The downside? The female pilots almost never survive more than a single operation. These Chrysalises are piloted by male pilots who have female concubine pilots to partner them, and they pool together their power to operate and weaponize the Chrysalises. Huaxia is faced with almost daily threats from animal-like beings called Hunduns, which it defends against by deploying Chrysalises (basically animalistic versions of Transformers or more Pacific Rim to be exact). Wu Zetian, the eighteen-year-old protagonist, will have you audibly cheering for her, as her no-nonsense attitude, sharp tongue, and non-conformist attitude keep on giving (basically imagine the embodiment of ‘cause, darling, I’m a nightmare dressed like a daydream). At the forefront of the emotions that this book ignites in the reader is the righteous anger at the misogyny the women have to face.Ī book that gets you involved emotionally within the first few chapters is almost certain to be one rollercoaster of a ride. Huaxia (the nation at the center of the story), however, is backward in its treatment of women. Zhao carefully and beautifully blends the two together, resulting in a world that is enthralling to read about. Iron Widow brings to life a world that is paradoxically both futuristic in technology and deeply rooted in ancient traditions.

Xiran Jay Zhao’s young adult novel awes the reader with a reimagined retelling of the only female emperor in Chinese History, Wu Zetian. My Rating – 5 out of 5 Plot Summary (Storyline) – Iron Widow Read the Goodreads Review of Iron Widow here.** This is the first contribution of my co-author to this blog – Spriha, look forward to many more on these pages!**.Book Review – Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao.

Iron maiden xiran jay zhao