Iron Widow

Iron Widow follows the story of Wu Zetian, an 18 year old girl in the lower ranks of society. In her world, coming of age means choosing between being forcefully married off, or becoming concubine co-pilots for powerful Chryisalis robots. The Chrysalis robots fight the faceless Hunduns, a clan of enemies. Becoming a co-pilot is a suicide mission for the girls, due to the sheer power of the men who operate the robots. When Zetian's big sister is killed by a famous pilot, it becomes her mission to exact revenge. Leaving everything behind, she escapes her family life to complete this goal, even knowing she would end up killing herself as well.

I felt the thrill of adventure as well as the horrible bonds of society. Iron Widow showed the side of cultural and societal rules that we hide. Foot binding, beauty standards, strict family, misogyny, and many double standards. The belief that women are inferior is ever present, and proven wrong throughout the book. I learned about old Chinese beauty standards and practices, and the effects it had on the girls of the time. Though this story takes place in the future, the culture is very similar to that of the past.