I took my time reading Iron Widow, and wow I'm so glad. I wanted to immerse myself in the prose and needed a lot of headspace to parse the battle scenes especially. Iron Widow blew my mind. What violence, what power, what morally grey delicious rage.

The concepts of yin & yang, the different seats in the mechas for the fighters, the hunduns, the armor, how the author used acupuncture as a device for powering the big mechas. All of it was so creative and I understood it, without there being lengthy exposition. The way Xiran Jay Zhao builds Zetian's world is absolutely glorious, I've personally read nothing else like this. More please!

Also, I loved how the relationships were balanced between the fighting narratives. The having the three main characters form their polyamorous triangle was both romantic, sexy, and thrilling. I cannot wait to see what the future holds.

That ending though, it kind of slayed my emotions. Maybe also why I was taking my dang time.

CW: brutal descriptions of abuse (feet binding, physical), battles, blood, alcoholism/drinking, rape (off page), toxic familial structures, needles, medical procedures, torture