Thank you to Libro.FM for the audiobook of The Iron Widow through their ALC program! All opinions in this post are my own.

In Huaxia, the boys are paired with girls in order to power Chrysalises, giant fighting robots that can transform when the right pair is matched. One side-effect can be that the girls don't make it out of this pairing alive, but it is considered a huge honor to be chosen. Zetian volunteers to be a pilot in order to take revenge on her sister's co-pilot. However, when Zetian's male pilot is the one who doesn't make it out of the battle alive, she receives the title of Iron Widow and is paired with the strongest male pilot.

I love the blend of the historical with the science fiction/fantasy in this new YA series. Zetian is a force to be reckoned with and I can't wait to see what happens in the sequel!