In an alternate-universe post-dystopian China, humans live a fragile and threatened existence behind the Great Wall, which is constantly under attack from an alien species. Human pilots in mecha suits called Chrysalises fight to defend the Great Wall, but at horrible cost. Each Chrysalis suit is powered by two pilots, one male and one female, and in nearly every battle the female pilot is drained of spirit energy and killed. The only time the female pilot is sparred is if her qi perfectly matches that of the male pilot and they are able to form a balanced pair. 18-year old Zetian's older sister was sold to the army, then murdered by one of the ace Chrysalis pilots; Zetian vows to avenge her. She enlists in the army with the sole intention of killing the ace pilot, even though she knows it will doom her whole family as well. But then the unbelievable occurs: she lives through her first Chrysalis battle. Suddenly, she is a rare but dangerous asset, and the army scrambles to control and use her talents. Zetian is disabled, and in constant pain, but her utter fearlessness and rage make her an unstoppable force. This book knocked my socks off! I burned through it at a feverish pace, finishing it in just under two days. I was amazed and impressed by the sheer amount of plot packed into less than 400 pages, and the speed with which situations shifted around Zetian. This book has giant robots, aliens, polyamory, love, betrayal, and a ferocious attempt to topple an entire corrupt, unjust government. Pick it up immediately and read it!