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Iron Widow (Book 1)

Iron Widow: Book #1

by Xiran Jay Zhao

Narrator Rong Fu

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Length 12 hours 13 minutes

Language English

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Bookseller recommendation

“This book was amazing, brutal, unique, and horrific. The audio book was absolutely fantastic. There was so much representation and so many difficult topics and situations handled really well. The characters are extremely morally grey but it made it so intriguing to never know what they were going to do next. I will definitely be recommending this book!”
— Lauren • Schuler Books

Bookseller recommendation

“Iron Widow is addictive, non-stop, and insane! I LOVE this book so much! Take control of your life. Take control of your body. Make the patriarchy pay through blood and vengeance! This alt-reality world mixes Chinese culture and Pacific Rim, with addictive action, complex characters, and an unstoppable fury. Zetian wants revenge and will bring everything down to achieve it. No one, not men nor monsters, can stand against her will and determination. I can't stop thinking about this book! When are we getting book two?? “But I have no faith in love. Love cannot save me. I choose vengeance.””
— Anna • The Well-Read Moose

Bookseller recommendation

“Bloodthirsty and tender, full of power, powerlessness, and determination, I could hear Wu Zetian roaring her vengeance call long after I finished this thrilling sci-fi masterpiece.”
— Miriasha • Phoenix Books

Bookseller recommendation

“A young woman still reeling from the loss of her sister in a horribly unequal society based around defending themselves from an alien threat sets readers up for a whirlwind of an adventure as Zetian seeks both revenge and a way to keep other women from falling to the same fate her sister did. Power and privilege afforded to gender are both explored and taken advantage of in a world where women magic-users are named and judged based only on what they can add to their male partners, but the story is never as simple as it seems at first. The conclusions we reach are as dazzling and wondrous as the settings we visit!”
— Eric • CoffeeTree Books

Bookseller recommendation

“Iron Widow is the feminist bloodthirsty rage antihero fantasy saga of my DREAMS! Pacific Rim meets The Hunger Games. Much like in the movie Pacific Rim, as our protagonist, Zetian is mentally co-piloting gigantic transforming mechas that humanity is relying on to battle massive aliens come to dominate the planet. And much like in The Hunger Games, Zetian is drawn into the fight because of a sister - instead of volunteering as tribute, she enlists to avenge her sister's death. Zetian, also finds herself in a sticky love triangle much like Katniss but the outcome is refreshingly unexpected. Where Katniss was a reluctant hero, Zeitian is mad as hell and not going to take it anymore. Everyone beware! Fast paced and engrossing! One of my top five books of 2023. ”
— Zinna • A Great Good Place for Books

Bookseller recommendation

“Iron Widow is such a cinematic blockbuster of a book, with an inventive setting, sci-fi action, great characters, and excellent romance. I listened to it through Libro.fm, and now I’m counting down the days until the sequel. ”
— RJ • Parnassus Books

Bookseller recommendation

“Weld together the righteous feminist anger of The Handmaid’s Tale, the media-saturated high-stakes battles of the Hunger Games, and the giant robot vs monster action sequences of Pacific Rim but turn the volume ALL THE WAY UP on the rage and revenge, throw a wrench in the classic love triangle, and build it all on a foundation of Chinese history and lore, and you'll get this fierce, exhilarating young adult novel, sure to knock the breath right out of you! ”
— Megan • Underground Books

Summary
About the author

#5 in Bestselling YA Fiction Audiobooks

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.

Science Fiction YA Fiction

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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Audiobook details

Author:
Xiran Jay Zhao

Narrator:
Rong Fu

ISBN:
9780735269965

Length:
12 hours 13 minutes

Language:
English

Publisher:
Tundra Book Group

Publication date:
September 21, 2021

Edition:
Unabridged

Libro.fm rank:
#367 Overall

Genre rank:
#5 in YA Fiction

Reviews

Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller!

An Amazon Editors’ Pick for Best Young Adult
An Amazon Editors' Pick for Best Science Fiction and Fantasy
A Polygon Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Book of 2021
An Indigo #1 Teen Book of the Year
An Indigo Best Teen Book (2021)
An Indigo Best Teen Sci-Fi & Fantasy Book (2021)
A Barnes & Noble's Best YA Fantasy & Adventure of 2021
A New York Public Library Best Book for Teens (2021)
A Canadian Children's Book Centre Favourite Book of the Year (2021)
A Boston Globe Best Book of 2021
A Cultured Vultures’ “21 Best Books Of 2021”
One of Book Riot's "20 best science fiction books of all time"

A 2021 Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee, Best Young Adult & Science Fiction
Nominated for the Science Fiction Writers of America's Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction

"The action-packed plot, involving battles both physical and mental, is original and incorporates queer themes and Zetian’s unwavering, cathartic feminism." —Kirkus Reviews

"[This] duology opener will appeal to those seeking high-energy, feminist, queer narratives." —Publishers Weekly

"[An] incredible novel, fun and exciting, sometimes horrible to read, but in all the ways that make you fall in love with a character." —Tor Online

"Iron Widow is an exciting, action-packed sci-fi story and a scathing indictment of patriarchal culture." —Shelf Awareness

"This novel will shock readers with its mind-blowing denouement." —CM: Canadian Review of Materials

"Iron Widow is a groundbreaking YA novel." —The Oxford Student

"Zhao has done an impeccable job at developing a totally shippable polyamorous relationship." —The Strand

"Like its ferocious heroine, Iron Widow is brutal, bloodthirsty, and full of rage. Zetian's fight to shatter patriarchal definitions of power makes for a truly thrilling read." —Julie C. Dao, author of Forest of a Thousand Lanterns

"A primal scream of a book, Iron Widow delivers on all that fury and more, combining meticulous pacing and brilliant world building to make a truly epic read." —E.K. Johnston, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Aetherbound

"Zetian is the take-no-prisoners heroine you’ll love to cheer on as she crushes everyone who tries to bring her down." —Rebecca Schaeffer, author of Not Even Bones

"A bold and brash story that will grab you by the throat from page one. Zhao expertly weaves a story that polishes off classic sci-fi themes and re-imagines them in a lush futuristic world inspired by Ancient China. With an unapologetic heroine who pushes so far beyond the boundaries of expectations, the reader will go on a journey of twists and turns that will make them gasp with each page turn. Thrilling, heart-wrenching, and epic!” —Kat Cho, internationally bestselling author of Vicious Spirits

"In Iron Widow, Zhao crafts a thrilling, brutal tale with jaw-dropping action and a fierce and unyielding heroine. Zetian is unstoppable, and I dare you not to cheer her on." —Elizabeth Lim, bestselling author of Spin the Dawn

"Iron Widow is a gut punch from the very first pages. The action is riveting. The story relentless. The heroine ruthless and unapologetic. Zetian is here to set the world on fire, and her pursuit of vengeance is thrilling and empowering to behold. Sit back and enjoy the show — and stay the hell out of her way." —Nicki Pau Preto, author of Crown of Feathers

"A searing, cinematic, gut-punch of a tale, Iron Widow is both wickedly fun and brutally incisive when it comes to the Chinese history and culture it draws inspiration from. There’s no resisting Wu Zetian; once she sinks her claws in you, you’ll be racing alongside her to a shocking, subversive end." —Joan He, New York Times–bestselling author of The Ones We're Meant to Find

"Absolutely epic. This is the historical-inspired, futuristic sci-fi mash-up of my wildest dreams. Iron Widow charges headfirst into a world of giant mechas and uncompromising characters. The brutal beauty of Xiran Jay Zhao’s writing kept me glued to the page from start to finish." —Chloe Gong, New York Times–bestselling author of These Violent Delights

"I . . . stayed up till 3 a.m. to finish." —Lisa Gardner, New York Times-bestselling author

"In a futuristic Chinese society, the boys of Huaxia pilot giant robotic Chrysalises to protect their world from mecha aliens destroying it. The boys pair with girl 'concubine-pilots' to power beasts that can change into more powerful forms depending on the strength of their combined chi. Unfortunately, in many cases, the female does not survive. Zetian, deeply angered after her sister dies, decides to volunteer so she can seek revenge and kill the pilot who was paired with her sister. When she kills him using their psychic link, she is branded an Iron Widow, someone leaders fear but also want to use for her powerful chi. Now paired with Li Shimin, one of the most powerful and most deadly pilots, Zetian is frightened, but as her power grows, she seeks to stop the misogynist structure of the pilot system and save more girls from her sister’s fate. Zetian unexpectedly finds herself in a love triangle and explores her own power over her body as she decides who she loves and what that means for her newly awakened independence from her family and from society’s expectations. Rong Fu expertly voices Zetian’s rage and Li Shimin’s heartbreak, instilling battle scenes with chaotic tension while giving the softer moments a palpable gentleness. Hearing the Chinese words and accents performed accurately enmeshes listeners into the culture and setting. VERDICT An excellent addition to any audiobook collection. While savvy readers may get a hint of the conclusion, many will be surprised by several twists. All will be in anticipation of the next installment." – Courtney Pentland, School Library Journal Expand reviews