Iron Widow is book 1 in this Young/New Adult Science Fantasy series.

4 stars mostly because I didn't get that emotional connection as I did with Zachary Ying, but this story was amazing all the same. Let's see, what can I say about this book?
–Book is very much a feminine rage story through the views of Chinese inspired lenses. The protagonist, Wu Zetian, feels like a character who toes the line between Cersei Lannister and Margery Tyrell from Game of Thrones. Wants to make better the government, but isn't at all afraid to murder and burn things to the ground in order to get there.
–I think calling this a female empowerment book is debatable. Wu Zetian has no women support characters in this book, and when I thought she would have one, the character is, unfortunately, not around enough to call her a friend, and because of what happens in the last act of the book, the impact just wasn't really there for me. Can't explain because spoilers. The only support Wu Zetian really gets is from her two love interests, Yizhi and Shimin. The rest is Wu Zetian experiencing sexism, classism, and racism either toward her, Shimin, and/or other characters throughout the book.
–The polyamorous romance is VERY slow burn. I was actually surprised how long it took for Wu Zetian, Yizhi, AND Shimin to get together. I'm actually not mad about that, I was just surprised because I was expecting before the middle of the book for them to get together.
–The book is, surprisingly, under 400 pages, and I noticed. The reason why I said that is because by the time we get to the last act, the story is suddenly sprinting to the end. Don't get me wrong, the ending was very surprising to me and I seriously can't WAIT to read book 2, but I'm wondering if maybe this book could've benefitted with just a few more chapters to either flesh some characters out and/or pad out the last act.
–Oh! Thanks to the author and their videos on YouTube dissecting Asian inspired stories in media, I did in fact fell down a rabbit whole on the history of Wu Zetian, the first and ONLY female Emperor(there's a reason why Wu Zetian went by Emperor and not Empress, I mean, she did when she was married to two Emperors, but that title went to her once she was able to take the throne after their passing, there's a lot of sexist historians to get through, but she is a very fascinating figure to learn about IMO). This story and world is very much INSPIRED by Ancient China and its history and mecha anime, or Pacific Rim if you don't know what mecha anime is. This isn't a what if story, nor is it an alternate, if anything, that ending made sure of that lol.
I think that's pretty much it. I had a lot more to say than I thought lol, but Iron Widow was a great book and I'm looking forward to reading book 2, Heavenly Tyrant. I seriously hope I preordered it, because I honestly don't remember if I did lol. Guess I'll find out come release day XD

I can’t believe I waited this long to read this book, but I’m also very glad that I won’t have to wait very long for the sequel. This was so much fun. Xiran Jay Zhao perfectly combines Chinese history, scifi chaos, and feminist rage into a compulsively readable novel. It is also exactly what is says it’s going to be, and this is so rare that I have to give Zhao and their team massive credit for that.

Really wonderful concept and hints of incredible world-building, including a GREAT twist at the end… but it’s dragged down by uneven pacing, lack of detail, immature writing style, and jumps in characterization (Zetian’s feelings about Shimin seem to completely change overnight). I’ll continue the series, but can’t recommend it.

I couldn't put this book down! A blending of Chinese history/mythology with Voltron and Hunger Games style sci-fi elements led to a really unique story that still felt familiar to Western sci-fi fans. In a futuristic world bombarded by aliens known as Hundens, male/female pairs pilot giant mechs called Chrisalises. However, the females are concubines to their male counterparts in every sense, including using their life force to power the mechs. After Zetian's sister died as a pilot's concubine, she volunteers to become one as well to enact her revenge. She quickly becomes a powerful pilot in her own right, as an Iron Widow, and decides to enact revenge on the system that sees women as nothing more than objects.

The content of this is adult, but the writing style is YA for a majority of the book. The premise was completed within 100 pages, and I was never clear on Zetian's end goal after that (it was either short-term or vague). The pacing was too fast for me, and I wished we could ahve lingered on specific topics and experiences (i.e.: exploring gender identity). Because it was so fast, I wasn't fully attached to the relationships. However, I was angry when

Li Shimin "died" (thankfully it was a fake out)

. The last quarter of the book was strong because I finally believed in the brutality of Zetian (I kept comparing it to She Who Became the Sun and was disappointed). I was not expecting the twist at the end, and am not sure if I like it or not (it was WILD). Next book will tell me.

This was... an experience. A book that is filled with pure female rage and feminism. A book that shocks you, that makes you angry, sad and happy. An ending making you wish to be able to read the next book INSTANTLY. Still, something was missing for me to give it the full 5 stars. 
I'm looking forward to part 2 and seeing how it will all play out. 

For about the first half of the book I was reminded of The Hunger Games and the Red Rising series. In both, young warriors fight against their own governments. There is no middle class - there’s only the extremely rich and the oppressed poor. The odds are stacked so heavily against the downtrodden that it seems unlikely that they can survive, much less prevail. Then the more I read, the more I was reminded of The Dragon Republic series. That both stories are set in a pseudo-ancient China made that comparison even easier. 

At some point I began appreciating the book for its own merits, the skillful storytelling, character development, and world building. (Isn’t there another term for world building? It sounds so trendy.) In making gender and wealth disparities exciting, the author introduces these important issues to teens who will encounter them later as adults. 

The trio of main characters were likable, albeit cliched, and, especially in the case of Shimin, rendered sympathetic despite their insalubrious backgrounds. I’m looking forward to the sequel which should be out shortly.  

One of my favorite books I have ever read. I'm obsessed with the characters, the story, the world, the dialogue, everything. I will be re-reading this and I cannot wait to read the sequel.