Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

Iron Widow Book Review

Rating: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ (2.25 out of 5)

Dominating the most recent poll by 60%, Iron Widow seemed very interesting when I picked it out from the library shelf. Based on the synopsis and its beautiful cover art, I was excited to begin reading. I also recognized the book due to its prominence on social media because the author, Xiran Jay Zhao, is a commentator on YouTube. They went viral for their in depth cultural analysis of Mulan. Set in a sci-fi world inspired by Chinese historical figures, mechas fighting aliens, narrated by a powerful female lead, the book sounded like it was right up my alley. However, the it was poorly executed and I decided to not finish the book. 

When first opening the book, you are thrown into the story with little to no context on the current situation between humans and aliens, besides the fact that there is an ongoing war. Although this may seem like an important aspect of the plot, there is a lack of explanation to why they are fighting, who or what these aliens are and what they look like, and the technology behind the use of the mechas. Throughout the book, the war is forgotten even though the plot heavily relies on the interactions of the characters with the mechas that are used for the battle. The mechas are controlled by male pilots paired with concubines, who are young girls that are often sacrificed and killed to power the robots. It has become accepted in the world and girls that have died are considered honorable to the human cause, yet why it has become this way is barely described in the book. 

The main character, Zetian, was insufferable. When I first began reading, I admired her drive and her desire to change the corrupt and sexist society. She is determined to get revenge on the pilot that was responsible for her sister’s death, a concubine who died in battle. She volunteers herself to be a concubine to get close enough to the pilot to murder him. However, once she has killed him, I thought that her morals became skewed. While it is unclear if Xiran Jay Zhao really wanted to make Zetian a heroic figure from this point on, their writing paints Zetian in a light as a heroine who is changing the system from the inside out for the betterment of the treatment towards women. But everything Zetian does seems unjustified and brutal. She seemed to develop a superiority attitude towards other women and treats them poorly, some of her thoughts even coming off as sexist. This completely contradicted what her character originally strived for. 

She also begins to go on murderous rampages that are unnecessary. If the book was written to paint Zetian in a different light, it could’ve been an epic story of her villain arc. Her interactions with the other characters, Yizhi and Shimin, seemed shallow, especially with Yizhi who had been her friend before she became a concubine. She comes from a low class family while Yizhi comes from a wealthy upper class family and they aren’t supposed to interact with each other. They become friends and Yizhi gives Zetian access to education. However, their relationship is not well developed. There is no context for why Yizhi falls so deeply in love with Zetian and is so willing to help her at the risk of his status. 

Humans are at war with aliens. Using mecha techonology, male pilots use robots with the help of young girls, concubines, to battle the foreign invaders. However, it’s very common for the women to die in the process. Zetian is left devastated when she learns that her sister met the same fate and vows to avenge her. She volunteers herself to become concubine and gets her revenge, killing the second most powerful pilot who responsible for her sister’s death. Labeled the Iron Widow, Zetian is feared by all pilots for her formidable mental ability and is paired with the most powerful pilot, Li Shimin. Zetian faces threats of all kinds but nothing will stop her from putting an end to the corrupt pilot system to prevent the deaths of thousands of young girls. 

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