A review by allygator
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

5.0

Big thanks to NetGalley for sending me a free eARC of this in exchange for an honest review.
Geez. This was absolutely incredible. How the fuck am I supposed to wait for the next book??
This was exactly what I love to read in not just YA sci-fi, but sci-fi in general. It was dark, gritty, and so so much fun. I adored the fact that we follow such a complex protagonist. I would never say that Zetian is a hero, she falls more in anti-hero for me, and I love it. She is so angry (for good reason) -- it's so refreshing to read a woman who is unashamed to be angry and take it out on the society that constantly tries to bring her down.
And the polyamory! It was so nice to see a healthy polyamorous relationship in a novel, especially in YA. I loved both the love interests so much, and reading about their struggles and how deep and human they were beyond just being a love interest for our protagonist. All these characters felt so real, it was amazing.
This book is going to do amazing things for the newest generation of sci-fi readers, and I can't wait to watch people fall in love with it as much as I have.