A review by angorarabbit
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I first became aware of this book due to Ms Zhao’s YouTube shorts. I admire anyone who wears a cow costume for their first author photo to keep a promise. Also Willow Talks Books really likes it. 
 
So I guess this is proof that I do like some young adult novels. The enemies to friends thing and the will they won’t they thing got rather old though. Other than that I thought this was an amazing first novel. The action scenes were well described and the characters were interesting with detailed backstories revealed. They also changed with their surroundings and circumstances. I did think that Gao Yizhi stretched belief but not past my breaking point. 
 
The plot was delightfully complex with interesting hints at the end. This ends on a cliff hanger, which is not my favourite, But maybe almost 1,000 pages is a bit long for a YA book so I’m being forgiving. I’m really looking forward to learning how the characters change in the new Huaxia. I also should try to find out more about the real Wu Zetian.
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