Iron Widow

When Iron Widow came up on the list of the list of rejected Hugo Award nominees in the controversy over the Chengdu Worldcon, I figured that I should bump the book further up my reading list (it was already there, it was just further in). Then it became a Sword & Laser book club pick, and I made sure to get ahold of a copy from the library – and I was not disappointed by this book at all, and I’m eagerly looking forward to the sequel.

The premise of Iron Widow is that it follows Wu Zetian – not the version of our world, but a different one (this is extremely loosely inspired by her rise to power), a girl from basically the sticks, who volunteers herself to be the consort of a Chrysalis pilot – someone who supplies qi to the pilot of these shapeshifting mechs so they can fight the monstrous Hundun who attack the country – a position that also puts the consorts at great risk of death, indeed most consorts die. However, Zetian has a secret reason for this – the pilot she wants to be the consort of murdered her sister, and she wants revenge. When she succeeds in her mission, but not in the method she had in mind, she ends up becoming a consort to another pilot, Li Shimen, who has previously killed numerous consorts, but together their qi balance allows them to work together successfully – and in turn overturn the systems of power that seek to victimize them both.

In short, Iron Widow goes – the story moves at a tremendously brisk pace. It’s not so fast that you lose track of the story’s events, and who is doing what to whom and why. However, it’s also tremendously easy for a significant plot beat to also be overshadowed by a slew of other plot beats. By the climax of the novel, there are a string of character deaths that happen with the rapidity of characters getting killed off of the climax of a Tomino-helmed Gundam series, though not in the “Kill-Em-All” Tomino kind of way.

To be clear, I’m not just making the mecha anime comparisons in a “Guy who only watched Boss Baby gets Boss Baby vibes” kind of sense. When I read the description of the piloting system of the Crystalis mechs, my first thought was, “Huh, I’m getting Darling in the Franxx vibes” – and then I reached the acknowledgments at the end of the book and, lo and behold, Darling in the Franxx came up multiple times, in a clear “This book is in dialog with that anime” sense. As someone who wrote a fanzine for several years for the specific objective of, Parent Trap-esque, trying to get Anime & Lit-SF fandom back together again, I had to stifle a squee in the breakroom at work.

Darling in the Franxx was enjoyable, but certainly flawed series – I didn’t dive into it as much at the time in my review, but it was a series that had sexual politics that were certainly problematic – with a focus on heteronormative romantic pairings likely as part of the political push of the Abe government to try to boost the declining birthrate of Japan’s ethnic Japanese population, and thus failed to examine, interrogate, and explore the other aspects of the sexual politics of the world they were creating, and similarly refused to seriously work with the ideas of having different compatible gender pairings than male dominant/female submissive (which, to be clear, is something that at least Goddanar was willing to consider back in the day – so desire to be horny on main is not an excuse). By contrast, author Xiran Jay Zhao clearly went into this having already interrogated these ideas herself, and was willing to incorporate the results of that interrogation into the book – with plenty of room in the upcoming sequels to explore that further.

Also, the character dynamics in the story are great – especially the core trio of Zetian, Shimin, and Zetian’s childhood friend Gao Yizhi, with a few solid supporting characters like strategist Sima Yi. Not to make this “my year of fiction about polyamory”, but the three make for a great polyamorous relationship, and seeing the relationship between the three build throughout the novel is wonderful. How that relationship will go into the second book is… hard to get into without spoilers, but it’s something I’m excited to read about, but also anxious over how it will turn out – which admittedly is probably what Zhao was going for, so Mission Accomplished.

One other thing I also appreciated – a thing that bugged me about She Who Became The Sun is that it was a fantasy novel heavily inspired by Chinese history that wasn’t really willing to interrogate some serious aspects of it – because the focus was on overthrowing the Mongol government (referred to as the Hu Dynasty, instead of the historical dynastic name of the Yuan dynasty) – so there’s no consideration of the thought that historical China, being an Empire, was generally often in the process of, to use the modern parlance, “Doing an Imperialism”, and the barbarians attacking at their borders were just as often peoples seeking to resist conquest as those seeking to raid and conquer, and in the process, reiterated old stereotypes that basically lead to the Mongols being written like stereotypical Orcs (in the ways that some interpretations of Orcs by Western authors are written like stereotypical Mongols). Instead, Iron Widow through the back half of this story also interrogates the romanticization of Imperial Chinese history – calling out that the country, through its surrogate in this novel, was an empire, and did the things that we justly and rightly call out other historical empires as having done, whether in the form of the brutal subjugation of peoples (particularly ethnic minorities), and using the satellite areas of the nation for resource extraction for the wealthier imperial core. That crap happens in the world of this novel, and it’s one of the numerous injustices (including the heavy institutional misogyny that kicks off the story) that Zetian is seeking to overthrow.

It made for a novel that I enjoyed immensely, and I’m eagerly looking forward to the sequel. Also, with how well this book turned out with Zhao riffing on Darling in the Franxx, there’s a chunk of me that really hopes she watched Getter Robo or Gurren Lagann, because there’s a bit of that I’d be interested to see if she riffs on in a future book.

Interesting subversion of certain tropes and well crafted telegraphing. It didn't hit quite right for me, probably because I'm currently in an argument with the "special boy/girl" model of fantasy.

I loved the machines and the battles! The description of the machines and how they work was exciting. I loved seeing the pictures of the machines on her website. I loved picturing the battles between the machines and the ways that they used qi. I also liked how see what is going on in their minds while they are battling. I enjoyed the character development as well. Zetian has to change her mind about a couple people as she learns more about them. Li has to learn to open up to people. And we learn that so many leaders are awful! It is a great set up for a sci-fi world.
Some of the points that the author was making about society were a little too on the nose. I liked the commentary and points at first, but at other times it took me out of the story. The romance was a slow burn and I liked that. I'm not quite sure how it will be going forward. The ending was a huge twist and definitely leaves Zetian with quite a dilemma going forward.

From almost the beginning I realized where the story was going and what the big reveals might be, so I had a harder time staying focused. But I still loved some of the real character and lifestyle flaws and the underlying systemic issues.

This is certainly a Young Adult type of story, with a budding romance between characters throughout. 

Pretty damn awesome. It's got serious Pacific Rim vibes, but much more culturally sophisticated, using Chinese mythological elements, and the main character - despite being based (very) loosely on a Chinese Empress - is unpredictable and fierce. The action is constant, and the end was VERY cool.

Put simply, it checked all my boxes for what makes a badass story. I think my only holdback from a 5 star review was that aside from being super-cool, I didn't get much out from it. The relationships in the story were pretty unique, and the cast was good, but character-wise, it felt more like watching a movie than getting to know them. And while it was very emotive, I noticed more than felt the emotions... Except the emotion of "oh damn, that was badass."

I'd say with about half the trilogies or series starters I read, I leave it at that whether I like it or not, but in this case, I am DEFINITELY reading the sequel. Sometimes you need a fast-paced action story with crazy twists, and this delivered that in spades.

Pazzesco, stupendo, spettacolare, meraviglioso, sublime, splendido, incredibile, eccezionale.

L'unico motivo per cui non ho dato 5 stelle è che ho faticato ad abituarmi all'ambientazione e ho trovato alcune parti - specie nella seconda metà - molto affrettate e i temi della storia leggermente ridondanti (voglio dire, dette le cose un paio di volte non c'è bisogno di ripeterle a ogni capitolo). Ma per il resto assolutamente perfetto, emozionante e coinvolgente. 

2*

Wu Zetian sets out to avenge her sister's murder and bring down the (very violent) patriarchy.

I don't care what the marketing of this book says, it's not feminism.

Wu Zetian's methods involve manipulation, violence, torture, murder... Valuing absolutely no one around her (least of all her fellow female pilots) except for the two young men that take up the other spots in her little love triangle ??? also two of the four male characters that she depends on to reach her goals. Not one single woman is a good example of feminism in this book. I love the ruthless rampage ??? but it's not feminism.

What else...

The worldbuilding is sloppy. Why is there a war and who/what are these enemies called Hunduns? The battle scenes are disorienting af.

So many plot events feel added because the destination requires it, not because it's the natural course.

That chunk in the middle with the teenage angst and love triangle stuff? Phew... Why...

I don't sound very happy about this book, do I? I'm really frustrated because I really love the beginning, and I love the big plot twist at the end, but everything in between is a bit of mess, if I must be honest.

After many discussions with myself I could be persuaded to raise this to 3 stars if Wu Zetian' story is a Villain in the making. I do love my anti heros :)

And the ironic punch line?
I'm happy I read it. Even if I'm not entirely happy with the experience.

I read it because I saw the author on tiktok talk about introducing polyamoury. I'm not poly myself but I think it's really cool for it to be accepted as legitimate. I thought this was so fun and I loved the world she built. You do have to accept the world as it is rather than think too much into it. It's a different universe, so things don't make sense the way they would in our universe. I also don't agree with other critical reviews about the violent nature of the protagonist. Thoughtout history, violence has been necessary to enact change and while I hope we can rise above that in the modern age, this is fantasy/sci-fi about a world in dire need of change. The violence suits it. I think it would have seem fake if the protagonist managed to play nice with her oppressors.

All I can say is: read this book.

It's badass, unapologetic, and somewhat awe-inspiring. I did not see that ending coming.

It's feminist, explores polyamory, and is sensitive about (yet not shy of) topics such as suicide and abuse. It's entertaining and is a must for fans of Anime and Sci-Fi.

I loved everything about this book!!! The overall concept reminded me of Avatar: The Last Airbender and Pacific Rim with a feminist undertone. The main character was a kickass woman who refused to conform to societal expectations and she wasn't afraid to do what she needed to do to get what she wants. And the twist at the end!!!!! Absolutely impeccable.





Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada, Penguin Teen, and NetGalley for providing me with an eBook copy to review.

El principio me encantó. Me metió dentro de la historia y no podía parar de leerlo. Hasta que se convierte en piloto. Entonces las historia se vuelve predecible y repetitiva.
Ella me dejo de preocupar, entiendo el deseo de que ella no sea la “típica protagonista” donde al final tiene un gran corazón y perdona, sino que se convierta en alguien vengativa. Pero creo que no llegas a empatizar con su sed de venganza porque se vuelve bastante (a falta de otra mejor palabra) ridículo. Por ejemplo. Ella quiere salvar a las mujeres porque son tomadas por el ejército como meros instrumentos, sin embargo esta empatia hacia las mujeres, su sororidad, no existe frente a su familia. Es cierto que en un momento piensa que su madre y abuela son fruto de su educación, pero a los 3 capítulos se le olvida y vuelve a odiarlas.
No se, esperaba mucho más viendo la primera parte.

Otra cosa, ¿puede alguien explicarme porque desaparecen las escenas de sexo? Supongo que es para que el libro llegue a una mayor audiencia, pero realmente creo que en este caso donde la virginidad de las mujeres es un factor tan importante y usado por todos, no poner esa escena donde ella toma las riendas y nos lo dejan en el aire, me parece una mala elección por parte de la editorial. No digo que sea gráfico, pero hay muchas formas de representar una escena de sexo, pudiendo ser educativa.

Puntos positivos: representación de relaciones no monógamas, protagonista con discapacidad física que sigue siendo la puta ama, y abrir un debate de como la mitad de la población es considerada como escoria (debate muy interesante)

El final me dejó en shock

In a world with an invading alien race and giant mech chrisalises that are run by the power of a boy and girl pairing, where the girl usually dies, Zetian finds herself on a revenge quest to kill the boy that is responsible for her sister's death. However, when she succeeds at this and finds uot she is increidbly strong, she becomes known as the Iron Widow. She gets paired with a boy who murdered his entire family, but is stronger than anyone has been in generations. When that still doesn't kill her, she does her best to start a revolution to free girls from their captivity. What follows is a fast paced, emotional debut novel.

I really liked our main character, Zetian. I felt like her anger resonated with me throughout much of the book. Her quest for vengeance against the people that have held women down using fear and physical violence felt warranted and real. However, this books prose was definitely a little in your face and felt like it lacked nuance. All the information that the reader gets is just given. There's no subtlety. Also, some of the dialogue felt childish. The relationships, while very insta-lovey, had enough chemistry and interest within them that I didn't mind all that much. Towards the end of the book, I felt like everything kind of went off the rails. I didn't really understand how the mechs worked as much, so a lot of the battle scenes I felt lost in. There were certain scenes I loved, then there were other scenes that I found myself either bored or bewildered. The ending was intense and suspenseful, so I will be picking up the second. Hopefully the second is a little more carefully crafted so that the interesting story matches up to the prose.

I would recommend this book to people looking for a badass heroine fighting the patriarchy. Also, there's a polyamorous relationship. Need I say more?

TW: misogyny, femicide, rape mentioned, physical and emotional abuse, suicidal ideation, alcoholism, blood & gore depiction, murder, torture

Good YA fantasy, would've loved to read this when I was 15...unfortunately it doesn't work as much for me nowadays

Цікава історія зі швидким розвитком сюжету, але, як на мій смак, занадто прісне виконання, більше схоже на сценарій до фільму, ніж на книгу.
1) Під час читання не відчувалася хімія між головними героями, їхня взаємодія часто була якоюсь натягнутою і штучною. Більше емоцій відчувалося між Їджі і Лі Шимінем, ніж між ними і Дзетянь. Особливо це прослідковується в сцені, де герої сидять зі сплетеними руками біля ліжка постраждалої героїні.

DNA at 45%

I really wanted to love this book. The premise, which promised a “blend of Chinese history and mecha science fiction” sounded really intriguing and promising. I felt that the pacing was kinda off, sometimes it felt fast other times it felt slow. I also felt like the author was trying to do too many things at once. Also, the romance was really underwhelming for me, I just didn't understand it. I'm SOO upset about this because I honestly was so excited to read this. I might try this again in a couple of months but I'm not sure.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was mostly amazing. The only trubble for me is the ending.
She got an almost evil feeling over her after she woke the dragon. I could not make any sence of this. And that they wern't on the earth also make little sence and just came out of the blue for me.
That is why this book does not get 5 stars. The 2-3 last chapters ruined it for me

Havia visto muita gente falando muito bem desse livro, assim como estava com um grande interesse de lê-lo pela quantidade de vezes que vi pessoas fazendo propaganda, mas, honestamente, a leitura não foi tão agradável quanto eu esperava.

Este livro promete muito e, num geral, entrega pouco. Com uma criação de mundo confusa e personagens pouco cativantes, eu demorei mais do que gostaria para me situar na história. Acho que ê autore tinha muitas ideias boas, muitas mesmo, e não soube como utilizar nenhuma delas, fazendo o livro parecer um amontoado de prompts de escrita unidas por conectores e uma finalidade em comum.

O desenvolvimento dos personagens é fraco, sendo que muito do que acontece é tão rápido e sem sentido que eu nem fiquei com o gostinho de “quero mais”. A personagem principal é especialmente irritante e toma decisões que eu não conseguia compreender, além de parecer um tanto quanto deslocada em toda a construção de mundo - sei que ela era para ser um ponto de divergência, mas não acho que o modo como tenha sido construída seja muito crível.

No geral, é um livro muito confuso, com muitas ideias boas que parecem nunca se concretizarem. Talvez seja uma questão de ser o primeiro livro de Xiran Zhao, então pretendo dar uma chance para a continuação.

That ending though

I skipped the first several chapters, too much detail on the abuse of women for my taste and in hindsight didn't really add to the storyline other than providing 'See how much better her life is now, compared to the start?'

For most of the first half of the book I kept seeing hints at veering off to a focus on young adult trials and tribulations but was pleasantly surprised to see the plot didn't go too far down those roads.

Good action, interesting characters, some interesting concepts to stretch my view, overall an enjoyable read.

writing wasnt the best , it got a little crink at times but i super enjoyed this book

only thing im confused about is Yizhi at the end is like omg we're not natives of this planet the hundun are like wut where did that come from LOL

I might not have picked this up if it weren't for Anna's strong recommendation but WHEW it SLAPS, this is the feminist fury I needed! The smashing of love triangles! Exquisite!!!! Sequel when???

 This one's a tad confusing for me. There are a lot of things I dislike about this book, but despite that it just has this vibe to it that kept me turning the page. That's vague I realize, but it is what it is. For starter's I actually like the main character. I mean she's very dislikeable, an anti-hero type for sure, but all her cognitive dissonance, rough edges, lack of empathy and sympathy and times...make sense to me given her life experiences. Life hits hard and it can really mess you up and I think she is the epitome of that.

The commentary on gender identity, the take on romance, and robots fighting monsters. There was a lot to like there. The big problem with the story for me is within the writing. The tendency to explain with info dumps rather than show, but yet on other hand at times be missing integral details important to character motivations or plot advancement.

The near insta-love between characters or the fact that every other woman but Zetian are painted in an incredibly petty and poor light were also sore thumbs for me. And finally the dialogue. It came off as very juvenile. Now maybe that's just me getting old, but given the setting for this novel you wouldn't expect internet slang and meme type language, but it's there in spades. Things like “You're the baddest of the bad boys. The ultimate alpha male” and other such one liner's. I would laugh in someone's face if they ever said anything half as cringy unironically. Can you even imagine?

But despite this long list of complaints, I was still engaged which is quite something. I can understand how someone could be fully immersed in this book. For me I'd say if the author's writing ever catches up to their creativeness, look out! 

I have mixed feelings about this book. The plot and premise is interesting, I love that Zetian doesn't stray from her path of vengeance, and it's a quick read. I also appreciated the true love triangle (not like most love Vs out there) and random jabs of humor from Shimin and Zetian. I didn't like the writing style or the oversimplified character development. It all felt very face value and lacked the complexity and depth that I look for in books.

I'll keep reading the series to see what happens next, but I'm in no rush.

That was a wild ride! So many twists and turns, and all of it excellent!!
I'm seriously going to have to bother this author on Instagram about a sequel !!