Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhou

Ella Vermut, 11th Grade

When I read about an upcoming book by cosplayer and YouTuber Xiran Jay Zhao, billed as "Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid's Tale in a polyamorous reimagining of China's only female emperor," I was skeptical about how this book could possibly deliver on its promised premise. Books by Internet personalities are often over-hyped and disappointing-not to mention that Zhao attempts to juggle queer and Asian representation; sci-fi and historical fiction, and multiple literary tropes-a strong, unlikely female hero, enemies to lovers, and a childhood-best-friend love interest all appear.

I'm here to tell you that despite the odds, despite my preconceptions, Iron Widow pulls it off. 18-year-old Wu Zetian enlists as a concubine-pilot for one of the male pilots of a Chrysalis-a giant transforming mentally-controlled robot designed to battle the Hunduns, giant aliens invading from beyond the Great Wall-to avenge the murder of her sister at his hands. These concubine-pilots are sacrificed after only a few battles; compared to male pilots, women are weaker when it comes to the mental strength of their life force, known as qi. Zetian has long since reconciled with the sacrifice she must make for her revenge. However, in an unprecedented turn of events, she mentally overpowers the male pilot of her Chrysalis, sacrificing him instead, and is labelled an Iron Widow, a female pilot with an extremely high amount of qi. In an attempt to subdue her growing power, she is paired with Li Shimin, a pilot known as the Iron Demon for his exceedingly high number of concubine-pilot sacrifices. But now that Zetian has a foothold in the system she will stop at nothing to dismantle the patriarchy and the institution that sacrifices women for the power of men.

In terms of overall plot, Zhao fits in twists both satisfying and often unpredictable. When I was expecting a turn of events along the lines of Pacific Rim or The Handmaid's Tale, I was pleasantly surprised to find Zhao had fit in clever modifications of their own. The ending in particular had me racing to find out what would happen, and the book ends with a magnificent cliffhanger, the likes of which had me desperately rereading the last few scenes for any clues to that final plot twist I ought to have seen coming. Iron Widow is, at its core, far cleverer than it has any right to be given its premise.

This book would be very different and far less compelling without the perspective of Zetian, whose ruthlessness drives the story forward, her voice memorable and viscerally sharp. She is pragmatic at the best of times and apathetic at her worst, yet under the circumstances she is an ideal protagonist, well-developed and realistic. Her counterparts are the aforementioned Li Shimin and the love interest she leaves behind at home, Gao Yizhi: gentle yet determined, heir to a fortune but a scholar at heart, and unshakably faithful. Hard as it is to create three distinct characters who each serve as a foil for the others while slowly falling in love with one another, Zhao once more pulls it off. The romantic subplot is a breath of fresh air amidst Zhao's literary exploration of misogyny, addiction, and femicide; while a bit predictable, the romance develops naturally and, woven into the major plot points of the story, never feels forced or fallen by the wayside. I found myself wishing for more books that explored polyamorous relationships, and the dynamic opportunities therein.

Its worldbuilding, too, is conceptually quite unique, as would be expected from the premise; however, its execution within the text is somewhat confusing at first read. Crucial information is scattered throughout, so I was simultaneously trying to keep track of the fast-paced plot and the world being described in between. Once I wrapped my head around the world Zhao had created, though, I was amazed at its scope and inventiveness. They combine historical Chinese ideas such as foot-binding and yin and yang with new principles built on that traditional misogyny, such as the pilot system. As the book progresses, and as I developed a better understanding of the world Zhao was weaving, the nation of Huaxia and its fight against the Hunduns came to life.

For all intents and purposes, Iron Widow shouldn't have worked. It packed layered characters, a whirlwind plot, and a genre-bending world into only 400 pages, yet still managed to grab my attention and hold it from start to finish. The sequel can't come soon enough.