Iron Widow - Xiran Jay Zhao

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⭐ 9.0/10

(Originally written by Beans)

This book is set within Chinese culture and lore in a world where a species is destroying the peoples land and the only way to defeat them is by a boy and a girl inhabiting these huge spirit metal animals with their consciousness.

This book was really great and fast and exciting. The main female protagonist was unabashedly herself to a fault. Just didn’t give two shits, even to the end. Minor spoiler but there wasn’t really a redemption arc for her in the conventional way which was a super fascinating choice.

This book challenges gender, patriarchy, relationships, and so much more in a great way. The main character being an Oriental girl really shows the struggle of the female living in that region. This was a fast paced, action packed read that I really enjoyed and constantly wanted to come back to.

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