Iron Widow

I really enjoyed 'Iron Widow.' The female lead is incredibly strong and relatable, and her character development felt genuine. The surprise elements in the plot kept me hooked, and I'm eagerly looking forward to the next book in the series. If you like strong female characters and engaging stories, this book is worth a read.

Content warning for sexual violence, violence, assault, abuse, suicidal ideation, alcohol addiction, torture, and related topics. I really enjoyed this book! The worldbuilding is incredible, so much was done to place us there. I had questions still, but that's more a reflection of the control of information available to the protagonist. I liked Zetian, but she is very 'not other girls, she's the only feminist here' at times. She definitely got the most characterization out of any female characters. I would have liked a little less action/new plot points in the middle and more time to reflect on what's going on. But the cliffhanger is wonderful and I'd read the next one!

I didn't care for the love triangle thing going on, but I loved the characters and the story. Can't wait for the next book

Very interesting world building!

Imagine an alternate sci-fi world with characters inspired by historical figures from across Chinese history. There is a society with the fashion, social customs and beliefs of Ancient China, but futuristic tech to fight their extraterrestrial invaders – the Hunduns – with giant mechas that take on forms inspired by mythical East Asian creatures. The main character is Zetian, an 18-year-old who offers herself up as a concubine pilot just to have the chance to assassinate the male pilot responsible for her sister’s death. But when her vengeance goes in a way nobody expected, she also gets more time to figure out exactly why the pilot system works in its misogynist way—and stop more girls from being sacrificed. Sci-fi world, Ancient China, futurist tech, giant mechas, a badass heroine, a feminist plot. Everything sounds great, right? Well, I certainly had fun reading it. I was really on the edge of my seat the entire time. And I love how Xiran bends the love triangle trope to something much more interesting (no spoilers, but it is juicy!). So, I obviously recommend it, especially if you want something fast-paced and addictive that also addresses important themes, such as the patriarchy and the gender roles that every society tries to enforce. But I have to say, even though I absolutely enjoyed this story, I know Zetian is not a consensual main character, and also not as feminist as she is portrayed to be: she is not a great supporter of women, since she judges and belittles them for their ‘bad choices’ (choices that they are, in a way or another, forced to take) and, despite her main objective being to avenge her sister's death, she ends up consumed by a worrying thirst for power. Besides that, worldbuilding is underdeveloped. We know humans are fighting Hunduns, but we don’t know where they come from, what they are like, or what they really want. I don’t mind being thrown into the story, but there was a lack of imagery. We don’t really get time to marinade in the universe or to understand it and the people who live in it. I wanted more in that regard and I am hopeful I will get it on the sequel, but it is a shame it was not there right away. It is a debut, so I can cut Xiran some slack. With that said, why give it five stars? Because this is a blockbuster action movie in book form. No, it is not the feminist tale I was expecting, but it certainly delivers as a kickass villain’s origin story. And it was hella entertaining.