Iron Widow (Book 1)
Xiran Jay Zhao
Sep 2021 · Iron Widow Book 1 · Penguin Random House Audio · Narrated by Rong Fu
4.7star
62 reviewsreport
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12 hr 14 min
Unabridged
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About this audiobook
An instant #1 New York Times bestseller!
A USA Today bestseller!
Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid's Tale in this blend of Chinese history and mecha science fiction for YA readers.
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.
A USA Today bestseller!
Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid's Tale in this blend of Chinese history and mecha science fiction for YA readers.
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.
Ratings and reviews
4.7
62 reviews
Katherine Knecht
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July 23, 2024
So this author is a brilliant young human. And, this book is targeted towards young adults, and so obviously full grown adults are going to see some missing nuance and maybe be a little bit disappointed by the simplicity of the language. That said, the plot is really great. The character development is a little shallow. But the plot itself introduces elements that are relatively new to young Western readers, and there's a huge amount of potential within the universe that the author creates. I can't wait to see what else they are able to do, and would love to read more stories set in this universe. As the author grows, I think their skill will grow as well. Their YouTube channel is also fantastic. If you're looking for some young adult fiction that definitely transgresses some traditional boundaries and introduces new ideas, you may really enjoy this. It's quite an adventure story. If you're looking for nuance, ambiguity, artistic writing, this may not be for you. I hope their publisher gives them a chance to keep writing. The audiobook is also very well read.
Lydia Starring
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February 24, 2023
I don't know how to explain how much this book absolutely rules and that everyone should check it out immediately. Like I want to write a strongly worded letter to the author about how they have irreparably raised the bar for all future books I read and it's kinda not fair to everyone else because DUUUUUUUUDE
Nikkey Tung
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May 15, 2024
I haven't been reading books in general for a couple of years. But this story has truly captivated me. I felt great joy finishing this book and am excited for the second one to come out.
About the author
XIRAN JAY ZHAO is a first-gen immigrant from small-town China who was raised by the Internet. A recent graduate of Vancouver’s Simon Fraser University, they wrote science fiction and fantasy while they probably should have been studying more about biochemical pathways. You can find them on Twitter for memes, Instagram for cosplays and fancy outfits, and YouTube for long videos about Chinese history and culture. Iron Widow is their first novel.
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