Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher (through NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Title: Iron Widow
(Iron Widow #1)
Author: Xiran Jay Zhao
Published: 21. September 2021
Edition:
ebook, pages
Genre: Fantasy | Science Fiction | Historical Fiction
Summary:
The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the mecha aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall. It doesn’t matter that the girls often die from the mental strain.
When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it’s to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister’s death. But she gets her vengeance in a way nobody expected—she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is labeled an Iron Widow, a much-feared and much-silenced kind of female pilot who can sacrifice boys to power up Chrysalises instead.
To tame her unnerving yet invaluable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest and most controversial male pilot in Huaxia. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will miss no opportunity to leverage their combined might and infamy to survive attempt after attempt on her life, until she can figure out exactly why the pilot system works in its misogynist way—and stop more girls from being sacrificed.
◄ 4.5 OUT OF 5 STARS ►
I was very exited to read this book, since I follow the author online and I have heard them talk about this book a bit. From that point on I was interested in reading this book and it didn’t disappoint. I’m very much looking forward to the sequel, as I definitely want more from the characters and the world. But let me not get ahead of myself, I need to write my thoughts about this book first.
THE WORLD: I have never read a book that features mecha, even though I’ve watched quite a few anime about them. So that was quite interesting and I enjoyed learning more about them and why they are needed to protect the world. Another interesting thing about the world is that it’s inspired by Chinese history and the only female Chinese emperor. The combination of advanced technology and elements of Chinese history has been fascinating to read about.
THE CHARACTERS: Probably my favourite aspect of this novel. I adored all three of the main characters, though Zetian remained my favourite. I loved how headstrong she was and how much she was willing to do to get her way. I enjoyed her as the main character and I loved seeing her grow throughout the story. The two male main characters were interesting as well, I loved learning about them. One of my favourite aspects of the novel is the relationship between the three main characters, I adored seeing it form. They all come from different backgrounds, with different struggles, and it was wonderful seeing them understand each other and come together to achieve their goals.
THE STORY: I enjoyed the plot, as I always enjoy following people who are going against the norm of the world that they live in. I need to mention that this book contains quite a few heavy scenes that were hard to read – so I would advise you to look up trigger warnings for this book. Towards the middle of the book I felt like the pacing was very slow. It just felt like some unnecessary things were happening, which is also why I couldn’t give this book the full five stars. It just brought me out of the story.
OVERALL: I very much enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more works from this author in the future.
anaelwyn 