better from here on out (if that’s even possible?!), it’s safe to say that I will buy every book they release in future. Please do be mindful of the trigger warnings when going into this book because there are a lot. Other than that, this is a definite recommend from me - such an amazing way to round off my reading year.