Our friends at Caffeine Book Tours recently wrapped up an excellent tour in support of Xiran Jay Zhao’s Iron Widow. Make sure to catch up with all the participants below!
August 23, 2021
- A Cup of Cyanide: “Anime as f*ck, seeped in historical Chinese influence, characters, and mythology, and one hell of a power trio!”
- Lyrical Reads: “Iron Widow digs deep to dismantle the misogyny in a sci-fi/fantasy world that has lifted historical figures and planted them into this new context.”
- Solace in Reading: “Iron Widow is life-changing, especially for me as an Asian woman, and it’s great to see sexism and the patriarchy called out and challenged in a fantasy novel.”
August 24, 2021
- B for Bookslut: “Iron Widow is definitely written with a lot of heart, passion, and soul; it practically leaps off the pages and I was dragged hook, line, and sinker into Zetian’s world.”
- It’s Just a Coffee Addicted Bibliophile: “This is a fast-paced feminist retelling of the only female Chinese Emperor that had me sitting on the edge of my seat.”
- Kristy’s Book Reviews: “I just want everyone to read and love this book because I sure did. . . . The wait for book 2 is going to kill me off honestly!”
August 25, 2021
- Books & Bookish: “All in all, Iron Widow is a breathtaking, thrilling debut novel that defies the norms of a typical YA book.”
- This Belle Reads Too: “I have no qualms about the book. Iron Widow enraptured me from the beginning till the end.”
August 26, 2021
- Binded by Letters: “A book that was a godd*mn powerful dose of futuristic robots, powerful strategies, and a female lead to bow down for. “
- Kymiee Tries to Read: “I loved the intensity of emotions, the pace of the story, and how compelling it was.”
- The Paper Reels: Book Spotlight
August 27, 2021
- China Sorrows: “Wu Zetian, you are stunning. And this is one of my favourite books of the year.”
- Mel to the Any: “This story is truly so powerful, so beautiful, and so high on my recommendations lists for you all!”
- Myths n’ Mis-adventures: “I’ve never read a book that is so unabashedly about toppling the patriarchy. It’s gutsy and powerful and delivers blow after blow relentlessly.”
Thank you to everyone who took part in the blog tour and a big thanks to Shealea at Caffeine Book Tours for putting it together!
Are you ready for Iron Widow?
Iron Widow
By Xiran Jay Zhao
400 Pages | Ages 14+ | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735269934 | Penguin Teen Canada
Release Date: September 21, 2021
The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the mecha aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall. It doesn’t matter that the girls often die from the mental strain. When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it’s to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister’s death. But she gets her vengeance in a way nobody expected – she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is labeled an Iron Widow, a much-feared and much-silenced kind of female pilot who can sacrifice boys to power up Chrysalises instead. To tame her unnerving yet invaluable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest and most controversial male pilot in Huaxia. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will miss no opportunity to leverage their combined might and infamy to survive attempt after attempt on her life, until she can figure out exactly why the pilot system works in its misogynist way – and stop more girls from being sacrificed.