Plot: ⭐⭐⭐
Character: ⭐⭐
World: ⭐⭐⭐
Overall: ⭐⭐
Created by Youtuber Xiran Jay Zhao, Iron Widow follows the narrative of Zetian, our young main character, on a righteous quest to avenge her sister after she is brutally murdered by the pilot of a Chrysalis. Within the world, ancient China is mashed together in an Evangelion/Pacific Rim/Handmaid’s Tale soup in which men and women are forced to pilot strange mechas against a collective amorphous enemy: the Hunduns. Chrysalises are the only thing that stands between Zetian’s home and annihilation. Here’s the kicker: within the Chrysalises, men use women as a sort of power bank of energy to fight, effectively killing women in a literal representation of the patriarchy. However, Zetian is special. Her energy is leagues above the other Pilot Concubines of her group, and her plans to exact revenge on her sister’s murderer come to fruition as she overpowers the pilot of the Nine-Tailed Fox: effectively earning the title of Iron Widow. Throughout the novel, Zetian is shackled to the patriarchy and makes attempts to rebel against it. When she is paired with the most powerful Chrysalis pilot of all, Li Shimin, she is somehow able to do what no woman has done before and become a balanced equal. Aided by the help of her childhood friend Yizhi, the three of them build a relationship as they enact revenge on Zetian’s next target: the society and government that put her there.
At multiple points in the narrative, Zetian is able to recognize the misogynistic foundations of her society and makes bold attempts to rebel against those in charge—or even kill them. This—more than anything—is my main qualm with the novel. Zetian is raised along with all the other women in her village, and it is never mentioned how she is able to carry such stark and contrary opinions concerning their society that every other woman in the novel seems to accept. As the reader, you basically have to accept that Zetian is just “different”, and able to take a stand against the injustice around her.
If you are able to accept that she suddenly is able to see this feminist perspective, the way the book is written allows for no empathy towards people who either lack understanding or make no attempt to rebel against the system. There are multiple moments within the text where Zetian brutally murders those who are either complicit or active participants in the misogynistic Chrysalis system. When she is able to overpower Yang Guang, pilot of the Nine-Tailed Fox and murderer of her sister, Zetian tosses his limp body out of the cockpit, and proudly screams at the media surrounding, “Welcome to your nightmare!”
At another point, Zetian crushes a whole family underfoot her mecha as retribution against nothing else but the patriarchy. Within the mind of Zetian, murder is a perfectly acceptable retribution for the society that has been structured against women. While Zetian is able to recognize herself and her sister as victims of it, the same courtesy does not apply to anyone not willing to viciously and brutally murder the government responsible like she does. For many people, patriarchal opinions are inherited and perpetrated by the people around them. The only way to change society effectively is to change the minds of the people within it. For Zetian, this position is not good enough, and she opts for a more…let’s say… direct approach to the problems that face Huaxia. I, unfortunately, was unable to sympathize with her as an effective protagonist.
I had much hope in Xiran Jay Zhao as an author: being a huge fan of her previous works on YouTube. If anyone reading has any interest in Chinese culture, please check out her channel. Her video titled “Everything Culturally Right and Wrong with Mulan 1998” is both entertaining and highly informative about Chinese culture. The world as a combination of futuristic and ancient Chinese elements was incredibly provoking at times, and the magic/technology system had great potential. I also found the polyamorous romance groundbreaking and moderately enjoyable. The budding romance between Zetian, Yizhi, and Shimin is a perfect way to get readers to experience the concept of polyamory and reaffirm the importance of communication and trust.
However, I feel like this book fails to convey any nuance surrounding the intricacies of a patriarchal society. Zetian’s lack of empathy is easy to convey directly to the reader, which would not be good for the majority of young adult readers that this narrative is marketed towards. In terms of whether I would recommend this to others, I feel Iron Widow’s possible negative impact on readers is enough evidence not to pick this book up. Its strengths concerning action, magic systems, and romance can be found in much better selections. Going forward, the Iron Widow series would improve by creating a more complex and less black-and-white narrative in which the supposed protagonist is not a cold-blooded murderer, therefore avoiding the very thing she is supposedly rebelling against.
Alex Eubanks is a student from Kennesaw State University working on her B.S. in English Education. In between reading and writing for Waymark, she works as Opinion Editor for The Sentinel, KSU’s student newspaper. She also works at the KSU Writing Center as an assistant, where she helps run two book clubs. Alex enjoys attending local concerts, playing D&D with friends, and reading up to four books at a time.
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