Iron Widow is that shit!! I literally could not put it down. A revenge story that turns a sh*t show society on its head. From the very beginning, I was sucked into the story. I did not want to stop reading it. I would have read it all the way through if I didn't have to do other things. The world-building unfolded pretty well. I was confused at times, as to how everything worked. I think Zhao did a decent job at the end of wrapping it up. I do wish there had been more, Zetian's POV was not enough at times for explanation. Xiran Jay Zhao does a great job with her writing. She makes you care about the characters and the world. (also she's hilarious af on Twitter).

The mix of mecca-historical-sci fi themes in this world is a great mesh. The idea of energy driving the Chrysalises is an interesting one. I hope Zhao expands on it in the next book. In a male-dominated society keeping the female population down is what keeps the patriarchy running. Female empowerment was the biggest theme in the book (it's the main plot of the book). I really wanted to run around screaming fuck the patriarchy after reading this. The subjugation and abuse of women are seen quite clearly throughout the novel. I wish there were more background female characters! There was very few women in this book, aside from the main character and those who served the plot purpose.

The narrative is AMAZING. I love Wu Zetian because she's such a badass character. She reminded me of Arya Stark in a way. I do love an unbridled rageful woman. The romance in here was cute! It was interesting to see a poly romance. It was my first time reading about one ever. I do think the addition of Li Shimin was quick, and the romantic development of it wasn't done well. Gao Yizhi could have been fleshed out a bit more. I think he was a background character who shifted too quickly to the frontline. While there were issues with Iron Widow I enjoyed it so much that issues did not matter to me as much. One of my favourite reads in 2021.