Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao – A Book Review

Spoiler-Free Overview

Wu Zetian has spent the eighteen years of her life living in poverty, with a family that sees her only as property to sell or marry off. So, when her big sister is sentenced to that very fate and dies, Zetian decides it’s time for revenge.

Zetian enlists to be a concubine-pilot for the army, aiding young men in piloting their Chrysalises – transforming mega-robots that are used to defend Huaxia against the mindless aliens trying to breach the Great Wall. For Zetian and most girls joining the army, death is almost a guarantee. They’re sacrificed to the male pilots for their qi, used to power the Chrysalises. Only when Zetian is paired with Yang Guang, the same pilot that killed her sister, her mental fortitude surpases his. She kills Yang Guang, getting her vengeance, and earning the feared title of Iron Widow.

In an attempt to control, or even kill Zetian, the army pairs her up with Li Shimin, the strongest pilot who’s only allowed to pilot because of his superior mental strength. Shimin killed his father and brothers, after all, and had been sentenced to death row.

When Zetian survives their first flight in the Vermillion Bird, they are placed together as prisoner-pilots. Only once they get past their prejudices and trauma can they work together to survive the army and help liberate women and girls across Huaxia.

Liz’s Thoughts and Feelings

“A mix between Pacific Rim and The Handmaid’s Tale.”  This is one of the taglines for Iron Widow. Add in a little Attack on Titan and The Hunger Games, and you’ve got it. Zetian is a lot like Katniss if she had more of a revenge plot and was actually okay with killing people for that revenge, which works for me.

The world of this book feels so familiar and yet so alien, as I would expect from any good sci fi book. This reimagining of a futuristic China, with similar concepts like The Great Wall, female suppression (not specific to China, of course), and feet-binding ground this world, so I never felt too out of place, even with the giant robots. Maybe that’s because the concept of the giant Jaeger-like mechs wasn’t new to me, but the political landscape around them felt like a fresh spin on that familiar concept.

Zetian is a compilation of so many YA female protagonists, only written for a more mature audience. Her deep-seated hatred makes sense in the world of oppression. At some point when reading YA, (this happened to me as I got older), one has to wonder why the main characters are still trying to play by the rules instead of just using their power to destroy the system. Well, we get that person in Zetian, who’s ready and willing to take out anyone that’s in her way. But, her goals and her desire to save and free the female pilots is what redeems her bloodlust and calculating nature.

Li Shimin and Yizhi are wonderful partners to Zetian. Shimin wants to live but also hates himself for sacrificing so many female pilots to do so. His internal turmoil and trauma are balanced by Zetian’s zeal for punishing those for their abuse. Yizhi has grown up rich and privileged, but he also sees the world through the eyes and experiences of those around him. He has so much empathy that gives him this warmth that’s impossible to resist.

I do think classifying this as YA is cutting it close. The themes in this book are dark and mature. While that does happen in a lot of YA books, usually it’s coded or seen through a filter. In Iron Widow, we see the nastiness of some of it, including Shimin’s alcoholism, the abuse of women by most of the male characters, and the way the army is just fine with sacrificing teenages and young adults. If we had a New Adult genre, this book would fit it. The style of writing is still YA – fast paced and through a single voice – but the concepts are for a more adult audience.

I don’t want to touch on the romances in this book, because I think that would be a spoiler. However, yes, yes, and more yes. While the romance plot isn’t the main story here, the relationships between these characters are delightful. I’m a bit sad we didn’t get more, truthfully.