Week 51 Review: Iron Widow

From Goodreads:

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. 

My first review of Iron Widow
My Review:

I had such a great time reading this book again! I loved it the first time, and I was looking forward to rereading it, because I had to before reading book 2, which is coming out next week. I loved reading it the first time, and it was just as good this time!

This book is feminine rage, at this world that sacrificing girls for guys, and it is just infuriating! The secret that they found out about the different settings for the seats of the Chrysalises, it boils my blood! The whole system was awful, and I'm glad that she tore it down! 

Zetian would love if she wasn't a girl, it's made her life so much harder than it would've been if she'd been born a boy, and she doesn't feel particularly attached to the parts of her that make her a girl. But that's just what the world sees, a girl, with no power, and no worth except to help her family, and everyone in her life besides herself. Nope! 

Oh, but I loved the love triangle in this book, because it actually is a triangle, with a bond between all 3 members, instead of a love V. They had their different strengths and weaknesses, and worked so well together! But with the ending of this book, I don't know what their future holds, and I need to find out! 

Loved reading this book and I can't wait for Heavenly Tyrant! 

Author: Xiran Jay Zhao
Series: Iron Widow #1
First Read: September 23rd, 2022
Read: December 18th, 2024
Source: Own
Reason Why: Sounded really great, and it's a DAC Book and a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2024 Book! 
Publisher: Penguin Teen
Published: September 21st 2021

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars